Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in New Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 1 SC035593 Registered provider: New Forest Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation and can care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 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 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 September 2020 to carry out an assurance 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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 16 October 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2018 Full Good 24/10/2017 Full Good 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/10/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 3

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improvement to be good

Children moving into the home experience a familiarisation period to get to know the staff and the home’s routines. For one child, this included sleepovers and choosing the decoration for his bedroom. However, the registered manager has failed to notify the local authority of children placed from outside authorities. This does not allow the local authority to plan for any additional resources the child may need while living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate caring relationships with children. They create a fun, family environment. Staff can describe children’s individual targets and talk about children’s progress since moving in. One child’s key worker detailed her key child’s progress with pride, describing the steps they have planned to support the child’s independence and continued progress for this child.

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improvement to be good

The children’s education is important to staff. All children are in education and links between the staff, school and the children’s family are positive. One child who was previously unengaged in education now attends a full weekly timetable.

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improvement to be good

Children’s meetings are used as a tool to gain feedback and listen to the views and wishes of children. Furthermore, these meetings are arranged to give opportunities for learning, such as visits from the local police community support officer. These opportunities are broadening children’s experiences while teaching life skills.

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improvement to be good

External feedback for the care provided by staff was positive. One parent said, ‘My son wouldn’t be who he is today if it wasn’t for them, they have made him grow into a beautiful young man.’ This demonstrates the staff’s relationships with family, and their commitment to children.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding practice is not embedded in the senior management team. Following safeguarding concerns being reported by a member of staff to the registered manager, the registered manager failed to take appropriate action. This left children at risk of harm. This demonstrates that the provider needs to make improvements to its safeguarding practice and policy to ensure that any shortfalls are addressed. In addition, serious incidents have not always been reported to the regulator. This means Ofsted has been unable to monitor and evaluate responses to serious incidents and, as a result, ensure the safety and well-being of children and regulatory compliance.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment record for a new staff member was incomplete. Furthermore, risk mitigation records that were in place to enable the member of staff to work with Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 4 children while checks were ongoing were insufficient to ensure that they did not lone work with children. This has the potential to leave children supported by staff that have not been suitably vetted.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager’s analysis of incidents links to their model of care and practice. Some shortfalls were identified in the monitoring of incidents. This is a missed opportunity to review with children their behaviour and to provide learning opportunities for staff.

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in ensuring that the home is a safe environment for children, such as loose blind cords and cleaning chemicals left out in reach of children. Consequently, improvements are required to ensure that a safer environment is maintained for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leaders have failed to take appropriate action following an internal investigation. A missed opportunity to complete disciplinary processes when a member of staff ceases employment means that such staff may continue to work with children employed elsewhere. This shows poor practice and implementation of an effective policy to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The senior leadership has failed to notify Ofsted when a serious safeguarding concern regarding the registered manager arose during an investigation. Furthermore, the outcome of the investigation did not demonstrate the provider’s responsibility to consider the seriousness of such actions and the impact this could have in keeping children safe. In addition, no learning or training to improve practice was identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has also failed to demonstrate that appropriate action was taken to mitigate the risks to staff and children following the discovery of inappropriate professional boundaries occurring between staff in the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose for the home is reviewed regularly. However, any revisions made are not always submitted to the regulator for review as is required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Reports required under regulation 45 have not been completed in a timely manner or submitted to the regulator for review. Therefore, the regulator has not been able to evaluate the provider’s own internal review of the experiences of children for an extended period. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vi)(vii)(e)) 29 April 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

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)(d)) 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 31 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider is an organisation, the organisation must ensure that the responsible individual undertakes such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the responsible individual has the skills needed for supervising the management of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must undertake such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the registered manager has the skills needed for managing the home. (Regulation 29 (2)(4)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)) 31 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)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the children’s home is located of every admission of a child into the home and every discharge of a child from the home. (Regulation 41 (1)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 29 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 7 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1)(4)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, that efforts to assess the risk for staff who start employment before being suitably vetted consider which stage of probation they remain on until the provider is satisfied that the staff member is suitable to lone work with children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC035593 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Forest Care Ltd, West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspector

Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035593 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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