Children's Home run by The Serendipity Centre Limited in Hampshire

Assurance visit report: SC478315 1 SC478315

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home which is registered to care for up to four children with complex behavioural difficulties. The organisation has other homes in the local area, and a therapeutic education setting.

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Information about this children’s home

This home has not had a registered manager since 1 November 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 8 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.

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Findings from the visit

Assurance visit report: SC478315 2 We identified the following widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit:

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Findings from the visit

 Leaders and managers failed to conduct a full and thorough review of every staff member’s skills, experience and training in line with the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose. The methodology used, analysis, and how gaps would be addressed were not evidenced.

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Findings from the visit

 The home has been without a registered manager since November 2018

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Findings from the visit

 A staff member was not aware of where a child’s most risk assessment was stored.

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Findings from the visit

 Confidential information was visible and accessible to unauthorised people.

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The care of children

The home is currently subject to two compliance notices in respect of Regulation 13 (2)(c) and Regulation 13 (2)(d). A restriction notice was also issued from 18 August 2020 until 10 November 2020. The focus of this inspection is to monitor whether these notices were met and complete an assurance visit.

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The care of children

The children living at the home are making good progress. One child is more able to manage her emotions. She agreed with staff to use strategies such as using a sensory box if her anxiety levels are increasing.

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The care of children

A strength is the therapeutic support offered to children and staff. The children access the help that they need to understand their past, and the impact it has on their present well-being and behaviour. The therapeutic team attend staff meetings and have individual discussions with staff to help them to understand the children’s emotional needs. The inspector observed that one child has grown in confidence because of the staff’s nurturing responses.

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The care of children

The children have engaged well in education and continue to attend the organisation’s school during the COVID-19. This has minimised the impact of the restrictions on their educational progress.

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The care of children

The children have accessed a range of activities despite the restrictions due to COVID-19. One child offered support to their neighbours, offering to shop for them and joining in with the NHS clap for carers.

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The care of children

The manager and staff comment on how the restrictions during COVID-19 have had a positive affect on their relationships with children who have enjoyed traditional games in the home such as board games, listening to music and spending time together. Assurance visit report: SC478315 3

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The safety of children

The children’s care plans and risk assessments are updated in line with new information or an increased risk. However, during the visit, the inspector was initially given out-of-date risk assessments to view. There is a risk that new staff would not have accurate information if this was to occur again.

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The safety of children

Following staff failing to seek medical help for a child, which was identified at the last inspection, leaders and managers have reviewed the on-call system. They have revisited this with the staff to ensure that they consult with the on-call support for advice and guidance. The guidance given to staff in regard to how to when to seek medical help for children was reiterated in team meetings.

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The safety of children

The staff are vigilant in monitoring children’s safe use of the internet. They identified that one child was putting herself at risk and implemented safety measures to provide immediate protection. The staff complete direct work to educate the child on the safe use of the internet. This promotes her ability to safely access the internet in the future.

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The safety of children

Another child engages in direct work with the staff in areas such as keeping herself safe whilst using the internet and in the community. Her incidents of going missing have reduced significantly. The staff support her to have a positive relationship with a peer, in the organisations other home, by planning activities and accompanying them. As a result, they have not gone missing together and adhere to agreed safe boundaries.

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Leaders and managers

The provider has complied with the restriction notice and no children have moved into the home during the period of the restriction notice. Leaders have sufficiently addressed the safeguarding risks in relation to children moving into the home. The restriction notice is no longer needed.

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Leaders and managers

During this period, leaders have addressed the shortfalls in staffing vacancies and have recruited sufficient staff to care for the children placed and any child moving in. Improvements in the staffing rota mean that experienced staff support the newly appointed staff and staff who have not yet passed their probation. The compliance notice issued in respect of sufficiency of staffing and a recruitment plan in line with the needs of the children moving in has been met.

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Leaders and managers

Senior leaders provided the inspector with a report identifying the skills and experiences of staff in line with part of the steps within a compliance notice. The staff have received supervision since the last inspection, and records of these meetings highlight areas for development. However, the process that informed the audit of staff skills and experiences, and how all the relevant areas were covered, is unclear. As a result, leaders have not evidenced a thorough review of every staff member’s skills, experience and training, or how any gaps will be addressed. Assurance visit report: SC478315 4 Leaders also have not evidenced how the decisions which informed the changes to the statement of purpose were made or how the gaps in staff’s skills and experience inform the training plan. The compliance notice has therefore been reissued.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders have appointed a manager, who is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted. In addition, a deputy manager has been appointed and the home is fully staffed. However, the manager has not to date applied to register with Ofsted.

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Leaders and managers

Monitoring systems have been improved and this is an area of continued development.

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Leaders and managers

Concerns about how information and records were kept were identified at this inspection. One child was able to view a confidential file which was left in full view. In addition, children’s personal information is on view in the office. There is a risk that this information can be accessed by unauthorised people.

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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 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

promotes their welfare. 11/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC478315 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) * The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(c)) 11/11/2020

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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: The Serendipity Centre Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1ST Floor, Goodlands House, St. Lukes Close, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2US

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Inspector

Suzy Lemmy, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC478315 6 Assurance visit report: SC478315 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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