Children's Home run by Cameron & Cooper Limited in Surrey

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256973 1

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to six children. According to the home’s statement of purpose, it caters for children who require therapeutic care and support.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since May 2019.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place in order to monitor the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notice and seven requirements that were issued from the previous monitoring visit, in December 2021. Since that visit, Ofsted has continued to receive complaints about the home. These were also considered.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has been informed about significant events which caused emergency services to attend the home. Inspectors found that since the last monitoring visit, there have been several occasions when healthcare professionals have visited the home, including during school hours to the on-site school. No regulatory concerns were identified about any of these health-related incidents because staff took effective action to support the children’s well-being. However, despite these being serious events, no notifications have been made to Ofsted. The inspectors noted a further example of one child’s attempt to self-harm, and this was also not notified. Consequently, the regulator is not being informed of notifiable incidents, required by regulation, and this compromises Ofsted’s ability to effectively monitor the home in between inspections.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice, issued in December 2021 under regulation 14, is judged to be met. The provider has ensured that processes relating to how children arrive at and leave the home have been improved. One child has left the home since the last monitoring visit. This was a planned move, which was agreed with the child’s placing Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256973 2 authority. This has helped the child to become more settled and to make progress in their new home.

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This monitoring visit

Five of the previous requirements were judged to be met. The condition of the home is now improved. Children live in a better maintained environment. Children’s bedrooms are now tidier and reflect each child’s tastes and choices. However, there are some areas of the home which are institutional in appearance. The communal area television is encased in a large plastic and wooden frame and the home’s computer is similarly contained. These fixtures detract from what is an otherwise comfortable, homely and welcoming environment for children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last monitoring visit, no inappropriate sanctions have been used. This means that the staff’s responses to children are proportionate and fair. For example, children do not have restrictions placed on them as a group when other children behave in a manner which may challenge others. Staff supervision is now regular and all staff have received supervision in line with the provider’s policy. Similarly, recruitment procedures have also improved with new staff being vetted appropriately prior to their employment starting. In response to a previous requirement, the staff demonstrate an improved understanding of how to apply the home’s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

Despite these improvements, critical failings in the home’s leadership and management remain. This is because medication errors continue, despite this being raised as a requirement in December 2021. Since this time, three medication-related incidents have occurred. These incidents included one child being given too much prescribed medication and medication being dropped and not accounted for. The home’s medication processes do not ensure that errors are minimised or eradicated. Staff training remains up to date, but there has been no formal review of staff competence given the continuing problems with medication. The provider’s system for assessing competence has been to redo the staff’s inductions and to consider the absence of errors for a member of staff as an indicator of their competence. As a result, the provider cannot be assured, or demonstrate to Ofsted, that staff are competent to administer medication to the children. This presents the risk of

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This monitoring visit

significant harm to the children. The requirement made at the last monitoring visit in respect of medicines is now escalated to a compliance notice, and so is the requirement issued then for leadership and management monitoring.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the inspectors saw an open pack of razors in a child’s bedroom. The child’s risk assessment clearly states that such items should not be kept there. Electronic cigarette paraphernalia was also in the same bedroom. The responsible individual confirmed that the child’s local authority and family were not in agreement that these items should be freely available. However, the responsible individual has decided to allow the child to have access to these items. This demonstrates a complete failure to manage, consider and mitigate potential health and welfare risks. In addition, this also demonstrates a disregard for the wishes and views of family members and care professionals. There is a lack of effective partnership working. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256973 3 No registration application has been made to Ofsted by the manager. It is now over two years since the home had a registered manager in place. The responsible

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This monitoring visit

individual told the inspectors that the person managing the home was waiting for the outcome of the monitoring visit before applying to register. This demonstrates a poor understanding of the regulations and means that Ofsted has not been able to formally assess the fitness of the person managing the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256973 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/08/2021 Full Good 15/10/2019 Full Good 14/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256973 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5(d)) 6 March 2022

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)) 6 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 6 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256973 6 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

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)) 6 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 6 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 6 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the children’s home are homely, domestic and not institutional in appearance. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1256973 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cameron & Cooper Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Accord Accountants, 191–193 High Street, Hampton Hill TW12 1NL

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Inspectors

Kelly Marchmont, Social Care Compliance Inspector Pete Hylton, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256973 8 regulates and inspects 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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