Children's home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that provides care for up to five children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently resigned.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: Not previously inspected

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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. 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: 2561020 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

 Managers have not ensured that staff have the necessary skills to de- escalate situations before they become dangerous. This has led to children being restrained when this could have been avoided. This has also led to children being criminalised by the police unnecessarily.  There has been an adverse effect on children’s mental health and the children are at risk of emotional harm.  Staff have inappropriately used government guidance regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic, unnecessarily confining a child to their bedroom.

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The care of children

During the assurance visit, children made powerful statements that indicate that they are struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing. One child stated that he did not want to live at the home and could not tolerate living with the other children. Although the child has an advocate, managers have not been proactive in building a relationship between the child and his advocate. The matter has been allowed to drift and the voice of the child is being lost.

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The care of children

There are communication barriers between the staff and children. For example, staff do not have a working knowledge of what a sensory processing disorder is. This is despite currently caring for a child with this condition. Staff have received some training, but this has largely proved ineffective in meeting the complex needs of the children in their care. Some staff have only received a half-day training course in attachment theory and half-day training in autism spectrum disorder. This lack of knowledge impacts on how well staff can communicate with children and de- escalate potentially risky situations.

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The care of children

There have been numerous assaults towards staff members from the children. This has led to staff being injured and children being arrested, restrained and criminalised.

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The care of children

Staff do not respond to the social and emotional ages of children. This means that children are not having their care needs met and children are not responded to appropriately. For example, staff believed that one child was operating at the social and emotional level of a teenager. This was despite the child’s social worker and the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Team having shared that the child’s social and emotional age is approximately six years. Assurance visit report: 2561020 3

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The safety of children

Children are being restrained unnecessarily because staff do not have the skills to de-escalate situations. The number of physical interventions is high. Staff have been unable to manage children’s behaviours and there has been over-reliance on the police. The police have been called out by staff on numerous occasions since the beginning of April 2020.

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The safety of children

When children are in a heightened state, verbal redirection is used. Due to the nature of the children’s disabilities, this behaviour-management strategy is not always effective. Incidents are not always managed well, increasing the risk of harm.

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The safety of children

The model of care used at the home does not sufficiently consider each child’s learning disabilities or therapeutic needs. On occasions, care has been punitive, with children’s behaviour leading to sanctions when in fact their care was very poorly planned and delivered.

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Leaders and managers

There is currently no registered manager in post. The manager has resigned after recognising that he did not have enough experience to care for children with learning disabilities. During his tenure, senior managers were providing support, but the level of support was insufficient. Leaders and managers were unaware of several of the shortfalls found at this visit.

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Leaders and managers

There is poor management monitoring and oversight. This has not ensured that children’s needs are being met in a safe and consistent manner.

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Leaders and managers

A placing authority has stated that communication from managers and staff at the home has, at times, been poor. A child’s social worker raised concerns about their child having to self-isolate for 12 days in their bedroom following an incident of him going missing from the home. The decision-making in respect of this child needing to self-isolate was because the child had gone missing and, therefore, could have possibly met a person who had COVID-19. The care of this child during their isolation was of a very poor standard. This situation led to an escalation of behaviours, resulting in the police attending the home and the child being arrested.

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Leaders and managers

Supervision for new employees has been inconsistent and, at times, poor. One new member of staff left her employment after being assaulted by a child. Another new member of staff had poor supervision despite feeling targeted by a child. In addition, the deputy manager has not received adequate supervision, despite being new to the team and new to caring for children with learning disabilities.

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Leaders and managers

When staff have been assaulted, managers have not been responsive enough. There is an expectation for staff to seek out support from managers instead of it being readily available. The absence of a formal managerial response leaves both staff and children vulnerable because care is not being scrutinised. This is a lost opportunity to learn from incidents. Assurance visit report: 2561020 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 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— that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 11/12/2020 Assurance visit report: 2561020 5 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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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

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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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— that staff—

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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; 11/12/2020 Assurance visit report: 2561020 6 manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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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

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

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)) 11/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance visit report: 2561020 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17, Leeland Mansions, Leeland Road, London W13 9HE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspectors

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Caroline Brailsford, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2561020 8 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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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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