Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC401927 1 SC401927 Registered provider: Benecare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a limited company. It 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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This monitoring visit

A full inspection conducted from 1 to 3 March 2022 judged the home inadequate, due to serious shortfalls in respect of staff recruitment, admissions processes and staff skills and training. As a result of that inspection, a restriction notice was served on 4 March 2022. Senior leaders gave Ofsted assurances that only safely recruited staff, who had the skills and training necessary to meet the needs of the children, would be working at the home with immediate effect.

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This monitoring visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to seek assurance of the safety of the children by testing that only safely recruited and suitably skilled and informed staff had looked after the children since the full inspection. The inspector did not review the requirements that were made from the full inspection, because the date for the completion of these had not yet passed. These requirements remain.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual was confident that only safely recruited and suitably skilled staff had worked at the home since the last inspection. She said that this was because she had signed off the staff files when such staff were originally recruited. The inspector reviewed some of the staff recruitment files against the names of staff as detailed on the weekend staffing rota. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC401927 2 Shortfalls and gaps found included examples of the absence of necessary references and some references not being verified. In one example, the staff member’s file had been reopened from when the staff member was previously employed by the provider. Leaders had relied on previous references from the person’s original recruitment in 2012, which had not been verbally verified, to reappoint this individual. In this same example, the responsible individual had written a character

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This monitoring visit

reference and verified this document. In another example, a member of staff had transferred from an agency. Leaders and managers had accepted all checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and references from the agency but had not obtained their own checks and verification.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found that senior leaders have not received sufficient training in relation to safer recruitment practices, despite them being fully responsible for this process. Written records show that checks such as the verification of identification documents had been completed by senior managers, however, these documents were out of date. In another example, a member of staff is also registered with a fostering agency. However, senior leaders had not obtained verbal verification from the agency to determine this person’s suitability to work with vulnerable children.

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This monitoring visit

In addition to recruitment files for permanent staff, the inspector also viewed agency staff profiles. Gaps and omissions included the failure of the provider to seek assurance from the agency that such staff had been subject to safer recruitment checks.

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This monitoring visit

Consequently, and despite the responsible individual’s assurance following the full inspection, the children have continued to be cared for by staff who have not been safely recruited. The responsible individual’s reliance on her historic recruitment practice means she failed to conduct a review of the staff recruitment practice and reassure herself that a suitable process had been followed for the staff identified to be working in the period immediately after the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

A review of staff training records identified that not all staff are suitably trained or experienced in relation to the children’s complex needs. For example, not all staff are trained in specific communication skills, such as Makaton and the Picture Exchange Communication System. The plan for the responsible individual to deliver Makaton training, based on her own previous completion of an online course, is weak. In addition, the responsible individual did not know if the school previously attended by two of the children had yet been contacted. This shows the previous failure to attempt to obtain information that could aid the staff’s care planning for these children had not been addressed.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual said that training has been commissioned for the staff in respect of the impact of trauma and neglect. This does not reflect the responsible individual’s previous assurance that only suitably trained and experienced staff would be working in the home immediately following the full inspection. Consequently, children have continued to be cared for by staff who are not suitably trained or Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC401927 3 experienced. The failure of the provider to deliver on its assurance to Ofsted raises concerns about the provider’s integrity and ability to provide the level of care that the children need.

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This monitoring visit

The overall findings of this monitoring visit fail to convince Ofsted that the provider has the capacity to recognise the need for, and take, swift action to provide improved safeguards for the children. As a result, Ofsted believes it is necessary to suspend the home’s registration.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Inadequate 06/08/2019 Full Good 29/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC401927 4

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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 met as identified in the risk assessment. 16 May 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)) 16 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children— 16 May 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC401927 5 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))

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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 (5)) 16 May 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

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)) 16 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. 16 May 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC401927 6 The registered person must—

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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.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC401927 7

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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 - monitoring visit: SC401927 8 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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