Children's Home run by Zone Central Ltd in Greenwich

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 1 Registered provider: Zone Central Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to six children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home cares for children with autism spectrum disorder and/or learning difficulties, and/or complex health needs and/or physical disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The service provides two places for short breaks and four long-term placements.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 30 June 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since 30 September 2021. The current manager has been in post since 14 March 2022.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The home was judged as inadequate at the full inspection on 1 and 2 March 2022. As a result, two compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12: the protection of children standard and Regulation 13: the leadership and management standard of the Children’s Homes Regulations (England) 2015.

p.1

This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was completed on 12 April 2022 to monitor the progress made against the compliance notices. The inspector found that there has been significant progress made in response to the compliance notices and requirements at the full inspection.

p.1

This monitoring visit

At the time of this monitoring visit, there were four children living in the home and one child accessing the short-break service.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have focused on improving the quality of care provided to children. Children are now regularly offered a range of activities and do not spend all Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 2 of their time in their individual flats. Three children in the home have engaged in activities in the community together and are beginning to get to know each other. This has given children positive experiences and opportunities to socialise. One child told the inspector that they enjoyed going to the cinema with the other children.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The conditions of one child’s bedroom that had caused concern at the full inspection have significantly improved. Although it has been challenging to address this issue, staff are starting to work with the child and offer support. As a result, the bedroom no longer poses a health and safety risk to the child.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers report that communication with the professional networks has improved. Regular meetings are held with placing social workers to discuss children’s care plans and any incidents that have occurred.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff receive regular supervision. Additionally, the manager has introduced reflective practice and learning sessions. One member of staff spoken to during the monitoring visit said that this has been beneficial. As a result, staff are learning new ways of managing difficult situations.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Additional safeguarding training has been delivered to staff. Leaders and managers have reviewed the training matrix and have identified additional training needs. Following a recent incident, further training in physical intervention is being delivered.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Incident records now include sufficient information and are clear to read. All incidents that have occurred since the full inspection have been reported in a timely manner to the relevant people. Restraint records include sufficient information and a debrief with the child. Following a recent serious incident, the manager carried out a robust investigation and notified Ofsted. This demonstrates that there is oversight from leaders and managers as well as external agencies.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Risk assessments have been updated for all children. This demonstrates that staff are fully aware of the known and potential risks to the children that they care for. The risk assessments give sufficient information and clear guidance for staff.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Children’s main care plans are yet to be updated. The new manager intends on completing new care plans with each child’s key-worker.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The use of agency staff continues to be too high. However, the home uses the same agency staff who are familiar with the home and the children. This has created more consistency for children. One child reported that the changes in staff had ‘slowed down’ and he was familiar with the people caring for him.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have changed how the home is operated. Previously, each individual flat was operating independently. However, staff will now work with all children. Team leaders will work across all parts of the home to provide management support and oversight. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 3 One child is not currently in education and is not provided with structured routines or activities. Furthermore, staff need more guidance and support to improve their understanding of the children’s individual needs. Key-work sessions are still an area for improvement. However, the manager has shared new guidance for staff and will review and reflect on practice with staff in supervision.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Children’s views are not regularly obtained. While there is now a thorough debrief with children following an incident, there is no direct work with children to ascertain their wishes and feelings. The new manager plans to introduce a ‘grumbles’ book specific to the communication needs of the children.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The provider has made good progress in meeting the compliance notices. Therefore, the compliance notice has not been re-issued. Some of the requirements raised at the full inspection have also been met. No additional requirements or recommendations were raised from this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 4

p.3

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.5

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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; and 27 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 6 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

p.5

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 27 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.7

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.7

Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

p.7

Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority;

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who— 27 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 8 has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix) (3)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.8

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.8

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.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.8

Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

p.8

Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that each child— 27 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 9 is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

p.8

Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

p.9

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.9

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.9

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.9

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

p.9

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(viii))

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, children should be provided with structured routines during school hours when they are not in education. 27 May 2022

p.9

Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 27 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 10 that staff help each child to—

p.9

Requirement Due date

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

p.10

Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

p.10

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b))

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 27 May 2022

p.10

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

p.10

Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

p.10

Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) 27 May 2022

p.10

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that no more than half the staff on duty at any one time, by day or night, at the home should be from an external agency. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16. The plan should: detail the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose. The workforce plan should detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff –

p.10

Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 11 including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff should understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.11

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.

p.11

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 12

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Zone Central Ltd, 4 Cedar Park, Cobham Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne BH21 7SF

p.12

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patricia Jarrett

p.12

Inspector

Leanne Grant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2634929 13 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.

p.12

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.13

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.13