Children's Home run by Jurita Limited in Croydon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 1 Registered provider: Jurita 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 run and provides care for up to three children aged between eight and 17 who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 17 May 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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 and their welfare is not promoted nor safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children are poor.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences are adversely affected by shortfalls in safeguarding practice. Children have positive relationships with the staff. However, not all staff have the skills and experience to safeguard children effectively and meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home’s approach to behaviour management is ineffective. Staff do not have the expertise to support all children and their range of behaviours. On occasions, staff have not intervened to prevent incidents from escalating. This has resulted in the police being called. Consequently, two children’s placements have come to an unplanned end. Staff are not always confident in supporting children with their behaviour. This limits opportunities for children to develop their understanding of acceptable and positive behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have produced a memory book that contains photos of children celebrating special occasions and enjoying days out. However, children do not have an individual record to take with them when they move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have admitted a young child to the home in an emergency without fully exploring a comprehensive strategy of how to manage their individual needs. Consequently, the child was at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children say that they are happy living at the home. One child described the manager as ‘approachable’, and another child said that most staff are nice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager prioritises children’s education. He appropriately pursues placing authorities to ensure that children have school placements and are engaging in education. Professionals said that there are generally good levels of communication and confirmed that the manager provides strong support for the children’s education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home values the importance of family relationships and actively promotes this. One child, who has recently moved into the home, has been able to spend time with his mother at the home. This is positive outcome for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home’s communal areas are generally welcoming. However, there are some maintenance matters, which are being addressed by the manager. All the children’s bedrooms need attention in terms of cleanliness and hygiene.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children attend routine appointments and have access to an in-house therapist.

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

Staff’s failure to act in response to serious concerns about a child’s safety has meant that the concerns were not managed effectively. Managers and staff have insufficient knowledge of safeguarding and safe practice. Although managers and staff are aware Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 4 of the risks posed to a child, they are not carrying out bedroom checks to reduce the identified risks.

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

Staff have not followed a child’s legal order and have failed to work in accordance with multi-agency plans. This means that staff have been unable to keep this child safe from harm.

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

Although an allegation against a staff member was referred to the local authority designated officer, there is no record of the manager’s decision-making and risk- reduction strategies.

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

Decision-making for the most recent admission to the home has been poor, with a vulnerable younger child admitted with an older child with significant safeguarding concerns. Leaders and managers were aware that there had been several significant incidents involving the older child before the younger child moved in, which placed the child at a risk of harm. This poor quality of leadership and absence of comprehensive risk analysis have resulted in children not being safeguarded effectively and have had a negative impact on their experiences.

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

When children are missing from the home, staff know what procedures to follow, and there is good reporting to the professional network and family. When children return, debriefs are undertaken. However, records are very brief and do not capture the child’s views effectively. This undermines scope for work to reduce risk.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to notify Ofsted of serious events. This limits the regulator’s ability to monitor the management response to incidents which have placed children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been in post since May 2022. The staff team is positive about his leadership. Supervision occurs regularly, although reflection of practice and safeguarding of the children do not consistently feature in the supervision discussion. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on and review practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders did not take effective action when a serious incident occurred that placed children at a risk of harm. Their failure to review and reflect on the incident has resulted in serious shortfalls not being fully identified or addressed with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not ensure that staff have the skills and experience to meet children’s needs. Consequently, some children’s placements have ended in an unplanned manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s records lack detail, and some records could not be located. The records do not provide a clear chronology of the event or actions taken by staff or capture the children’s views in a meaningful way. One record contains inappropriate language, which is unhelpful to the child. Records are not evaluative or succinct enough, which makes it hard to measure progress for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 5 The serious and widespread concerns highlighted in this inspection have not been identified through leaders’ and managers’ own monitoring. Ofsted did not receive a management monitoring report, as required at the last inspection, until October 2023. This shortfall limits leaders’ and managers’ ability to properly assess the home’s strengths and areas for development and to gain a clear understanding of the training and development needs of staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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.

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii) (b)) 3 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 3 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 7 the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 3 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— 3 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 8 the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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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

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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; 3 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 9 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

(f)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; (h)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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

(a)receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

(a)that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (c)that each child's relevant plans are followed; (e)that the child's placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child's relevant plans is requested, if— (i)the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child's needs; (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(c)(e)(i)) 3 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)) 3 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i)) 3 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 10 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) 3 March 2024

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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)) 3 March 2024

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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 the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs 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 records reflect whether, when possible, children are informed about their bedroom being searched and asked for their permission. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that expectations of standards of behaviour are high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged. Poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should have sufficient capacity to ensure that the quality standards are met for each child in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.7) Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 11  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s internal whistle-blowing procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9)  The registered person should give more consideration to what constitutes a serious incident and should be notified to Ofsted. This relates to incidents when there are serious concerns about a child’s missing-from-home behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.11)  The registered person should ensure that sufficient staff are trained and skilled in

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Recommendations

the admission and care of children whose full backgrounds may not be known. This specifically relates to the home being set up for emergency placements, as indicated and detailed in the statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that any records kept electronically can

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Recommendations

easily be accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view them and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. Electronic records should be held at the home in accordance with data protection principles. Information technology systems should ensure the safe storage of these records and business continuity planning should be in place to prevent loss or damage to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  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 about children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including

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Recommendations

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) Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 12 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kemp House, 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX

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Inspector

Harby Bashir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2671685 14 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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