Children's Home, Residential special school run by St Elizabeth’s Centre in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495377 1

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St Elizabeth’s Centre

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a large charitable organisation and provides care for up to 52 children. The home cares for children aged five to 19 with complex medical needs, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy and associated learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home consists of eight individual houses. The children attend the on-site school.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2019.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this home on 22 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on our website.

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This monitoring visit

The visit was undertaken following concerns raised with Ofsted regarding three of the houses. The concerns raised inequalities in the care of children. These included the staff using their own cars to transport some children, some staff practice, and a child whose needs were not being adequately met.

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This monitoring visit

The positive-behaviour support team provides staff with clear strategies to manage the children’s behaviours. However, the staff do not consistently follow these strategies regarding children’s use of electronic devices. Some children have stayed up all night playing on electronic devices and the staff have responded inconsistently. This can confuse children, who require clear guidelines and routine- based care. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495377 2 The staff are not fully aware of the behaviour management strategies devised by the managers to address the children’s behaviours. There are staff who are unclear about these strategies. Some of the staff felt that there were children who received additional support and privileges that were not offered to all the children. This is because the children’s behaviour management strategies were not shared properly with the staff. Overall communication is poor, and this has confused the staff and

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This monitoring visit

resulted in the care being inconsistent.

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This monitoring visit

One child with complex behavioural and communication needs has recently moved into the home. The child’s impact risk assessment is weak and fails to consider the known risks to the staff and the other children. The risk assessment fails to consider whether the placement can fully meet the child’s needs. This has led to several significant incidents and some staff have sustained serious injuries. The failure to clearly assess the child’s needs puts the staff and the other children at risk. Following the last incident, the management team acted quickly to safeguard the other children. The staffing ratio has since increased, and the child is no longer living with the other children.

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This monitoring visit

Concerns were raised with Ofsted regarding the staff using their own cars. There are a range of company vehicles made available for the staff to transport the children. Staff can drive these vehicles if they have the relevant documents. However, on occasions staff use their own cars and this is permissible if they have the relevant insurance cover.

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This monitoring visit

External monitoring of the home has improved. Each house receives an unannounced visit by an independent visitor. The independent visitor’s report highlights shortfalls and provides good oversight of the progress made. The managers act on the recommendations suggested to make improvements to the care provided to the children.

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This monitoring visit

The children benefit from a welcoming homely environment and spacious grounds. Children have a range of activities that they enjoy. These activities include a trampoline, a paddling pool, bicycles, gaming consoles and play equipment.

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This monitoring visit

The three requirements and one recommendation from the last inspection were not looked at during this visit and have been restated.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 28/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/03/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495377 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that children’s care plans and behaviour support plans contain enough detail.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. 30 July 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495377 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; and

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the staff implementing the children’s behaviour support plans. 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 July 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495377 5 This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that the staff receive supervision in line with the home’s policy.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person, in their role of leading a team and supporting staff to be ambitious for every child in the home, should ensure that staff understand and can meet each child’s needs. In doing so, the registered person needs to be clear with the staff about their plans and actions for individual children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495377 6

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Elizabeth’s Centre

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: South End, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire SG10 6EW

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Inspectors

Natalie Burton, Social Care Inspector Kristen Judd, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495377 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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