Children's home run by Ownlife Residential Limited in Kingston upon Thames

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 1 SC483779 Registered provider: Ownlife Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children aged between 12 and 17 years old at the point of admission who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since April 2022. The new manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of this inspection. It has been agreed that this will be a solo placement. The inspector also considered the care provided to other children who had lived in the home since the previous inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2022 Full Good 12/05/2021 Full Good 10/07/2019 Full Good 19/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and are proud of the progress that they make. Children are supported to form close and trusting relationships with staff. Staff demonstrate resilience in the way they respond to challenges and significant incidents. They see beyond children’s presenting behaviours and remain focused on understanding and supporting the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff promote children’s education well. When children are not in education or are excluded from school, staff work well with education professionals to support children’s return to education, attend meetings and advocate on children’s behalf. Children who are out of school are encouraged to participate in home learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to live healthy lifestyles. Staff ensure that children attend health appointments and take their medication as prescribed. When additional support is needed to promote children’s health, staff ensure that referrals are made to relevant services, such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly sought and valued by the manager and staff. Children know how to make a complaint, and their complaints are investigated appropriately. However, records of complaints do not reflect all of the actions taken and the views of the child about the outcome of their complaint.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of creating a homely atmosphere for children, and they do this well. Children are allowed to keep pets and invite friends to visit the home if it is considered safe. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their taste. The home is comfortably furnished and clean. Any damage caused during incidents is repaired as swiftly as possible. However, the issue of the use of CCTV in the communal staircase area, which was raised at the previous inspection, was not addressed until the second day of this inspection. The CCTV camera has now been disconnected.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The managers and staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s needs and vulnerabilities. Staff work well with external professionals and children to explore risks and to help children learn how to keep themselves safe. Children’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated regularly, and the children’s views are an integral part of their risk assessments.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children who go missing from the home experience a well-coordinated response. Staff act to locate children and encourage their safe return home. Staff work collaboratively with families, friends and key professionals, and there is a clear plan of action in place to safeguard children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 4 Staff have undertaken safeguarding training and demonstrate a good understanding of the policies and procedures to follow if allegations are made against staff. Furthermore, staff have a good understanding of whistle-blowing procedures. This increases children’s safety in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are trained to restrain children safely when required. However, records do not appropriately record details about an incident when a child’s liberty was restricted in line with a court order. This compromises the ability of leaders and managers to monitor the use of restraint effectively and identify any emerging themes and patterns.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safer recruitment and employment practices are followed to ensure that only suitable staff work at the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Fire safety in the home needs to improve. Some of the fire doors, including the doors to the kitchen, are kept open with a door stop, which prevents the door from closing in the event of a fire. The restrictor that has been installed on the kitchen doors does not work. This poses a risk to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a stable management team. The manager is supported by a new deputy manager. They create a culture of high aspirations, where staff strive to make a positive difference to children’s lives. There is a stable core staff team in place, providing children with a consistent level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records show evidence of management oversight. Children’s records reflect their experiences and include all relevant documents to ensure that staff have a thorough understanding of the children’s individual needs. However, some incident reports lack sufficient information, such as all actions taken by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The arrangements for new children moving into the home are not consistently robust. Leaders and managers ensured that the most recent transition into the home was carefully considered and well supported. The process involved pre- admission visits that allowed the new child to become familiar with the environment and staff. This helped the child to settle when they moved in. However, this was not the case for another child moving into the home. Consequently, this had a negative impact on the children already living at the home, and this child’s placement ended abruptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. One staff member said, ‘[Name of manager] is one of the best managers I have ever worked with.’ Staff benefit from a thorough induction, regular supervision and appraisal. The training provided to staff builds their confidence in meeting children’s complex needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 5 Leaders and managers work well with children’s networks. Feedback from professionals is positive regarding the quality of care provided and the level of communication with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Reports completed by the independent visitor rarely include feedback from children and parents. The manager has not challenged this. This is a missed opportunity, and it potentially compromises independent scrutiny and challenge. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 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, The 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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the fire doors close and that they are not wedged open as noted in the fire risk assessment. The fire door retainer at the kitchen door should be repaired. 9 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 30 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 7 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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”)—

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any form of restraint, including restricting a child’s liberty of movement, is recorded appropriately.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child’s assessed needs and staff’s ability to respond to them effectively are carefully considered before the placement is agreed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)  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, records of significant events should include all relevant details. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that they seek independent scrutiny of the home. This particularly refers to seeking views of the parents and the children living in the home as part of the independent person’s reports. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55,

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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, Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 8 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: SC483779 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Legion House, 75 Lower Road, Kenley CR8 5NH

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Inspector

Aneta Wasilewska, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483779 10 regulates and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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