Children's home run by Kites Children Services Limited in Colchester

Assurance visit report: SC029560 1 SC029560

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of two children’s homes and a school operated by a private provider. The home is registered to provide accommodation and specialist therapeutic care and treatment for up to six young people. The provider also operates an independent fostering agency as part of a separate but linked company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post became vacant on 28 May 2019. The acting manager has been in post since March 2020. Ofsted has not received a valid application for registration.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 20 January 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. Assurance visit report: SC029560 2

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

Young people generally live at the home for two years or more and benefit from a stable long-term environment in which they grow and develop. At the time of the visit, three young people were living at the home.

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The care of children

Two young people have moved into the home since the last inspection; one of the admissions was during lockdown. However, the manager was not able to provide any documentation to evidence what they described as a robust assessment and pre-placement planning process for either of the young people. It is therefore not clear if the home could have reasonably anticipated whether it was able to meet the young people’s needs. This is particularly relevant because one young person’s placement ended because the staff could not meet their needs.

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The care of children

The home delivers individualised care that has continued to meet most young people’s particular and complex needs. The staff have supported the young people effectively through the COVID-19 pandemic. One young person has benefited from additional extended family stays and consequently built closer bonds with their family. The other young person who lived at the home during lockdown was able to maintain contact with their family through telephone calls.

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The care of children

The staff have encouraged and supported the young people to participate in educational activities. A newly placed young person, who has been out of education for a significant time, is thriving at the organisation’s school. They are really enjoying the high level of personal teaching support and gentle reintroduction to a formal educational routine. However, the restrictions due to the pandemic have meant that there have been additional challenges in planning the next step for a young person who has left school. Consequently, this young person is not education, employment or training. The staff are liaising with local apprenticeship providers to help this young person into employment.

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The care of children

The staff are actively working with partner professionals to challenge local services to more effectively explore a young person’s neurological and mental health needs. The young people have been able to continue to access the organisation’s therapeutic support through alternative means despite the restrictions. This has helped the young people to maintain positive emotional well-being.

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The care of children

One young person’s bedroom has some minor damage to the wall, their bed requires repair and, at the time of the visit, they had no covers on their pillow or duvet. The manager advised that there are plans to improve this. However, this bedroom did not present as homely and welcoming. Assurance visit report: SC029560 3

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The safety of children

Significant incidents are rare, and the staff have continued to keep the young people safe during the pandemic.

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The safety of children

The staff work with the young people to manage their individual risks and emerging need for independence. The home works with vulnerable young people who have complex needs. Because of this, the young people are closely supervised and there was little COVID-19 specific impact on personal freedoms.

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The safety of children

Young people’s risk management plans and missing-from-home risk assessments have been improved since the last inspection. These now provide current and clear guidance for the staff on areas of risk and how to reduce the risks. Incidents of the young people going missing are rare. The home has clear guidance in place on unsupervised free time for each young person. When young people leave the home without permission, the staff continue to try to ensure their safe return.

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The safety of children

Although there is no information to suggest that sanctions are used inappropriately, occasionally they are poorly recorded. The manager does not consistently review the records of sanctions. It is not always clear what sanction has been used, the length of the sanction, why it has been applied or its effectiveness.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager left in May 2019. The current manager, who was previously the deputy, took up post in March 2020. The home has benefited from consistency in approach and the manager has continued to ensure that the young people’s welfare remains paramount. However, the lack of a valid application for registration from the current manager means that Ofsted has been unable to formally assess their suitability.

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Leaders and managers

Difficulties with recruitment and staff cover during the pandemic meant that, on occasion, the home struggled to maintain suitable staffing arrangements. The manager, to ensure the continuity of support for the young people, has, on occasion, worked excessive hours. On two occasions, the manager has worked for at least 48 hours. On both occasions, they were able to sleep on site, but had no off-site break. On the second occasion, the manager returned a few hours later and completed a further 12-hour waking night and early shift. This is not sustainable, and these long hours do not allow staff to take a break and refresh themselves to respond to young people’s needs.

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Leaders and managers

Although record-keeping has improved since the last inspection, there remain times when records are not adequately maintained. Some records are unsigned and lack important informationThe home has moved towards an electronic records management system. However, there is not a clear and consistent shared understanding of where and how records are kept. This means that information is sometimes difficult to access. Assurance visit report: SC029560 4 The management oversight has improved since the last inspection. However, on occasion, the manager has not reviewed records to ensure that they contain the required information.

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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 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)) 30/11/2020

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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

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 16/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC029560 5 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, record sanctions in line with the regulation. 16/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC029560 6

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Sufficient staff means a home having enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home, and that those staff are able to respond to emergency placements, where accepted. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1) This is with particular reference to staff working excessive hours.  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

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Recommendations

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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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kites Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Forge, Langham, Colchester CO4 5PX

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Inspector

Joanna Heller, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC029560 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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