Children's Home run by Deborah Pacquette in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC007290 1 SC007290

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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 for up to four young people. The provider’s statement of purpose states that the home provides care for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or mild mental health concerns.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since 2007.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was conducted because the home has not been inspected since June 2019. It focused on specific concerns that the monthly independent visit reports do not meet regulatory requirements, and concerns about staff qualifications and the leadership and management structure. The statement of purpose was also reviewed as an additional line of enquiry.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, this visit took place off site using telephone calls, emails and documents from the home’s data management software system. There are currently two children living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Not all staff working in the home have the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare qualification. This means that some staff may not have suitable residential childcare skills. The registered manager acknowledges this shortfall and will review all staff qualifications to ensure compliance with the relevant regulation.

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This monitoring visit

This home and another home run by the same provider have been registered with Ofsted to provide care and accommodation to children for many years. Over these years, the named responsible individual and registered manager have changed. Clarity was sought on the set up of this home and it is now established that the provider is registered as an individual. The provider’s other home operates as an organisation. The provider website does not clearly differentiate between the differing entities for each home which could be misleading. The registered provider Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC007290 2 has been made aware of this difference in the social care registration set up of the two homes and will review this with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s statement of purpose is not up to date. Not all of the staff team are listed in the statement of purpose. In addition, the home’s website is not up to date. The registered manager is aware of this, and steps are being taken to correct this.

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This monitoring visit

The monthly monitoring reports provided by the independent visitor do not meet the regulatory requirements. To take account of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, some amendments were made to the regulation. These amendments expired in September 2020. This means that the use of virtual visits should now be the exception and should only be used as a result of public health advice or when it is not reasonably practical to have a face-to-face visit. The lack of face-to-face visiting limits effective quality assurance checks.

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This monitoring visit

All of the children living in the home said that they were happy and felt safe. Children make progress. For example, their social skills, personal hygiene and sleeping patterns have improved. Children also develop independence skills; they help with cooking and engage in education or any temporary arrangements, such as online maths and English lessons.

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This monitoring visit

Social workers describe the staff team as ‘child centred’. As a result, children develop trusting relationships with the stable and consistent staff team. This helps children settle in to the home. Staff spoken with said that they enjoy working in the home. On occasion, student social workers join the staff team. They organise in-house presentations, which help to enhance the staff team’s knowledge.

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This monitoring visit

The home has managed the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic well. Rigorous safety procedures are in place to help protect the staff and young people living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the inspector did not review the recommendations set at the last inspection and these have been restated at this visit. Four requirements are set following this visit.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/06/2019 Full Good 07/08/2018 Full Good 05/09/2017 Full Good 04/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC007290 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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the use of virtual visits should be the exception and should only be used as a result of public health advice or when it is not reasonably practical to have a face-to-face visit. 30 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC007290 4 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls two years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must satisfy themselves that if staff hold any other qualification that this is the equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England). 30 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 30 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC007290 5 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

If a home has a website, the registered person must ensure that a copy of the statement of purpose is published on that website unless the registered person considers that such publication would prejudice the welfare of children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the home’s website must be kept up to date and must have accurate information about the entity of each of its homes.

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Recommendations

 The children’s home’s staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for young people to develop themselves as part of the home’s plan for their care. In particular, the registered person must ensure that all written records on young people, evidences the progress young people have made since being placed in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph, 6.4)

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each young person and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, the registered manager must sure that only the young people’s most up-to-date risk assessment and behaviour support plans in care files. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC007290 6 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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Inspector

Victoria Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC007290 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 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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