Children's home run by Kisimul Group Limited in North Kesteven

Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 1 SC367623 Registered provider: Kisimul Group Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned service provides education, care and accommodation for up to 66 children who have learning disabilities and/or challenging behaviours associated with autism spectrum disorder. For some children, this is their home. Other children have term-time-only placements, and a small number of day pupils also come for short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 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

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (a)(i)(2)(a)(i)) 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are clear written explanations on body maps for marks that staff observe on children. 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(d)(h)) 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 31/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 4 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— the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person

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Requirement Due date

to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This especially applies to clearly recording the events leading up to high-risk interventions, and adding the date of the debrief to the record.

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Recommendations

 In addition to the requirements of [the protection of children standard] standard, the registered person has specific responsibilities under regulation 34 to prepare and implement policies setting out: arrangements for the safeguarding of children from abuse or neglect. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 44, paragraph 9.19) In particular, carry out all the recommendations arising as a result of internal investigations.

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Recommendations

 Regulations 35-39 detail the records that must be kept in children‟s homes. All children‟s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There has been a significant shift in culture since the appointment of the new manager. Morale is high, young people are relaxed and there are fewer incidents. Young people are making good progress in relation to their starting points. For example:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

 a young person who could barely walk is now mobile  a young person now communicates when he wants a bath  a young person can go on activities from a starting point of not being able to get into a vehicle  a young person can self-regulate his behaviour with verbal prompts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A parent said the progress was noticeable for her son. He is less tearful and withdrawn and is able to integrate socially.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is good progress in education. Some young people, who historically have not been in education, now attend school regularly. Other young people, who have needed to be taught alone, are now fully integrated into a classroom setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy good relationships with staff. They clearly feel safe and comfortable in the staff‟s care. Staff are attentive to young people‟s needs, such as noticing when a young person‟s shoes are rubbing, causing discomfort.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are keen to get the views of young people, many of whom have severe communication difficulties, using each young person‟s preferred method of communication. The input of the speech and language therapist is invaluable in this process. Staff also interpret behaviour as communication and try to understand what each young person is trying to say. Staff use various other approaches such as one-to- one sessions with young people, group discussion, questionnaires and reflection on activities to get their views. A team leader did a role-play with staff to emphasise how young people feel when trying to communicate, thereby improving the approach of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are tenacious in their approach to advocate for young people, and especially to ensure that their health needs are met. Staff ensure that they follow up on any recommended strategies, such as permissions for a general anaesthetic for a young person who finds dental work distressing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to be as independent as possible, for example in their personal care. In one case, the staff enthusiasm to support a young person toward independence was not well balanced with the objective of a healthy diet. The young person‟s choice and consumption of an unhealthy snack was not recorded in the food diary, nor was there any dialogue with the young person about making the right choices to aid their goal to achieve their ideal weight. Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 6 Young people enjoy a range of activities such as swimming, youth group and trips out. Staff work well as a team to supervise activities and interact with young people to make each event as successful as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have thought out some changes in the environment well. In particular, staff administer medication in a medication room, minimising distractions and the chance of error.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff plan well for transitions to ensure that these go smoothly. This includes working with adult services. There have been no unplanned moves for young people since the last inspection.

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

Safeguarding practice has significantly improved. Safeguarding leads follow the guidance from other safeguarding professionals such as the designated officer in the local authority. They are diligent in carrying out internal investigations when necessary, with clear recommendations to improve practice. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that all the recommendations have been carried out in every case. There is no current negative impact on young people.

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

Staff are clear on whistleblowing procedures for anything that concerns them within the organisation. Safeguarding leads take swift and decisive action to keep everyone safe while due process is followed.

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

Staff have a thorough understanding of each young person‟s needs, so they can keep them safe. They obtain consents for any strategies such as the use of a back-pack and straps to guide a young person when out walking. Staff demonstrate an understanding of each young person‟s unique traits and what they are communicating.

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

Staff risk assess group activities to ensure that there are no conflicts, providing alternatives for any young person who would find the group activity challenging. Staff are attuned to the relationships between the young people and how potential conflicts could arise.

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

On occasion, staff use a soft room as an area for young people to calm when they are highly anxious. Staff use verbal prompts to support young people to go to the soft room, so the young people can self-regulate their behaviour. Staff are clear that should any child need hands-on guidance to use this room, then this is recorded as a restraint. Senior leaders recognise that the current policy could be improved, using other agencies‟ published guidelines on the use of such rooms, to be clear that there is no deprivation of liberty.

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

There has been improvement in the recording and monitoring of physical intervention. However, for some high-risk physical interventions, some staff do not always record fully the events that led to the decision to use such a restraint. In one case, a bite release Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 7 strategy was not recorded. Staff have not had to use „as-required‟ medication to assist them in managing behaviours for a considerable period. This is indicative that staff‟s early interventions and support strategies are proving effective.

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

Staff record on a body map any unknown marks that they observe on a young person. They do not, however, routinely provide a written explanation as to the reason for the mark. This lack of clarity poses risks for the young people and the staff and impedes effective monitoring.

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

The physical environment is safe, with all the necessary health and safety certificates in place. The security of the site balances the need to keep the young people safe against the risk of going missing due to their vulnerability. Equipment, such as automatic gates, is risk assessed and subject to regular testing by external contractors.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are extremely positive about the registered manager and the changes she has brought about. They value her visible presence in the home and the changes to the culture. Staff relationships with the management team are significantly improved. Consequently, staff morale has also significantly improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders acknowledge the challenge of staff recruitment. They have been successful in improving the overall calibre of staff. There has been some improvement in staffing numbers, with shortfalls being covered by overtime, bank staff and agency staff. Senior leaders acknowledge the journey they are on to provide the full complement of staff who are fully qualified, and have a clear strategy to achieve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff benefit from regular supervision that is of a suitable quality, allowing them to reflect on their practice. Staff speak positively of the support and guidance provided by their line manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some key managers and leaders in the home do not use the daily monitoring and review systems effectively. Examples are not always reviewing the effectiveness of sanctions, not ensuring that daily records reflect actual events and not identifying the reasons for one missing tablet from a prescribed medication. On occasion, staff do not routinely record all the key events in the daily logs. These shortfalls hinder effective management oversight and have the potential to slow down improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff ensure that placement plans, risk assessments and behaviour support plans are clear and up to date. It was observed that staff follow the guidance in such plans in their day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

New staff undergo a thorough induction. They describe the induction booklet as a useful tool for reflection and a test of their knowledge. Managers know what new staff have covered so they plan their training accordingly. They refer to the document if there are any concerns later or additional training needs. Consequently, new staff are acquiring Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 8 the skills and knowledge they need to provide the care and support that the young people need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff maintain the environment to a high standard. They support young people to personalise their bedrooms, ensure that any damage is repaired quickly and are diligent in keeping a high standard of cleanliness throughout the provision.

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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: SC367623 9

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kisimul School, The Old Vicarage, High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 9LU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Donna Varley-Turner

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Duduzile (Judith) Robbins

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Inspectors:

Keith Riley, lead social care inspector Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Emeline Evans, social care inspector Daniel Healy, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 10 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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Inspectors:

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Inspectors:

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Inspectors:

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