Royal Mencap Society

Royal Mencap Society Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Rieks Drijver, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent specialist college

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Address: 123 Golden Lane Islington London EC1Y 0RT Monitoring visit: Royal Mencap Society, 13 July 2021

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit focused on safeguarding arrangements and was undertaken as outlined in the operational note on visits carried out from January 2021 and with reference to the further education and skills handbook.

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Context and focus of visit

The Royal Mencap Society is a national charity, with headquarters in Islington, London, which teaches traineeships, apprenticeships and supported internships across the country. Most learners attend a work placement as part of their training. All learners have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Those on supported internships all have education, health and care plans.

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Context and focus of visit

This was a safeguarding monitoring visit following a concern identified during a methodology pilot inspection in June 2021. This related to staff knowing about, and assessing, the risks to learners of changes in their circumstances, such as how they travel to their work placement. The purpose of the visit was to assess the progress leaders and managers have made in relation to the theme set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgement below.

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Reasonable progress

Following feedback received at the methodology pilot inspection, leaders and managers took swift action to start to put right the issues raised about updating risk assessments for learners when their personal or work placement circumstances change. They created an effective audit of learners’ safety to review their practices and procedures and the impact of these on learners. They ensured that programme coordinators were fully involved in the process and that trustees were fully informed. Leaders and staff reviewed the circumstances for all learners and checked that all are safe at their work placements and in their travel to and from these placements.

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Reasonable progress

Through their audit, leaders and staff are able to identify gaps in information held about learners and their circumstances. They have not yet completed the full cycle of their audit, which is planned within the next month. As a result, they do not have confirmation of the completion and impact of all follow-up actions to be taken. These actions include, for example, the need for staff to record more precise information in Monitoring visit: Royal Mencap Society, 13 July 2021 work place agreements with employers. The audit confirmed that staff have a detailed knowledge of their learners. However, at present, staff do not record accurately, and at times comprehensively enough, important information pertinent to learners on placements. Staff do not consider sufficiently whether employers’ risk assessments take into account, and would mitigate, the risks for the specific circumstances of individual learners. Leaders and managers have made positive

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Reasonable progress

changes to the health and safety questionnaire for employers for use for newly placed learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have appropriately identified additional training needs for staff as a result of their audit to reduce inconsistencies in practice. These include staff’s compliance in documenting learners’ issues, recording interventions for learners, and completing health and safety documents when setting up a work placement. Monitoring visit: Royal Mencap Society, 13 July 2021 regulates and inspects 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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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