Children's home run by Chartwell Care Services Ltd in Islington

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 1 SC468315

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Chartwell Care Services Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately-owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children and young people who have a learning disability. Children and young people have varying needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, attachment issues, and/or communication difficulties. They also may present specific challenges in terms of difficult behaviours. The registered manager has been on extended leave since 1 August 2019. She is not due to return to work before 1 April 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection date: 2 December 2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 2

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted received information that highlighted concerns about the home. The concerns related to the leadership and management of the home, how allegations against staff are being dealt with, the state of the physical environment, and health and safety at the premises. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to check on the home’s compliance with the related regulations and ascertain the impact of any non-compliance on the young people. The home’s progress with the requirements and recommendations raised at the full inspection in May 2019 was not considered on this occasion. This will be assessed at the interim inspection. The main finding of this monitoring visit is that the leadership and management of this home is poor. Young people do not receive a service that is in line with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. The multiple regulatory breaches resulted in 13 requirements. The recently appointed interim manager and the staff are doing their best to

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This monitoring visit

minimise the negative impact of the shortfalls on the young people. The staff and other professionals involved in the young people’s lives reported that the young people remained settled through a difficult period for the home. However, the potential for the young people to experience poor progress and outcomes is high. Their complex needs and communication difficulties make them particularly vulnerable to these risks.

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Leadership and management

Multiple changes of leaders, managers and staff have had a negative impact on the home. Since the registered manager went on planned leave four months ago, the home has had three interim managers. There has been no handover between the interim managers. The most recent interim manager, who started working in the home two weeks before this monitoring visit, has not received any induction. Ofsted was not notified of the most recent change in the management arrangements. This shortfall has reduced the level of Ofsted’s regulatory oversight of the service. The capacity of the management team is limited. The home does not have a deputy manager. The recently appointed team leader does not hold an appropriate qualification. She did not receive any induction into her new role. The responsible individual has been in his role since September 2019. He is not fulfilling the requirements of the role. The interim manager and the management

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Leadership and management

team leader were unaware who the responsible individual for the home was. When they were informed of his name, they said that they did not know this person and that to their knowledge he has never visited the home. The staffing capacity in the home is limited and this affects the consistency of relationships with the young people. The home relies heavily on agency staff to maintain the staffing levels in line with the young people’s care plans. At the time of the visit, one permanent team leader and two agency staff were on duty. Staff said Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 3 that with multiple changes to the team, it has been a difficult time for the home. In order to make sure that there is always at least one permanent member of staff on duty, some permanent staff work 60 hours a week. The staff register has not been maintained as required by regulation. This makes it

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Leadership and management

difficult to establish the exact number of staff changes. Six staff members left in the month of August 2019. However, more staff have since left, including two interim managers. Staff reported that, on occasions, the young people did not want to engage in key-working sessions with the agency staff as they were missing the staff they knew and trusted. This is an example of the negative impact that the instability of the staff team has had on the young people’s experiences, engagement and relationships.

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Dealing with allegations of abuse

Records do not evidence that leaders and managers follow appropriate safeguarding procedures when concerns are raised about staff in the home. This increases the safeguarding risks to the young people. The home does not keep a record of safeguarding concerns. No records were available to evidence that leaders and managers took appropriate action when a concern was raised with the home about alleged verbal abuse of a young person by a staff member. Poor record-keeping undermines monitoring and reduces accountability. The complainant did not receive any response from the leaders and managers, apart from an initial reassurance that the reported concern would be treated with the seriousness that it deserved. An interim manager contacted the local authority’s designated person for dealing with allegations against professionals but failed to notify Ofsted of the allegation. This meant that Ofsted was unable to monitor how

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Dealing with allegations of abuse

the service deals with complaints. The staff disciplinary policy does not specify that failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse, or suspected abuse, is a disciplinary matter. The home does not maintain a log of complaints. This undermines monitoring and reduces the ability of the service to learn from complaints.

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Health and safety

Leaders and managers do not ensure that appropriate health and safety checks are always undertaken. This increases the health and safety risks to everyone on the premises. A gas certificate is out of date. No records of the annual boiler services were available.

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Fire safety

Leaders and managers do not ensure that appropriate fire-safety checks are always undertaken. This increases the risks related to fire safety for everyone on the premises. Staff have failed to carry out any weekly alarm tests in the months of September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 4 2019 and November 2019. The fire risk assessment has not been reviewed since 23 October 2017.

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Physical environment and the use of CCTV

Leaders and managers do not provide young people with a homely environment. Young people’s right to privacy in their own home is not protected. The premises are not maintained well. The paint on the walls and doors is chipped and heavily stained with dirt and marks. One bathroom has been out of use for two weeks. A bathroom cabinet that was broken at the time of the full inspection has still not been replaced, almost seven months later. The provider has introduced an internal visual surveillance system, including cameras in the communal areas of the home, without satisfying the legislative requirements for their use.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/11/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard ensures that staff— provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the premises are maintained to a high standard and provide a homely environment for young people. 01/01/2020

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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 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all health and safety checks, such as an annual gas check and an annual boiler check, are carried out to minimise the risk to the safety of all. 01/01/2020

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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— 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 01/01/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 6 each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)) The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance; so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 01/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— take adequate precautions against the risk of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the alarm-raising points are tested on a weekly basis and that there is at least an annual review of the fire risk assessment/ precautionary measures. 01/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

A responsible individual must— have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the responsible individual must discharge their responsibilities towards the home effectively. 01/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— ensure that each employee completes an appropriate 01/01/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 7 induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular— provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse, or suspected abuse, whether past or present, in relation to a child to the appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted. (Regulation 33 (2)(b)) 01/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which— is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular— provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)(2)(d)) 01/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date; and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry.

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Requirement Due date

staff, staff rosters, persons residing or working in the home, visitors

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Requirement Due date

A record showing in respect of each person working at the home— the person’s full name; the person’s sex; the person’s date of birth; the person’s home address; the person’s qualifications relevant to, and experience of, work involving children; whether the person works at the home full-time or part-time (whether paid or not), and if part-time, the average number of hours worked per week; and whether the person resides at the home. 01/01/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 8 A record of any persons who reside or work at any time at the home, who are not mentioned in the records kept in accordance with paragraphs 1 or 2. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) Schedule 4.2 and 4.4)

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the staff register is maintained. The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 01/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI without delay if— there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 01/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

If the person who is in day-to-day charge of the children’s home proposes to be absent from the home for a continuous period of 28 days or more, the registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI of the proposed absence.

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Requirement Due date

Except in the case of an emergency or unforeseen absence, a notice under paragraph (1) must— be given no later than one month before the proposed absence commences, or within such shorter period as may be agreed with HMCI; and specify with respect to the proposed absence— its length or expected length; the reason for it; the arrangements which have been made for running the home during the absence; the address, name and qualifications of the person who will be responsible for the home during the absence; and in the case of the absence of the registered manager, the arrangements that have been, or are proposed to be, made for appointing another person to manage the home during the absence, including the proposed date by which the appointment is to be made.

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Requirement Due date

If the absence arises as a result of an emergency or is unforeseen, the registered person must give notice of the absence— within one week of the beginning of the absence; and specifying the matters in paragraph (2)(b).

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Requirement Due date

If the notice required under paragraph (2) or (3) has not been given as required, it must be given without delay. (Regulation 48 (1)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(3)(a)(b)) 01/01/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 9

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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: SC468315 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Chartwell Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 12 Helmet Row, London EC1V 3QJ

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Inspector

Seka Graovac, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC468315 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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