Children's home run by Lavender Grove Cares Ltd

Inspection report children's home: 2569520 1 Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children aged between five and 18 with complex social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 17 April 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since June 2021 and is in the process of applying to be registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we sus- pended 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 11 November 2020 to carry out a monitoring 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2569520 2

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improvement to be good

This is the first full inspection since the home opened in April 2020. Six children have moved in and three have moved out since the home opened. There are currently three children living at the home.

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improvement to be good

The children had been out of education prior to moving to the home. Staff actively encourage the children to attend education, and they are making progress. However, children’s personal education plans are not on their files. This does not help staff to understand children’s education targets and the education support that each child needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff fully support children to see their family and friends, including overnight stays when it is appropriate. Each child has an individual contact plan. However, important information on risks and how family visits will be facilitated is not included. Staff may therefore be unaware of important information that could have an impact on children.

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improvement to be good

Staff use regular house meetings to gain children’s views. Children know how to complain. However, complaints are not recorded appropriately, and the children do not receive feedback from the house meetings or the outcome of their complaints. Children do not know if their voice has been heard or what action, if any, staff have taken.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the building need redecoration or repair. As a consequence, the home does not provide children with a good-quality, welcoming and homely environ- ment.

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improvement to be good

Staff have built positive relationships with children. Staff know and understand the children’s individual needs well. Interactions between staff and children are genuine, caring and warm. Children speak positively about the staff and the new manager, who they say are caring and understand them. Due to these positive relationships, there has been a decrease in some unsafe behaviours and children have made progress.

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improvement to be good

Children’s placement plans are comprehensive and detailed. These plans support the staff to understand children’s past traumas and guide them in how to meet their current needs. Inspection report children's home: 2569520 3

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding concerns are reported to the designated officer. However, there is no evidence that reflective follow-up work is undertaken with staff to reduce the likeli- hood of concerns recurring. It is, therefore, not clear whether staff learn from inci- dents or practice is improved.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are updated after any incidents. However, due to confusion caused by duplication on the many different recording platforms used, staff may potentially not work with the most current and up-to-date risk assessment.

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improvement to be good

Sanctions are fair and proportionate. However, these are not monitored and re- viewed effectively by the manager. Staff carry out room searches when necessary. Children do not have the opportunity to have their views recorded after sanctions have been applied or room searches have been carried out. This does not ensure that children feel that their views are heard or considered.

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improvement to be good

The provider carries out basic recruitment checks on potential staff’s suitability. However, recruitment processes are not followed consistently and effectively. The provider has not routinely explored why staff left their previous post or always sought references from the last employer.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the children’s risks and behavioural triggers and are alert to changes in behaviours that suggest that a child might become distressed. They can, therefore, respond to emerging situations to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff have attended suitable safeguarding training and follow the home’s safeguarding policy. They are confident and knowledgeable about who to report any concerns to and the action to take.

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improvement to be good

A social worker said staff have built positive trusting relationships with their child. This has helped to reduce behaviours that make the child vulnerable. Staff take positive action to safeguard children when they go missing from the home.

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good

There has not been effective and consistent management oversight since the home registered. The many changes in home managers and responsible individuals have had a negative effect on the management and oversight of the home. The current manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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good

Although some improvement is noted since the new manager took up post, the monitoring and oversight lack rigour. This has resulted in lack of identification of shortfalls and actions to improve. The manager has plans to improve the recording systems, provide better guidance to staff and better evidence the children’s pro- gress. However, these plans have yet to be fully implemented. Inspection report children's home: 2569520 4 Staff have not received regular and effective supervision and some staff have not had an annual appraisal. This does not support staff with their personal and profes- sional development. The recording of supervision is poor. Decisions made or actions for staff are not clearly documented. The new manager has begun to make some improvements, however, these have yet to be embedded.

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good

All staff who are required to do so hold a relevant level 3 qualification. Some staff are enrolled on a level 4 course. However, the staff training records are held on various systems and are not kept up to date. This undermines the manager’s abil- ity to understand staff training needs.

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good

The manager and deputy communicate effectively with social workers and other professionals. They have successfully challenged professionals when decisions made are not in the best interests of the child.

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good

One requirement from the monitoring visit has been met, one is restated. The recommendation from the monitoring visit has been raised as a requirement. Inspection report children's home: 2569520 5

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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 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.

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; and

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Requirement 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iv)) 5 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independ- ent study. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children have a current personal education plan. 5 November 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2569520 6 The protection of children standard is that children are pro- tected 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child ef- fectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are updated and kept where staff can find them. 5 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the regis- tered 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—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous im- provements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 5 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 5 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record 5 November 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2569520 7 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all complaints made by children are followed up comprehensively. 5 November 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a well- maintained, homely and domestic environment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice. In particular, ensure that a reference from the last employer is obtained. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that children are not subject to unnecessary invasions of their privacy. In particular, give children the chance to comment on records of room searches. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 19, paragraph 3.36)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear record-keeping. (‘Guide to the children’s homes

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Recommendations

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: 2569520 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Gothic Cottage, Moreton Road, Ongar, Essex CM5 0EZ

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2569520 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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