Children's Home run by Ivory Cottage Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 1 Registered provider: Ivory Cottage Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may have experienced childhood instability resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since January 2023. There is a manager in post who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/11/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has moved out. Safeguarding arrangements concerning one child were ineffective and detracted from their overall experience of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The child who lives at the home has developed positive relationships with the staff. As a result, they are generally settled and making progress.

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improvement to be good

The child’s care plan is brief and does not contain detailed information about their individual needs and how staff should support them. For example, there are sections of the plan that are incomplete or lacking relevant information. This does not support staff to care for the child consistently.

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improvement to be good

The staff make sure that the child can express their views and wishes through weekly meetings. This helps the child to express their opinions about their day-to- day care. However, following these meetings, it is not always clear what action the manager has taken to respond to the child’s views.

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improvement to be good

The home is decorated to a good standard. Soft furnishings and photos help to create a warm and welcoming feel. The child’s bedroom is personalised to their taste and provides a nice place for them to spend time. This helps the child to feel comfortable and that he belongs.

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improvement to be good

Staff have advocated well to help secure a school place for the child, and the manager has been proactive in identifying an appropriate school in the local area. Furthermore, when the child has not been in school, staff have supported them to engage in a range of educational activities. For example, the inspector observed the staff and child reading together.

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improvement to be good

The child’s health needs are promoted, and staff support the child to attend all health appointments. The child enjoys making healthy food choices and making home-cooked meals.

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improvement to be good

The child takes part in a range of enjoyable activities. These include holidays to the seaside, trips to the zoo and visits to the local trampoline park. The child told the inspector that they had fun at the seaside.

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improvement to be good

The child told the inspector that they feel safe living at the home and that they have staff who they can talk to if they are worried. As a result, for this child, there have been no incidents of concern. Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 4 Staff work hard to protect children from harm and safeguarding measures are generally effective. However, on one occasion, a member of staff did not follow the home’s safeguarding protocols when a verbal altercation happened with a child. A lack of professional curiosity and failure by staff to adhere to guidance placed the child in an unsafe situation. In addition, a lack of post-incident review by the manager reduced the opportunity for learning and reflection about the impact of the incident on the child’s experience and what could have been done differently.

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improvement to be good

In general, the manager responds well when an allegation is made about a person in a position of trust. She works alongside relevant professionals to help keep children safe. However, on two occasions, the manager’s subsequent investigation into the allegations was not sufficient. In addition, the manager has not always ensured that actions set by the local authority designated officer are completed. This means that well-informed and timely action is not always taken to promote children’s welfare.

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improvement to be good

Staff have used physical intervention when necessary to keep children and others safe. However, children are not always given the opportunity to talk about their experiences after they have been held. This is a missed opportunity for children’s wishes and feelings to be heard and for actions to be agreed to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence.

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improvement to be good

Professionals told the inspector that the child is safe and is making positive progress.

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improvement to be good

The manager has good recruitment practices in place. This ensures that new members of staff are safely recruited.

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good

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since January 2023. An experienced and qualified manager has been appointed who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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good

The staff are positive about the manager and describe a positive working environment. Staff say they feel supported by the manager and that she is readily available to provide advice and guidance. One member of staff told the inspector that the manager is very ‘hands on’. Staff receive professional supervision. However, the quality is poor and does not allow for meaningful reflection.

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good

Staff have received the mandatory training required by the organisation. However, not all staff have received training to help them understand how to respond to the child’s individual behavioural needs. This leaves those staff without key information to help inform their practice.

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good

The home has a core team of regular staff who know the children well. However, the home is not fully staffed, and the manager relies on agency staff to ensure that Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 5 there are enough staff to meet the child’s needs. Consequently, the child does not always receive consistent care from experienced and familiar adults. In addition, rotas are inaccurate and it is not always clear who works in the home.

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good

The responsible individual and manager have developed new systems to monitor children’s progress. However, the systems for monitoring and evaluating practice in the home are not yet effective. The current systems do not enable managers to understand the home’s strengths and areas for development and do not help to improve outcomes for children.

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good

An independent visitor has carried out monthly external monitoring of the home. Although the visits take place within the correct time frame, the independent visitor does not fully consider the needs and views of the children who are living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 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

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;

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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

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff respond to safeguarding matters in line with the home’s safeguarding protocols. 27 October 2023

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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 27 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

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)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to the registered person ensuring that there are effective monitoring systems in place.

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to the registered person ensuring that there is a sufficient and experienced staff team.

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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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that staff and children are debriefed following a physical intervention. 27 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 8 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. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the staff rota reflects each person working at the home. 27 October 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person carries out visits to the home in line with government guidelines, seeks children’s views and gathers their feedback. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2633744 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ivory Cottage Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ivory Cottage Limited, Skytax, 37th Floor, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AA

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Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2633744 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 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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