Children's Home run by Jasmine Gardens Private Limited in Hertfordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2526987 1 Registered provider: Jasmine Gardens Private Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides long-term care for up to two children who have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The manager has been in post since February 2019.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2526987 2

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)) 21/02/2020

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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 purpose 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

In particular, ensure that environmental health and safety checks are completed. 21/02/2020

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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— that staff assess— 21/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2526987 3 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the risk assessments and behaviour plans are updated and shared with the staff and that risk reduction measures are acted on. The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all fire doors meet fire safety regulations. 08/01/2020

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Recommendations

 As set out in Regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, ensure that identification for new staff is held on file.  Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, and that information regarding the child is 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)  The review of the appropriateness and suitability of the location and the premises of the home should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s

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Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) In particular, use information from external agencies and the children to inform the location risk assessment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are beginning to make progress. Disruptive behaviours that were displayed in previous placements have begun to decrease. The children have started to build positive Inspection report children’s home: 2526987 4 and trusting relationships with the staff team. The staff understand the children’s past trauma and the negative impact that this can have on their behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of supporting the children who are transitioning in and out of the home. Informative transition plans are sent to the child before they visit the home. The plans inform the children about the home and provide details about the staff members. Sharing information helps to prepare the children and reduces their anxiety before moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved into semi-independent living accommodation. The staff supported him to move out and he remains in contact with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children could name staff who they would speak to if they are worried or upset, and they said that they felt listened to. The staff understand the importance of recognising when the children have done something well and use positive rewards to reinforce and acknowledge their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children in their education. One child’s school attendance has improved since moving into the home. The manager has appropriately challenged the local authority regarding another child’s education provision. The staff advocate strongly to enable the children to have the same education opportunities as their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s individual plans are informative and child-friendly. The staff are in the process of using a new recording system. This has not been fully implemented and, as a result, some of the records have not been properly updated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend weekly house meetings during which the staff seek their views, wishes and feelings. However, there is no feedback from the manager to show the children that their wishes and feelings have been listened to or acted on.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour plans are individualised and basically support the staff in keeping the children safe. However, these plans are not consistently updated after an incident and historical risk assessments are not removed from the children’s files. This means that staff may not be following the current risk assessment or behaviour plan, which could reduce the agreed safeguards.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment processes are generally safe. However, the manager has not consistently ensured that new employees’ identification is obtained and verified.

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improvement to be good

The children have regular key-work sessions covering a variety of topics. However, the staff do not record sessions in a way that is meaningful to the child. This means that children may not understand the session or the subsequent actions.

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improvement to be good

The staff undertake regular environmental health and safety checks. However, since the Inspection report children’s home: 2526987 5 introduction of a new record system, these records are not adequate to ensure that the environment is safe.

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improvement to be good

Fire checks are undertaken, but these are not comprehensive. Two fire doors do not fully close when released. This reduces their effectiveness in containing fire.

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improvement to be good

The staff use physical restraint as a last resort. There has been one physical intervention, which was appropriate, minimal and used to keep the child safe. The staff spoke to the child after the incident to support her in understanding the rationale for the hold.

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improvement to be good

The staff follow set procedures when the children go missing from the home. They actively try to contact the children and search for them. The staff work closely with the missing persons team. The manager attends regular meetings with the team and the child exploitation team to build positive working relationships. Social workers undertake return home interviews and the staff discuss missing from home episodes in key-work sessions. For one child, there has been a reduction in incidents of going missing from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened and is experienced in residential childcare. She is qualified to level 5 in health and social care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals spoke highly of the manager. A social worker said, ‘This is the best children’s home that I have worked with. The manager knows the children well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has successfully challenged placing authorities and other organisations when care plans were not in the best interests of the child. She attends regular meetings with other professionals to look at children’s risks and the future planning to reduce these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have undertaken the organisation’s mandatory training. The manager and team leaders hold relevant qualifications. New staff benefit from a detailed, comprehensive induction that helps them to understand their roles and responsibilities. The staff receive regular supervision, which supports them in working with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager carries out regular monitoring checks. She uses the independent person’s reports to identify patterns and trends and to evaluate the quality of the care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The location risk assessment is detailed. Risks have been identified along with actions to minimise these. However, the manager has not consulted with other agencies to inform the risk assessment. Inspection report children’s home: 2526987 6

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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: 2526987 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Jasmine Gardens Limited

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Talent Chirandure

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2526987 8 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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