Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 1 SC401927 Registered provider: Benecare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities. The home’s stated purpose is to ‘provide a safe, homely environment for children whose diagnoses may include autism spectrum disorder’.

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Information about this children’s home

This home has not had a registered manager since 26 May 2021.

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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. We last visited this setting on 21 June 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 2

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following concerns raised about the home by another agency in July 2020, Ofsted conducted a monitoring visit and identified serious shortfalls which resulted in a decision to suspend the home’s registration. A further monitoring visit, in August 2020, found that the provider was complying with the suspension notice. In October 2020, Ofsted lifted the suspension notice and placed a condition on the provider to give Ofsted three months’ notice of its intention to accommodate children. When this was received, Ofsted’s monitoring visit on 17 May 2021 found the provider was not ready. Three requirements were made. A further monitoring visit, on 21 June 2021, found that the requirements had been met. Therefore, Ofsted judged that the home was ready to accommodate children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2019 Full Good 29/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2018 Full Good 22/05/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 4

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inadequate

Leaders and managers make poor decisions about children moving into the home. Within two days of one child moving in, an emergency referral for two brothers with complex needs was accepted. The admissions process failed to demonstrate that managers fully considered the potential impact of this significant change on each of the three children. The poor matching practice included the completion of documents with the incorrect name for one child, and, in some respects, the needs of the brothers being viewed collectively. This approach failed to consider the unique and individual needs of each child.

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inadequate

In recognising and accepting that the latter was an emergency request, leaders and managers failed to consider the basic information that was provided. Known information about the children’s background, including their heritage, previous experiences and communication difficulties, was not considered against the skills, experience and qualifications of the staff team. Leaders and managers cannot, therefore, demonstrate that the staff team was equipped to meet the children’s immediate presenting needs.

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inadequate

Leaders and managers have not worked effectively with partner agencies to gather further information to assist with care planning. For example, they have not contacted the children’s previous school, which they attended regularly. This was a missed opportunity to ask relevant and helpful questions about each child’s likes, routines, communication methods and risks. Consequently, care planning for the children is of poor quality. There are no coherent plans to identify what is being prioritised for the children, or how.

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inadequate

Children are receiving an inconsistent quality of care, which is exacerbated by the significant shortfalls in the staff team’s ability to communicate with them. Additional staff, from the provider’s other children’s homes and agency staff, have been working in the home, due to a current staffing vacancy of five. Staff training information shows significant gaps, including the absence of specific communication skills, such as the use of Makaton and the Picture Exchange Communication System. Leaders and managers said that such training is planned. However, this does not assist the children now. Neither does it allay concerns that no consideration has been given to the fact that English is not the children’s first language.

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inadequate

Other significant known information included the children’s history of being neglected. However, this critical information was not considered by leaders and managers in relation to the staff team’s skill set. Training records provided during the inspection do not show that staff are suitably trained to meet the children’s needs. In addition, the staff team’s response to the children’s known previously very restricted diet is recorded in the care plans as, ‘Adults are to ensure that the weekly menu contains a healthy balanced diet.’ This aspect has not been the subject of Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 5 consultation with health professionals. Therefore, there is no controlled or measured approach being taken to meet the children’s dietary needs.

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inadequate

Similarly, other aspects of care planning are not clear. For example, the guidance about the children’s personal care needs is contradictory, in terms of what is written in care plans against what is written in the generic risk assessment. This risks staff not being clear about how to provide personal care support for the children. With regard to direct care practice, some lovely nurturing interactions were observed during the inspection, where staff used patience, understanding and creativity in their approach. However, another example saw a child ignored while he engaged in self-harming behaviour.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children are not being protected from potentially unsafe adults. Poor and unsafe staff recruitment practice includes examples of staff working in the home without the required checks being obtained and verified. In one example, potential concerns contained in an application form were not carefully explored before the decision was made to appoint the individual. Four staff recruitment files looked at during this inspection all contained gaps and omissions. In addition, leaders and managers have not satisfied themselves that agency staff have been subject to satisfactory recruitment checks before they work in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

A poor approach to risk assessment means that critical aspects affecting the safety and welfare of the children have not been considered. Leaders and managers have failed to seek more detailed information about the children’s communication methods. Therefore, children are not being supported to either say or demonstrate how they are feeling or what they want or need. This increases their vulnerability.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

In some aspects risk assessments and subsequent staff guidance are in place. However, this is not consistently being followed. For example, a risk assessment for one child clearly stated they required two-to-one staffing when out in the community. However, the inspector observed this was not happening in practice, when the child was taken out on an activity with one-to-one staffing. This demonstrates that the staff do not fully understand the children’s needs and how to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to consider whether the home had the capacity to meet the immediate presenting needs of the two children who most recently moved into the home. This has compromised the safety and the quality of the care given to these children, as well as for the child who was already living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted, but he has not yet been interviewed. Therefore, his fitness to perform the role of a registered manager is not yet fully tested. During this inspection, aspects of his understanding of the regulations that underpin being a registered manager were weak. For Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 6 example, he did not understand the regulations in respect of staff recruitment, and neither was he aware of his employer’s recruitment guidance in respect of the manager’s role. Despite recognising gaps in a person’s employment checks, including the failure to demonstrate that previous employment concerns had been fully explored, he endorsed the decision of senior leaders for the person to work at the home. Two other senior leaders, including the buisness manager and the responsible individual, were also involved in this recruitment decision. The entire

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

senior leadership team has failed to demonstrate that it has the capacity to safely recruit staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are failing to operate the home in accordance with its statement of purpose. This document states that, ‘ If we feel the training shortfalls will lead to the team not being able to support the child, we will not accept the placement. ’ However, during this inspection, it was found that the staff’s skill set had not been adequately assessed. The significant gaps with regard to the skills and training of staff do not feature in the workforce development plan and this is further undermined by an out-of-date development plan for the home. Consequently, the manager is failing to demonstrate that he has a sufficient managerial grip of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The senior leadership’s shortfalls compound these failures, through insufficient guidance, support and oversight for the manager, who is not yet registered. This demonstrates the failure of senior leaders to recognise and provide the type and frequency of support that is needed by a new manager. Serious weaknesses in respect of the admissions and staff recruitment practices have not been identified by senior leaders. This brings into question the quality of the internal monitoring by the manager, as well as the independent quality assurance (regulation 44) visits commissioned by the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The serious omissions with regard to admissions practice and staff recruitment demonstrate significant gaps and shortfalls in the knowledge and understanding across the senior leadership team. The overall findings of this inspection and the risks these present for the children’s safety and quality of care will be considered by Ofsted, to determine the next steps to be taken by the regulator. The provider was able to reassure Ofsted that only safely recruited staff would be working in the home over the next few days while longer-term action plans would be produced. Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 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 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 home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager must ensure risk assessments are accurate and that staff follow these in practice, ensuring the children’s needs are meet as identified in the risk assessment. 30 April 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—

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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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)) 17 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 8 *The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)) 17 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1) (5)) 30 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 17 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 9 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure the register of children is accurate and kept up to date when children move into and out of the home. 30 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC401927 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Thatch Vine Farm, Stockers Hill, Boughton- under-Blean, Faversham, Kent ME13 9AB

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Inspector

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC401927 11 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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