Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 1 SC438648

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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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and to provide care and accommodate for children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since October 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Due to Ofsted’s receipt of increasing safeguarding notifications and external complaints about the children’s home, a monitoring inspection took place on 24 June 2020. This was conducted off site, due to current COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions.

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This monitoring visit

No judgement was made from this monitoring inspection. The five requirements made from the previous full inspection were not fully assessed and are therefore repeated. Four requirements are made from this monitoring inspection, and shortfalls identified in safeguarding practice are so concerning that the requirement made in respect of this is escalated to a compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

It was confirmed that the previous manager has left the organisation. A new manager has been in post for three weeks and plans to submit an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector identified that leaders moved a child into the home after this child experienced a series of previous placement breakdowns. Staff were unable to keep the child safe, and the placement quickly became very unsettled. The poor practice of the manager included her decision to delegate the creation of pre-placement risk assessments and the impact assessment for this child to staff who do not have the skills necessary to complete this critically important work. During this process, staff Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 2 omitted to account for significant safeguarding information that was in the child’s placement information and chronology. They failed to identify that some behaviours displayed by the child were of a sexualised nature; therefore, this was not considered or included in the child’s impact risk assessment, or any other risk assessments, at the point of the child moving in. Such significant omissions,

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This monitoring visit

including the lack of managerial oversight, failed to provide staff with the guidance they needed in order to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff reported to the inspector that the child was known to engage in self-harming behaviours. This included the use of ligatures. Some risk assessments referred more broadly to self-harm. However, staff had not identified ligatures as a separate significant concern. Leaders had failed to provide staff with written strategies to follow if the child were to tie a ligature around their neck. Leaders had also failed to provide staff with the necessary training to manage incidents involving ligatures. All staff subsequently undertook ligature training in June 2020. However, the lack of preparation and training in the early stages of the child’s placement put the child at potential risk of harm during this time.

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This monitoring visit

Where guidance was in place, staff had not consistently followed it. One example includes the staff reporting that the child had made attempts to access private property of near neighbours. The child on one occasion gained access to the garden next door. This resulted in the neighbour having to escort the child off their property. Staff did not follow agreed strategies to prevent this from happening.

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This monitoring visit

Staff also reported that there was a clear correlation between the stress and anxiety of family contact and episodes of heightened anxiety for the child. Leaders however, had failed to analyse such incidents to minimise this risk. Staff were not provided with clear strategies to provide emotional support to the child before and after contact took place.

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This monitoring visit

Throughout this child’s time living in the home, leaders demonstrated poor risk management practice that had a negative impact on the child’s experience. The staff team’s inability to provide effective, competent care, brought this child’s placement to a premature close.

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This monitoring visit

The independent regulation 44 visitor had identified gaps in risk management for this child during an April 2020 visit. The manager was given a clear action to review and update risk assessments. The manager signed this off as complete and the responsible individual countersigned to show oversight. However, the manager had failed to fully review risk assessments, and gaps remained in existence. This failure to apply the necessary scrutiny shows significant flaws in senior management monitoring.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager was in the process of preparing for a new admission at the time of this monitoring inspection. He has started pre-placement planning with the support of the responsible individual. Senior leaders have created an impact risk assessment that is of better quality than the one for the previous child. The new Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 3 manager has identified all potential risks from the referral documentation, and these are included in an initial risk assessment. Staff have conducted a series of pre- placement visits to the child to build relationships before the planned moving in date, and consultation has taken place with health professionals and the child’s social worker, who are fully supportive of the plan for the child to move in.

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This monitoring visit

Staff reported that the child presents with some mental health concerns. The new manager provided up-to-date training records for staff. However, these demonstrate significant gaps in staff training in relation to children with specific mental health needs and the challenges arising from these. The statement of purpose makes minimal reference to children with mental health issues and the staffing structures described fail to demonstrate how the staff team is equipped to work with children presenting with mental health issues.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager has identified some immediate priorities and he has an initial development plan in place. However, he reported not having had the time to fully complete or implement this plan, particularly in relation to the gaps in the staff skills and training. The staff team falls short of the expected levels of training and skills to safely look after children with additional mental health needs. The decision of leaders to accommodate a child with mental health needs, in spite of the poor experience of the previous child, and the current significant gaps in staff skills and training, raises serious concerns about the decision-making of senior leadership.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager and responsible individual acknowledge that recent problems at the home have had an impact on the local community. The new manager demonstrated his attempts to address this by trying to rebuild more effective relationships with neighbours. He described a conversation, during which a neighbour described being racially abused by a child. The new manager’s failure to address this as a complaint minimises his assessment of this alleged incident. Consequently, there is no written record of any actions taken in response.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/02/2019 Full Good 13/02/2018 Full Outstanding 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 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 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— 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; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This is a repeated requirement. 26/07/2020

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (2))

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Requirement Due date

This is a repeated requirement. 26/07/2020

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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; 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; 26/07/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 5 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; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that— the registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3); the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is a repeated requirement. 26/07/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. 26/07/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 6 (Regulation 16 (1)(5))

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review the strategies in place to ensure that risk assessments consider all pertinent information about the child and identify measures to reduce the risk of harm to the child. 26/07/2020

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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 —

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, complete a full and thorough review of all staff skills and competencies, identifying any gaps or shortfalls, and arrange the requisite training to ensure that staff are enabled to provide safe care for children with complex mental health needs. 26/07/2020

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 26/07/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 7 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; 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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review the monitoring systems of senior managers to ensure that admissions procedures are being overseen effectively and that home managers are adhering to organisational policy and procedure.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints. The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, process verbal concerns raised by neighbours as complaints to create a clear chronology of actions and outcomes. 26/07/2020

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to explore the reasons for the increase in notifiable events and the external complaints received about the home.

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that COVID-19 is currently posing to those we regulate. During this visit, the inspectors 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 these have had on staffing arrangements.

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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: SC438648 8

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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

Peter Jackson, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438648 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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