Children's Home run by Ivory Cottage Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 1 Registered provider: Ivory Cottage Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may have experienced childhood instability resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably experienced and qualified manager recently commenced her role.

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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

Date of last inspection: 24 November 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged as inadequate at a full inspection on 24 and 25 November 2021. Following this inspection, two compliance notices were issued. In addition, a notice of restriction was issued on 26 November 2021 to prevent any further children from being admitted to the home.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted completed a monitoring inspection on 5 January 2022 to evaluate the Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 2 provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notices and to ensure that it was complying with the notice of restriction. The inspection found that the provider had made good progress in meeting the compliance notice in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard. As a result of these improvements, this compliance notice was met. Some progress had been made in meeting the other compliance notice. However, not all the required steps had been completed. Consequently, one compliance notice was reissued and the notice of restriction remained in place. Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/11/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 4

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improvement to be good

One child has moved on from the home since the last inspection. The child’s local authority told the inspector that, while living at the home, the child’s overall progress and experiences were mixed and he did not invest in the home or develop a sense of belonging. However, his move to a new home was well planned and in line with his care plan. Staff worked hard to prepare the child for his move. For example, he had the opportunity to meet staff from his new home and enjoy activities with them prior to his move. This helped the child to settle quickly in his new home.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. The child is continuing to improve his relationships with staff and is increasingly settled at the home. Staff use their improved knowledge of the child to provide him with better- informed and individualised care. For example, staff plan to introduce a new rewards system and regularly discuss new ideas to improve the child’s care and experiences. There are early indicators that this improving practice is having a positive impact on the child. His social worker told the inspector, ‘I have seen a real improvement in how much he has settled. There are better relationships between him and staff. He has much better routines and is now in school.’

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improvement to be good

The child recently started at a new school. He has settled well and is making good progress. Staff work well with teachers to provide the child with consistent support. In addition, they work hard to provide him with good structure and routine. This has set the foundation for early education success. A teacher told the inspector, ‘Communication with the staff is fantastic. They never fail to tell us about issues that may affect him. They show him how proud they are of his school achievements.’

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of the child spending time with those who are important to him. They advocate for the child to make sure that these arrangements reflect their wishes. Recently staff supported the child’s family to attend his birthday celebrations at the home. These positive experiences create memories for the child.

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improvement to be good

The child enjoys an increasing level of activities and enjoyable experiences. For example, he enjoys playing football with staff and taking his new bike on rides to a local park. In addition, staff have recently introduced regular theme nights. Staff work alongside the child to plan regular activities. These experiences provide the child with opportunities for fun and enjoyment and build his self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff have missed opportunities to support the child to attend dental appointments. As a result, he has not received dental treatment in a considerable period. For example, a local dentist is willing to support the child to manage his anxiety about dental appointments. Despite this opportunity, staff had not yet acted upon this offer. The manager now plans to address this shortfall imminently. Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 5

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improvement to be good

Overall, the child’s risks are known and are well captured in up-to-date risk assessments. However, behaviour management plans lack guidance to support staff to manage challenging incidents. This means that on occasions staff lack adequate strategies to support the child when he is distressed.

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improvement to be good

The child’s incidents of challenging or risk-taking behaviour continue to reduce over time. For example, the child’s incidents of going missing from the home have significantly reduced since the previous inspection. Staff provided a strong response on the one occasion when the child went missing. They worked well with the police to locate the child and return him home safely. However, records of the incident lack management oversight.

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improvement to be good

The child is benefiting from improved structure and routines in his home. Staff told the inspector that their practice is better informed, organised and consistent. As a result, the child is settling in the evening and is prepared each morning for his education. A staff member told the inspector, ‘We have come a long way. We are on the same page. In the past we had different approaches but not now.’

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff work together to support the child when he is distressed or unsettled. Staff use their increasing knowledge of the child to create and implement strategies to help him settle. The inspection found that, on occasions, staff use restraint during challenging incidents. However, staff do not make a separate record of these incidents in line with regulation.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment for the child and staff is safe and secure because it is checked regularly. This, along with the risk assessments which are reviewed and updated frequently, protects the child and staff from the risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Partnership working arrangements between staff and external specialist agencies, such as the police and social workers, are appropriate. When children require additional support, staff liaise with the placing authority and local police teams.

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good

Since the last inspection, the home has experienced a period of stability. The home is fully staffed and resourced. Staff practice continues to be a journey of improvement. The manager has worked hard to meet the requirements made at the last full inspection.

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good

The manager has improved her internal monitoring systems. She is aware of the strengths and areas of development of the home. However, the inspection found that some shortfalls remain in the quality of management oversight. During the inspection, the provider took additional steps to address these shortfalls. For example, the operations manager will now provide additional oversight of incidents. Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 6 However, monitoring systems do not yet fully incorporate children’s views to inform or develop care.

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good

Staff practice is increasingly structured, proactive and well thought out. This is in part due to the support of the recently appointed operations manager. For example, staff benefit from informative team meetings which provide opportunities to reflect and improve practice. However, this good progress is undermined by the quality of staff’s recording. For example, records lack detail and management oversight, and, on occasions, some staff use punitive language that does not support the child to learn from challenging incidents and explore the context of their behaviours.

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good

Overall, staff continue to receive appropriate support and guidance from the manager. They receive regular supervision and feel valued. Overall, staff receive good-quality training that equips them with the skills and knowledge to provide well- informed care. Morale has improved and staff feel listened to. This helps staff to remain motivated and innovative in their care of children. However, during supervision, the manager has not supported a member of staff to reflect on the impact of some challenging incidents in the home.

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good

The manager and staff have worked hard to develop and improve the home environment. For example, the home has benefited from redecoration, including new carpets. The home is a warm and welcoming environment. Photos of the child and his family are now on show in the lounge. These personal touches help the child to form a sense of belonging to his home.

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good

This inspection also reviewed the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notice and adherence to the restriction notice. The inspector found that no further children have been admitted to the home. Therefore, the restriction notice has been adhered to. The inspection found that good progress has been made in addressing the shortfalls identified at the previous inspection. As a result, the compliance notice was met. Ofsted has also lifted the notice of restriction of accommodation. Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 7

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to seeking appropriate advice and treatment for the child’s health appointments, including dental treatment. 18 April 2022

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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

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 18 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 8 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

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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;

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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”)—

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 9 (b)(i)(ii)(c)

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to recording all incidents of restraint in line with regulation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff ensuring that children’s records are detailed and do not contain punitive or unhelpful language. In addition, children’s behaviour management plans will include appropriate guidance for staff. Furthermore, records of incidents of children going missing from the home and of challenging incidents will contain consistent management oversight. 18 April 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

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 18 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that supervision sessions provide staff with the opportunity to explore the impact of challenging incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that monitoring systems capture and evaluate children’s views to develop and improve their quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 22, paragraph 4.11) Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 10

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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: 2633744 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ivory Cottage Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Sky Tax Accounting, 37th Floor, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Caroline Wigmore

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Inspector

Gareth Leckey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2633744 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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