Children's home run by Bramley Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 1 SC068272 Registered provider: Bramley Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home caters for children who have had a history of exhibiting sexually harmful behaviours and who require specialist support. Every child must agree to engage with the home’s therapeutic services in order for them to come here. Education is provided at an on-site school run by the organisation. The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/08/2019 Full Outstanding 19/12/2018 Full Outstanding 29/11/2017 Full Outstanding 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children at this home experience well-planned care from staff who are attentive and familiar with their needs. As a result, children develop positive relationships with staff and make good progress. Meaningful joint working between the care, therapy and education teams provides an effective wraparound service.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have safe opportunities to explore their early life experiences and individualised plans are developed to help them reach their goals. Progress is measured in a range of ways, including academic achievement, progress through the reward system and psychometric testing. Results are translated into language which children can understand, and success is celebrated in review meetings.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Activities are planned around the education timetable. During the inspection, several children enthusiastically joined in football training, despite the pouring rain, but those children who did not wish to play were supported by staff to find a different activity of their choice.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views inform decisions about the running of the home. For example, behaviour management, sanctions and incentives have recently been reviewed. The children took an active part in this process and have shared their views and negotiated changes. Other examples of children’s voices being heard and staff responding to children’s views include having a choice in what they wear and the items they can have in their bedrooms. This means that children are empowered to know that they can effect change.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Online communication platforms have been used to enable children to maintain contact with important people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Allowing children internet access is new to the home. The systems which have been developed will help children learn how to stay safe online now and in the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before children move in, referral information is considered by the multidisciplinary team. However, compatibility risk assessments do not demonstrate how new children’s needs are considered alongside those of children already living at the home. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate that careful risk assessment and matching take place.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s life-story books were not up to date. Large gaps in time and an absence of meaningful commentary to accompany the photos resulted in records that did not reflect children’s enjoyable experiences. As a result, children are not provided with an accurate record of their time at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 4

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding is a priority. During the inspection, staff were seen to be attuned and responsive to the risks present for children individually and as a group. Staff spoken to during the inspection confidently described the steps they would take if they had safeguarding concerns. However, they could not name the external agencies they should approach if they had concerns about the safeguarding culture within the organisation.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The behaviour management policy has been updated. It now provides staff with clear guidance regarding the circumstances which may require police call-outs. There has recently been a reduction in instances where police are called to the home, and staff appear more confident in managing children’s behaviour, using restorative approaches that have been agreed with the children. As a result, children are learning to behave in more responsible and considerate ways.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager is in the process of updating the format used for risk assessments. The new format includes the child’s view of how best to protect themselves. In the interim, some documents do not provide staff with key information, such as dates of significant events. Additionally, they fail to provide staff with strategies to reduce risk or practical steps to take if risks arise. As a result, risk assessments do not reliably inform staff how to keep children safe. In practice, staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and know how to keep them safe.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Inspectors found practice of fire doors being propped open, which undermines the fire safety of the home.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Social workers were complimentary about the steps taken to make children increasingly safe. One social worker commented: ‘Due to the nature of the service, there have not been any issues for a very long time. I put this down to supervision and therapy. The staff use a balance of encouraging independence and providing the support [the child] needs.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A registered manager has been appointed since the last inspection. He is very knowledgeable about the children. He receives effective support from the responsible individual and his colleagues, who are the registered managers of the organisation’s other homes. Managers’ meetings are used as an opportunity to reflect on how to achieve continuous improvement for the service. Consequently, children who move between the homes have a consistent experience of care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work with managers to make decisions about children’s plans and ways to encourage them to develop skills for life. They are creative and persistent in their approach to making sure that children who may have barriers to communication are heard and included. Staff spoke very positively about the support that they receive from managers. Supervision is held at agreed intervals. Focused team meetings Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 5 provide staff with opportunities to improve their knowledge and understanding about how to meet children’s needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Physical intervention training has been delivered virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and this arrangement has not been reviewed. Some staff members have not had the opportunity to practise using holds on colleagues as part of practical training. On one occasion, a child made an allegation against staff members following a restraint. This complaint was investigated by the registered manager. However, no consultation took place with the designated officer from the local authority.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have recognised that in some areas of the home, the decor is tired and in need of updating, and redecoration has begun. Children are given the opportunity to help with the maintenance of the home. This gives them a sense of ownership and pride in their surroundings.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new independent visitor is providing a more rigorous level of scrutiny. Consequently, reports now contain evaluation and an analysis of the impact of the care that children receive. However, there are gaps in the registered manager’s recording of his monitoring of the quality of care. For example, a staff member’s work history was scrutinised, but the recruitment record does not fully reflect this.

p.5

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi)(vii)) 30 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 6 The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that individual risk assessments contain the required detail to reliably inform staff how to keep children safe, and compatibility risk assessments demonstrate how new children’s needs are considered alongside those of children already living at the home. 30 June 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

p.6

Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 10 May 2021

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(h)) 30 June 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 30 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 7 Specifically, that the children’s life-story books are regularly maintained and personalised to each child, including regular entries of activities, trips, birthdays and celebrations.

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should make sure that the behaviour management policy sets out how staff are trained and supported to meet the child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.37)

p.7

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: SC068272 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bramley Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nicholas House, Riverfront, Enfield EN1 3FG

p.8

Inspectors

Helen Simmons, Social Care Inspector Sarah Olliver, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068272 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9