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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037543 1 SC037543

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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 three young people.  The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home accommodates young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The registered manager was registered on 11 January 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 situation, this monitoring visit was undertaken off site.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager, the quality assurance manager and one of the young people were spoken to as part of this visit. However, the other young person living at the home was missing from the home at the time of the inspector’s telephone call.

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This monitoring visit

Several other professionals involved in working with the children were contacted and provided their feedback on the home and on the progress of the young people.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit assessed the home’s compliance with a restriction of accommodation notice which was served on them by Ofsted on 28 April 2020. The home has complied with the notice, and two young people remain living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

One young person continues to go missing from the home. Regular weekly notifications have been provided to Ofsted about these missing episodes and about Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037543 2 the professional response to them. The placing authority social worker said that staff are doing their best to engage the young person concerned. Regular weekly meetings with all professionals involved with the young person have been set up.

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This monitoring visit

One young person is not engaging in their education plan and, as a result, the home tutor has been withdrawn. Educational resources have been sent to the home, but the staff have struggled to engage this young person in school work despite attempts to do so.

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This monitoring visit

The other young person has intermittently engaged with education. This young person was spoken to and told the inspector he could not do his school work as the shared laptop was broken. The pastoral coordinator said that she feels that the staff have tried their best to support the young person’s learning although she was not aware that the laptop was broken. Further discussions have established that a new laptop has now been resourced by the provider to enable ongoing learning.

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This monitoring visit

One young person told the inspector he is happy at the home and that he has developed an interest in gardening. The staff are recording his gardening project at the home in photographs, and this is being used as part of his education and reparation work.

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This monitoring visit

A new independent person has been appointed to visit the home monthly and provide an independent view on how well young people are safeguarded and have their welfare protected. She has made one visit to the home and completed one virtual visit. Despite these reports being required monthly, there have only been three provided to Ofsted this year. Two of these reports covered the same month of February. The author of the report has consulted with young people and other professionals, and no significant concerns were raised.

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This monitoring visit

A key area of concern about this provider has been the skills and experience of the staff team to manage the needs of the young people admitted to the home. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff training programme has been put on hold. As an interim measure, staff have been offered short online courses on safeguarding, the ‘Prevent’ duty and ‘behaviour that challenges’.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments reviewed as part of this monitoring visit continue to show a lack of understanding regarding the complexity of the needs presented by the young people. An example of this is that, despite one young person’s risk assessment indicating high risk in various areas such as criminal and sexual exploitation, there is limited insight, understanding or guidance for staff about how to manage and support the young person and understand these behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

The management arrangements continue to be in transition with a new interim manager in post. The requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection have not been considered in the scope of this inspection and are therefore repeated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037543 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/07/2019 Full Good 22/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037543 4

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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 Requirement

Independent person: visits and reports The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to— HMCI. (Regulation 44(1)(7)(a)) Specifically, ensure that reports are sent to HMCI in a timely way. 31/08/2020

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Requirement Requirement

The positive relationships standard The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those 31/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037543 5

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Requirement Requirement

expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or

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Requirement Requirement

potentially violent behaviour by children; understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11(1)(a‒c)(2)(a)(i‒xiii)(b)) Specifically, help the staff team members to work effectively together and maintain boundaries and respect in the home. Notification of a serious event The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)) 31/08/2020

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Requirement Requirement

The leadership and management standard 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 31/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037543 6 promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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 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; and

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Requirement Requirement

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a,b)(2)(b,c,d,e,f,h)) Fitness of workers The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a)(3)(b)) 31/08/2020

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Requirement Requirement

The care planning standard The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 31/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037543 7 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; that arrangements are in place to— plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(iii))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring management oversight of significant incidents and missing from home records.  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

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Recommendations

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) Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring consistency of records and recording actions that have been taken, such as requesting return home interviews.

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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: SC037543 8

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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: SC037543 9 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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