Children's Home run by Capital Children’s Care Ltd in Essex

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a small private organisation and registered in June 2020. The home provides care for up to three children who have social, emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left on 26 August 2020. A new manager has been appointed but has yet to submit an application for registration.

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Information about this children’s home

Visit dates: 30 September to 1 October 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: No previous inspection

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Not previously inspected

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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. Assurance visit report: 2575372 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

 A lack of consistent and effective leadership and oversight of the home has meant that the staff have not met children’s needs or kept them safe.  Poor admission planning has meant that children whose needs could not be met have been admitted to the home.  Staff, including the directors of the company who have worked at the home as care staff, do not have the skills, qualifications and experience to keep children safe or meet the children’s complex needs.  Staff have not received the necessary training, including first aid and preventing and managing self-harm, to provide safe and effective care for the children.  Staff are working excessive hours without a break.  Poor record-keeping means that staff do not have access to important information to help them to keep children safe. Individual risk assessments are not consistently maintained, lack clarity and are not consistently implemented. Staff rotas are not a reliable record of who is on duty at any

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Findings from the visit

given time, and incident records are not accurate and complete.

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The care of children

The home has provided care to two young people since it registered in June 2020. However, there are no young people currently living at the home. The first young person moved to the home shortly after registration. This young person presented with significant complex emotional and behavioural needs, self-harm risks and a history of suicidal ideation. There was a lack of effective consideration of how the staff would manage these risks and meet the young person’s needs.

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The care of children

The new and inexperienced staff team does not have the skills, knowledge and experience to support the young people effectively. Most of the staff have no relevant residential childcare experience. The staff have not received suitable training in first aid, managing self-harm or using ligature cutters.

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The care of children

Despite numerous difficulties in meeting one young person’s needs, the management team admitted another young person who had complex needs. The admission was against the advice of the independent reviewing officer for both the young people. The provider failed to consider the staff’s ability to meet this young person’s needs and the influence of a second young person on the young person already living at the home. This potentially exacerbated a highly charged situation. Following the second admission, the first young person was temporarily moved to a hotel and the new young person’s placement was abruptly ended. Therefore, Assurance visit report: 2575372 3 because of poor admission planning and matching of the young people, the second young person lost their new home.

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The care of children

The staff tried to promote education-based activities during lockdown, but the young people were resistant. The young people maintained contact with their families during lockdown.

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The care of children

One of the young people used a vape while living at the home. However, there is a lack of guidance for young people and staff on the use of vapes at the home.

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The safety of children

The staff could not keep one of the young people safe. This young person took a number of dangerous risks. The young person weaved in and out of traffic at night, narrowly avoiding the cars, and said that he was under the influence of drugs. On another occasion, the police placed the young person under an emergency protection order. This child was at high risk of harm.

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The safety of children

Individual risk assessments and missing-from-home guidance are unclear. The staff call the police when children go missing but have not always taken the actions that should be reasonably expected of an adult caring for children.

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The safety of children

The staff do not consistently follow the guidance in young people’s risk assessments. Staff have searched a young person’s room without adhering to the guidance in the risk assessment. The individual risk assessments and behaviour plans guide the staff to use restraint when needed. Despite this, the staff are not trained in restraint. There is no evidence that staff have restrained the young person. However, the staff are not trained or able to carry out the actions detailed in the young person’s care plans and risk assessments. This placed the young person and the staff at risk of harm.

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The safety of children

The staff do not have the skills and experience to manage the young people’s behaviour and have over relied on the police to manage difficult situations. The staff’s lack of experience has, on some occasions, placed the staff and young people at risk. For example, on one occasion, staff locked themselves in the car because a young person punched the car windows and made threats to harm them. The over reliance on the police to manage difficult behaviour increased the risks of the young people being criminalised.

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The safety of children

The staff are not fully aware of wider safeguarding issues. They allowed a young person unsupervised use of the house mobile phone. This enabled the young person to access text messages between the staff and the young person’s parent and social worker. This caused some tension between the young person and their family. Assurance visit report: 2575372 4

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have failed to manage the home competently. The management oversight of the home has not ensured that young people receive effective care and support.

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Leaders and managers

A new manager was appointed and took up post on August 2020. This manager has started to address the concerns that they have identified in the day-to-day operation of the home. The manager uses staff team meetings to help the staff understand the expectations of care practice and record-keeping.

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Leaders and managers

The staff team is new, inexperienced and has not had access to appropriate training. The young people who were admitted have complex emotional and behavioural needs. Therefore, it is particularly important that staff receive good-quality training to ensure that they can competently support young people who move into the home.

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Leaders and managers

The staff have worked excessive hours. One member of staff worked 72 hours and another worked 51 hours without leaving the home. Both occasions included shifts when the staff slept on site. Another member of staff worked 14 consecutive night shifts. The long hours do not allow the staff to take a sufficient break so that they can work safely and meet young people’s needs.

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Leaders and managers

The directors of the company have regularly worked at the home as care staff. The responsible individual has not risk assessed this arrangement. Therefore, there has been little consideration of the challenges that this could present.

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Leaders and managers

The records fail to clearly demonstrate the details of the care and support provided to the young people. Staff rotas are not a true record of who was on duty and incident reports do not detail the actions that staff took to keep young people safe. The records are sometimes undated and information stated does not correlate with other records. The manager was unable to provide information because of the poor quality of the records.

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Leaders and managers

There have been changes at the home since it registered, including the appointment of a new manager. The provider has not forwarded to Ofsted a current statement of purpose that reflects these. Therefore, Ofsted as the regulator, does not have full and current information about the home.

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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. Assurance visit report: 2575372 5

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)) 30/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 30/10/2020 Assurance visit report: 2575372 6 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(ix))

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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—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)) 30/10/2020

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 30/10/2020 Assurance visit report: 2575372 7 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;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) 30/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 30/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 30/10/2020 Assurance visit report: 2575372 8 keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Record information on individual children 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)  The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being to enhance, and supplement that provided by their school through personal, social and health education. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change, negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being, including, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and use of legal highs, drugs,

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Recommendations

alcohol and tobacco. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18) Assurance visit report: 2575372 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Capital Childrens Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Pike Way, North Weald, Epping, Essex CM16 6BL

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Inspector

Joanna Heller, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2575372 10 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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