Children's Home run by Capital Children’s Care Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2575372 1

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Capital Children’s Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a small private organisation and registered in June 2020. The home provides care for up to three children who have social, emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in August 2020. A new manager was appointed but left before registering with Ofsted. The current manager is in the process of registration.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged as having serious and widespread concerns following an assurance visit on 1 October 2020. The concerns led to Ofsted serving a compliance notice in respect of the leadership and management of the home. The monitoring visit on 1 November 2020 identified that the provider had met the steps set out in the compliance notice. However, information has subsequently been shared with Ofsted to suggest that there are new concerns. The purpose of this visit was to assess these concerns and to establish the quality of care that is being provided.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was undertaken on site. Serious and widespread concerns were identified during the visit. Consequently, the home is likely to be subject to enforcement action.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager left the post in August 2020 and the home has not had a registered manager since that time. A replacement manager was recruited but did not register with Ofsted. A new manager is in post and his application for registration is in progress. Although an experienced manager has now been appointed, the lack of consistent management oversight has meant significant shortfalls in the day-to-day care provided by the staff. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2575372 2 There are two children living at the home. The staff have struggled to manage one child’s complex self-harming behaviours or to respond effectively to episodes of the child going missing from the home.

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This monitoring visit

An ineffective impact risk assessment meant that a child whose needs could not be met by the staff was admitted to the home. Consequently, the staff have not been able to manage the complexity of the child’s needs, resulting in a continuation of incidents of self-harm and missing-from-home episodes.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to monitor and review incidents and take necessary action. They have failed to actively pursue mental health services so that a child receives the specialist mental health support that they need.

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This monitoring visit

The managers have not consistently notified Ofsted when serious incidents have occurred. This has prevented Ofsted from having a current view of the home to ensure that appropriate action was taken to safeguard the children.

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This monitoring visit

The staff do not provide personalised care for the children. The children’s care and placement plans do not contain all relevant information or targets. Consequently, there is a lack of clarity for the staff to enable them to provide good-quality care. Managers have failed to identify care planning shortfalls and make the necessary improvements to ensure that children achieve positive education and well-being outcomes.

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This monitoring visit

External professionals have raised concerns about communication from the home. They said that the staff do not consistently share information. The staff do not inform them of when children are not able to attend their online education or appointments. During the monitoring visit, one child failed to attend her personal education plan meeting. These failures in communication mean that children are not being sufficiently helped to reach their potential.

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This monitoring visit

The children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans do not provide clear information on risk management or the warning signs of specific behaviours. Most of the risk assessments were not dated or signed or updated with information relating to the specific child. The staff are, therefore, not sufficiently informed of the seriousness of the identified risks and how to manage them safely and effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have not provided consistent, focused key-work sessions to address the children’s identified risks, such as exploitation. The children, therefore, are not able to understand the risks outside the home and how to keep themselves safe.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have failed to support one child to reduce smoking. Instead, during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, staff had driven the child to her father’s home to collect cigarettes. Although these trips have now stopped, such practice demonstrates the staff’s lack of responsible and effective action in keeping the child safe from harm. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2575372 3 The managers have failed to ensure that the staff are sufficiently trained. At the time of the monitoring visit, four out of 10 staff had not undertaken training in managing self-harm, restraint or ligatures. This meant that the staff did not have the skills and the knowledge to manage significant self-harming incidents or provide safe care. The failure to ensure that the staff are adequately trained places the children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have worked hard to build positive relationships with the children. This is confirmed by the children, who said that they like living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager has begun to review the needs of the children and the staff to develop an action plan for improvement. He has begun to take steps to rectify the identified concerns.

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2575372 4

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children have individualised health plans that address their needs and are recorded in the children’s care and placement plans. 12 April 2021

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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

that staff— 12 April 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2575372 5 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(b))

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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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(h)) 12 April 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— 12 April 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2575372 6 must include details of—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to assess the concerns raised to Ofsted and to establish the quality of care that is being provided.

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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: Capital Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Pike Way, North Weald, Epping, Essex CM16 6BL

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Inspector

Leemya McKeown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2575372 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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