Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 1 Hampshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the visit, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Following a monitoring visit on 23 March 2023, compliance notices were issued in respect of regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard. In addition, a restriction of accommodation notice was issued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to monitor compliance with these notices.

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This monitoring visit

Care planning processes are not sufficiently robust. One child moving on from the home did not have the opportunity to discuss their wishes and views. There was a lack of thoughtful planning which meant that the child experienced an unnecessary level of uncertainty about where they would be moving to. As a result, the child did not leave the home in a way that gave them a positive ending to their placement.

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This monitoring visit

Staff and managers have failed to implement effective strategies to reduce the risk of significant incidents. Consequently, there have been three fire-starting incidents in the home and the grounds. In one example, cigarette lighters had not been removed from children. During the visit, managers took steps to address this.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of risk assessments, and associated risk-management strategies, is poor. Managers do not ensure that risk assessments have sufficient detail to address known risks. As a result of this weakness, staff, particularly agency staff, are Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 2 unaware of all the risks to children and therefore cannot make informed decisions about how to keep them safe.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers instructed staff to carry out searches of children’s bedrooms to ensure that they were not in possession of objects which could pose a risk. Staff failed to carry out the searches, and managers failed to ensure that this safety measure had been implemented. Consequently, children were able to continue to display behaviour which had the potential to be seriously harmful to people and to the home.

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This monitoring visit

In the absence of an operational manager in day-to-day charge of the home, staff report that inconsistent leadership has led to a lack of purpose and direction. This has had a negative impact on the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Management monitoring has been insufficient to identify and address the shortfalls found during this monitoring visit. Additionally, there has been a failure to notify Ofsted of serious events. This limits the regulator’s ability to monitor the management response to incidents which have placed children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

At a case review following this visit, a decision was made to issue further compliance notices in relation to regulation 12 and regulation 14. A further compliance notice was issued under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. The restriction of accommodation notice remains in place.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements and recommendations raised at the previous full inspection were reviewed at this visit and are restated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2023 Full Good 23/11/2021 Full Outstanding 14/01/2020 Full Good 20/03/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 30 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)) 30 June 2023

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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. 4 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 5 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

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)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 04 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 6 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

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

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that management monitoring and scrutiny of the home is of a consistently high standard so that managers have a well-rounded view of the experiences of the children and the impact that the care is having on their outcomes.

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Requirement Due date

* The care planning standard is that children—

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(b)(ii)) 4 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 30 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff know the importance of children understanding who they are and where they come from, and help children to understand their history by undertaking life-story work or other direct work. Staff Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 7 should play a full role in work of this kind. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. In particular, the registered person should report all serious incidents to the appropriate professionals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63,

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Recommendations

paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, they should ensure that all information is up to date and relevant to the current risk-management and care planning. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 1257065 8

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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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Inspector

Jill Sephton-Wright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257065 9 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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