Children's home run by Ivory Cottage Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2525831 1

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Ivory Cottage Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 6 June 2019. It is registered to provide residential care for up to four children aged between eight and 17 years old. The home is one of two owned by a private provider and offers medium- and long-term care to children with complex emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been closed since October 2020 and a condition of registration has been in place to inform Ofsted when the home wished to open again.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has submitted her application for registration to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Three children continued to live in the home after the last inspection in January 2020. In August 2020, Ofsted received the voluntary cancellation from the registered manager. The provider informed Ofsted that the children were subsequently moving from this home to its sister home. The provider confirmed its intention to close the home for a period in September 2020 to improve its physical environment and address concerns about staff culture and turnover.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector conducted this monitoring visit to review the notice of the decision to vary the conditions of registration to carry on a children’s home. The inspector completed the monitoring visit remotely in line with national COVID-19 (coronavirus) guidance to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

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This monitoring visit

This home is now ready for children to live in. The house has been fully refurbished and communal areas, such as the lounge, are colourful and inviting for children. Each child will have their own bedroom, which the provider has appropriately furnished. Staff who stay overnight have bedrooms close to the children. This allows them to respond quickly to children during the night. The provider maintains all health and safety requirements and there is a COVID-19 infection control policy. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2525831 2 The manager has revised the children’s guide and statement of purpose. This provides children, their families and social workers with information about the home before they move in.

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This monitoring visit

There are sufficient staff for children to move in to the home. There is a new manager who has suitable experience of working with children and managing staff. A deputy, who is an existing staff member, supports the manager and provides considerable knowledge of how to meet children’s educational needs. Both the manager and her deputy are completing their Level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has recruited all other staff members. One staff member has completed her Level 3 diploma for residential childcare. Other staff have transferable skills. The manager oversees staff completing comprehensive induction booklets covering areas such as safeguarding and the administration of medicine. Staff have accessed mandatory training and are participating in training provided by the missing-from-home coordinator and the local authority designated officer. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and training required to fulfil their roles.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are currently working shadow shifts at the sister home. This helps them to understand daily routines within a children’s home and develop together as a team.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector will review previous requirements from the January 2020 inspection at the home’s next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 07/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2525831 3

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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)(d)(e)(f)) 31 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

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 31 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2525831 4 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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")— 31 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2525831 5 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 within five 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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/o Skytax, 37th Floor One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Caroline Wigmore

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Inspector

Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2525831 6 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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