Children's home run by Serenity Housing Service Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 1 Registered provider: Serenity Housing Service Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural needs. There were two children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the home’s first inspection since its registration with Ofsted on 25 August 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 25 August 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 2

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inadequate

The overall experiences and progress of children are judged inadequate because the inspector found significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and a lack of effective oversight by the manager. As a result of these shortfalls, a restriction of accommodation order has been issued. This means that no new children can be admitted to the home while this order is in place.

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inadequate

A child reported feeling uncomfortable living in the home due to incidents involving several members of staff, which included the use of inappropriate language from staff towards the child. This incident was not treated seriously from the outset, as all relevant safeguarding partners were not notified as required. Children also reported that staff are sometimes unresponsive to their requests. One child has formed positive relationships with several staff members, including the manager and responsible individual.

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inadequate

During the inspection, staff used language that is insensitive when speaking about the children. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the children’s needs and vulnerabilities. However, the child has made some progress since living in the home. This includes the child achieving their weekly goals and a reduction of missing incidents.

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inadequate

Staff support children with their educational needs. Consequently, both children are engaging with education and making progress. The children are also provided with activities in the home and in the local community. One child spoke about the fun activities they do with staff and was excited about a planned day out to go ice skating. These experiences provide them with opportunities to form friendships outside of school. Staff speak positively about working in the home and caring for the children.

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inadequate

Improvements have been made to an area of the home where a fire previously occurred. However, there was a strong odour in a vacant bedroom, the mattress was stained and the carpet in areas of the home was dirty. This detracted from the environment having a homely feel.

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

Children reported that they are not comfortable to share any worries they have with staff, and one child does not feel confident that any concerns they shared would be addressed. This could potentially expose children to an increased risk that neither the staff nor the manager of the home would be alerted to safeguarding matters.

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

Staff have some understanding of the children’s needs and vulnerabilities. Support plans and risk assessments in place provide guidance to staff on meeting children’s Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 3 individual needs. However, some of the children’s important records, such as their care plans and looked after review reports, were not on file. This means that staff do not have access to full information regarding the children.

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

The recording in some reports relating to the children was unclear or inaccurate. For example, a consequence record did not reflect the consequence that was in place. In another instance, the circumstances recorded in relation to a child returning to the home after being missing were incorrect.

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

When children are missing from the home, some appropriate action is taken by staff. This includes relevant people being informed and, on the child’s return to the home, work done to educate them on the potential risks of going missing and keeping safe. However, staff do not consistently follow up with the placing authority to ensure that return home interviews take place with the child. This is a missed opportunity for information to be shared that could help develop strategies to safeguard the child.

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

When children exhibit behaviours that staff find challenging, staff do not always manage this well or model good behaviours. For example, staff chose to use a phone to video a child who was in crisis. This was a violation in terms of the child’s rights and privacy. It also made the situation worse, and it resulted in a significant incident.

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

The manager ensures that pre-employment checks are carried out for staff. However, for three staff members, gaps in employment histories had not been identified or explored. As a result, the manager has not had access to all relevant information to make informed decisions about the suitability of staff to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager of the home has not demonstrated a good knowledge of safeguarding practice. He does not always ensure that concerns are shared with external agencies promptly. In addition, the regulator was not notified of a serious incident as required. The findings of this inspection indicate that management oversight has not been effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although there are regular team meetings held to discuss the needs of the children and regular supervision sessions between the manager and staff, the care being provided to the children by staff falls short of the quality of care described in the home’s statement of purpose, as evidenced throughout this report.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are times when there are insufficient staff to provide safe levels of care and support to children in line with their relevant plans. Furthermore, the manager and responsible individual regularly cover shifts while recruiting to fill four staff vacancies. This has an impact in terms of their time and capacity to keep good oversight of the quality of care and standards of recording. Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 4 The first-aid training completed by staff is insufficient to ensure that they are competent to apply first aid in the event of an emergency. Staff training records are not up to date, and although staff have completed core safeguarding training, the lack of clear records impedes the manager’s oversight of staff training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and responsible individual recognise some of the areas where improvement is needed. This includes staff caring for children through a more sensitive, trauma-informed approach. To address this, they plan to provide staff with clinical input. However, this is yet to be implemented. Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 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, 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff respond appropriately to behaviours from children that they may find challenging. 7 March 2024

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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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; and

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 7 March 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 6 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(b)) 7 March 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 7 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;

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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) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all gaps in employment history are identified and explored when recruitment checks are carried out for new staff. 7 March 2024

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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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 7 March 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 8 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children and administer basic first aid. Staff should undertake face-to-face first-aid training to ensure that they are able to provide appropriate care to children when urgently needed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. The home should be a homely, domestic environment and must comply with health and safety legislations. To help maintain the homely feel, all areas of the home should be clean. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after

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Recommendations

being missing from care or away from the home without permission, they follow up with the responsible local authority to ensure that the child has an independent return home interview. The home should take account of the information provided by such interviews 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 are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Records are also to be kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2734050 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Housing Service Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 320 City Road, London EC1V 2NZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Keneisha Foreman

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Inspector

Sasha Reid, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2734050 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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