Children's home run by HMO NE Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 1 Registered provider: HMO NE Limited 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 private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties, learning disabilities and sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were no children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 8 August 2022 and is suitably qualified.

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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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 3

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improvement to be good

The planning for children who move into the home is not consistently good. The provider has accepted children with care needs outside of the home’s conditions of registration. The manager subsequently made an application to Ofsted to vary the home’s conditions of registration after the child had moved in. This practice could have caused disruption for the child, who has already experienced a significant amount of trauma and disruption.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has successfully moved on from the home in accordance with their plan. Following this, the home has been used as a solo placement for two children. As the manager and staff were unable to provide safe care to both of these children, they were moved on from the home quickly. On both occasions, the children did not have a positive experience of moving out of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are committed to the children they care for. Children benefit from creative and bespoke plans, which supports their emotional health and well-being. The staff liaise well with the health professionals, who specialise in therapeutic support, and they use this support to inform the children’s care. The staff also benefit from specialist training to expand their communication skills. This input helps the staff to support the children who have a sensory impairment appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop life skills to lead a happy, healthy and successful life. There is a framework to evidence the children’s progress and areas of development. Children are provided with personalised plans that support them through significant developmental milestones in their lives. This practice encourages the children to be aspirational for their future.

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improvement to be good

The staff liaise well with education professionals to collaboratively develop education plans that help the children to overcome any barriers to their education. This promotes the children’s ability to learn and increases their life chances.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to capture their memories in personalised books. Staff support the children to reflect on significant milestones to develop their emotional resilience. This enables the children to develop a positive sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

When children have complex needs and behaviours that increase their risk of coming to harm, the staff have good communication strategies to ensure the children’s safety. The manager and the staff understand when children’s behaviour Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 4 becomes too great for them. However, staff do not always support children to have organised and well-planned transitions from the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager takes safeguarding concerns seriously and swiftly follows the appropriate procedures when concerns arise. However, the manager does not consistently request a looked after children’s review when the children are deemed to be at significant risk. The manager has also failed to effectively challenge a child’s placing local authority when there was a delay in progressing the child’s care plan, and when looked after children’s reviews did not take place. These missed opportunities to review and determine the continued suitability of the children’s placements have resulted in children’s placements ending unexpectedly.

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improvement to be good

Staff hold the children to prevent harm to the child or others. This practice is used as a last resort when other agreed de-escalation methods have failed. Key-work sessions are held promptly to ensure the children’s well-being, and help them to identify potential triggers for their behaviour. The manager reviews the effectiveness of the intervention in the required timescale. However, the manager does not consistently ensure that debriefs with the staff are undertaken promptly. Consequently, the managers cannot be assured that the staff’s well-being is maintained, nor can they identify any learning from the incidents to improve the staff’s response to the children.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that the locality risk assessment is updated once a year. However, the manager does not consistently consider the risks associated with the location of the home, and how these may affect children who have a sensory impairment or a learning disability. This shortfall compromises the manager’s ability to identity, and therefore reduce, any potential hazards for these children.

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improvement to be good

The manager understands the importance of implementing safer recruitment procedures. However, one member of staff has been permitted to commence work in the home without safer recruitment checks being completed. This practice increases the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable adults.

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improvement to be good

Some children display behaviour that presents a high level of risk. Children’s risk assessments provide strategies for the staff to follow to mitigate these risks. While the staff demonstrate a good understanding of these risks, they are unable to manage the children’s behaviour safely when the children’s mental health needs increase.

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improvement to be good

Sanctions are fair and proportionate. Children receive rewards and praises when they have done something well. This helps the children to understand and develop socially acceptable behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff challenge unwanted behaviours and reinforce boundaries. Staff implement key- work sessions with the children after each significant incident. This provides the children with an opportunity to reflect on their behaviours, and to learn how to manage their feelings and responses differently. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been significant changes in the staff and management since the last inspection. The registered manager left the home in March 2022 and a new manager was appointed. This manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2022 and is suitably qualified. There was a change of responsible individual in July 2022.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff have a nurturing approach to the care of the children. Staff recognise that getting to know the children takes time. They are considerate and understand how the children’s feelings and anxieties may affect their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision. They describe the manager as supportive and knowledgeable. Some staff have valued the opportunity for professional development, to move into more senior positions. Team meetings are collaborative and there is a good sense of sharing experiences and problem-solving, to better meet and understand the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good monitoring systems in place. The manager ensures that reviews take place after each incident so that learning is identified and used to consider what strategies children respond to. Good oversight of incidents ensures that the staff provide good-quality care for children, based on their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a good range of training. Some of this specifically relates to the individual needs of the children. The staff have recently completed some training in British sign language. This training has improved the staff’s communication with a child who has experienced hearing loss.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values the importance of partnership working. Feedback from healthcare professionals has been positive. However, some professionals have raised their concerns that the manager and staff have not been equipped to manage one child’s behaviour. This resulted in the child’s placement ending in an unplanned way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff rosters are produced in advance. However, the manager has failed to consistently ensure that all of the waking-night staff are up to date with their physical intervention training. This oversight prevents all of the staff from responding appropriately, should they need to physically hold a child during the evening. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must request a looked after children’s review to determine the suitability of the child’s placement when there are significant changes to the child’s care needs and risks; when a review does not take place, the registered person must escalate the concerns to the director of children’s services of the placing authority. 22 September

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 22 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 7 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii)(e)(i))

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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; or

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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 that individual to work at the 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)(b) (3)(d)) 22 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")— 22 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 8 has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that the risks associated with the location of the home are considered for children who have sensory impairment or learning disabilities. 22 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of the children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. If children make a complaint or give a view on how the staffing structure could be improved to promote the best care for them, appropriate action should be taken. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15)

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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: 2595974 9

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Inspector

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2595974 10 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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