Children's home run by Kites Children Services Limited in Colchester

Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 1 SC029560 Registered provider: Kites Children’s Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is one of two children’s homes and a school operated by this private provider. It is registered to provide accommodation and specialist therapeutic care and treatment for up to six young people. The provider also operates an independent fostering agency as part of a separate but linked company.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post became vacant on 28 May 2019. The acting manager has been in post since May 2019 and has applied for registration with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/05/2018 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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;

p.3

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(b)) 07/02/2020

p.3

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—

p.3

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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;

p.3

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and 17/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 4 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)(d)(h)) The registered person must—

p.3

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 28/02/2020

p.4

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

p.4

Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

p.4

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

p.4

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

p.4

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

p.4

Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

p.4

Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) (6)(a)(b)) 31/03/2020

p.4

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.4

Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 10/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 5 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.4

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.5

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

p.5

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to the recording of sanctions imposed. The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.5

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.5

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.5

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.5

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child— 03/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 6 is instigated; or

p.5

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

p.6

Recommendations

 Any home using CCTV or other monitoring equipment should have a written policy describing how this will support the safeguarding and well-being of those living and working in the home in accordance with regulation 24. Homes must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. The use of CCTV is regulated by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Conduct (Home Office 2013). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

p.6

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)  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)

p.6

improvement to be good

Shortfalls in help and protection and leadership and management mean that, despite the positive support that the young people receive from the staff, the home requires improvement to be good. Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 7 The home delivers individualised care that meets the young people’s particular and complex needs. The majority of the young people live at the home for two years or more. The young people therefore benefit from a stable long-term environment. This stability is promoted through effective planning, which ensures that the home is right for the young person.

p.6

improvement to be good

The young people are mostly positive about their experiences of life at this home and feel safe and supported. However, due to the young people’s needs, cameras and bedroom alarms are used. This has led to some young people being frustrated at the level of supervision and monitoring. Although the young people are aware of the monitoring and there is a policy governing its use, written agreements with the young people, their parents and the placing authority are not held. This means that there is a lack of transparency and agreement of the appropriateness of the use of monitoring.

p.7

improvement to be good

The young people are well supported with their education and they are all progressing well at school. They benefit from regular therapy sessions and the therapeutic model of working is integrated into daily care practice. This promotes the young people’s emotional well-being. The young people have good relationships with the staff, who they said understand their ‘personal struggles’.

p.7

improvement to be good

The young people undertake activities that help to prepare them for independence. Some young people move on to the organisation’s linked ‘stepping-stone’ accommodation, with individualised packages of support.

p.7

improvement to be good

The activity risk assessments on occasion do not contain all the relevant information. For example, a risk assessment for visits to the beach does not consider whether the beach is safe to visit or whether the young people or the staff are proficient swimmers.

p.7

improvement to be good

Risk management plans do not always provide suitably current and clear guidance for the staff as they are not updated after each significant incident to reflect emerging risks.

p.7

improvement to be good

The young people do not have individualised missing-from-home risk assessments or suitably detailed protocols to support the staff in responding to missing-from-home incidents. Incidents of the young people going missing are rare and there is no information to suggest that staff fail in their duties towards them. However, the records of the one incident of a young person going missing do not evidence the immediate actions that the staff took to try to prevent them going missing or to secure their safe return.

p.7

improvement to be good

The staff have not always been aware of the young people’s unsupervised access to online material. This does not keep the young people safe.

p.7

improvement to be good

Significant incidents are relatively rare. When safeguarding matters have occurred, they have been shared appropriately with the designated officer and the young person’s social Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 8 worker. However, the immediate actions taken by staff to support a young person when they made a disclosure are not clearly recorded.

p.7

improvement to be good

The building is appropriately maintained and provides a spacious suitable living environment for the young people. Health and safety arrangements at the home are suitable. However, the inspector observed a drill and hammer, left briefly on a kitchen counter, that were unsupervised and accessible to the young people.

p.8

improvement to be good

The staff use a therapeutic approach to behaviour management. The staff seek to help the young people to identify and express their needs in a more appropriate way. One partner professional said that they were impressed with how well the staff had managed one young person’s behaviour.

p.8

improvement to be good

Although there is no information to suggest that sanctions are used inappropriately, sanctions are poorly recorded. As a result, it is not clear why sanctions have been applied, who has applied the sanction, how they are to be implemented or their effectiveness. The recording of financial sanctions and how these are to be paid is poor. This does not protect young people from financial abuse.

p.8

improvement to be good

On occasion, the home continues to care for young people after they turn 18 until suitable alternative arrangements are made. One young person lived at the home for a year after their 18th birthday. The staff are aware of the different needs and general safeguarding risks. However, there is no documented consideration or risk assessment of any potential risk factors of adults sharing residential accommodation with children. It is unclear, therefore, whether all possible risks are considered.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The deputy manager took on the role of acting manager in May 2019. The last registered manager remained with the company to provide support. This gave some continuity of leadership. However, the effectiveness of leadership and management has declined since the last inspection. Monitoring arrangements are not sufficiently effective. Several concerns were noted during the inspection that managers were unaware of or had not made suitable arrangements to secure improvement.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff vetting procedures are generally effective. However, there is not enough scrutiny to ensure that, on each occasion, recruitment is conducted in accordance with the principles of safer recruitment. Written references are verified by a telephone conversation. However, one applicant’s reference from a previous child care employer was not further explored to establish the applicant’s suitability to work with young people. This was despite some potentially relevant information declared by the applicant.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Difficulties with recruitment mean that the home is struggling to maintain satisfactory staffing arrangements. Some staff are working excessive hours. The staff do this because they are committed to ensuring the continuity of support for the young people. However, this is not a suitable or safe arrangement. Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 9 The enthusiastic staff individually feel well supported by each other and the management team. The staff welcome the professional and therapeutic supervision that helps to develop their confidence and resilience. The staff benefit from a suitable variety of relevant training that promotes their confidence and competence. However, a small number of staff who have worked in a children’s home for more than two years have yet to achieve a relevant level 3 diploma in residential childcare.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Records are not consistently adequately maintained. The young people’s risk assessments are not always updated appropriately, young people’s complaints, financial records and sanctions are not recorded with enough attention to detail and dates are, on occasion, incorrect. The details of a meeting about a young person were recorded in the home’s logbook but not in the young person’s file. This means that confidentiality is potentially compromised. Furthermore, some important information is not clearly documented and shared and therefore the ability to audit the quality of care effectively is compromised.

p.9

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The provider has not sent a copy of the new statement of purpose to Ofsted. Therefore, the information that Ofsted holds about aspects of the home is over two years out of date.

p.9

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted of significant events. There is no information to suggest that the home has not acted appropriately to safeguard young people when such events have occurred. However, the effectiveness of Ofsted as an additional external safeguard has been undermined.

p.9

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.

p.9

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: SC029560 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kites Children’s Services Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Forge, Langham, Colchester CO4 5PX

p.10

Inspector

Joanna Heller, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC029560 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

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

p.11