Children's home run by Wessex College Limited in Dorset

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC451819 1 SC451819

p.1

Wessex College Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with EBD (social and emotional difficulties).

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since October 2020. An application for registration to Ofsted has been submitted.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to investigate information received which suggested there may have been a breach of regulations.

p.1

This monitoring visit

It has been a turbulent time for the home recently. The home is being taken over by a new provider and there has been a change of manager. Recent cases of COVID-19 in the home, along with national lockdown restrictions, are causing frustration for the young people and this frustration has resulted in incidents of young people going missing and risk-taking behaviour.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The staff do not have the skills and knowledge to safely manage the behaviour of the young people and keep them safe. The staff team is inexperienced. The staff team is more consistent now that agency staff are no longer being employed.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The mix of young people in the home is not positive. Two young people have experienced sudden and unplanned departures from the home, as the staff were not able to safely manage their behaviour.

p.1

This monitoring visit

There have been too many incidents of the young people going missing and putting themselves at risk of serious harm and sexual exploitation. Incidents of young people going missing are not reducing and the behaviour management strategies that are in place are ineffective. The staff do not have the skills to support the young Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC451819 2 people effectively, help them learn to keep themselves safe in relationships and recognise when they are being exploited.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Placement plans are not up to date or regularly reviewed. They do not contain the aims of a young person’s placement or their targets and strategies, such as how a reduction in incidents of going missing is to be achieved. One young person’s plan describes them as having no healthcare needs. However, in other documents, healthcare needs are identified. This means that staff are not receiving clear guidance about how best to meet the care needs of the young people.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Feedback from placing social workers is mixed. Two social workers are positive about the progress that their young person is making at the home. However, the relationship between one social worker and the home has broken down, leading to incidents of poor communication and mistrust. The young people report that they like living at the home, like the staff and feel safe living there.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The new provider recognises that the mix of the young people in the home is unsafe and has a plan to address identified shortfalls and improve the quality of care. The number of young people living at the home will be reduced from three to two for at least three months. During this time, the new manager and the staff team will gain experience and develop their skills. Two experienced members of staff from another home will support the staff team and the manager is being supported by an experienced manager from another home in the group.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The requirement and recommendation from the previous inspection are met. The home offers young people a homely and well-maintained environment and any damage is promptly repaired. A bathroom has been refurbished and an outside wall has been re-rendered.

p.2

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/08/2017 Full Good 06/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC451819 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at 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;

p.3

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(v))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This relates to staff understanding and implementing each individual child’s risk assessment and placement plan, and their role in keeping children safe, particularly with regards to risks of exploitation and children going missing. 26 February 2021

p.3

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.3

Requirement Due date

mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

that staff— 26 February 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC451819 4 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

p.3

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the need to ensure that a child’s needs are clearly set out in their placement plan The plan should offer the staff comprehensive strategies to follow to meet a child’s identified care needs, and contain clear guidance on how staff are to help children learn how to keep themselves safe and understand if they are in an exploitative relationship.

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their full potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.4

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)(c)(f))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that the staff have the skills and experience to meet the care needs of a child before the child is admitted to the home. 26 February 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC451819 5 The care planning standard is that children—

p.4

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that children’s relevant plans contain the aims and objectives of a child’s placement and that the plans are followed by the staff and regularly reviewed. 26 February 2021

p.5

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.

p.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Wessex College Limited

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wessex College Limited, 4 Cedar Park, Cobham Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne BH21 7SF

p.5

Inspector

Tina Maddison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC451819 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspector

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

p.6