Children's Home run by Jasper Education and Support Services Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 1 Registered provider: Jasper Education and Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a small private organisation. The home provides care and therapeutic services for up to six children who have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in January 2021. A new manager was appointed on 19 April 2022 and has begun her application to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Date of last inspection: 9 November 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Interim Declined in effectiveness 02/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 3

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improvement to be good

The home has experienced an unsettled period, with some serious safeguarding incidents since the last inspection. Five children have moved out of the home. Four of these children have moved on in ways that were not consistent with their care plans. Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences have been variable. Children have been affected by changes of staff and children at the home. Children said that they do not like the ‘drama’. One child said that they do not always feel confident that staff can keep them safe. However, children have formed positive relationships with some staff and both children are more regularly choosing to access therapy. One child said, ‘Staff care for me even when I don’t care for myself.’

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improvement to be good

Managers ensure that there is a strong focus on providing children with learning opportunities. Staff help children form aspirations for their future. Children attend bespoke education provisions. While their engagement and attendance are variable, children have made progress from their starting points. One child has worked towards sitting an exam for a recognised qualification. Another child has gained certificates through their work experience at the local horse stables. This child recognises how the work experience has increased their confidence and emotional well-being.

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improvement to be good

Children and staff enjoy spending time together in the home and community. There is an emphasis on play and nurture that is guided by the therapist, who works alongside staff. Children take part in well-being pamper nights, slime making and arts and crafts. There are musical instruments available for the children and one child wrote lyrics to a song that staff then produced digitally with backing music. Children’s achievements are celebrated and experiences are captured in memory books and videos.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to gain independence skills at a pace that is right for them. One child now has free time in the community. Staff supported from a distance until the child felt comfortable to go out alone.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to share their views. Regular time is allocated to staff to spend time with children to gather their thoughts and feelings. Complaints by children are taken seriously and responded to formally by the manager.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious and comfortable. Children personalise their rooms. One child has a pet of their choice. Children contributed to recent improvements to the garden and outside area. The home introduced closed-circuit television (CCTV) to monitor external areas of the home, including the garden, in response to safeguarding concerns. The use of CCTV is outlined in the home’s statement of purpose but Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 4 managers have not obtained written consent from placing authorities at the point of children moving in.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not consistently followed children’s risks assessments. This has meant that, at times, children have been left without the required levels of supervision to keep them safe. As a result, there have been serious safeguarding incidents between children. One incident required police involvement due to the nature of the allegation and resulted in a child having to leave the home immediately. This incident was upsetting for the children and staff and may result in a child being criminalised.

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improvement to be good

Managers take decisive action to address poor practice with staff and report safeguarding concerns to other relevant agencies as required. Managers challenge other agencies when they feel that their responses to keeping children safe are not good enough. Staff know how to share concerns about staff or managers in line with the home’s whistle-blowing policy.

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improvement to be good

Staff undertake safeguarding and child protection training. Most staff have undertaken the new behaviour management training that has been introduced by the managers. Staff and children take part in training together. They most recently took part in a workshop led by the therapist on consent and healthy relationships. These workshops provide the foundation for future conversations with children about keeping safe.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff have first-aid or ligature management training. This is despite one child moving into the home with a known history of using ligatures to harm themselves.

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improvement to be good

There has been a reduction in the use of restraint and incidents of self-harming behaviour. Behaviour management plans are informed by the therapist and provide clear strategies and scripts for staff to follow to help children to remain calm. Children are supported to understand their feelings and what is helpful to them when they become anxious. Staff ensure that children have alternatives to self- harming behaviour, including access to an emotional first-aid toolkit.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of children going missing from the home have reduced. When incidents have occurred, staff have intervened to return children home safely. Managers have established positive links with local police teams, including the missing person liaison officer and community support officer.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are in place for individual children and activities. One child’s assessments did not contain guidance on the use of their mobile phone, despite this being a presenting risk. Daily log sheets prompt staff to remove children’s phones at bedtime but staff were not fully aware of the rules in relation to the phone or what action to take if the phone is not handed in. Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 5 Safe recruitment practices are implemented in the appointment of new staff. Recent audits of recruitment files by the quality assurance director have provided further assurance that checks are in place for all existing staff. Recruitment files for agency staff contain details of most of the checks and references obtained. However, it was not clear if the agency had verified the reasons why staff had left previous care roles. The home’s managers did not know what the agency’s policy is in respect of

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improvement to be good

taking reasonable steps to obtain this information. In addition, some of the application forms accepted by the agency did not contain detailed dates of employment, making it difficult to identify any gaps in employment. This could lead to unsuitable people working at the home.

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good

There has been no registered manager for 16 months. A manager has recently been appointed and is being supported by a newly recruited quality assurance director and the head of education and well-being. Managers have identified the improvements that are required and have introduced changes quickly. However, changes in practice have not yet embedded. Consequently, there are examples of poor staff performance that are affecting the quality of care provided.

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good

Managers provide staff with high levels of support during the day and night. They model a commitment to the care and safety of the children. Despite this, managers agree that they have not yet achieved the culture in the home that they are aiming for.

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good

Management oversight of incidents is good. Recording systems are clear and most paperwork is accessible. However, monitoring of other areas requires improvement. For example, delegated authority was not available for one child and not easy to find for another. This does not ensure that staff are clear about what decisions they can make in relation to the children’s care. There was some confusion among managers and staff about the use of bedroom door alarms and if this system is still in use and, if not, when it stopped. This does not ensure consistent management of risk.

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good

Staff feel supported by the managers and access a combination of one-to-one supervision and clinical group supervision. When poor practice in the staff team is identified, managers address this quickly.

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good

The home is adequately staffed for the number of children living there. Managers are not considering any new referrals until more staff are recruited and trained. Managers have put in place a new recruitment package to attract new applicants and to ensure that staff feel valued in their work.

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good

All previous requirements and recommendations from the last inspection have been met. Managers have a clear vision for the solo provision based in the main building of the house. Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 6 The home receives regular visits by an independent person. There was one month when this visit did not take place. Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff follow the children’s plans to keep them safe. 6 June 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have first-aid training and training to meet the identified needs of each child. 1 July 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 1 July 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 8 promotes their welfare.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that important documents are accessible to staff and that managers have a clear overview of current practices at the home, such as the use of bedroom door alarms.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they gain written consent for the use of monitoring and surveillance equipment at the time of a child moving in. This specifically relates to the use of CCTV to monitor the car park and garden. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, ensure that there is clear guidance for staff around the removal and checking of children’s mobile phones. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This specifically relates to the recruitment of agency staff and the manager assuring themselves of what steps the agency

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Recommendations

has taken to verify the reasons why staff left previous care roles working with children and vulnerable adults. Also, to ensuring that application forms contain detailed dates of employment to allow for exploration of any gaps. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the home’s care. In particular, when a visit has been cancelled, ensure that alternative arrangements are confirmed for a visit to take place within the required time frame. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5) Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 9

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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: 2546196 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Jasper Education And Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 22 The Ongar Business Centre, The Gables, Fyfield Road, Ongar, Essex CM5 0GA

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Inspector

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2546196 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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