Children's Home run by Kattz (YH) Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2536455 1

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Kattz (YH) Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to five children who have experienced trauma in their lives and may experience behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the post on 12 February 2020. A new manager started in post on 25 July 2020 but resigned with immediate effect on 5 August 2020. Another manager then started in post and applied to register with Ofsted. However, this manager was demoted and subsequently left. As a result, the home has had no registered manager in post for over a year. The responsible individual has taken over the day-to-day management of the home while a new manager is recruited.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place due to concerns arising from safeguarding notifications and reports submitted by the independent person. These concerns related to staff experience, management arrangements, damage to property and supervision of staff. The home was last visited on 20 October 2020 when Ofsted carried out an assurance visit.

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This monitoring visit

Three children have moved on since the assurance visit. Feedback from professionals regarding the children’s experiences and the quality of care is mixed. One social worker said that staff have managed incidents well and that there is good communication between the home and the placing local authority. However, another social worker said that communication have been poor and inconsistent.

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This monitoring visit

Four children have moved into the home since the assurance visit. Professionals were positive about the support that the staff gave to children to settle them when they moved in. A social worker highlighted as a strength how a child from a minority ethnic background felt welcomed by a staff and management team that is also from a minority ethnic background. The social worker said, ‘The child sees herself in the Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2536455 2 staff who support her.’ The child is positive about her experience and how well she gets on with the staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff experience and staff retention remain an issue. At the assurance visit in October 2020, it was found that there had been significant staffing changes at the home since the last full inspection, with the whole staff team having changed in less than a year. Since the assurance visit, a further five of the nine staff members who had been in post have left, including the manager and deputy manager. Only one member of staff has been recruited. This has further depleted the range of experience in the team.

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This monitoring visit

Agency staff are being used regularly. Staff spoke of staff shortages creating pressure for those who remain in post. On occasions, staff who have not passed their probation are working alone with agency staff. This means that children with complex needs are sometimes being looked after by a combination of inexperienced and temporary staff.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has taken over the day-to-day management of the home while a new manager is recruited. Staff said that there are improvements in oversight and support since this change has occurred.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has ensured that staff have access to a range of training courses. This includes online and face-to-face training. The management team has commissioned training in response to incidents with a view to improving the staff’s skills and knowledge.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has undertaken impact assessments in respect of children who have moved into the home since the assurance visit. The quality of these assessments has improved since the assurance visit. However, the assessments do not consistently consider the staff’s experience and skills in relation to the needs of the children who will move into the home. As a result, it is unclear to what extent these factors are considered in the decision-making process. One external professional highlighted the inexperience of the staff team and poor communication as a contributory factor to a child moving on.

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This monitoring visit

There have been several incidents in which the staff have struggled to manage children’s behaviour. This has included at least two occasions when a child has accessed car keys at the home and an occasion when another child managed to start a car at the home. Previous managers have not monitored and reviewed the records of incidents effectively. Staff said that managerial monitoring and guidance have improved recently.

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This monitoring visit

Some incidents have resulted in significant damage to the property. Managers have taken appropriate action to carry out repairs. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2536455 3 Staff have not always received the level of supervisory support that they should be able to expect. Staff provided mixed feedback about the support that they receive, including support after serious incidents. Staff receive a variety of broader support but can go without formal one-to-one supervision for seven weeks. This contravenes the home’s statement of purpose, which states that staff should receive monthly supervision alongside other support.

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This monitoring visit

Safe recruitment practice is not consistently followed. In some respects, the provider goes beyond what is required by regulation. A wide range of references are sought and verified. However, the provider does not always go far enough in checking why staff have left previous employment with children or vulnerable adults. In addition, the management team did not have information to show that safe recruitment has taken place for agency staff. The responsible individual was unaware that agency staff are subject to the same regulatory requirements in respect of recruitment as permanent staff.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 31 May 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2536455 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 24 March 2021

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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 2 years 31 August 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2536455 5 after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period;

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Requirement Due date

or works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 31 March 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff work closely with the placing authority to understand the child’s relationship history and the impact that the child’s arrival may have on the group living at the home. In particular, when undertaking impact assessments, consider the skills, experience and capacity of the staff team to meet the child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3)

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Information about this inspection

This monitoring visit took place due to concerns arising from safeguarding notifications and reports submitted by the independent person. These concerns related to staff experience, management arrangements, damage to property and supervision of staff.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2536455 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 51 Station Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 3BQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kofoworola Ibitoye

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Inspector

Ashley Hinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2536455 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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