Children's home run by SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd in Sutton

Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 1 SC431807 Registered provider: SWAAY Child and Adolescent Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

In accordance with the home’s statement of purpose, it provides accommodation and specialist care for up to four adolescent males with histories of trauma, disrupted attachments and harmful sexual behaviour. The organisation has its own separately registered school and therapeutic team.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2022.

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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 30 March 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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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2019 Full Good 19/12/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 3

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improvement to be good

The children are making good progress from their starting points. School attendance is embedded and accepted as part of the everyday routines for the children. This foundation helps the children to make good progress, supports them with structure and helps them to maintain regular responsibilities. One child has made excellent progress in their educational attendance since moving into the home.

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improvement to be good

The staff make it easier for the children to move into the home. The staff and the registered manager visited one child in their school and supported regular visits until the child was ready to move in. In addition, they asked the child to think of 10 questions to ask managers prior to moving in. This approach gives the children time to think about what they would like to ask and helps reduce any worries or unknowns they may have.

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improvement to be good

The children say that the staff help them to explore their feelings and what is most important to them. One child said, ‘My key worker understands me,’ while another child said, ‘The staff are quick help me.’ This support helps the children to explore their identities, preferences and arrangements for seeing their families. This helps the children to feel valued, listened to and able to make a difference in the care they receive from the staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff guide the children to develop their interests and activities. They take a supportive parental role and help the children to attend activities such as football clubs, parkour and ice hockey. Participating in these activities supports the children to develop their interests and helps them to expand their social skills and grow in confidence.

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improvement to be good

Staff reward the children’s positive behaviours. The children can earn extra privileges such as new bicycles and special outings. This approach encourages positive behaviour and helps the children to take responsibility for their own actions. One child told the inspector that this helps them achieve their goals.

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improvement to be good

Some children are not clear about how to make a complaint. One child told the inspector that they had not been informed about their right to complain since moving into the home. Other children were confused about the processes, for example who they should inform. This means that the children do not have the necessary information and resources to formally complain about the care they receive.

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improvement to be good

Current medication practices pose unnecessary and unexplored risks to the children. The storage of medicines is unorganised due to the children’s individual medications being stored on the same shelving. This has the potential to hinder safe dispensing and administration practices. The inspector found a discrepancy in medication stock Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 4 levels. Furthermore, the medication training for staff does not include awareness of different types of regulated medication. The manager resolved the storage issue on the same day as the inspection. There have been no recorded medication errors since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

The home reopened in September 2021, following a period of closure to allow for a refurbishment. The home has been decorated to a good standard, creating a modern and light interior complete with some soft furnishings. The children’s bedrooms are personalised, and the children say that they have everything they need to feel comfortable and at home.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager ensures that staff are recruited safely. She ensures that all relevant checks are completed on the staff prior to them supporting the children. This process means that it is less likely for unsuitable adults to work at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks that using the internet may pose for the children. They have strategies in place to keep the children safe and support them sensitively in learning and understanding how to keep themselves safe. For example, the staff complete regular checks on the children’s devices with the children and carry out weekly Wi-Fi checks in the home. The children also only have access to age- appropriate computer games and DVDs, and the Wi-Fi is restricted according to the children’s agreed independence steps. As a result, the children are protected from viewing unsuitable content.

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improvement to be good

Some of the children have experienced verbal bullying and racial remarks in the home. Staff are quick to acknowledge and label this behaviour, bringing it to the forefront of the children’s discussions. They support children when they have experienced bullying. The staff have been creative in sensitively supporting the children to learn about and understand the impact of their hurtful words. This encourages the children to think about the wider influences of their behaviours in and outside of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not using the visitors’ book regularly to sign visitors into the home. This is a missed opportunity for the staff and registered manager to demonstrate that the visitor’s identification has been checked and to be clear on the reason for their visit. It also hinders the registered manager’s ability to review the number of visits to the home and has the potential to delay fact-finding information.

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improvement to be good

Staff training focuses on keeping the children safe in the context of relevant risk. All staff have in-date safeguarding training. However, one member of staff did not understand their responsibilities for the reporting and recording of children’s allegations, while another member of staff was unsure who to contact outside of the organisation if they had a safeguarding concern about senior managers. This has the potential to hinder local authority safeguarding processes and further delay unexplored risks for the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 5 Some of the staff do not have relevant training, as stated in the home’s statement of purpose, to help the children manage their difficult feelings and emotions. This training is booked and the staff are planning on attending this in the upcoming months. However, this is currently having an impact on staff’s ability to help the children when most needed. The registered manager has written good and tangible

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improvement to be good

strategies for the staff to follow when a child is distressed. However, not all the staff have the skills, experience and training to fulfil these plans effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not storing cleaning chemicals correctly in accordance with the home’s fire risk assessment. This increases the risk of the children not being safely evacuated out of the property if a fire were to occur. These chemicals were removed and stored appropriately during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The experienced and qualified registered manager provides good support to her staff team. The members of the newly formed team are highly motivated and report good team morale. The staff recognise their strengths and weaknesses as individuals and use this knowledge to support the children and each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers and staff increase the children’s independence if this is seen as appropriate and children’s vulnerabilities and risks can be managed safely. Managers competently assess the children’s self-management skills and independence to gradually increase responsibilities. They monitor this approach tightly, and decisions involve children, their allocated social workers, therapists and staff members. This approach is making a difference to the lives and experiences of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is aware of her safeguarding responsibilities at the home. She has the necessary skills, experience and training to act in accordance with safeguarding policies, including local statutory guidance. However, she did not timely report, or follow the safeguarding policy, for the management of one child’s allegation. Although this omission did not impact on the quality of care the child received, it did obstruct the correct safeguarding procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is no formal system in place for the staff to regularly check the compliance of the upstairs fire doors. Therefore, on the day of the inspection, the staff and registered manager were unaware that three fire doors did not close effectively. The registered manager took quick action to report this to the relevant people and work commenced immediately to rectify the issue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leaders have not rectified a problem with the new boiler system. This means that the children are being exposed to hotter water temperatures than are reasonably safe. The staff have reported their concerns on two occasions to the registered manager and the issue has been escalated to the relevant professionals. However, this is still an intermittent concern. This demonstrates insufficient provision and availability of repair and maintenance in the home. On the day of the Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 6 inspection, water temperature valves were purchased, with a plan to resolve the issue the following day. Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with; and

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(iii)) 1 May 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— 1 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 8 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vii)(b)(d)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that staff understand and are familiar with their supervising and safeguarding responsibilities when supporting the children. The registered manager also needs to ensure that the water temperatures in the children’s home do not exceed recommended limits.

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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)) 1 May 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that— 1 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 9 medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager needs to ensure that staff receive training in the safe handling of controlled drugs and that their policy reflects the statutory guidance for managing medicines in care homes (March 2014).

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the building is compliant with the fire risk assessment and create a monitoring system for the checking of fire doors. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 1 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate professional development.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should undertake training that enables them to have a greater understanding of the children’s needs. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 1 May 2022

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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. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 1 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 10 In particular, the registered manager and staff should obtain records of all visitors to the home and to the children, including the names of visitors and the reason for the visit.

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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: SC431807 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SWAAY Child and Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 591 London Road, Sutton, Surrey SM3 9AG

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC431807 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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