Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 1 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children aged between 10 and 17; 16 is the maximum age on admission. According to the home’s statement of purpose, it offers residential care with therapeutic emphasis and multi-agency involvement, to help children recover from experiences which have rendered them vulnerable and disrupted from their primary relationships.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since 1 September 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected, their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2019 Full Good 13/11/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 3

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inadequate

The provider notified Ofsted in April 2020 that they were temporarily closing the home. In April 2021, the provider informed Ofsted of their intention to admit children in July 2021. Since July 2021, three children have lived at the home.

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inadequate

One child living in the home is making progress, engaging in education and working towards returning to school full time. Other children are not in education and staff are not able to implement daily structure or routine. This means that children’s progress is significantly disrupted and children do not make progress. This lack of routine and structure for the majority of children in the home is exacerbated by the current skills of the staff team. Not all staff are equipped to manage the significant incidents or provide good-quality care and support to children. As a result, there is an increase in police attendance at the home to assist staff in managing children’s behaviour.

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inadequate

At the time of inspection, there was a high level of sickness amongst staff. Therefore, children were receiving inconsistent care because there is no permanent staff team. Furthermore, some staff are inexperienced and not equipped to meet children’s needs. Children have not yet built trusting or positive relationships with staff or developed skills and strategies to manage their own conflicts or situations that cause them upset.

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inadequate

However, some children do develop social skills and make progress in relation to their care plan. For example, staff enable children to take age-appropriate risks, such as going out locally in the community. As a result, one child has the opportunity of permanence and stability for the future.

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inadequate

The home is generally well kept. Communal areas are clean and furnished to a good standard. However, on inspection, some bedrooms required attention by staff due to their poor cleanliness and presentation. Children have also been choosing to sleep in other areas of the home. This action has caused no harm to children or negatively affected their outcomes. Staff resolved this issue during the inspection and reaffirmed boundaries and expectations with the children.

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inadequate

The statement of purpose provides a good overview of the home. Nonetheless, the care, behaviour management and staff practice do not always entirely support the ethos of the home. For example, teaching of socially acceptable behaviour is sometimes lacking. However, staff are mindful of children’s identity and support children to celebrate the wealth of diversity in the home. This assists the children to develop a positive self-view and sense of unique identity. They also develop a sense of belonging and security with both the staff and the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 4

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

Children are encouraged by staff to discuss significant incidents. However, due to inconsistent management of behaviour and risk, any improvement has not yet been fully sustained. As a result, children do not always learn from risk-taking behaviour and continue to be exposed to situations that could potentially cause them harm.

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

Plans to reduce the likelihood of some children reoffending, engaging in substance misuse and being at risk of child sexual exploitation are not always effective. This is primarily due to the children not engaging, despite support offered by staff. This is somewhat affected by inexperienced staff lacking confidence in addressing concerns, for example challenging a child when returning to the home with banned substances or leaving the home in the early hours.

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

Risk management plans do not always reflect the current known risks to children. For example, one child’s risk assessment did not contain all relevant information and had not been updated with known risks. Further discussion with the manager confirmed the risk level was higher than documented. As a result, children continue to engage in risk-taking behaviours and not all staff are able to provide consistent safe and effective care.

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

Staff follow procedures for responding to concerns with a coordinated response. Although a positive outcome is not always achievable, the staff make genuine attempts to ensure that the safety and well-being of children are promoted whenever children go missing from the home.

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

Collaborative working with other professionals by staff and the manager has eliminated the risk posed to one child by an identified adult. Consequently, the length of time this child is absent from the home has reduced and their use of alcohol has significantly reduced.

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

Sanctions are, on the whole, appropriately given. However, some are purely financial sanctions and not restorative in nature. This means that children are fined, rather than being helped to understand the consequences of their behaviour and learn from what has happened.

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

Although there have been no complaints or allegations made against staff by children, children know how to complain and have access to the information and details of appropriate resources in the home’s children’s guide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is currently without a registered manager. Senior managers have taken steps to ensure management cover, however, the home has now been without a registered manager since September 2019. As a result, the home is not being Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 5 managed by a person who has had their fitness determined as required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff and managers can identify a limited number of strengths and weaknesses of the home. However, there are insufficient levels of monitoring in place to identify the shortfalls. For example, no observations of staff practice have taken place. This is a critical failing. Leaders and managers cannot ensure that the care of children is safe, consistent and effective. This lack of direct observation and challenge to practice means that shortfalls are not identified or acted upon.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is not yet adequately staffed with a permanent or suitably experienced staff team. However, there are plans in place to address this, as senior managers recognise that serious incidents affect the other children’s progress and staff’s well- being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has received regular supervision but there are significant supervision gaps within the staff team. One new member of staff has not received any supervision since commencing her role four months ago. Poor recording and lack of reflection or professional development for staff are themes identified in the supervision records. Therefore, the requirement made at the previous inspection will be reissued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

All mandatory training has been completed by the staff. However, new staff require further training about how to manage behaviour that challenges staff physically.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The current manager is child-focused and has aspiration for all the children. This is not embedded across the whole staff team or demonstrated fully in staff practice. Staff report that they are not listened to by managers. Nonetheless, there is evidence of this being addressed and challenged at team meetings and in the provider’s action plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The independent visitor adds an additional layer of scrutiny. However, their reports are not always detailed or evaluative. Two recent visits to the home have been within a short period and therefore do not offer insight into the progress of children or recognition of themes relating to significant events. However, the manager has been proactive in addressing this. Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 6

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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 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

that staff help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)) 31 December

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 31 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 7 strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(viii))

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the children’s bedrooms are clean and tidy. 31 December

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(h)) 31 December

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under 31 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 8 it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)) 31 December

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, newly appointed staff should receive monthly supervision. 31 December

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the independent person they appoint has the understanding necessary to assess all relevant information and evidence their findings to inform the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 9 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page

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Recommendations

46, paragraph 9.38)  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. In particular, recording should be up to date, for example, children’s risk assessments, care plans and recording of the manager’s decision- making. (‘Guide to the 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 for children’s home: 1254782 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor, Elizabeth II Court North, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8UG

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Inspector

Jill Sephton-Wright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1254782 11 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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