Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 1 SC033174

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Hampshire County Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children aged between 10 and 17; 16 is the maximum age on admission. According to the home’s statement of purpose, it offers residential care with therapeutic emphasis and multi-agency involvement, to help children to recover from experiences which have rendered them vulnerable and disrupted their primary relationships.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in November 2017.

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This monitoring visit

The home was last inspected in September 2020. Serious and widespread concerns were identified. A compliance notice was issued under regulation 13 due to the significant failings in the home’s leadership and management. This monitoring visit was undertaken to ascertain the extent to which progress had been made.

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This monitoring visit

Children have not been kept safe in the home. There has been an escalation in incidents and a deterioration in the quality of care. At the time of the visit, children had been smoking in bedrooms, were regularly going missing and there had been occasions where children were suspected to have consumed alcohol and drugs in the home. The home’s managers and staff have been wholly ineffective in managing the children’s behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s managers, and the local authority’s senior managers, have not been able to fully stabilise the situation. The responsible individual was present throughout this visit and outlined to inspectors the actions that had been taken recently. For example, several senior managers had changed their working base in order to be present in the home. Experienced and competent staff from the provider’s other Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 2 children’s homes had also been relocated to the home due to the concerns. These measures have brought some stability.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors viewed children’s bedrooms. Some had broken furniture and, in one bedroom, a sock was covering the smoke detector. One child’s bedroom smelled of cigarettes and cannabis, another had clothes scattered all over the floor. Not all children’s beds had sheets, and a mattress was found to be stained. Two bedrooms had no clear or unobstructed fire exit route should children need to evacuate. Staff have failed to ensure that children are supported to maintain clean or tidy bedrooms. Furthermore, according to staff who spoke to inspectors, children have been known to barricade themselves in their bedrooms while smoking. The fire safety risk assessment does not make clear how these risks are being managed. Furthermore, some routine checks on fire safety have not been taking place. Ofsted has notified these concerns to the local fire and rescue service.

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This monitoring visit

A child was arrested and subsequently held overnight in custody, but this was not notified to Ofsted. However, other serious incidents have been notified. Risk management remains poor and there has been insufficient progress since the last inspection. For instance, risk management plans are not updated and do not reflect the known risks to children. As a result, children continue to engage in risk-taking behaviours and staff are not guided in how to provide safe and effective care.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice issued following the last inspection has not been met. All requirements, apart from the quality of the independent visitor reports and the use of financial sanctions, have been repeated as a result of this inspection. Further shortfalls have also been identified. The quality of care for children has worsened significantly since the last inspection. This is having a detrimental effect on children’s overall well-being and safety.

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This monitoring visit

Complaints continue to be poorly managed. Some children expressed concern about the recent increase in challenging behaviour in the home and the resulting disruption to their sleep; these children were taken to stay in a hotel for a night. The full details of this complaint have not been effectively recorded. Staff have failed to maintain effective boundaries for children or to provide an environment where there is mutual respect or trust. For example, staff were physically prevented from leaving the home by children, despite staff needing to leave so that they could support a child who had been missing.

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This monitoring visit

Children are no longer fined, and the use of inappropriate financial sanctions has stopped. Staff now record that children have been spoken to about the use of sanctions, but the details of these conversations are not recorded. This is a missed opportunity to record the views, wishes and feelings of children. A recent incident took place which involved several children. Staff used the same text in the records for each child. Similarly, the same sanction was used for all the children who were involved, despite some children playing a more active part in the incident than others. The failure to differentiate means that children are not treated individually or Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 3 helped to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Furthermore, not all records have been reviewed by managers as required.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/10/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 4

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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— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 13/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to express views, wishes and feelings. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)) 13/12/2020

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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— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. 13/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 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—

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Requirement Due date

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))* 13/12/2020

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(d)) 13/12/2020

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h))* 13/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 6 If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home 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. (Regulation 25(2)(a)(b)) 13/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must ensure that— 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— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any

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Requirement Due date

other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b)(3)(vii)) 13/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must ensure that 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 13/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 7 authorised person”) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b)(3)(b)(i)(ii)) The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 13/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 13/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45(2)(a)(b)(c)) 13/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hampshire Council, 3rd Floor, Elizabeth II Court North, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8UG

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Inspectors

Kelly Marchmont, social care inspector Pete Hylton, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033174 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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