Children's home run by Silverlining Childcare Limited

Assurance visit report: SC458746 1 SC458746

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have experienced disruption in their lives and have social and/or emotional difficulties. It is run by a small private partnership company. The home has been without a registered manager since October 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 20 August 2019

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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: SC458746 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

 Children are at risk of harm because staff and managers do not understand or follow safeguarding procedures.  Manager’s and staff do not have the skills, experience and knowledge to keep children safe and promote their welfare.  Staff are ineffective at managing children’s behaviour. This results in the children causing damage to the home, assaulting staff and going missing.  The home does not have sufficient staff. Because of this, agency staff are used frequently. This contributes to the inconsistent and unreliable care that children receive.  The manager does not ensure that staff are safe and suitable to look after children.  A disorganised approach to fire safety increases children’s potential exposure to harm.

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The care of children

Managers do not ensure that enough planning takes place prior to children moving into the home. Because of this, one child’s placement broke down after two weeks. This was because staff did not have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet her needs.

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The care of children

When children do move into the home, managers and staff do not ensure that all relevant statutory documentation is obtained at the start of the placement. Furthermore, this information remains absent as managers and staff do not ensure that it is requested and received. The absence of these key documents means that staff do not understand how best to meet the needs of those children.

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The care of children

Because of this, there is an ineffective and chaotic approach to care planning. This impacts on the progress that children make. For example, one child who has been living at the home for six months is not accessing enough structured education.

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The care of children

Some aspects of the home require decorating. For example, some of the carpets are damaged and need replacing. This detracts from the overall appearance of the home.

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The care of children

Children told the inspector that they are happy and they like the staff that look after them. Despite this, opportunities for children to express their views and contribute to the care they receive are limited.

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The care of children

The extent to which staff can promote children’s health needs is unclear. This is because staff do not have a clear understanding of what children’s physical and Assurance visit report: SC458746 3 emotional health needs are. Furthermore, staff do not document how they are promoting and supporting children’s health needs.

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The care of children

During the pandemic, children have enjoyed activities both in the home and out of the home. For example, children have been karting and have enjoyed playing in the garden on a newly purchased trampoline.

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The care of children

Throughout the pandemic, staff helped children keep in touch with their families. One child told the inspector that staff had facilitated him having his birthday at his family home. This was a happy and enjoyable experience for the child.

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The safety of children

Children are at risk of harm because staff and managers do not understand or follow safeguarding procedures. For example, following an allegation made by a child, the manager did not notify the designated officer at the local authority or a child’s social worker in a timely manner. This delayed the investigation of these concerns by the child’s local authority and the police. The lack of understanding and failure to follow safeguarding procedures exposes children to risk of harm.

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The safety of children

Inspectors identified that fire risk extinguishers were not in their designated places. This was because staff have moved them because children activate these inappropriately. Fire risk assessments had not been updated to reflect this change. A fire risk assessment for the provider’s other home was on file. This does not provide assurance about safeguarding arrangements in the home.

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The safety of children

The location risk assessment for the home does not identify all known local risks. A significant incident early this year resulted in a child from the home entering an adult male’s home address on the street. The potential risks associated with this occurring again have not been assessed.

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The safety of children

Staff are not suitably trained in behaviour management. As a result, they are unable to manage children’s behaviour effectively. This is because they have not had the training required to understand how best to do this. This results in the children causing damage to the home, assaulting staff, going missing and assaulting other children who live in the home, and as a result they are at risk of harm.

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The safety of children

The use of physical interventions by staff is poorly documented. This means that it is unclear what de-escalation strategies have been used to avoid the use of these interventions. This shortfall in the quality of documentation has not been identified or addressed by the manager.

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The safety of children

The home’s statement of purpose states that senior managers will oversee all incidents of children going missing. This does not happen. This is a contributing factor to the unsatisfactory management oversight of such incidents. It was identified that the home’s manager had reviewed one missing incident log and concluded that the child had not gone missing. This was despite clear recording that the child had gone missing and had been reported as such to the police. Ofsted is Assurance visit report: SC458746 4 not assured that managers, including the responsible individual, understand children’s risk-taking behaviours or have the requisite skills to keep children safe.

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The safety of children

The manager has not ensured that staff are recruited safely. For example, the manager has not explored gaps in staff’s employment or obtained relevant references. In one example, the manager has not assessed the impact of one staff member’s criminal convictions. This means that children are looked after by staff who may not be safe or appropriate to do so.

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Leaders and managers

The home has not had a registered manager since August 2019. On 22 October 2020, the day after the assurance visit, the acting manager, who was not present at the visit, resigned with immediate effect. This means that the home does not have a permanent manager.

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Leaders and managers

The responsible individual intends to take over the day-to-day management of the home. However, the responsible individual’s oversight of the care provided to children has been inadequate. The responsible individual has advised that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has not been visiting the home regularly. In Ofsted’s view, this is not an explanation for her lack of awareness of the scale of concerns identified during the visit. The responsible individual has not demonstrated that she has the requisite skills to be an effective leader and address the widespread and serious concerns identified by Ofsted.

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Leaders and managers

Monitoring by the independent visitor is ineffective. This has contributed to senior managers’ lack of understanding about the care being provided to children.

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Leaders and managers

Due to insufficient numbers of staff, agency staff work in the home regularly. On some occasions, there are more agency staff on duty than permanent staff. This compromises children’s safety and welfare.

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Leaders and managers

Managers allowed staff to work in the home, even when those staff have been assessed as not being suitable to work with the children. For example, the home’s manager ignored an instruction from the responsible individual to stop one agency staff member from working in the home. Similarly, the provider identified that one recruitment agency should not be used as it was unable to provide suitably skilled staff. However, this agency has continued to be used to staff the home. This typifies the chaotic leadership of the home.

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Leaders and managers

Managers do not ensure that permanent and temporary staff are provided with the induction, training or support to keep children safe and meet their needs. Most staff have not completed the required training. This includes training in respect of safeguarding, fire safety and behaviour management. Furthermore, the responsible individual told inspectors that the online training, completed by some staff, was not of a good enough quality to equip them with the skills and knowledge to protect children and promote their welfare. Assurance visit report: SC458746 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

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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ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c )(i)) 29/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; 29/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC458746 6 understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(vii)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(xi))) 29/11/2020

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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. 29/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC458746 7 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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(b))* 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

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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. 29/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC458746 8 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(h))* 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

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. 29/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC458746 9 (Regulation 32 (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(8)) 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; 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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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)) 29/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— 29/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC458746 10 include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that copies of children’s education, health and care plan and looked-after child medical reports are on file. The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 29/11/2020

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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). 29/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC458746 11 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider : Silverlinning Childcare Limited

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Inspector

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC458746 12 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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Inspector

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