Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Assurance visit report: SC438648 1 SC438648

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three 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

The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Information about this visit

The home is currently subject to a notice of restriction issued on 2 July 2020. This restriction was underpinned by two compliance notices which were reviewed as part of this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC438648 2

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Findings from the visit

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit:

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Findings from the visit

 There are a range of regulatory shortfalls which indicate that organisational leadership and management are weak.  Leaders and managers have failed to meet in full the two compliance notices that were issued from the previous monitoring inspection of 24 June 2020.

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The care of children

One child has remained in the home throughout the period of the restriction notice. This child has benefitted from the very obvious care and commitment, observed by inspectors, as being provided by the staff team. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of this child’s needs. They provide stability and nurturing care.

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The care of children

The staff team is working well with parents and partner agencies. Consequently, their targeted support for the child is resulting in improved familial relationships. A well-thought-out plan is also progressing, to provide the best chance for the child’s successful return to learning after a lengthy period of school absence.

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The care of children

Staff have struggled to secure health appointments for children during lockdown and this has led to some delays. Attempts by staff to ensure children have access to relevant health interventions are not being routinely recorded.

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The care of children

The successful and positive support being provided for one child is undermined by the continuing failure of senior leaders to address the previously identified serious shortfalls that resulted in the serving of compliance notices and the restriction of accommodation.

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The care of children

The ongoing failure to undertake a full and thorough review of the staff team’s skills and competencies means that potential gaps remain unidentified. This presents increasing delays to the implementation of meaningful training and development for staff, individually and collectively. The absence of this, combined with an unclear statement of purpose, presents risks for any new children moving into the home, whose needs may not be within the staff team’s skill set.

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The safety of children

Staff have a well-developed understanding of the risks posed to the one child in their care. They have been successful in supporting the targeted work of external professionals, so that this input is complemented by the child’s home environment.

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The safety of children

Although some risks have reduced, there is a lack of dynamic risk management to ensure this continues. For example, the need for waking night staff has been assessed as no longer required, but the strategies they followed have not been adapted or implemented for sleep-in staff to follow. Assurance visit report: SC438648 3 Leaders and managers have not met the compliance notice that was issued in relation to ensuring that the staff have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. An externally sourced audit tool has been used by the acting responsible individual. However, this has not been adapted for this specific home and it relies heavily on the staff member’s self-assessment and a follow-up meeting with the acting responsible individual. Overall, the tool and the process lack convincing evidence that a rigorous and meaningful process has been used.

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The safety of children

During the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, staff have continued to access online training resources. However, their individual and collective training and support needs remain unclear and insufficiently targeted.

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Leaders and managers

Senior leaders have not provided the support, guidance or resources necessary for the newly registered manager to be successful in meeting the compliance notices. Certain elements of compliance required a widespread organisational review and response, and this has not occurred.

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Leaders and managers

Senior leaders do not demonstrate learning from the failings which led to the previous compliance action. Poor admissions practice and decisions to place a child with needs that are not able to be met by the staff team’s skill set resulted in a child being placed at serious risk of harm. Senior leaders have failed to use the compliance notices as an opportunity to review the statement of purpose and audit the skills and competencies of the staff team to learn valuable lessons and to avoid repeated failings.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager is ambitious for children and supportive of the staff team who speak highly of his positive impact so far. This, however, is not mirrored by his own support needs. For example, at such a critical stage, the registered manager has not received formal supervision since July 2020 and the support that was provided to assist him in reviewing the statement of purpose was poor. Consequently, this document continues to fail to clearly outline and describe the presenting needs of children that the staff team is able to care for.

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Leaders and managers

Following the findings of this assurance visit, the compliance notices are reissued and Ofsted will consider next steps.

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Statutory requirements

Assurance visit report: SC438648 4 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 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. (Regulation 16 (1)(5)) 28/10/2020

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

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Requirement Due date

Complete a full and thorough review of all staff’s skills and competencies, identifying any gaps or shortfalls, and arrange the requisite training to ensure staff are enabled to provide safe care for children with complex mental health needs. 28/10/2020

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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 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, provide night staff with a clear strategy for regular observation of children at night if risk of self-harm or suicide is elevated. 28/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, registered managers require regular support and supervision from their line managers in line with the organisation’s supervision policy. 28/10/2020 Assurance visit report: SC438648 5 *These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that each child’s day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. Staff should work to make the children’s home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.4)

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Recommendations

In particular, record all contacts with relevant health professionals. Where it is proving difficult to arrange appointments, due to reduced capacity resulting from COVID-19, ensure that all attempts by the home to secure the required treatment are added to the child’s health chronology.

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Peter Jackson, Social Care Inspector Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC438648 6 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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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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