Children's Home run by Lorac Lodge Ltd in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729647 1 Registered provider: Lorac Lodge Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2729647 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection. The child has good relationships with staff and is positive about living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has an education package and engages with online tutoring. This is progress for the child as they have not previously engaged in education. Staff support the child’s education and offer praise and rewards for their efforts. This helps the child to know that staff are proud of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s health needs. Referrals are made to relevant health services to support children. For example, the child receives visits from a local drug and alcohol service to support and educate them in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child knows how to raise concerns, and complaints are responded to effectively. There has been one complaint, which was resolved. The staff provide a ‘grumbles book’, which the children can access. Children’s views are actively sought and used to develop the home. Children are regularly asked about their ideas, and the manager acts on children’s wishes when possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved out of the home in an unplanned way. The manager made the decision due to an increase in incidents and the combined risks of the two children. The manager has reflected on the situation and made changes to the decision- making about which children move into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and homely. There are photos and personal items to support children’s sense of belonging. Children are involved in choosing how their bedrooms are decorated.

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

Staff understand the children’s risks. Positive behaviour support plans are clear and provide strategies for staff to follow. The plans and strategies are personalised to each child.

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

Restraints are used proportionately. Staff understand that restraint is a last resort but also follow children’s court orders to use restraints appropriately. Staff attempt de-escalation techniques before using restraints.

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

Staff understand the protocols to follow when a child goes missing from home. There has been a reduction in missing-from-home incidents. When these occur, staff work closely with the police to locate children. Staff search the local area and train stations to try and locate them. Staff speak to children when they return, to gather information. Although staff offer the children the opportunity to raise any concerns, Inspection report for children’s home: 2729647 3 they do not ensure that the child’s local authority offers a return home interview afterwards.

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

Records of incidents, restraints and missing-from-home incidents are not always clear. Information is repeated, which means that some information is not easily accessible. For example, information is recorded in incident forms and then repeated in restraint records. However, these do not always contain the full details. The manager does not date her reviews following restraints and incidents. This lack of clear recording makes it difficult to monitor the incidents and patterns of behaviour.

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

Staff do not ensure that important records for children are available on file. For children who are subject to court orders, there are no copies of the current order, despite staff following the conditions stated in the order. This could create difficulties when staff are following restrictions that have been granted by the court if these are challenged by others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and is working towards his level 5 qualification. The manager is supported by an experienced deputy manager. The managers have high aspirations for the children. They understand the areas of the home that require development and have plans in place to make these improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable. Temporary staff are not used. Safer recruitment procedures are followed for new members of staff coming to work at the home. This allows children to develop relationships with the adults who are working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported by the managers. Professionals are positive about the communication with the managers. Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly to support the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training. There is a clear induction programme to support staff to learn their roles. However, the staff are not all trained in areas that are relevant to the children’s vulnerabilities. Exploitation is a known area of risk for children and staff would benefit from training in this area to support their understanding and ability to support the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager welcomes external scrutiny from the independent visitor. However, the independent visitor’s reports are not sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. This prevents Ofsted from having current oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729647 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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which —

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records of incidents and copies of court orders are available and that the manager has dated their comments. 10 November

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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

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 27 October 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Information provided by such interviews should be considered when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, ensure that staff access specific training that supports the needs of the children, including exploitation training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729647 5

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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, 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: 2729647 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lorac Lodge Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lorac Lodge Limited, 319b, Walton Road, West Molesey KT8 2QG

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2729647 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 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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