Children's home run by Wessex College Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 1 Registered provider: Wessex College

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

 The home can provide care for up to four children aged over 11 years who may have experienced trauma and/or abuse, and who may have attachment difficulties.  This home is one of six homes operated by a private organisation. The organisation also owns a school and a farm, which children from this home may attend.  The accommodation is split between two adjoining houses. Both houses have two bedrooms for children.  The registered manager resigned in October 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/12/2017 Full Good 12/09/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children‟s needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child‟s needs.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the manager actively seeks to receive information shared in independent return home interviews. 09/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— 09/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 4 meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iv)(vii)(c)(i)(ii)) 11: The positive relationships standard

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The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans;

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help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding;

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help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding;

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strive to gain each child‟s respect and trust;

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understand how children‟s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; 09/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 5 that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(xi)(b)) 12: The protection of children standard

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The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

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understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the grounds of the home are free from hazards. Ensure that action is taken to complete internal investigations when advised to do so by the designated officer. Leaders and managers must show how they deem it is suitable for staff to continue to care for children when an allegation about them is under investigation. 09/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose;

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ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 09/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 6 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(e)(f)(h)) 20: Restraint and deprivation of liberty

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Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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injury to any person (including the child);

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serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home.

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In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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In particular, ensure that a full record of the administration of controlled medicines is well maintained, including all secondary signatures. Ensure that any discrepancies are identified swiftly. Ensure that there is a suitable system to dispose of controlled medication. 09/08/2019

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The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and 09/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 7 have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure.

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Within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 09/08/2019

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The registered person must complete a review of the quality of 09/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 8 care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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the quality of care provided for children;

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the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5))

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, they must ensure that they are satisfied that staff recruited through an agency undergo the relevant checks. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 9

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leadership and management of this home are ineffective. While leaders and managers identify weaknesses, improvement has not been swift enough. Too many shortfalls impact negatively on children‟s overall experiences and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Not all staff demonstrate that they have good-quality and positive relationships with children. Although there are some examples of children having quality time with staff, this is inconsistent. The role modelling of good parenting by senior leaders is not having the desired effect on improving the care to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The environment is not homely and has little to identify that children live there, other than the new swings in the garden. Children‟s bedrooms are bland, lack personalisation and are not well-cared-for. Frequent damage, although repaired swiftly, continues to have a negative impact on the ability to provide children with a loving home. The garden also lacks attention to detail and care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

A prevalent negative culture within the staff team impacts on their ability to have high expectations for children and provide aspirational care. Examples of this include focusing on negative behaviour rather than the positives, and the storage of „staff food and hand soap‟ in the locked office.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The clinical team offers an insightful perspective and understanding about children‟s previous experiences. Care plans and other records detail how to meet children‟s therapeutic needs. Children start to engage with clinicians and the staff team receives clinical supervision. However, this good level of information and support does not translate into the care that staff provide to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the weaknesses, children make some progress. Examples include rebuilding relationships with family, purposeful activities such as fishing, and identifying the home as „their home‟. Nevertheless, staff do not provide children with the support to help them to fulfil their potential.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children are not adequately helped and protected because of a poor safeguarding culture and widespread failings in safeguarding arrangements. Restraint records do not always provide sufficient detail about why children need to be restrained. Records indicate that staff restrain children for compliance reasons rather than to protect children and others from harm. Staff and children do not always receive a debrief as required. Monitoring of these incidents is ineffective. Other incident records are poor, and some are missing. The response to children‟s behaviour is not in line with children‟s therapeutic care plans. Examples of poor practice Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 10 include isolating power sockets in children‟s bedrooms at bedtime and staff telling children they will call the police when their behaviour escalates. Monitoring of incidents is inconsistent, dependent on which manager conducts the review. The impact of

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

monitoring is not translated into the care for children. Leaders and managers take appropriate action to report child protection concerns to a safeguarding professional, as required. However, the outcomes of these referrals are not always sufficient. The manager failed to follow advice from the designated officer and complete an internal investigation following a child making an allegation. In another example, leaders and managers cannot show why they deem it suitable for one member of staff to continue working while an allegation is under investigation. These shortfalls potentially put children at risk. Arrangements for the safe administration of medication are inadequate. Signatures of staff administering and witnessing controlled medication are frequently missing in records. Controlled medication auditing is ineffective as it does not identify discrepancies. There is no suitable system for the safe disposal of medication which is

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

refused. When children go missing from home or school, staff take effective action. The frequency of missing incidents for one child is reducing. Leaders and managers cannot be certain that children always receive an independent return home interview. In addition, leaders and managers do not receive information from these interviews to inform children‟s care. Recruitment checks for permanent staff are robust. Agency recruitment does not always follow the same rigour. Leaders and managers cannot be sure that agency staff are safely recruited in line with schedule 2 of The Children‟s Homes Regulations 2015. The environment is not safe from hazards. The open barn area contains broken and damaged items from the home. These items may be hazardous to children. This is a repeated shortfall from the previous inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Action taken by leaders and managers to implement change has not been effective. The registered manager resigned in October 2018. The new manager has been ineffective and has failed to submit an application to register with Ofsted. Another manager has been recruited but is yet to commence their post. In the meantime, despite interim arrangements, there continues to be a period of time when the home will not have an effective and consistent manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not shown an ambitious vision for the home. The home is not achieving its aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. The identity of the home is confused. This impacts negatively on children as they receive mixed messages about when they can or cannot go into each other‟s houses, sometimes resulting in behavioural incidents and restraint. Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 11 Children do not always receive consistent care due to vacancies in the staff rota. Some permanent staff have also been absent from their roles, increasing the impact of this. Leaders and managers responded appropriately by seeking consistent agency staff and bolster the management presence in the home. New staff have been recruited but are yet to commence their posts.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An extensive training programme is provided to staff which includes therapeutic models of care. However, not all staff have been able to implement the skills from this training effectively. This means children have not received therapeutic care to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not provided staff with the right supportive environment with regards to their supervision and annual performance review. Senior managers identified this weakness and took some actions to improve it. More recently, staff have received supervision from senior managers within the organisation and the clinical team.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children‟s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the „Social care common inspection framework‟, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wessex College Limited, 4 Cedar Park, Cobham Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne BH21 7SF

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Inspector

Nicola Lownds, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1253583 13 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children‟s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children‟s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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