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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 1 SC461781 New Forest Care

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home provides care for up to four children with a learning disability and who may have additional needs. The home offers an integrated service that includes therapy, education and care. The home is one of a number operated by this private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2015.

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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

This monitoring visit was conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 circumstances in the home at the time that the visit was scheduled to take place.

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This monitoring visit

An interim inspection of the home was carried out on 10 January 2022 and the home was judged as declined in effectiveness. Following that inspection, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under Regulation 12, due to concerns about the management of allegations made against staff at the home. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to assess whether the steps specified in the compliance notice had been met.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice under Regulation 12 required the provider to undertake a review of an incident and an allegation that was made by a child in December 2021, to identify any mistakes that had been made and specify the actions to be taken to rectify these. The provider was also required to provide the staff team with training around allegations management and assess the staff members’ competence in this Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 2 area of practice. The home’s policy on the management of allegations was to be reviewed and any necessary amendments were to be identified.

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This monitoring visit

The managers at the home developed a clear action plan in response to the compliance notice being issued. This plan provided guidance and direction on how the steps in the compliance would be met, and who was responsible for ensuring that the action was completed within a set timescale.

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This monitoring visit

A detailed review was undertaken of the incident and allegation of December 2021. The associated report identified errors that had been made and the context in which these occurred. The critical analysis contained in the report is strong and effective. In addition to the review report, members of the management team and staff who were involved in the incident completed reflective accounts, where they acknowledged shortfalls in their own practice. This approach is indicative of a good learning culture becoming established in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The review report clearly specified how the mistakes that occurred in December 2021 would be addressed. The main strategy focused on staff training and all staff were subsequently placed on a week-long training course. This covered several areas of practice, but there was a strong emphasis on responding to, and reporting on, safeguarding concerns. This included responding to allegations made by children. It became apparent during the training that many staff did not have a clear understanding of the procedures they should follow. This was thoroughly addressed during the training and staff were required to work on safeguarding scenarios that involved children making allegations against staff.

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This monitoring visit

The staff spoken to during this inspection were very positive about the training they had received and were able to give detailed accounts of what they had learned during the week.

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This monitoring visit

Throughout the training sessions, managers analysed and evaluated the level of engagement and understanding of each staff member. The staff were required to demonstrate their knowledge of policy, procedures and practice throughout the week. This approach enabled senior managers to assess the competency level of each member of staff in relation to the management of allegations. The management team concluded that all staff were now competent in this area of practice.

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This monitoring visit

The assessment of the staff members’ competence in relation to safeguarding matters has now become an ongoing process. At staff meetings and handover meetings, staff are being asked to consider a safeguarding scenario. Recent staff supervision meetings have also focused on the supervisee’s knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures.

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This monitoring visit

A review of the home’s policy on the management of allegations has been undertaken. This process identified that the guidance for staff to follow in the event of an allegation being made was unclear. This has now been rectified and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 3 amendments have been made to the organisation’s safeguarding policy. Amendments have also been made in relation to reporting allegations to the designated officer.

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This monitoring visit

There has been a coordinated and effective response to the compliance notice being issued. All the steps in the compliance notice have been met.

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This monitoring visit

The provider’s response to the other requirements and recommendations made at the interim inspection in January 2022 was not examined during this monitoring visit. Therefore, these have been repeated in this report and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/01/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/09/2019 Full Good 19/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 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 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 is with particular reference to ensuring that monitoring systems are used to identify and review safeguarding practice when errors occur. 20 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. 20 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 6 (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that the local authority designated officer is consulted prior to commencing internal investigations into allegations made against staff.

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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

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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;

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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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)) 20 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the information set out in the statement of purpose provides clarity regarding the circumstances in which a child may be excluded from the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)  The registered person should ensure that the development of safe, stable and secure relationships between children and staff in the home is central to the ethos of the home and supports the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. This is with particular reference to ensuring that a neutral person facilitates ‘repair and rebuild’ sessions between staff members and children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan details the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction. In particular, ensure that

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Recommendations

there is an induction plan for staff who are promoted and subsequently take on new roles and responsibilities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC461781 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

Stephen Collett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC461781 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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