Children's Home run by Omega Elifar Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 1 Registered provider: Omega Elifar Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in August 2023 and provides a short-breaks service for children with learning disabilities. A total of 12 children currently access the service for overnight stays. The home provides care for up to six children at any one time. At the time of the inspection, two children were staying overnight.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 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 and young people are not 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: 2718906 2

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inadequate

This service is judged inadequate in all areas because poor practice in relation to meeting children’s health needs places them at risk of harm. Children do not have opportunities to access the community, which means that aspects of their experience of care are poor. In addition, children have been admitted in circumstances that are not consistent with the type of placement for which the home is registered. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the regulations by leaders and managers of the service. Two compliance notices have been issued in relation to providing safe healthcare and complying with the terms of the home’s registration.

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inadequate

Children’s experiences are poor. The home has no vehicle, so children do not access the community during their stays. Children who are living at the home for longer periods only leave the home to go to school or to occasionally see family. This reduces the children’s ability to develop independence skills or to experience new activities away from the home.

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inadequate

Staff do not have essential information about children who come to stay at short notice. These children are not always known to the home, and staff do not have details about their history or background. In addition, staff have not obtained consent for medical treatment in emergency situations or for pain relief.

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inadequate

Children’s health needs are not met. For example, staff did not seek advice from a health professional when a child did not have their prescribed medication. One child missed a dose of their medication for epilepsy due to staff error, and no medical advice was sought to ensure their safety. On one occasion, staff did not seek medical advice when a child self-injured and caused a bump on their head.

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inadequate

Staff sometimes use institutional language to describe children. Children’s plans include language such as ‘absconding’ and ‘bad behaviour’. Children are referred to as ‘service users’ in their daily reports.

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inadequate

Children say that they enjoy staying in the home. They have made progress with sleeping routines and eating well. Staff use children’s individual communication aids to help children to make choices. Children feel listened to by staff.

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

Medication management is poor. One child’s medication records do not indicate the dosage to be administered to the child. Staff have not identified controlled medications and therefore they are not stored or administered in line with the home’s policy. There are no effective systems for stock management. As a result, children have run out of prescribed medication and missed doses. This places Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 3 children at risk of harm through potential errors and not receiving their medication as prescribed.

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

Some children are prescribed medication to be taken ‘as and when required’ to help them through periods of anxiety or crisis. There are no agreed plans to guide staff as to when this should be used. When this medication is administered, staff do not always keep a record of it. Behaviour support plans are not reliable. In one instance, a physical intervention was incorrectly identified as being suitable for use with a child.

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

There are no clear strategies or safety plans to manage situations where children may present a risk to each other. When such an incident occurred, staff did not take action to update their safety plans or revise their strategies to safeguard the children.

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

Staff have not followed a risk assessment for locking a fire door. One fire door was locked, and staff did not have a key on them to unlock it in an emergency.

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

Staff are not properly vetted. Basic information for agency staff has not been obtained, such as photographic identification and proof of Disclosure and Barring Service checks. This runs the risk that unsuitable people could work in the home, which potentially places children at risk of harm. Leaders do not explore employment gaps with candidates or record their decision-making in relation to why they are suitable for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is registered only to provide short breaks and is currently operating outside the conditions of its registration. The provider has admitted children to receive a range of care that the home is not registered to provide. These children are not placed for the purposes of a short break. One child has had an extended stay that has lasted over two months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the quality of care, particularly in relation to the administration of medication, is ineffective. Leaders failed to appoint an independent person for the first three months of the home opening. Leaders lack awareness of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and there is no development plan in place to develop the service and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are new and some are inexperienced in childcare. Leaders have not inducted new staff well. The organisation’s induction focuses on adult social care. Those staff who have transferred from the organisation’s adult social care homes have not received suitable inductions into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision sessions are not taking place in line with the organisation’s policy. The independent person identified this during a visit; however, there is no evidence of improvement. New staff have not had probation reviews and there has only been one team meeting since the home opened. Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 4 The home’s medication policy is not fit for purpose. The medication policy is from an adult social care home. This leaves staff without safe and relevant guidance on how to handle and administer medication. Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 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 registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that: systems are implemented to monitor the stock of medication; a clear policy is developed to ensure that medication is administered, stored and recorded safely. When medication is administered as part of a behaviour management plan, it should be recorded, monitored and its use clearly outlined in the child’s plans. 22 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

*In the circumstances set out in paragraph (2), these Regulations apply in relation to a child with the modifications set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 5.

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Requirement Due date

the child is not in the care of a local authority; and

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Requirement Due date

the child is placed in a series of short term placements within children’s homes (“short breaks”), and—

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Requirement Due date

no single placement is intended to last for more than 17 days. (Regulation 52 (1) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children only stay at the home for short breaks rather than long term. 22 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— Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 6 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that: they use effective monitoring systems to monitor the quality of care; they identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home and make continuous improvements to the service.

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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

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

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and 22 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 7 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)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children should have opportunities to take part in activities away from the home.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should receive regular supervision, effective induction and performance feedback through probation. 22 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

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; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, 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)(b) (3)(d)) 22 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 8 This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that: employment gaps for staff applying to work in the home are clearly identifiable and explored; suitable checks have been carried out to ensure that agency workers are suitable.

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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, identified fire exits should be accessible in an emergency. 22 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that —

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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 each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, seek appropriate advice when children are injured and have not had prescribed medication. 22 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare a placement plan for the child before the child is admitted to the home or, if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible after the child is admitted to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The placement plan must set out, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

how, on a day-to-day basis, the child will be cared for, and the child’s welfare safeguarded and promoted by the home;

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Requirement Due date

the arrangements made for the child’s care, education and health; and 22 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 9 any arrangements made for contact with the child’s parents, relatives and friends.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must consult the child’s placing authority when preparing the placement plan.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must so far as is reasonably practicable—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the placement plan is consistent with any plan for the child’s care prepared by the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 18 (4) (5)(a)(b)(c) (6) (9)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that when children come to stay at the home, information about their history, local authority plans and consents for medical treatment is obtained.

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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 language used in children’s records is nurturing and supportive rather than ‘institutional’. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person visits each month to make best use of independent monitoring and implement learning from this monitoring. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that plans for children are accurate when describing the use of restraint to ensure that the restraint reduces the risk of

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Recommendations

injury. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 48, paragraph 9.50) Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 10

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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: 2718906 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Omega Elifar Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kintyre House, 70 High Street, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 7BB

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Inspector

Mark Dawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2718906 12 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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