Children's home run by Jamores Limited in Bexley

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1234163 1

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Jamores 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 and run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since May 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection date: 2, 3, 10, 13, 14 & 15 July 2020

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to assess progress since the restriction of accommodation notice was lifted in May 2020. In addition, the inspectors reviewed the provider’s progress in appointing a manager who is suitable for registration. Two compliance notices were judged met at the last monitoring inspection on 19 May 2020. The senior leaders stated at the last monitoring visit that they would be reviewing the effectiveness of their action plan on 30 June 2020.

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This monitoring visit

In accordance with Ofsted’s guidance on COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions, this inspection was undertaken remotely. The inspection initially took place on 2 and 3 July 2020, with further information sought and evaluated on 10, 13 and 14 July 2020. Telephone discussions were held with the responsible individual, operations manager, acting manager and a member of staff. The responsible individual and operations manager were made aware of the initial documents required via email on 1 July 2020, and these were made available by the end of the following working day. The inspectors were unable to gain feedback from the social worker of the last child to live in the home. No judgement is made from this inspection, and no children were living in the home at this time. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1234163 2 Senior leaders are satisfied with their review of the previous action plan and are

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This monitoring visit

confident that most of the outstanding actions and areas for continued development have been addressed.

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This monitoring visit

The new matching and assessment format identifies many aspects that may have an impact on a child preparing to move into the home. This also includes the possible impact for the other children living in the home and it considers staffing and any impact on the management of the home. The tool sets out that the therapy team input considers the referral and child’s needs as a whole for the home. In addition, the document includes the home and physical environment, the local environment and any concerning local trends. As there are no children living in the home, and no new admissions are planned, many of the proposed improvements to placement planning have not yet been tested. The operations manager confirmed that other homes in the organisation have tested the new matching and impact assessment process with success, while noting that there is always a need to continually review and monitor plans and procedures.

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This monitoring visit

A requirement was made at the previous monitoring inspection on 9 April 2020 and repeated at the monitoring inspection on 19 May 2020, in relation to debriefs after incidents and physical interventions. Incidents are now being fully reviewed, and the staff involved have a suitable debrief. The quality of reports in line with regulation 40 have improved to a degree. However, the language in these is at times emotive and blaming of the child.

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This monitoring visit

A member of staff commented that a recent team debrief with the therapist helped the staff to reflect on their feelings of a child moving on from the home after a serious incident. Staff have visited the child’s new placement to say goodbye, although he was not home. The staff want the ending to be positive.

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This monitoring visit

The acting home manager and staff said that staff meetings and training via video conferencing during the period of lockdown have continued. The therapeutic training plan for the first quarter of 2020 is clear, and there is training to support staff to understand the cause of or reasons for children’s behaviours included. The operations manager confirmed that this is an ongoing package and will be continued throughout the year. New staff, who have not been able to undertake physical intervention training due to COVID-19 restrictions, have had some behaviour support training. The operations manager has been in contact with the behaviour support package provider and is seeking for those staff to have the training as soon as possible, once social distancing restrictions have been lifted.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors sought an update from senior leaders on the registered manager arrangements. From being first registered in September 2016, the home has had one registered manager whose registration was cancelled by Ofsted in May 2017. Since Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1234163 3 that time, the provider has not put forward a suitable candidate to apply to be registered.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring inspection, the responsible individual and operations manager confirmed that they are actively seeking to appoint a suitable manager, using agencies to identify likely candidates. The responsible individual said that those who have been interviewed so far are not of the right calibre.

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This monitoring visit

Weak leadership arrangements are of ongoing concern. Interim management arrangements have continued as they were previously, with the deputy manager in day-to-day charge. The responsible individual and the operations manager described that they both provide the deputy manager with support, as it is needed. However, no clear plan or timetable for their visits to the home or their contact with the deputy manager was provided.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last monitoring inspection, disciplinary action has been taken against the deputy manager. The sanction was reduced on his appeal. The independent officer identified shortfalls of senior leaders that demonstrate to the inspectors, a lack of senior leadership oversight as a contributing factor to the deputy manager’s shortfalls in his admission’s practice. The deputy manager told the inspectors that he has resigned and gave a definitive leaving date. Senior leaders said that this date was not yet confirmed. Their proposal to cover management arrangements when he does leave is not clear and does not yet identify a named individual.

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This monitoring visit

Job descriptions for the responsible individual and operations manager were requested but not supplied. The operations manager, who is also registered manager for two other homes in the organisation, confirmed that there is no job description for her role. The responsible individual said that the role of the operations manager is to cover where the responsible individual is unable to undertake his role. A plan of who takes responsibility for aspects of the oversight and running of the home, according to the responsible individual, is fluid and not based on the specific skills of the responsible individual or operations manager but on who has the time.

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This monitoring visit

The job descriptions for the registered manager and deputy manager roles are, in the main, identical apart from additions to say that the deputy will carry on in the absence of a registered manager. This presents a lack of clarity for the post-holders and a lack of understanding by the provider of the regulatory differences between the registered manager’s and deputy manager’s responsibilities.

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This monitoring visit

The lack of urgency and clarity demonstrated by the provider with regards to management arrangements is exacerbated by the gaps in the required knowledge of the responsible individual. The descriptions given by the responsible individual and the operations manager lack the necessary planning and clarity. Senior leaders are failing to demonstrate any lessons learned from previous similar inspection findings. Ofsted is not confident that the home is suitably prepared for the admission of children at this time and will consider whether further enforcement action is needed. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1234163 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 25/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/05/2019 Full Inadequate 18/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1234163 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

A responsible individual must have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b)) 14/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide each employee with a job description outlining the employee’s responsibilities. (Regulation 33 (1)(c)) 14/08/2020

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Recommendations

 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 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)

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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 inspector took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 by the setting. This has included the effect these have had on staffing arrangements.

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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 monitoring inspection and the lifting of the restriction notice.

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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: 1234163 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Thames Innovation Centre, Studio 52, Veridion Way, Erith DA18 4AL

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Inspectors

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Keith Riley, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1234163 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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