Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in New Forest

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 1 SC461781

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New Forest Care

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home provides residential care and accommodation for up to four children who have a learning disability and may have additional needs. The home offers an integrated service that includes therapy, education and care. The home is one of a number operated by this private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2015.

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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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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was conducted in response to Ofsted being notified that a child had received injuries while being physically restrained at ground level by staff. An allegation was made that a member of staff had caused these injuries. The purpose of the visit was to examine the practice relating to behaviour management and the physical restraint of children.

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This monitoring visit

The organisation has implemented a strategy to reduce the number of physical interventions that result in children being held on the floor. There has been a decrease in ground level holds as a result. However, the registered manager has some reservations regarding the benefits of this approach for all children. Documents reviewed during this visit indicate that the registered manager has some sympathy with children who express the view that ground level restraints can be helpful in certain situations. It is unclear what work is being undertaken with children to explore and challenge these beliefs.

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This monitoring visit

Records of physical interventions sometimes lack clarity. They do not always give a clear description of which staff are present during an incident, and what each Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 2 member of staff is doing. The records do not comprehensively describe the sequence of events. For example, one record did not describe how a child had moved from a standing position to a sitting position while being restrained. Accounts of physical interventions also lack consistency. In the same record it was unclear whether a child had taken themselves to the floor or whether staff had led the child to the floor. The records do not give a clear account of what the child or staff are saying during an incident. This makes it difficult to identify what de-escalation techniques are being implemented. There was no evidence to demonstrate that the strategy specified in one child’s behaviour management plan, regarding the use of a

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This monitoring visit

‘safe space’, was discussed with the child during a physical intervention.

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This monitoring visit

There remain some weaknesses in the assessment and management of risk in relation to physical intervention. A requirement made at an assurance visit in September 2020 has not been fully met. The requirement specified that risk assessments should take account of how a child’s breathing will be monitored during a physical intervention. Not all the children’s individual risk assessments take this into account. The requirement is therefore repeated.

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This monitoring visit

Relevant safeguarding professionals are notified when a child is injured during a physical intervention, but not always in a timely way. In one case, a child’s placing authority and the designated officer were not made aware of a serious incident until nearly 24 hours later. The responsible individual had begun investigating the incident and was taking statements from staff before consulting the designated officer. This could have hindered an investigation. In addition, no record was kept of the initial telephone discussions with social workers from the child’s placing authority.

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This monitoring visit

Staff make suitable enquiries following a physical intervention to establish whether the child has been injured. Any concerns are reported in a timely way and medical advice is taken if necessary. In one case, records did not evidence that a child was monitored for possible concussion for an appropriate length of time.

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This monitoring visit

Recent months have presented the registered manager and staff with many challenges, particularly in relation to meeting the complex needs of a vulnerable group of children. Partly because of this, monitoring activities pertaining to the quality of care have not been effectively implemented. The shortfalls found during this monitoring visit had not previously been identified by managers in the organisation. Some of these shortfalls have been identified by the home’s independent visitor but have yet to be fully addressed. A requirement regarding the effective use of monitoring systems was made at the assurance visit conducted in September 2020 and is repeated.

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This monitoring visit

Other aspects of physical intervention practice are working well. The registered manager is clearly committed to ensuring that children have opportunities to explore their feelings following a physical intervention. Records of debrief meetings that he has held with children demonstrate a high level of empathy and understanding of the emotional turmoil children have experienced. In the record referred to above, the registered manager had also identified that the on-call management system Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 3 could have given more effective advice to the member of staff who had been involved in this challenging physical restraint of a child.

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This monitoring visit

Although the organisation has demonstrated a determination to improve practice relating to the physical restraint of children by introducing new guidance and monitoring systems, these changes have not yet had a consistently positive impact on practice.

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This monitoring visit

The regularity of staff supervision was not examined during this monitoring visit. Therefore, the associated requirement made at the assurance visit in September 2020 is repeated in this report.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/09/2019 Full Good 19/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 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 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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all staff receive regular supervision. 21 June 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that risk assessments in respect of restraint techniques include the potential risks to breathing and how this will be monitored and recorded by staff. 21 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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 21 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 5 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that the designated officer is consulted prior to commencing internal investigations into allegations made against staff, and ensuring that records are kept of discussions with social workers regarding safeguarding matters. 21 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 21 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 6 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that each child’s day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. Specifically, ensure that children’s health and well-being is appropriately monitored when they have been injured, and that records are kept of this monitoring activity. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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: SC461781 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Forest Care Ltd, West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspector

Stephen Collett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 8 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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