Children's Home run by London Borough of Southwark in Southwark

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC031479 1 SC031479

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides short breaks for up to five children with learning and/or physical disabilities and/or social and emotional needs. The home is also caring for two children on a longer-term arrangement.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021 and he is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

This home shares the premises with a short-break service for adults. The registered manager and staff work across both provisions. The Care Quality Commission regulates and inspects the adult service.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to monitor two compliance notices issued on 7 October 2022 under regulation 6, the quality and purpose of care standard, and regulation 12, the protection of children standard. These notices were issued following a full inspection undertaken on 15 and 16 September 2022 that led to an inadequate judgement. The outcome of this monitoring visit is that the two compliance notices have been met. However, further work is needed to ensure that the improvements are embedded in practice and sustained.

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This monitoring visit

The inadequate living conditions identified at the last inspection have been satisfactorily addressed. The boarded up bedroom windows have been replaced and the outstanding maintenance issues have been resolved. A new environment policy has been introduced, reflecting the need for any breakages or damage to the home to be addressed in a timely manner. As a result of these improvements, the home is a safer and more comfortable living environment.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has introduced daily checks in the home to ensure that it remains a safe and comfortable living environment. These daily checks are not yet fully embedded into staff’s practice. For example, some information was missing in the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC031479 2 daily check reports. Increased management oversight of these checks is required to ensure that progress is sustained.

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This monitoring visit

At the last inspection, it was identified that the short-break arrangements were having a negative impact on one child’s experiences of living at the home. Senior leaders have made a decision to put short-break care on hold until the two children living at the home have moved to more suitable provision. Plans to move these children are being actively pursued by the local authority. One child is due to move to a new provision imminently and a sensitive transition plan will help to facilitate this move.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments identify actual and potential risks well and are routinely updated to reflect any significant changes or events relating to the children. Managers do not yet have a sufficiently robust process for ensuring that all staff have read, understood and can implement the risk assessments.

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This monitoring visit

Some progress has been made in relation to safeguarding practice. The safeguarding policy has been updated, which gives greater clarity in terms of roles and responsibilities. Safeguarding training has been undertaken with staff and further training is planned. Staff have reflected on past serious incident notifications, which has also enhanced their learning. Safeguarding practice is not yet sufficiently discussed in staff supervision.

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This monitoring visit

Communication between staff during shift handovers is more thorough. The newly introduced handover system and recording sheets are designed to alert staff to changes in the children’s needs and plans, and any outstanding maintenance or safety issues in the home. Not all staff are recording handover information consistently. This demonstrates weaknesses in the manager’s oversight of these records.

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This monitoring visit

Although, some improvements have been made to the staff rota, such as the inclusion of staff’s qualifications, it still does not provide sufficient clarity on which staff are working at the home. The manager is also the manager for the neighbouring adult short-break provision and the rotas for both provisions are combined. It is therefore difficult to assess if there is sufficient staff on each shift at the home. Additionally, the manager is not ensuring that there are sufficient staff to enable children to undertake individual activities in the community.

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This monitoring visit

The manager’s quality-of-care review report could be strengthened by including the views of staff and clarity about how and when the identified improvement plan will be achieved.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s statement of purpose has been updated and now includes the current staffing structure and arrangements. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC031479 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/09/2022 Full Inadequate 14/07/2021 Full Good 09/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 10/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC031479 4

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to having a clear and robust system in place for monitoring if all staff have read and understand children’s risk assessments. 4 December 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 4 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC031479 5 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that there is sufficient staff on shift to enable children to do individual activities away from the home, and strengthening management oversight of staff practice and records. 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the staff rotas demonstrate clearly which staff are working at the home. 4 December 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make best use of internal monitoring systems to ensure continuous improvement. The quality-of-care review reports should reflect staff’s views and provide a clear action plan on how and when the identified improvements will be achieved. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: SC031479 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Southwark

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Southwark Council, 2nd Floor, 160 Tooley Street SE1 2QH

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Inspector

Andy Whippey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC031479 7 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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