Children's Home run by Lioncare Ltd Operating as The Lioncare Group in Brighton and Hove

Assurance visit report: SC482548 1 SC482548

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 5 September 2014.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 22 January 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Declined in effectiveness

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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.

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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: Assurance visit report: SC482548 2  Serious allegations made against one staff member regarding inappropriate conduct towards colleagues.  Serious allegations made against two further staff members which are currently under police investigation. These allegations relate to a child.  Staff supervision is infrequent with a lack of supervision for new staff.  Delay in training for new staff resulted in the wrong medication being administered to a child.  Staff do not feel safe in reporting safeguarding concerns to management.  Children do not always feel safe in relation to other children’s behaviour.  Ofsted were not notified of a significant child protection concern.

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The care of children

The impact of COVID-19 on children’s day-to-day lives has been understood well by the staff. Children’s emotional well-being has been appropriately considered. Staff have worked hard to provide consistency. However, children have experienced changes in staff, including a number of staff either leaving or being suspended. The impact of this on children’s lived experiences is not understood by the staff team.

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The care of children

Children are supported well by staff to engage in their education. There are good examples of children’s creative projects displayed on the walls. Staff helped children to participate in activities inside and outside the home during periods of lockdown. Children’s physical health was supported well through them participating in regular exercise.

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The care of children

Staff have helped children to spend time with their families. This is important for supporting children’s familial relationships and their sense of identity. There are positive links between the home and local services, including the independent visitor service. Children benefit from having the support of a person outside of the home.

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The care of children

Not all children living in the home have an understanding of how to make a complaint or how to access independent advocacy. This is concerning, as children do not always feel safe in the home. For example, children expressed concerns about the behaviours of other children and are not always confident in sharing their worries with the staff team.

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The safety of children

There have been a significant number of safeguarding concerns relating to both children and staff in the home. Children’s individual risks are appropriately assessed, with effective strategies in place to mitigate these. There is some constructive ongoing work with specialist agencies in relation to one child. However, Ofsted was not notified of the child protection concerns as required. Assurance visit report: SC482548 3 There have been a number of allegations made by children, following the use of physical intervention by staff. These have been appropriately responded to and reported to the designated officer. There has been no further action in relation to any of these specific allegations. However, there have been three allegations which are not related to the use of physical intervention by staff. These are in respect of three staff members and have each resulted in the staff member being suspended.

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The safety of children

The first of these allegations is regarding serious safeguarding concerns about a staff member. These were reported by a child. These allegations are currently under investigation by the police. The staff member is currently suspended from work.

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The safety of children

The second allegation is in respect of another staff member. This relates to a serious safeguarding concern connected to the first allegation. This was initially reported by another staff member to the designated officer through the whistle-blowing protocols. This allegation is currently under police investigation.

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The safety of children

The third, unrelated, allegation is in respect of a third staff member. This relates to their behaviour with other staff. The member of staff was also suspended and subsequently resigned from their post, with the allegations being reported to the designated officer.

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The safety of children

There has been an appropriate response to each allegation, once known. The registered manager and responsible individual are working effectively with the statutory agencies in respect of the two ongoing police investigations. However, no learning review has been undertaken following the three allegations being made.

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Leaders and managers

Supervision of staff has been inconsistently provided. This has included a gap of ten weeks between supervisions provided to a new staff member Staff have experienced gaps of several months where no supervision has been provided. There is inconsistency in the quality of supervision provided. This has resulted in a lack of management oversight of staff practice, including missed opportunities to discuss any safeguarding concerns or worries staff may have.

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Leaders and managers

Staff have reported not feeling confident raising concerns about a colleague with the registered manager. The initial concerns were appropriately addressed with the staff member in their supervision. However, the alleged behaviour of the member of staff to their peers was not identified and addressed. This is concerning in terms of the home’s leadership and management oversight of staff practice and the culture in the team.

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Leaders and managers

The skills of senior staff in providing supervision are varied. One senior staff member lacked appropriate skills to provide guidance to staff. This included a staff member being told to drive the home’s car having had little sleep. The staff member did not agree to this, due to the health and safety concerns arising from this request. The senior staff member had not completed the relevant training to undertake their role. Assurance visit report: SC482548 4 Assessment of the competency of one staff, in the safe administering of medication, was not completed prior to them undertaking this task. The staff member subsequently administered the wrong medication to a child. Staff sought appropriate advice from health professionals. There was no detrimental impact on the child’s health. The competency of the staff member to undertake this role was not assessed until after the medication error occurred.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; and protect and promote each child’s welfare; ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a child that— relates to the child’s development (within the meaning of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health; and is not arranged or provided as part of the health service continued under section 1(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006(a), substituted by section 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3). The conditions are— that the care is delivered by a person who— has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(d) (3)(c)(i)(ii)

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to the assessment of staff competency to be completed for all new staff, prior to them administering medication. 08/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC482548 5 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; ensure that each child— is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives; and has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(b)(i)(ii)) 08/01/2021

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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— help each child to understand how to keep safe; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(v)) 08/01/2021

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 08/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC482548 6 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 08/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 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). (Regulation 40 (4)(d)(i)(ii)) 08/01/2021

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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: Lioncare Ltd operating as The Lioncare Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Lioncare Group, 58a Livingstone Road, Hove, Sussex BN3 3WL

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Inspector

Maria Lonergan, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC482548 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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