Children's Home run by Halls Homes for Young People Ltd in Luton

Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 1 Registered provider: Halls Homes for Young People Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned by a small independent provider. The home provides care for up to three children aged between 10 and 18 who may experience emotional and social difficulties and/or mild learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in September 2021.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) 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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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: 2628612 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 3

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improvement to be good

This is the first inspection of the home since the provider registered with Ofsted in September 2021. Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child moved into the home in October 2021. Two children moved into the home in December 2021, a few weeks before this inspection.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, the manager did not have access to any electronic documents due to an information technology (IT) failure. A contingency plan was not in place and important documents were not available to guide the practice of the newly appointed staff team. This limited the evidence available to show how the provider is caring for children, ensuring health and safety in the property and safely recruiting staff. The risk assessments and daily records that were available to view were not of a good enough quality. As a result, the home has been judged as requires improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from social care and education professionals is positive. It conveys the warm welcome that children receive when they move into the home and confirms that children have settled well.

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improvement to be good

Children were observed to be comfortable at the home. The manager and staff have been successful in forming positive relationships with children in the short time that they have been caring for them.

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improvement to be good

Staff are familiar with the children’s needs and the people who are important to them. The staff support children to spend time with their family and friends at the home and in the community.

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improvement to be good

Staff have helped two of the children to maintain their previous education placements. This provides children with consistency of learning and friendships at a time of otherwise considerable change in their lives.

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improvement to be good

Staff are supporting one child to access online learning. Household rules and incentives encourage the child to engage in this learning. The manager has worked hard to identify and arrange an appropriate local education provision for this child. The manager has ensured that the relevant professionals are kept aware of the delays and barriers to achieving this child’s education plan.

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improvement to be good

The manager has contributed to referrals for mental health services and medication reviews. Children are generally physically healthy. However, there are examples of children eating too many unhealthy snacks throughout the evening, which could contribute to future health issues. Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 4 Staff regularly offer children varied activities inside and outside the home. Staff have successfully engaged children in cooking and arts and crafts, including making slime and ‘volcanoes’. There has been a recent decline in children accepting offers of planned clubs and events, with children preferring to spend time online or with friends. Staff are committed to encouraging children to access activities they may enjoy.

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improvement to be good

The home and garden are small but there is adequate space for children to be alone should they wish to be. Improvements are needed to the home. These include repairing chipped paintwork in the hallways and on bannisters and fixing the broken toilet seat. Some litter has collected in the garden and has not been cleared away. One of the children has claimed the garden as their project and has agreed plans with the manager to lay artificial grass and make it a more pleasant space.

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improvement to be good

Children do not have access to the kitchen when it is locked at bedtime. This restriction has not been assessed to ensure that it is required and proportionate.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide care that has reduced the risks for children who live at the home. Children who have previously gone missing from care have not had any incidents of being missing from this home. Staff have achieved a substantial reduction in restraint for one child, who was being restrained daily at their previous home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have successfully put in place boundaries that children understand and are responding well to. The manager oversees any consequences and rewards to ensure that staff apply these consistently. When appropriate, the manager encourages children to help decide what a fair consequence would be. While still very recent, this approach has resulted in a more settled bedtime routine.

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improvement to be good

Records of restraint are not consistently detailed enough. Some records do not clearly identify the staff members involved in the restraint or contain a debrief conversation with the staff about the incident. While debrief conversations with children are now taking place, it is not clear if they take place in the required timescales.

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improvement to be good

The manager reviews the appropriateness of all restraints and identifies any lessons learned. However, there has been no additional management oversight of records when the manager has been involved in a restraint. This limits the independence and effectiveness of the review.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff are vigilant to risks in the community and have taken action to ensure that households that children visit are safe. This includes obtaining relevant checks from social care professionals. However, individual risk assessments are not detailed enough. They do not adequately reflect presenting risks in relation to online abuse, self-harm or children having free time. The measures to reduce Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 5 risks are not clear enough and do not provide sufficient guidance for staff to follow to keep children safe.

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good

The manager has relevant experience of working with children and is on track to complete a relevant management qualification within the required timescale. The manager is a good advocate for the children, and she has formed positive working relationships with professionals. This has helped to progress children’s plans.

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good

The manager is child centred and committed to making the home a success. This includes working a high number of hours on shift to model good practice and embed a culture of positivity and respect. However, this has resulted in ineffective management oversight. Plans and staff records are not completed to a good enough standard. Essential documents and information from placing authorities are missing. This means that staff do not have all the information or the delegated authority that they should have to meet children’s needs.

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good

Staff enjoy their roles and feel fully supported by the manager. They say that the manager is accessible 24 hours, seven days a week. The manager has identified that this level of support is not sustainable and acknowledges the current fragility in the management arrangements. The manager is actively recruiting for an experienced deputy manager to increase the capacity of the management team.

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good

The staff are diverse in their interests, skills and cultural backgrounds. They bring a range of transferable experience to their roles. However, only one member of staff has the required qualification and none have undertaken training in autism spectrum disorder, despite some of the children having this diagnosis.

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good

The manager demonstrates a good awareness of the areas of improvement for the home. She accesses supervision with an appropriately qualified practitioner who is supporting her to develop her knowledge and priorities for the home. The manager responds to recommendations from the independent person, who provides detailed reports and helpful challenge.

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good

The manager identified the need for a more secure electronic system prior to the IT difficulties during the inspection. Plans were already in place to move to an electronic database, and this is scheduled to take place imminently. Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments contain all presenting risks and clear guidance for staff on managing children’s free time in the community and strategies to reduce the risk of online abuse and self-harm. 1 February 2022

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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—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the workforce development and recruitment plan identifies the required level 3 qualification and the specific training needed by the staff to meet the needs of the children, including training in autism spectrum disorder. 30 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 7 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—

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to management oversight of the quality and accuracy of recording. 1 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should ensure that records are clear, accurate and accessible to children. 30 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is necessary and proportionate; 1 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 8 is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, assess the need to lock the kitchen.

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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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; and

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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")— 1 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 9 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 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii) (c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

placement plans for children who are not looked after (see regulation 18);

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Requirement Due date

the policy for safeguarding children (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the policy for preventing bullying (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the missing child policy (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the behaviour management policy (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36);

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Requirement Due date

the procedure for considering complaints (see regulation 39);

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Requirement Due date

records of complaints (see regulation 39);

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Requirement Due date

the independent person’s reports (see regulation 44);

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Requirement Due date

quality of care reviews (see regulation 45);

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Requirement Due date

annual reviews of the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the home’s premises (see regulation 46). (Regulation 38 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)(k)(l)(m)(n)(o)) 1 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 10

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Children’s homes, in most cases, should be homely, domestic environments. In particular, the registered person should ensure that maintenance issues are resolved quickly, the garden is kept clear of litter and the decoration is updated as needed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that each child’s placement plan sets out the permissions that the child’s placing authority has delegated to the registered person. (‘Guide to the to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 30, paragraph 6.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to help children understand and, when necessary, work to change

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Recommendations

behaviours in important areas of health. In particular, staff should support children with healthy eating and nutrition. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff use their professional judgement, supported by their knowledge of the child’s risk assessment and understanding of the child’s needs, as set out in their relevant plans, in any restraint situation. In particular, the registered person should ensure that risk assessments and relevant plans provide the information that staff need to make informed decisions. (‘Guide to the to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 48, paragraph 9.53)

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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: 2628612 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Halls Homes for Young People Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 66 Drayton Road, Luton LU4 0PH

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Inspectors

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Russel Breyer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2628612 12 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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