Children's Home run by Ivory Cottage Limited in Warwickshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2586067 1 Registered provider: Ivory Cottage Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager and responsible individual posts are vacant. The provider has recently appointed two individuals to fulfil these roles.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out in response to concerns received by Ofsted.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The home has experienced a period of significant instability. For example, the responsible individual recently left her role. In addition, several managers have overseen the home in recent months.

p.1

This monitoring visit

At the time of this visit, four children were living in the home. Some children are settled and are making progress from their starting points. However, other children’s day-to- day experiences are poor as their care needs are not consistently met. The inspector found significant shortfalls in respect of planning and decision-making in relation to admitting some children to the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

One child has a range of complex needs. Staff have not had the necessary training or been given resources to meet this child’s needs. As a result, the child has not been provided with adequate supervision and support. On occasions, the child has been exposed to unnecessary risk. For example, the child required two members of staff to travel with her during car journeys. However, poor care planning meant that these resources were not always provided. The recently appointed responsible individual and manager have taken steps to address these concerns. For example, the responsible individual has worked alongside the child’s local authority to identify a new home for the child. As a result, the child is due to move imminently. In the interim, the responsible Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2586067 2 individual and manager have ensured that there are adequate staffing resources in

p.1

This monitoring visit

In other instances, impact risk assessments do not show how the needs of new children could be safely met alongside the needs of children who are already residents. For example, another child has recently been admitted to the home despite staff already struggling to meet the needs of those children already living in the home. This decision-making has exacerbated the challenges faced by staff and had a detrimental impact on the quality of care provided to children.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Overall, children’s risks are known and captured in risk assessments and behaviour management plans. However, some risk assessments are not up to date and lack guidance for staff. In addition, some children’s files do not contain local authority plans. These shortfalls are in part due to the lack of continuity of staff overseeing the management of the home in recent months. The inspector also identified some concerns in relation to the presentation of the home. For example, some children’s bedrooms were untidy with piles of clothing strewn across them. A recommendation in relation to this issue was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Recruitment of staff is not safe. During the visit, the inspector found that some staff recruitment files were incomplete and failed to meet regulation. For example, some staff have not recorded their full employment history or completed questions in relation to their fitness to work with children. Furthermore, the inspector found that managers do not sufficiently review gaps in employment when undertaking recruitment checks. This demonstrates a lack of oversight of staffing arrangements and has the potential to place children at risk of harm. Ofsted has raised a compliance notice in relation to these shortfalls.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The recently appointed leadership team is aware of the shortfalls raised by Ofsted and, during their short time in charge, the leadership team has taken proactive steps to make improvements. Leaders are realistic of the need for further improvement and show a willingness and ability to achieve this.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2586067 3

p.2

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.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.3

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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff providing children with care in line with their needs. 2 June 2022

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff keeping risk assessments and behaviour management plans up to date to reflect all known 2 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2586067 4 risks. In addition, staff will ensure that children receive appropriate support and supervision to keep them safe.

p.3

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.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

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; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to leaders and managers taking effective steps to address shortfalls in children’s care. In addition, staff will receive training in line with children’s needs. 2 June 2022

p.4

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.4

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that children’s admissions are well planned and in the best interests of children moving into the home and those already living in the home. 2 June 2022

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

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 2 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2586067 5 that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.4

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))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to leaders and managers ensuring that staff recruitment processes are robust to protect children from unsafe adults.

p.5

Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are well decorated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children’s files contain all key local authority plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2)

p.5

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.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2586067 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ivory Cottage Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Sky Tax Accounting, 37th Floor, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AA

p.6

Inspector

Gareth Leckey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2586067 7 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.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7