Children's home run by Sherico Care Services Limited in Westminster

Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 1 SC022880

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Sherico Care Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

 A private provider operates this home.  The home provides care for up to five children.  The provider states in the statement of purpose that the home accommodates children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The last registered manager left her post in August 2017. There has been a new manager in post since 11 November 2019.  The new manager applied for registration on 2 December 2019, and this application is in progress.

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This monitoring visit

At the interim inspection on 17 October 2019, this children’s home was judged declined in effectiveness. On 22 October 2019, a case review considered the interim inspection judgement, the poor inspection history and the lack of a registered manager since August 2017. A decision was made to restrict accommodation and to propose a notice to cancel the service.

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This monitoring visit

On 22 October 2019, Ofsted issued the home with a notice to restrict accommodation. This restriction notice came into effect on 24 October 2019 and is effective until 15 January 2020.

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This monitoring visit

On 18 November 2019, a notice of proposal was issued to cancel the service. An application was submitted in early December 2019 for the registration of a new manager, and this application is in progress. On 16 December 2019, the provider made representations in response to the notice to cancel the service.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was to monitor the home’s compliance with the restriction notice. The visit Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 2 also reviewed the further steps that the leaders and managers have taken to meet the requirements made at the interim inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The home has complied with the notice to restrict accommodation.

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This monitoring visit

Two of the eight requirements have been met. The statement of purpose has been updated to reflect the new staff, and a new manager has been appointed at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Four of the requirements have been partially met. Efforts have been made to update staff’s skills and experience. Staff have undertaken training in the management of actual or potential aggression and on the topic of children missing from care. Despite this, the staff continue to struggle to manage children’s behaviours. There have been two recent incidents when the police had to be called to support staff with behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Work has started at the home to improve the general environment, but it is not yet complete. Repairs to dangerous window frames have been completed and exterior redecoration of the building is underway. The back door is fixed, so that it is now secure, and the leaking gutter has been repaired. The downstairs lavatory is being refurbished. Further repairs and redecoration are continuing, including ordering new furniture and flooring. The provider has committed a budget of £20,000 a year to ensure general maintenance and improvements at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Some changes have been made to support the leadership and management at the home. The new manager has made an application for registration. A new staff liaison officer has been appointed, who will be the first point of contact for any staff wanting to raise issues. The staff training schedule is now improved and an external provider has been appointed to deliver face-to-face training throughout 2020. The responsible individual has increased her visits to the home. Despite this, there is still limited oversight of the essential functions of the home. For example, only six out of a possible 12 independent visitor reports have been sent to Ofsted and no completed internal monitoring reports have been sent in as required. Moreover, although they state that they feel supported, new staff have not received consistent or regular supervision.

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This monitoring visit

The records of staff rosters and signing in have improved, but there are still some gaps. The maintenance staff working at the home during the monitoring visit had not signed into the home, nor was there a risk assessment in place to ensure the children’s safety during the ongoing work.

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This monitoring visit

Further breaches were found in relation to the recruitment of staff. Full and satisfactory information is not available in relation to all staff. A full employment history, together with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment, is not always requested or recorded. Without these basic checks, opportunities are missed for employers to understand staff’s history and determine their suitability to work with children. Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 3 One child has had significant periods of being missing from the home, including one single period of 15 days’ absence. Despite this, there is no evidence that the manager or the staff have requested that an independent person offers a return- home interview. The information obtained could help staff to understand the reasons behind this child’s absence and help to reduce risks.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments for young people are not robust. Despite one child’s referral information indicating a high risk of child sexual exploitation and gang association, the level of risk recorded in the home’s risk assessment is low. Therefore, risk assessments do not adequately identify risks or help to guide staff to manage them adequately. Furthermore, risk assessments have not been updated following the incidents that have occurred at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Children are not making consistent progress at this home. The home admits children who have a high level of complex needs. There has been some progress for children, but this has not been sustained. For example, although one child reduced their ‘missing’ episodes temporarily and began to engage in education, subsequently they breached their youth offending order and have been arrested for a serious offence and excluded from education.

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This monitoring visit

The lack of a consistent manager who can lead and develop a stable staff team has impacted negatively on the ability of this home to improve. Attempts have been made to address the issues raised at the interim inspection, and some progress has been made. Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/10/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 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 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–

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(iii)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring that the provider takes a robust approach with placing authorities to ensure that return-home interviews are offered when children have been missing and that any information shared is used to help to protect them and keep them safe. It is also in relation to understanding the level of risk for children and identifying it for staff in written risk assessments. 28/02/2020

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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–

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Requirement Due date

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, this is in relation to ensuring the continuation of repairs and maintenance of the home, including fitting an upstairs bathroom blind, bedroom furniture, kitchen flooring and refurbishment of the bathrooms. 28/02/2020 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 6 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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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1), (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring that leaders and managers who have invested in and are committed to running this home have clear oversight of what is happening at the home, to enable young people to thrive and meet their potential. 28/02/2020

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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

employ an individual to work at the children‟s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1), (2)(a), (3)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this is to ensure that the experience and skills of the staff match the complexity of needs and the challenging behaviours of the young people cared for at this home. In addition, this is to ensure that any gaps in employment are explored. 28/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees ─

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring that new staff members receive consistent supervision, in line with the provider’s statement of purpose. 28/02/2020

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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 s home. 28/02/2020 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 7 The registered person must–

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37(1), (2)(a–c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to ensuring that there is a record of which staff are working and that they have signed in when they come to work and signed out when they leave the home. The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s s report to–

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44(1), (7)(a–e) 28/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in 30/06/2020 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 8 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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1), (2)(a–c), (3), (4)(a)(b), (5)) Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 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: SC022880 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sherico Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2–4 Balmoral Road, London E10 5ND

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Inspector

Christine Kennet, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC022880 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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