Children's home run by Benecare Limited in Sevenoaks

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225887 1

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Benecare Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. Its statement of purpose specifies that it will provide care and accommodation for up to two children aged from eight to 18 who have emotional difficulties or emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 30 June 2019.

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This monitoring visit

This inspection took place following concerns about placement planning for a child admitted into the home under a deprivation of liberty safeguarding order (DoLS).

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This monitoring visit

Various documents were considered prior to a visit to the home on 24 June 2020. Other evidence was emailed to the inspector after the site visit up to and including 30 June 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was announced the day before to enable a COVID-19 (coronavirus) risk assessment to be put into place. No overall judgement was made at this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership and staff team do not demonstrate that they have the core level of expertise and understanding to meet children’s needs when the severity of risk is high. Although senior leaders have reassured other professionals about the level of staff training, especially in mental health issues, this is not evident in training records. It is unclear how senior leaders ensure that the aims and objectives are met as outlined in the statement of purpose, especially in caring for children with emotional and mental health difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

The child is making progress, despite leadership and staff not demonstrating the core competencies that were described to the placing authority by leaders as being Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225887 2 in place. This includes written confirmation in a risk management meeting record that confirms that the staff team has received personality disorder training; however, this was not evidenced during the inspection activity.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders and staff had access to professional assessments prior to this child coming to live in the home. They failed to transfer some of the key risks into risk assessments, behaviour management plans or the child’s placement plan. They could not demonstrate their decision-making process in rating the risk as low or that they had consulted with other professionals to come to this conclusion. Some risks were unknown to staff, and there were no control measures in place to manage known risks.

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This monitoring visit

Some of the high-risk behaviours had been identified. However, risk assessments lack detail of what to do in potentially dangerous scenarios. The behaviour management training that staff undertake is not sufficient to manage the potentially challenging behaviour that they could face. Consequently, staff were unclear about what action they would take in a challenging situation.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are proactive in supporting the child with various activities, but, in one case, they took the child on an activity that had the potential to be a negative stimulus to the child. Staff did not consult the social worker or mental health professionals before undertaking the activity. There was a lack of professional curiosity as to why the child’s demeanour changed on the conclusion of the activity. The manager and staff did not consider the possible impact on the child’s emotional and psychological well-being or whether the risk was elevated as a result of the trip.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders had not ensured that there was a risk assessment, guidance or training for staff to search a child, even though a court order gave them express permission to do this to manage risk.

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This monitoring visit

An independent expert has assessed the fire alarm system as being non-compliant. The manager is aware of the challenges to commission the remedial work during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is no clear timescale or plan to complete the necessary work.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 07/01/2020 Interim Not judged 10/09/2019 Full Inadequate 21/05/2019 Full Inadequate 29/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225887 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

* 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—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii) 02/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5 (b)) 02/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 02/08/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out 02/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225887 4 in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b)) 02/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 113a St Johns Hill, Sevenoaks TN13 3PE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Gillian Hilton-Amzaleg

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Inspector

Keith Riley, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225887 5 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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