Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 1 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in the home since 19 March 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2021 Full Good 06/08/2019 Full Good 25/07/2018 Full Good 19/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 3

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inadequate

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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inadequate

As a result of this inspection, a restriction of accommodation notice and three compliance notices have been served on the provider.

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inadequate

One child has recently returned to the home, with an agreed increased staffing level. Managers and leaders were not well prepared for this return. For example, the child’s sensory resources were not available, the environment was not ready and the staff were not prepared. This led to unsafe arrangements, such as the child being supported in the community without the staff having the necessary training to keep the child and themselves safe. This put the child and the staff at risk of harm.

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inadequate

Staff sufficiency is a concern. Sixteen members of staff have left since the last inspection, including the registered manager and the deputy manager. Staff from other local authority homes are working in the home, as well as several different agency staff from two agencies. These changes to the staff team have compromised staff continuity.

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inadequate

Children can talk to the staff about how they are feeling. Staff then ensure that these views are recorded. However, it is not clear what level of managerial oversight is given to these records and whether action is taken when children raise concerns. For example, records show that one child told a member of staff that they felt unsafe. Another child told a member of staff that they felt punished living in the home. It is not clear if this information has been shared with the children’s wider professional network and their allocated social workers.

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inadequate

Children are supported to provide clear guidance to staff on how they want to be helped when they are upset or when they need to be physically held. These details are then added to children’s individual behavioural plans. However, some of the agency members of staff used by the home are not trained in the home’s approved methods for carrying out a physical intervention. This difference in knowledge and training in behaviour management has the potential to cause children confusion and hinder safe working practices.

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inadequate

Children are currently not accessing full-time education. One child has a tutor who visits the home on a regular basis. This support has contributed towards the child’s overall academic progress, and this is recognised by education professionals. The senior leadership team worked together with social care and education professionals to help support the children’s continued learning during the summer months.

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inadequate

Children’s health and well-being needs are mostly met. The staff support the children to attend routine appointments and specialist care as needed. Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers have not provided agency members of staff with suitable inductions into the home. For example, one agency member of staff was unclear on how to respond in the event of a fire, and where to find anti-ligature cutters for one child they were supporting. These shortfalls compromise the safety and welfare of children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers are unable to demonstrate the steps that they take to satisfy themselves that agency workers are suitable to work with children in the home. For instance, some agency members of staff do not have sufficient qualifications and experience to meet the children’s needs. Some do not have the required skills and training to understand how to respond to an incident when a child is at risk of using a ligature. During the inspection, a new agency member of staff arrived who did not know the staff or the children. Managers are failing to identify and manage any likely risks to children and staff when deciding to use temporary staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers have not taken the necessary steps to keep children, staff and visitors safe from the risk of fire. Staff are unclear on the fire evacuation procedures and where to find firefighting equipment, despite being aware that some children living in the home have a history of fire-setting. One child does not have an emergency evacuation plan in place. Action was taken during the inspection to address these concerns.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

O n one occasion, staff did not respond appropriately when a child displayed behaviours staff found challenging. Although this was an isolated incident, it is not clear how this has been addressed by managers. Therefore, it is unclear what measures have been put in place to stop this from happening again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is currently no registered manager in the home. The temporary manager moved from another children’s home in March 2022. There are no plans to register this manager with Ofsted and senior leaders are currently recruiting to this role. The responsible individual spoke passionately about employing the right manager for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are currently no centralised logs for children moving into or leaving the children’s home and there are no clear records of the addresses children move on to. Although some of this information could be found during the inspection, records and systems for record-keeping are not up to date. This slows down information- sharing and has the potential to hinder children following their care journey in the future. Senior leaders are planning on implementing an electronic system in the new year to streamline how information is recorded and reported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The plans for one child continuing to live in the home appear realistic in meeting their needs. There is a clear multi-agency approach, with regular review meetings and information-sharing. One manager has started contacting the relevant Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 5 occupational therapist to obtain the necessary equipment to help the child to feel safe and in control. Although these plans are yet to be embedded, it is clear senior leaders are taking the necessary action to address these plans. Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 6

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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 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 and

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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; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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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 and

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure the children are provided with the necessary equipment, environment and staff support as detailed in their relevant plans. 28 September

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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 staff— 28 September Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 7 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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

and 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)(a)(i)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the risks to children are kept under review and that the staff are provided with the necessary updates on how they are to keep children safe.

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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 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

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 have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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)(c)(h)) 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

*If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 8 article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home: and

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Requirement Due date

is an organisation or a partnership. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, appoint and register a suitable manager. 28 September

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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;

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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) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that sufficient checks are completed for agency staff. 28 August 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.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date; and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure—

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Requirement Due date

there is a record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child— 28 September Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 9 the date of the child’s admission to the children’s home; the date on which the child ceased to be accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s address immediately before being accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s address on leaving the home;

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Requirement Due date

the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 1259734 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hampshire Council, 3rd Floor, Elizabeth II Court North, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8UG

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Inspectors

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Helen Simmons, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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