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

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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

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Information about this children’s home

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

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged as inadequate at its second full inspection, on 21 and 22 June 2022. As a result, a restriction notice was served on the provider to prevent new children being admitted to the home.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out on 28 July 2022 to monitor the provider’s compliance with the restriction notice and any progress made since the full inspection. The inspector found that while there has been some improvement since the full inspection, the grounds for the restriction are still met. The restriction notice therefore remains in place.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of this monitoring visit, there were two children living in the home. No new children had been admitted. While no register or admissions record was provided to the inspector at the monitoring visit there was no evidence that any children have accessed the short-break service. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 2 The home’s manager and the responsible individual were unavailable at the time of the monitoring visit. Therefore, this visit was supported by a manager from the provider’s sister home, a team leader, the executive chairman and a newly appointed operational manager.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring visit, the inspector saw evidence that one child has been going on activities out of the home, such as swimming, bowling and trips to the zoo. One child has not engaged in activities out of the home but has joined in with the home’s movie night.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s daily logs are now more detailed and evidence staff’s attempts to encourage one child to come out of their bedroom. Records show that, since the full inspection, staff have been offering the child regular meals. However, records are still unclear and do not show which staff are working with children.

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This monitoring visit

The condition of one child’s bedroom remains a concern. The executive director informed the inspector that the child has refused to allow staff into their bedroom and there has been no improvement since the inspection. Staff have not been challenging this, as the manager and the child’s social worker have agreed that to do so would pose a risk to the staff. As a result, the child’s bedroom continues to present a health and safety risk to the child.

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This monitoring visit

The conditions at the home remain a concern. The two bedrooms and the living area have been repainted. However, the curtain poles and window restrictors are still broken. There is no new furniture to make the bedrooms more homely for children. In addition, as the maintenance work is still ongoing, there are lots of maintenance materials in the home and the bathroom is unclean.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments have been updated since the full inspection. A risk assessment has now been completed regarding one child’s use of their mobile phone. A key-work session has also taken place with the child to help them to understand online risks. Additionally, the child told the inspector that they now know that they can use the home’s telephone to contact family.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s records are still missing important information. For example, children’s care plans are not complete and staff are still using care plans with outdated information. Behaviour support plans do not appear to have been updated and do not contain the most relevant and up-to-date information. Additionally, there was no evidence that children’s missed health appointments had been rebooked.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not receive regular supervision. Since the full inspection, three members of staff have received one supervision session. Other staff records show that some staff have not received supervision since December 2021 or April 2022. One member of staff has not received supervision since July 2021. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 3 Daily handover sheets now include more information, including a brief summary of the child’s day. The daily handover sheets correlate better with the daily logs to provide an overview of what has happened during each shift.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has made some progress in relation to the requirements from the full inspection. One requirement has been satisfactorily met, the others have not. Six requirements and one recommendation have been repeated. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2022 Full Inadequate 01/03/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 5

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(b)(d)) 26 August 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— 26 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, 26 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 7 where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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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))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 26 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect; 26 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 8 provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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 degree of freedom and choice

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and

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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))

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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.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and 26 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2634929 9 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))

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Recommendation

 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)

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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: 2634929 10

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patricia Jarrett

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Inspector

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