Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 1 SC034241 Registered provider: Kisimul Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This residential special school is registered as a children’s home because children stay overnight for more than 295 days per year. The home provides care for up to 37 children and young people who have severe learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since March 2021. A new manager has been appointed and is applying to be registered.

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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 setting on 7 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 10 September 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/06/2019 Full Inadequate 07/08/2018 Full Good 15/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This children’s home has continued to improve since its last inspection. The home is currently being restructured into smaller, separately registered children’s homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who understand their complex and challenging needs. Children trust staff because the staff are caring and attentive. For example, when a child had a minor accident they were quickly and appropriately responded to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Local authority social workers and families speak highly about the care provided. They say that there is good communication and that relevant information is shared promptly. As children move into adulthood, good transition planning takes place in consultation with adult services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be part of their local community. For example, staff organised a sponsored walk with the children. This helped raise funds to purchase a defibrillator for the local village. Staff understand how to promote and celebrate diversity. For example, they helped a child learn about their own culture and religion by enabling them to attend a cultural celebration.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s specific social and healthcare needs are well met. Children’s sensory needs are carefully considered when planning menus. Children have been involved in choosing colours for the communal areas. When staff identify that children are struggling to share communal areas with their peers, they are provided with their own space. This helps children to self-regulate before re- engaging with their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given the opportunity to develop their independence skills. They help to tidy up after mealtimes. Other children have learned how to use the hoover. However, some children have missed opportunities to develop their independence because staff have not fully adhered to their care plans.

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

Children are able to access the home’s complaints procedure. They also have regular access to independent advocates. When children raise a concern or complaint, detailed and extensive work takes place to make sure the children’s voice is heard. This has included support from a speech and language therapist who used pictures and symbols to ensure that children’s concerns and complaints were understood.

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

Managers ensure that staff know the importance of sharing any safeguarding concerns that they might have. Information on how to raise concerns is readily available throughout the homes. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of reporting procedures. Staff are asked if they have any safeguarding concerns at the end of each shift pattern. Managers have ensured that, when concerns are raised Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 4 about the welfare of children, these are shared appropriately with safeguarding agencies.

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

Care planning is underpinned by detailed risk assessments that are regularly reviewed by senior staff. Children’s views are sought using their individual communication methods. When incidents occur, staff are given the opportunity to reflect on these, and changes are made to risk assessments. Children are safer because staff are able to reflect openly on their practice.

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

Children’s challenging behaviour is sensitively responded to. When staff need help to address the behaviour of children, they seek advice from specialist agencies. The local child and adolescent mental health service provides advice about medication, behaviour management approaches, and the environment. This partnership working has improved the quality of care.

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

Managers have not ensured that all known risks are fully addressed. Children’s missing from care protocols do not address risks associated with epilepsy. Daily health and safety checks have not identified potential risks from water left in a paddling pool.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has not been a registered manager since March 2021. However, interim arrangements are good. Two managers are supported by the responsible individual. Plans to restructure this large service into four separately registered children’s homes, each with its own manager, are being implemented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel supported by managers. They value the training that they are given. All staff have undertaken recent training in restraint and in safeguarding children. A recent improvement in employment conditions has also contributed to higher morale within the staff team. Leaders and managers have taken action to deal with the challenges of recruiting high-calibre care staff to work at the home. They are proactively working with employment agencies to maintain a consistently good level of staffing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff receive regular supervision from senior staff. However, management oversight of the supervision process has not identified some recording errors in supervision records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

COVID-19 has continued to impact this children’s home, with a number of children and staff having to isolate. However, this has been managed well. Staff have worked flexibly and demonstrated considerable commitment, minimising the impact on children’s routines and care arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirement and recommendation from the last assurance visit have been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and the placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s home staff seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves as part of the home’s plan for their care. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective,

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Recommendations

and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that is helpful to the child. (‘Guide to 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: SC034241 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 address: Kisimul School, The Old Vicarage High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 9LU

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Inspectors

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Zoey Lee, Social care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 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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