Children's Home run by The Serendipity Centre Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC485423 1 SC485423

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The Serendipity Centre Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to five children. It is privately owned by an organisation which has other homes and an educational setting in the vicinity.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2018.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was to monitor actions taken to meet the steps of a compliance notice issued under regulation 13.

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This monitoring visit

Review and prepare a report on the competency of all members of the staff team in the home to ensure that the staff have the experience, qualification and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers had started a competency assessment and personal development plan for all care staff. However, insufficient time and resources had been allocated to ensure completion of these reviews in the timescale expected.

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This monitoring visit

Staff’s previous experience of working with children had not been considered to identify gaps in their experience or knowledge. There were no discussions with staff about the shortfalls that led to the inadequate judgement being made and no analysis of their understanding of the serious concerns raised by Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

There was limited evidence of measurable targets being identified. Leaders and managers had not responded thoroughly when staff demonstrated a lack of knowledge of crucial information such as children’s risk assessments.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not been subject to a personal development plan or had a review of her knowledge, skills and competencies undertaken. The registered manager had not identified the competencies of all members of the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC485423 2 staff team, and learning needs had not been identified.

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This monitoring visit

Take timely action to address any gaps identified by the review.

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This monitoring visit

Training records did not evidence a thorough training programme being devised in response to the concerns raised at the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Review and prepare a report on the effectiveness of monitoring and review systems to ensure that these contribute to the continuous improvement in the quality of care provided in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that the monitoring and review systems had not been reviewed. There were crucial areas missed from the action plan, such as addressing the effectiveness of external monitoring, and monitoring the quality of supervision sessions and the quality of care records. Monitoring systems did not identify mistakes in staff recordings of serious incidents and incomplete risk assessments.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager did not follow the organisation’s monitoring processes despite monitoring being subject to a compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

A case review found that the compliance notice in respect of Regulation 13 was not met and it is reissued.

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This monitoring visit

A further requirement in relation to Regulation 12, the protection of children standard, has been issued.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/07/2019 Full Inadequate 08/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC485423 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(d)) 10/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 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— that staff— help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 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. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(b)) 10/11/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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; 10/11/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC485423 4 help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(c)(h))* 10/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(iv)) 10/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (5), the registered person must ensure that children are provided at all reasonable times with access to the following facilities which they may use without reference to persons working in the home— a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private. (Regulation 22 (3)(a)) 10/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(3)(b)) 10/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— There is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 10/11/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC485423 5 * This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. 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

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC485423 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Serendipity Centre Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1st Floor, Goodlands House, St. Lukes Close, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2US

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Inspectors

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Stephen Collett, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC485423 7 to 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

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

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