Children's home run by Exitus Children‟s Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 1 Registered provider: Exitus Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodates for up to three children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a Level 5 diploma in residential childcare.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 9 December 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A suspension notice was issued on the 18 March 2021. Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/05/2018 Full Good 06/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 3

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inadequate

On 18 March 2021 the home was issued with a suspension notice due to safeguarding concerns. There was reasonable cause to believe that unless the suspension notice was issued a person may or will be exposed to a risk of harm. The matters relating to the suspension notice are being investigated by the police. These investigations have not been concluded. Because of this, details will not be documented in this report. Ofsted awaits an update on the progress/outcome of the investigations.

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inadequate

Inspectors found that managers have complied with the suspension notice. No children have lived at the home since 18 March 2021.

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inadequate

A social worker told inspectors that one child had made significant progress when they lived in the home. The registered manager and staff had been proactive in supporting the child with their independence skills, for example going to the shops unsupervised by staff.

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inadequate

However, despite reports that the child had made significant progress, key records fail to show this detail. For example, children’s records are not easy to navigate or child friendly. Inspectors had to rely on the registered manager to find and locate information. When staff have completed direct work with the child, this work has not always been recorded. This undermines the rights of the child, who may in the future wish to review her records. This is a missed opportunity to help children to see how they were supported and cared for.

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inadequate

Inspectors found some good practice. For example, the registered manager and staff have the skills to support children with their mental health needs. The registered manager and staff demonstrated effective partnership working with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. This enabled staff to implement strategies to support a child with their emotional health and included the child in the development of the plan.

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inadequate

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff kept the child entertained and active despite the restrictions in place. This included going on regular walks, which was an effective strategy in helping the child to regulate her emotions and develop positive relationships with staff.

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inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual have failed to do everything that they can to ensure that children are protected from harm. Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 4 The registered manager and responsible individual have not taken effective action when a staff member’s professional boundaries have come into question. The responsible individual failed to consult with other professionals, including the designated officer, in order to share his concerns. The registered manager and responsible individual have failed to follow their own internal code of conduct policy. As a result, the managers have undermined their own internal procedures to ensure that safeguarding procedures are adhered to.

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inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual have not taken sufficient steps to ensure that where children are at risk of harm that the measures in place are clearly recorded so that everyone who is involved in a child’s care is well informed. For example, records relating to behaviour management plans and risk assessment are overly complex making it hard to see how staff practice safeguards the child. For example, the behaviour management plan states that a child can have unsupervised time using the internet, and the risk assessment states the opposite. This lack of diligence to record keeping leaves children at risk of harm.

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inadequate

Some policies and procedures contain out-of-date information. For example, the restrictive physical intervention policy refers to training that staff are not trained in. This has the potential to compromise staff knowledge in how they support a child-centred approach and keep children and staff safe when physical intervention is required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management oversight is poor and there are widespread failures in the monitoring of records. This demonstrates a missed opportunity to benefit from lessons learned and ensure that shortfalls are address promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed in their duty to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a member of staff, after the designated officer shared concerns regarding a criminal investigation that related to safeguarding. This demonstrates a poor safeguarding culture and inadequate management oversight relating to safeguarding practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An independent person visits the home monthly. However, the visitor has not routinely consulted with children, professionals or families. The independent visitor has failed to recognise the widespread shortfalls identified on this inspection. A lack of effective monitoring and scrutiny does not help the manager and staff to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager was unable to demonstrate that staff have received PACE training as stated in the home’s statement of purpose. Therefore, the staff are unable to work effectively in order to meet children’s needs in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual told the inspectors that staff, including the registered manager, are currently on unpaid leave while the home is Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 5 suspended. Some members of staff are in other employment during the suspension notice. However, some staff did contact inspectors and shared their positive experiences of working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

One requirement raised at the last inspection in relation to leadership and management has not been met. This extends to management oversight, monitoring and review systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

At the time of the inspection, there continues to be concerns about the leadership of the home. This includes ongoing concerns over senior managers’ understanding of their responsibilities to safeguarding children. Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 6

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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

that staff 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

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically related to ensuring that children’s care plans and risk assessments contain information which is up to date and that safeguarding procedures are followed for staff who have resigned during an investigation. 8 June 2021

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 8 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 7 (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is management oversight of records in the home, including the children care planning.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is reinstated. 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.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the independent visitor seeking feedback from children and with all external person’s involved with the home. 8 June 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered manager is to ensure that the children care plan, including health and behaviour plan and risk assessment, is updated and is user friendly, so that staff can read it and children can access it. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Exitus Childrens Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1st Floor, 2 Woodberry Grove, Finchley, London N12 0DR

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Inspectors

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1255095 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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