Children's Home run by Potton Homes Limited in Southend on Sea

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438764 1 SC438764

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Potton Homes Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides long-term placements for up to six children who may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse. The provider owns the school located on the site.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the post in April 2020. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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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 visit. During this visit, the inspectors took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. This has included the effect that these have had on staffing arrangements.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring inspection was undertaken with some remote inspection activity due to the challenges that COVID-19 is currently posing to Ofsted inspecting services.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor and investigate concerns raised to Ofsted. This monitoring visit identified significant shortfalls that place the children at risk of harm. The senior leadership team has failed to monitor the care, staff practice and records effectively. Consequently, there are shortfalls that are detrimental to the children’s welfare and care.

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This monitoring visit

The manager’s monitoring and oversight are ineffective. Failure to identify shortfalls in records and practice and potential hazards has placed the children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The children are not able to access the garden during school hours. Their access is restricted as the home shares the garden area with the company’s school. During school hours, the children who attend the school access the garden. This is of Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438764 2 concern given that the children have not been attending their own education or work placements due to COVID-19. On occasions, some children have been restricted from leaving the house even though there was no immediate risk to them and no deprivation of liberty order in place. The staff and manager have locked the front door and blocked children from leaving the house. This action is a restriction of the children’s liberty.

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This monitoring visit

The patio doors leading from the kitchen to the garden are a fire exit. However, these are locked with a key that only the staff have access to. The fire risk assessment fails to identify this risk. Therefore, the children and the staff may not be able to exit the building safely if there is a fire.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s management team did not sufficiently risk assess a member of staff who did not hold a Disclosure and Barring Service check taken up by the organisation. The manager’s risk assessment does not include declared information. The manager’s assessment stated that the member of staff could only shadow shifts. However, an incident report evidences that this member of staff was involved in a physical intervention. The manager’s review of the incident and assessment failed to identify this shortfall and the risk to the children. The member of staff no longer works at the home.

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This monitoring visit

A child who was admitted to the home in April 2020 had their placement ended in June 2020. The admission impact risk assessment failed to accurately assess and consider the child’s behaviour and information that was provided by the placing local authority. The information from the placing authority said that it is best if the child is not placed with other children. In addition, a child who was already living at the home was assessed as not suitable to be placed with younger children. Because of the failure of the home’s management to ensure effective matching, the staff struggled to keep the child safe. There were a significant number of assaults on the staff and other children, and the staff restricted the child’s liberty through blocking the front door and removing her footwear during incidents.

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This monitoring visit

There have been a high number of incidents and physical interventions for one child, who is no longer living at the home. The manager’s oversight of the records is poor. During one physical intervention, the child banged her head as she kept sliding down the wall. The manager did not identify the concerns relating to this incident and assaults on other children or the gaps in records and poor behaviour management strategies. One strategy used to manage behaviour by taking the child to their bedroom failed to consider historical information in the child’s referral paperwork. As a result, incidents continued to escalate to the extent that the placement was ended.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has failed to ensure that the staff are up to date with their training. In particular, waking-night staff, on occasions, work together with no up-to-date training in fire safety and food hygiene. In addition, the manager only has training information for one of the agency staff, despite a high number of agency staff working at the home. It is of significant concern that the agency staff have been involved in physical interventions at the home. The manager has failed to identify Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438764 3 that there are shortfalls in the training and skills of the staff providing care to the children.

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This monitoring visit

Despite nine staff leaving the home and nine staff starting to work at the home since the last statement of purpose was received by Ofsted in August 2019, the provider has not sent an updated statement of purpose to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted of significant incidents at the home. These include police attendance to support the staff, an allegation made about a staff member and a child’s hospital visit following a self-harming incident. This means that Ofsted did not have a full picture of significant events at the home and how they were managed.

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This monitoring visit

The children’s records are not consistently updated or sufficiently detailed. One child’s care plan lacks clear strategies and current information for the staff.

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This monitoring visit

A child’s medication record has gaps where entries should be made. It is unclear whether a child refused to take or was not offered their medication in line with their prescription.

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This monitoring visit

The external monitoring of the home has been hindered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and visits have been undertaken remotely. However, the visits have failed to identify the numerous practice shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

Following a difficult and challenging time, at the time of the visit the home was settled. The children spoken with during the visit are happy and recognise some of the positive and supportive changes that have been made. The children feel that the manager listens to them, they have good relationships with the staff and each other and they value the support that they now receive.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has plans to refurbish the kitchen and other communal areas. The children’s bedrooms are warm, welcoming and personalised. In the short time that the current manager has been in post, the children’s contact with their family has increased, and their engagement with the staff has improved.

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This monitoring visit

One recommendation raised at the last interim inspection has not been fully reviewed at this visit and will be evaluated at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438764 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/10/2019 Full Good 03/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438764 5

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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 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 in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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 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)(f)(h)) * 28/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23(1)(2)(c)) 28/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438764 6

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Recommendations

 The processes the registered person puts in place to enable such a review to take place, should allow for a report to be generated at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all children in the home who are looked-after children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)

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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: Potton Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Potton Homes, 1 Cresswell Park, Blackheath, London SE3 9RD

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Jennifer Benet-Parry

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Inspector

Natalie Burton, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC438764 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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