Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1269505 1

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Benjamin UK Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care, including therapeutic care, and education for up to four children who may have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma which has left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since August 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The children’s home was judged as good at the last full inspection on 9 May 2019.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to ensure that the home has effective management oversight in the absence of a registered manager. The visit also focused on how managers make decisions about new referrals and how staff are supported to respond to incidents of bullying and children going missing from the home. At the time of the visit, three children were living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was conducted on site by an inspector, with the remote support of an inspector who was off site. The visit comprised discussions with managers, staff and professionals who provide therapy and education at the home. Feedback was also obtained from children’s social workers. Staff were observed spending time with children. Documents were viewed via the provider’s online system as well as written records in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager has been in post since September 2020. She was away from the home from December 2020 until February 2021 due to personal reasons. The acting manager is now working full time at the home and completing her application to register with Ofsted. She is currently supported in the day-to-day running of the home by a mentor and also by the head of care. This arrangement ensures effective management oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1269505 2 Staff have undertaken relevant training and receive supervision with a manager. However, some staff have not had supervision as regularly as required by the home’s supervision policy.

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This monitoring visit

The staff know the children well and are sensitive to the relationships that exist between them. When children are not getting along, the managers provide mediation to help the children to build better relationships. Individual risk assessments contain the risks of bullying. However, for one child, the risk assessment only considered the risks of them being a perpetrator of bullying and not their vulnerability to bullying by others.

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This monitoring visit

The managers use impact risk assessments to help inform their decisions about whether the home can meet the needs of children. There were omissions in one assessment that resulted in an unplanned ending for the child due to their high level of mental health needs. A more recent impact risk assessment completed for a child is more detailed.

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This monitoring visit

Staff care for children who present with self-harming behaviour. Individual risk assessments contain guidance for staff on how to reduce the risks and respond to incidents. However, the guidance is not always clear enough about when staff should seek advice from emergency services. A child’s social worker said that the staff are managing the child’s self-harming behaviour very well.

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This monitoring visit

The staff are not recording when children refuse medication or when medication has been discontinued. This means that medication records are not accurate, and it is not possible to determine when a child was last offered medication.

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This monitoring visit

When children go missing from the home, the staff respond quickly and in line with the detailed protocols. All relevant professionals are informed as required and the manager escalates the need for return home interviews to be arranged for the child.

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This monitoring visit

Two children were present at the home during the visit. They declined to speak to the inspector but were observed to be comfortable in their interactions with staff as they baked in the kitchen together.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has met the previous requirements and recommendations. Three further shortfalls have been identified during this visit in relation to risk assessment, supervision and medication.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/05/2019 Full Good 03/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1269505 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 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—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the impact risk assessments and individual risk assessments include full information about the child’s needs to help inform planning. 26 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medication to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records are clear about when medication has been offered, refused or discontinued. 26 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff receive supervision at the frequency outlined in the home’s supervision policy. 26 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1269505 4

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to establish that the home has effective management oversight in the absence of a registered manager.

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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: Benjamin UK Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Church Farm House, Station Road, Aldbury, Tring HP23 5RS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claudette Rudman

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Inspectors

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Miss Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1269505 5 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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