Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254782 1 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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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 being 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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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place following an inadequate inspection on 19 October 2021.

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This monitoring visit

There are no children currently on roll at this home. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff shortages, remaining staff were deployed within other Hampshire County Council children’s homes. Children that were living in this home have successfully transitioned to other settings and a planned move was effectively achieved for another child.

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This monitoring visit

There have been some improvements made in the home environment. Further work is planned and will be fully completed before children move in. This will ensure that children are welcomed into a home that is fully furnished, homely and meets their needs. The fire safety concern from the last inspection has been addressed and the home is now a safe environment for children to live. The provider has improved the processes for ensuring that children are properly supported and receive good education. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254782 2 New and inexperienced staff are receiving support and mentoring from other more experienced staff. Ongoing training and development is focused on improving skills and managing children’s behaviour. This cannot, at this time, be fully tested until these improvements have been fully embedded.

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This monitoring visit

The home is still without a registered manager. This is despite various attempts by senior managers to address this. The recruitment process has identified a suitable candidate. However, this is all dependent on some other recruitment processes at the provider’s other homes. Consequently, the requirement made at the previous inspection will be reissued.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have completed the necessary training to support children that present with behaviours that could harm themselves or others. A core staff team has been identified to return to the home, therefore providing stability and continuity moving forward.

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This monitoring visit

There are some improvements seen during this monitoring visit. Nonetheless, regular supervision of staff is still not evident in practice. The senior managers are strengthening quality assurance processes. However, it was not possible to fully evidence these due to the home being renovated and no children currently being cared for. The provider has met three requirements from the last inspection. These relate to education, fire safety and the condition of the home. The other requirements, and recommendations, are repeated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254782 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/10/2021 Full Inadequate 26/11/2019 Full Good 13/11/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254782 4

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(viii)) 31 March 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

promotes their welfare. 31 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254782 5 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))

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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 March 2022

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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

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, this refers to monthly supervision of newly appointed staff. 31 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254782 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person 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 sanction 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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s

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Recommendations

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

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254782 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hampshire Council, 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 - monitoring visit: 1254782 8 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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