Children's home run by Priory Education Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1245979 1

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Priory Education Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operate this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. However, this was reduced to two young people by the imposition of a variation on 14 February 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since July 2019. The current manager has been in post since September 2019 but has withdrawn her application to register with Ofsted. The provider is in the process of recruiting a new manager.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 11 February 2020. Following this inspection, two compliance notices were issued. Ofsted imposed a variation to the condition of registration on 14 February 2020, reducing the number of young people that the home can care for to two.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to ensure that the home was compliant with the variation to the condition of registration. At the time of this inspection, there was one young person living at the home. One young person had recently moved out to semi-independent living. The home is compliant with the variation of registration.

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This monitoring visit

Staffing within the home remains a concern. There has been no registered manager in post since July 2019. Currently, the majority of the staff team members are on individual performance plans to address practice issues. In addition, seven senior residential support workers are not permitted to lead a shift due to concerns about their ability to lead a team and follow protocols in place to safeguard young people. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1245979 2 Investigations remain ongoing into the practice of three members of staff due to concerns about their practice.

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This monitoring visit

Since the interim inspection in February 2020, there have been further practice issues identified. One member of staff has refused to follow night time protocols put in place to safeguard young people. When room searches are required to remove risk items such as medication, they have been ineffective. A young person took an overdose of ibuprofen on 27 February 2020. Staff undertook a room search but failed to remove further tablets that were in the bedroom. Staff undertook four separate room searches before the manager was assured the room was safe for the young person to use.

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This monitoring visit

Additional training, on topics such as attachment, safeguarding, suicide and self- harm and risk assessment, has been identified but is yet to take place.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not consistently record key information; for example, staff do not always record all welfare checks made on young people when they are in their bedrooms or ask young people where they are going when they leave the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is aware of the shortfalls and is taking steps to address concerns and raise the standards of care. However, there is a culture within the home of some staff challenging instructions from senior staff, refusing clear requests and creating barriers to changes in practice, which is obstructing this process.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found little progress in regard to meeting the compliance notices that were issued in February 2020, so these are considered unmet.

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This monitoring visit

Following this inspection, the variation to the condition of registration remains in place. In addition, a restriction notice was served on 18 March 2020 to prevent further admissions to the home.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements will be reviewed at a subsequent inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/07/2019 Full Good 31/10/2018 Full Good 13/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1245979 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— if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 24/04/2020

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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. 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; 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; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))* 24/04/2020

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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. 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; 24/04/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1245979 4 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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;

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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)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))* The registered person must ensure that— the privacy of children is appropriately protected; children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 24/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 24/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 24/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1245979 5  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Records must be kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3(14)). This information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate, with the child’s parents. Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

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Recommendations

 Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 Examples of incidents that are likely to be considered serious affecting the welfare of a child include: a child being the victim or perpetrator of a serious assault; a serious illness or accident; a serious incident of self-harm, or serious concerns over a child’s missing behaviour, particularly where the child is considered to be at grave risk due to age or vulnerability or where they have been missing for a considerable period of time and their whereabouts is unknown. This is not an exhaustive list and homes must assess each case individually taking into account any patterns of behaviour or unusual behaviour which may indicate an increased risk to the child. Homes should also consider the frequency of incidents and judge whether their cumulative effect makes notification appropriate even if in isolation each event would not warrant this. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

This is regarding notifying Ofsted when a young person goes missing from home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1245979 6

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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.

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that Covid-19 is currently posing to those we inspect. During this visit, the inspectors took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of Coronavirus by the home. This has included the effect these have had on staffing arrangements.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Priory Group, Fifth Floor, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Inspector

Debbie Holder, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1245979 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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