Children's home run by Jamores Limited in Bexley

Inspection report children’s home: 1234163 1 Registered provider: Jamores Limited

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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 home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children with social, emotional and mental health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since May 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 September 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: A compliance notice was issued against regulation 14 following the full inspection on 14 and 15 May 2019. The completion date for the notice was 19 July 2019. At the monitoring visit on 22 July 2019, the compliance notice was judged to have been met. Inspection report children’s home: 1234163 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2019 Full Inadequate 18/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/09/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: 1234163 3

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improvement to be good

The home has had no children in placement since the end of July 2019. The managers and staff have taken this opportunity to train staff and redecorate the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have spent time widening their skills and knowledge in relation to the basic care of children, through working at other homes in the organisation, accessing various training courses and reviewing their practice against the children’s homes regulations. Staff said that they do not feel anxious about having a new child in the home and have a renewed confidence in their skills and abilities.

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improvement to be good

Staff appear to recognise that previously they were not as consistent as they should have been, and they are keen to have a child in the home as they feel ready as a team to provide suitable care and support to a child.

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improvement to be good

The managers have worked on considering how children who are placed in the home can have a positive experience, taking into account the home’s location and the staff’s current skills and abilities. Managers are clear about the information they would need to have prior to a child moving in and the importance of meeting the child to hear their views on a potential move.

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improvement to be good

Policies and procedures for children’s health and well-being have been reviewed and updated. Staff have received training in the safe administration of medication. Managers are confident that all details about children’s health, including specific considerations, will be fully explored to ensure that the home provides the right level of care. The organisation’s therapy team is ready to engage with children and to support staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff are confident in their responsibilities to recognise and report safeguarding and child protection concerns. They are clear on reporting processes, both within the organisation and to those with safeguarding responsibilities in the local authority.

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improvement to be good

Staff said that the training they have received in specific areas such as exploitation and radicalisation has been informative and useful. They acknowledge that previously they were not responding as robustly as they could to concerns for children who were possibly being exploited. As a result of this additional knowledge and increased awareness, they are increasingly confident that they will be more effective in the future.

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improvement to be good

Managers have worked effectively with the designated officer in the local authority regarding an individual who applied to work in the home. The designated officer Inspection report children’s home: 1234163 4 confirmed to the inspector that the referral made by managers was appropriate and good practice. Recruitment practice has been strengthened to ensure that all previous employers are checked or contacted where an applicant has worked with children or vulnerable people.

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improvement to be good

Health and safety in the home has been reviewed and, where necessary, repairs and adjustments have been made. The recommendations from the fire risk assessments have been actioned.

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improvement to be good

The home has been redecorated and has the look and feel of a family home. Bedrooms have been repaired and redecorated in neutral colours, with baskets of toiletries and new towels, ready for children to move in and choose the colour scheme they would prefer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager since May 2017. The home currently has a manager in post, who has submitted an application to be registered with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team said they feel well supported by the management team and that the time they have spent in other children’s homes and receiving training has boosted their skills and confidence. Having days set aside to complete their level 3 qualification with trainers is also seen as a positive by staff. Staff said this has helped them to understand what is expected of them in their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff said that, in particular, they have found it useful to look at the regulations and consider how these work in practice. They have also found it helpful to explore in team meetings, with other team members, the aspects of training that they had not fully understood, as this has not been a judgmental process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the monitoring visit in July 2019, the managers within the home and organisation have put into practice their policies and procedures. They have been working with a local authority to ensure that they have all the information they require for a potential placement. Managers were able to demonstrate a greater level of care in considering potential placements, including through a visit from a prospective placing authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has a new visitor in line with regulation 44. She has only visited once, but the managers are hopeful this will provide the level of scrutiny and professional challenge that is necessary to prevent a repeat of the failures that were identified at previous inspections. The requirements and recommendation set at the last two inspections have been met, with the exception of the need to improve the language used in children’s records. This is not judged, due to no children being in placement, and is repeated. Inspection report children’s home: 1234163 5

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Recommendation

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 1234163 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Thames Innovation Centre, Studio 52, Veridion Way, Erith DA18 4AL

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1234163 7 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

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