Children's Home run by Halls Homes for Young People Ltd in Luton

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 1 Registered provider: Halls Homes For Young People Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned by a small independent provider. The home cares for up to three children between the ages of 10 and 18 with emotional and social difficulties and/or mild learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in September 2021.

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Inspection dates: 22 November 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection dates: 22 November 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

Children have experienced unsettled periods. This is due to children moving in and out of the home, an increase in incidents between children and aggression towards staff. Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. One child has moved on since the last inspection. This move was not in line with the child’s care plan but was requested by the manager as staff felt unable to keep the child and others at the home safe. Other children have been involved in fewer incidents since they moved to the home.

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The care of children

One child has moved into the home. The child’s introduction to the home was well planned. Staff ensured the child received a warm welcome. This included personalising the child’s bedroom with items and cartoons based on the child’s likes.

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The care of children

Staff are caring and patient. They recognise children’s strengths and work hard to model mutually respectful relationships between the children and adults.

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The care of children

Both children are in full-time education. This is good progress for one child, who was previously on a reduced timetable. One child has continued attending the school he was at before he moved to the home. This provides the child with continuity of routines and relationships that are important to him.

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The care of children

Staff provide high levels of encouragement to help children try new activities. Children enjoy youth club, trampolining and swimming. Staff help children work towards time in the community without staff supervision. The manager ensures this is discussed with social workers and contained in an individual risk assessment. However, these risk assessments do not consider road safety when children are using their bicycles.

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The care of children

Staff offer children a balanced diet and ensure children can have fruit that they enjoy. However, children often miss meals or choose less healthy options. Children have unrestricted access to a lot of sweets and other snacks that they store in their bedrooms.

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The safety of children

There has been a high number of incidents including children hurting each other and causing injury to staff. On occasion, this has resulted in police being called to help manage children’s behaviour. Incidents between children have reduced more recently, and the manager and staff are committed to providing children with Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 3 increased stability. This includes working with professionals who provide guidance on understanding and managing complex behaviour.

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The safety of children

Staff follow behaviour support plans provided by specialist teams. The manager generally shares information to help inform assessments and planning. However, one child’s social worker said that important reports are regularly delayed, and the manager is often unavailable. This delays the planning and consultation for children.

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The safety of children

Staff act quickly if children do not return home on time. Incidents of bullying are responded to firmly. When possible, staff take a restorative approach. They support children to tell each other what they found hurtful and decide how to make things better.

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The safety of children

There has been some serious damage to the property, including to walls, electrical sockets and the stairway. The manager ensures the property is regularly maintained. However, this work is not keeping pace with the damage. As a result, at the time of the inspection, garden fences were broken and there were broken bricks around a doorway which are a hazard. Recent repairs were visible and awaiting decoration. One child’s bedroom was suitably decorated and furnished. However, it was dusty and unclean, with a discarded black bin liner full of rubbish. The communal bathroom was also unclean. This does not convey a message to children of self- worth or nurture.

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The safety of children

The manager appointed new staff to meet the need for increased levels of staff supervision for each child. Two members of staff started work before their references were received. The manager completed a risk assessment to help inform this decision. These members of staff are deployed alongside senior staff. However, the records do not show that all reasonable steps were taken to obtain the references before their appointments. Gaps in employment have not been explored for one member of staff. This does not ensure that new staff are suitable to work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager prioritises meeting children’s needs effectively. She provides a lot of direct work with children and support to staff. However, staff supervision is not always formal or recorded. Management oversight of records remains ineffective, including of records of restraints and fire evacuations. Progress towards meeting shortfalls identified during previous inspections and external monitoring visits is slow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager carries out detailed impact assessments to help inform decisions about children moving to the home. These assessments consider the needs and combined risks of the children. However, the most recent assessment did not take into account the unqualified staff team or the limited capacity of managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Most staff have completed training in first aid, behaviour management and fire safety. The manager does not have a system for recording all staff training or the Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 4 gaps in staff training. Staff qualifications and experience are not included in the home’s statement of purpose. This does not assist placing local authorities’ decisions about whether the home can meet a child’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager has not undertaken a review of the service and does not have a clear development plan that prioritises the required improvements. Three requirements from the last inspection have not been met and have been restated.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 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

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

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that information about children is shared promptly with other agencies to enable effective consultation and planning. 23 December

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s bedrooms and bathrooms are clean, comfortable spaces and damage to the home is repaired promptly to ensure that the home is free from hazards. 23 December

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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— 30 January 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 6 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the workforce development and recruitment plan identify the required level 3 qualification and the specific training needed by the staff to meet the needs of the children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure management oversight of the quality and accuracy of recording, including the recording of restraints and fire evacuation drills. 23 December

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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 23 December Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 7 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that gaps in employment are explored fully. When staff are employed quickly under exceptional circumstance guidance, the provider must show that they have taken reasonable steps to obtain the required information before the staff member started work.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 30 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report"). 30 January 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 8 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed and;

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand how to change negative behaviours in areas of health and well-being such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, staff should regularly review risks related to road safety and children using their bicycles. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff’s experience and qualifications are included in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10)

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Recommendations

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Halls Homes for Young People Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 66 Drayton Road, Luton LU4 0PH

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Inspector

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2628612 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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