Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 1 SC465579

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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. According to its statement of purpose, it accommodates ‘children who are displaying behaviours that are symptomatic of a range of emotional difficulties linked to challenging childhood experiences’. The home is operated by a private organisation. Its statement of purpose states that the age range of the children is between eight and 18 years old.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 12 June 2019.

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This monitoring visit

A remote monitoring visit took place on 10 July 2020. This was conducted due to escalating concerns arising from notifications and external complaints received by Ofsted. The significant safeguarding concerns identified from that monitoring visit resulted in three compliance notices, with an end date of 16 August 2020, and a restriction of accommodation notice being served. Four requirements were also issued in respect of care planning, records of actual hours worked, reviewing the safeguarding policy and the professional development of the responsible individual.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was conducted on site to assess the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notices, the requirements, and the restriction notice, as well as to seek assurance about the safety and welfare of the children currently living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector established that no other children, other than the two already living in the home, have been accommodated since the previous monitoring visit. Consequently, the provider has complied with the restriction notice. No concerns were identified in respect of the immediate safety and welfare of the two children currently in placement. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 2 Leadership and management arrangements are not stable. Since the previous monitoring visit on 10 July 2020, the manager has resigned and left the organisation. There is a temporary arrangement for the interim responsible individual to also be responsible for the day-to-day management of the home. This is not tenable, nor in accordance with the regulations. Senior leaders do not have a contingency plan should they be unsuccessful in appointing a manager.

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This monitoring visit

Regulation 12, the protection of children standard, compliance notice

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This monitoring visit

Step one: The provider was required to review the strategies in place to ensure that risk assessments consider all pertinent information about children and identify measures to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has reviewed the information provided at the referral stage and made the necessary changes to the risk assessment. Training specific for each child’s needs has been identified as well as general training for staff in writing risk assessments. However, there has been a narrow response to this step of the compliance notice. The strategic role of senior leaders in this process has not been addressed. The provider’s response to the compliance notice does not give confidence that there has been enough learning, at a senior level, from children’s high-risk-taking behaviour. The lack of learning and accountability of senior leaders means that they have not authorised staff to use permissible strategies to keep the children safe from significant harm.

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This monitoring visit

This step of the compliance notice is not met.

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This monitoring visit

Step two: The provider was required to complete a full and thorough written review of all staff’s skills and competence, identifying any gaps or shortfalls, and arrange the requisite training to ensure all staff are enabled to provide safe care for the children.

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This monitoring visit

A training audit has been completed that has included individual interviews with each member of staff to discuss their training needs. A bespoke training programme for each member of staff has been designed. Some staff, in key positions, have not had their qualifications mapped against the relevant diploma. It is, therefore, unclear how the provider has determined that these staff have the necessary qualification.

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This monitoring visit

This step of the compliance notice is not met.

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This monitoring visit

Step three: The provider was required to complete a written review of the current procedures for completing, disseminating and monitoring placement plans, significant incidents and risk assessments, noting who is responsible for what, and take steps to address any gaps identified from this review. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 3 The provider has focused on a review of placement planning. This identified the shortfalls in the current risk assessments and some additional training required for staff. Although there are now management and monitoring systems in place, it is unclear who takes ownership, and therefore accountability, for the risk management process. These gaps were not identified from the review.

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This monitoring visit

This step of the compliance notice is not met.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, this compliance notice is not met.

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This monitoring visit

Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, compliance notice

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This monitoring visit

Step one: The provider was required to complete a full and thorough review of all staff skills and competence, identifying any gaps or shortfalls, and arrange the requisite training to ensure staff are enabled to provide safe care for children.

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This monitoring visit

This step was also covered in the compliance notice, served under regulation 12, given its context to the staff team’s safeguarding skills and competence. As per the finding above, this step of the compliance notice is not met.

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This monitoring visit

Step two: The provider was required to provide a written strategy, with timescales, to ensure there is a consistent staff team to meet the individual needs of the children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the monitoring visit on 10 July 2020, three staff have left the organisation, two staff have been redeployed into this home and one new member of staff has been recruited. Excessive hours being worked by staff are reduced. However, this is not due to an increase in staffing but due to the fact a child has left the home, meaning that fewer staff are required. There is no written strategy, with timescales, about the provider’s intentions to ensure that the staff team remains consistent. This step of the compliance notice is not met.

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This monitoring visit

Step three: The provider was required to undertake a management review to identify the failures in the monitoring systems and produce an effective quality assurance plan.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders delegated this review to the manager of the home, who had only been in post for a short period. The subsequent review did not address the underlying reasons for the previous failures, nor did it identify an effective quality assurance plan. A culture of delegating significant and serious responsibilities to more junior staff, then failing to monitor the quality of that work, is of concern. This step of the compliance notice is not met.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, this compliance notice is not met. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 4 Regulation 46, review of premises, compliance notice. The provider was required to produce a written report that demonstrates that the risks associated with the location of the premises are managed so that the children are effectively safeguarded.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has reviewed the location risk assessment, identifying the risks in the local area and people to contact should children access the nearby sites, such as an aviation fuel depot. Staff have received training in the new control measures. However, staff demonstrate a misunderstanding of what preventative measures they can take to prevent a child leaving the home, when children are threatening to harm themselves in known hazardous areas in the locality.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have reviewed the safeguarding policy. The roles and responsibilities of the manager and the designated safeguarding officer for the wider organisation are now clear. The previous requirement under regulation 34 is met in terms of providing clearer policy guidance. Its actual implementation is hindered, however, by the absence of actual post holders; for example, the designated safeguarding officer is currently the temporary responsible individual and there is no current appointed manager for the home.

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This monitoring visit

In response to the previous requirement made under regulation 37, the provider has adopted a recording system for the staff rota that has proven to be successful in one of the organisation’s other homes. This means that there is an accurate record of the hours that staff have worked in accordance with the regulation. This requirement is met.

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This monitoring visit

Key staff have reviewed the information provided at the time of referral to the home. They have identified what was missing in the home’s risk assessments and made the necessary changes. They have identified staff training specific for a child’s needs as well as general training for all staff in writing risk assessments. The previous requirement under regulation 14 is met.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has arranged for training specific to the role of the responsible individual (RI) for the interim RI. There are advanced plans for recruitment to this post full time. The previous requirement under regulation 29 is met in so far as sourcing specific training. Its impact is yet to be determined.

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This monitoring visit

The provider’s failure to meet all three compliance notices is of significant concern, exacerbated by the absence of clear and direct senior leadership oversight. The use of one person to fill the temporary positions of RI and manager indicates that the provider does not have the capacity to provide the required leadership and management arrangements. Ofsted will now consider any further action that is required. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 5

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 28/01/2020 Full Good 11/03/2019 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 6 since the monitoring visit on 10 th

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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. 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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)) 20/09/2020

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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. 20/09/2020 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 7 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children's home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider—

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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, from which a restriction of accommodation notice and three compliance notices were served, and four requirements were made.

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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 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 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.

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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: Sean Sullivan Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 8 Registered manager: Post vacant

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Inspector

Keith Riley, social care inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC465579 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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