Children's Home run by Norwood Ravenswood in Barnet

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 1 SC010415 Registered provider: Norwood Ravenswood

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation. The home provides short breaks for up to nine children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 1994. The registered manager resigned in March 2022. A new manager has been appointed and has submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 23 and 24 August 2022. As a result, three compliance notices were issued, under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 34, policies for the protection of children standard, of the Children’s Homes Regulations (England) 2015.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to monitor the progress made against the compliance notices. The inspector found that good progress has been made in meeting the compliance notices and the requirements made at the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of this monitoring visit, no children were living at the home. The children and young people who were living in the home at the time of the last inspection have been moved on to more suitable accommodation.

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This monitoring visit

The home has been closed for refurbishment since 2 October 2022. All areas of the home are being refurbished, including the living areas and the children’s bedrooms. The property was out of use at the time of this visit and no staff or children were on site. The home is due to reopen in December 2022. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 2 There have been a number of changes to the leadership and management team. A new manager has been appointed, who has submitted an application to register with Ofsted. A deputy manager has also been recruited to support the manager. A new chief executive officer is due to join the organisation, who will be taking over the role of responsible individual. The changes in the leadership and management team are aimed at improving management oversight and supervision of staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

A new safeguarding policy specifically for children, not adults, is now in place. All staff have attended safeguarding training and a safeguarding briefing. There is now much clearer guidance for staff to ensure that they know how to report a concern about a child or a member of staff.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments are currently being reviewed and updated. The new risk assessments consider each child’s needs and behaviours and their compatibility with other children.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have taken effective action to address the shortfalls in staffing of the home. Staff recruitment has been positive. More staff are being employed to ensure there will be safer numbers of staff working with children when the home reopens.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have reviewed the staff training offer. New training is being offered to ensure that staff have the skills to meet the needs of the children in their care. All staff now have a new schedule for training, which is both face to face and online. Additionally, leaders and managers have new systems in place to monitor and ensure that staff are completing the training.

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This monitoring visit

All staff now have a personal development plan and have received monthly supervision and an appraisal. This has improved the management oversight of staff practice and development.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s paper records have now been moved to the head office and will be archived. The organisation has invested in an online recording system to create and store records. Other areas of the home are being improved to ensure appropriate storage is available to reduce the physical hazards and concerns raised at the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have improved their monitoring and review systems. They have created tracking tools and improved management oversight systems. This includes a tracking tool to ensure that they do not exceed the 75-day short-break allowance for individual children. Additionally, a new independent person has been appointed to carry out the required monthly independent visits to the home. However, Ofsted has still not received all the reports from the independent visits from the last year.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have taken appropriate action in response to the significant safeguarding concern raised at the last inspection. They are following the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 3 recommendations from the independent investigation to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has met the compliance notices. Seven of the requirements raised at the full inspection have also been met. The provider is making progress in meeting the additional requirements. No additional requirements or recommendations were raised from this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2022 Full Inadequate 18/01/2022 Full Good 29/07/2019 Full Good 21/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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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 14 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 6 child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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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

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)(h)) 14 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 7 The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 14 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit to carry on the home; and

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Requirement Due date

A responsible individual must— 14 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 8 satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (5)(a)(b)(c) (7)(a)(b))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history and reflect their day-to-day experiences. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: SC010415 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Broadway House, 80-82 The Broadway, Stanmore HA7 4HB

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Inspector

Leanne Grant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010415 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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