Children's Home run by The Serendipity Centre Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report children's home: 2605336 1 Registered provider: The Serendipity Centre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned by a private organisation that also operates two other children’s homes and a registered school in the local area. Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2022.

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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 are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 1 December 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2605336 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/12/2022 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2605336 3

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inadequate

Children have not had positive experiences at the home. Although children's daily experiences are now more settled, this has only been in recent weeks. Staff genuinely care for the children. However, children's overall progress has been significantly compromised due to widespread failings in the home.

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inadequate

Children who currently live in the home now attend education full time and are making good educational progress. However, this has not been the case for all children. For instance, one child, who has since moved on from the home, hardly attended an education provision and this situation was not tackled by staff and managers.

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inadequate

Three children have moved on from the home since the last inspection. Two of these children moved out of the home earlier than initially planned, due to the provider being unable to keep them and the other children in the home safe. Staff have been directed by leaders and managers not to maintain any contact with one child who has moved on from the home. This is despite the child developing positive relationships with some staff. One child has moved on from the home in more planned way. This child is still in receipt of some outreach work from the provider and has experienced a more positive ending to their time in the home.

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inadequate

One child has moved into the home since the last inspection. The needs of this child and their presenting behaviours were not fully taken into account before they moved in. For example, staff were concerned that this child could be a target for bullying from some of the other children already living in the home and they were not fully confident about meeting some of the child’s individual needs. Subsequently, this child experienced significant bullying and staff lacked appropriate guidance and direction from managers to address it. This resulted in the bullying behaviours not being consistently challenged or well managed by staff. Furthermore, some staff found it difficult to build positive relationships with the child.

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inadequate

Some children have been very intimidated by other children in the home. There have been times when staff were not able to prevent other children from banging on other children's bedroom doors, while threating them with serious harm. Staff felt powerless to intervene and said they would not open the bedroom door of the child being targeted because of fear that they and/or the child would be seriously harmed. For many months, two children were scared to leave their bedrooms unless they were sure that certain other children were not in the home. Leaders and managers did not act quickly enough to address this situation, nor did they provide staff with meaningful guidance to address the issues.

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inadequate

The language used by staff in children's records is not always appropriate and can suggest that children are to blame for some of the things that have happened to Inspection report children's home: 2605336 4 them. Furthermore, the use of consequences to manage children’s behaviour is inconsistent. Records relating to consequences are not captured in a consistent format or shared more widely with the staff team and managers. This gives children inconsistent messages and makes expectations of behaviour confusing for them.

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inadequate

Children lack the opportunity to have a consistent forum for their wishes and feelings to be heard. Staff do capture some comments made by children but there are no consistent arrangements in place where staff actively seek their views and ask pertinent questions. This limits children’s opportunities and is not conducive to them feeling that they have a voice.

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inadequate

The premises are nicely presented. However, the communal areas of the home do not reflect children’s preferences and experiences and not all areas of the home are accessible. For example, the snack cupboard in the kitchen is locked, there are no photographs of children and their achievements and creative work are not displayed in communal areas. Instead, these memories and achievements are limited to children's bedrooms. One child spoke about needing to throw some of their artwork away due to running out of space.

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inadequate

The temperature in the home cannot be readily controlled. This is because the two thermostats in the home are encased in locked plastic boxes and no-one working in the home is provided with a key. Children told staff that their bedrooms were too hot. However, the temperature could not be adjusted as radiators do not allow this and staff were unable to adjust thermostats.

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inadequate

Some children have had positive experiences in the home, such as a holiday to a theme park last year and a further holiday is planned for this year. One child engages in after school clubs. This is new and something not previously thought possible.

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

There is not a proactive safeguarding culture in the home and some children have experienced harm as a result. The response to children going missing from the home has not always been good enough. This is because staff accepted that missing from home incidents for children were routine and became normalised. This was influenced by a lack of oversight and direction from managers and a lack of training for staff.

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

Staff were not enabled to follow children’s missing from home protocols at night due to insufficient staffing at the time. Staff were expected to work full day shifts and then work long into the night if there were incidents and if children went missing from the home. On some occasions, staff were too tired to collect children when they had been found by police and on another occasion, staff took a child to a train station knowing that the child would go missing. This was not safe practice and continued for several months until some children were moved on from the home. During this period, no additional support was given to staff to manage the significant risks to children at night. Inspection report children's home: 2605336 5 The arrangements in place to keep children safe online are extremely weak. This is because of insufficient safeguards in place. For instance, when children first move into the home, they have a discussion with the registered manager and sign a

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

contract of expectations regarding the use of digital devices. However, children are entrusted to behave ‘appropriately’ online. This approach places the responsibility on children to keep themselves safe rather than staff. Consequently, a vulnerable child in the home was coerced on a social media platform by an unknown individual. This matter is currently under investigation by external agencies.

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

The language used by staff in relation to children’s experiences and trauma is not child-centred and is often blaming of the child. For example, in relation to the online incidents, some staff said that the child initiated the worst of the discussions that took place. Furthermore, the child received consequences by staff for their ‘inappropriate use’ of their electronic device. There is no record regarding these consequences and there has been no oversight of this by leaders or managers. There was a missed opportunity for staff to discuss and explore this collectively when a team meeting took place just a few days after the incidents. When a discussion eventually did take place, the guidance for staff regarding keeping children safe online remained unclear and the consequences were not explored.

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

Children’s risk management plans following incidents are not consistently reviewed and updated. The plans also lack specific guidance for staff to follow to try to reduce specific risks, such as risks of child sexual exploitation, bullying and online safety. This is not just specific to children’s records. Discussions with staff demonstrate that there are inconsistencies among the staff team regarding the strategies and approaches that should be used to manage risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management oversight of the home is poor. Serious incidents have occurred regularly but leaders and managers have failed to act quickly enough.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monitoring and reviewing systems have failed to identify how staff use consequences to manage children's behaviour. This is because they are often not recorded in the same place, and so get missed from management audits. For example, some staff record a consequence in a daily log and, therefore, leaders and managers are not aware of them. The use of inconsistent and inappropriate consequences is, therefore, not fully recognised or addressed. Furthermore, the monitoring and reviewing systems in place have failed to identify the serious and widespread failings in how the home is operating.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not always fully understand children's individual needs. Some staff mentioned that they find it difficult to relate to a particular child. This is due to them feeling inexperienced in working with children who have learning difficulties, and as a result of only completing generic online training in this area. Inspection report children's home: 2605336 6 The supervision that staff receive is inconsistent and of poor quality. Professional discussions that take place throughout a given month are captured. These are reviewed during a monthly supervision session that is led by a manager or senior staff member. However, these sessions are missed opportunities to fully explore staff well-being and continual professional development, and to fully discuss the children. Regular staff meetings take place. However, children are not routinely discussed at these meetings. Therefore, there is no consistent forum for staff to explore and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

discuss children’s needs and what matters most to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although some reflective practice sessions take place with the clinical team, these are held separately with the leadership and management team and the staff team. There has been no full team reflection on what happened when children’s endings at the home have been poor or when serious events occur. Neither have leaders and managers reviewed this. Therefore, these sessions do not fully capture or recognise serious failures or identify learning for future practice. These are missed opportunities to make further improvements to how well children are cared for and protected. Inspection report children's home: 2605336 7

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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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)) 21 April 2024

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

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; 21 April 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2605336 8 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12(1) (2)(a)(ii)(iv)(v) (b) (d) (e))

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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;

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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; 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)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h)) 21 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

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. 21 April 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2605336 9 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

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

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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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

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; 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)(v)(vi)(vii)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b)) The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 21 April 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2605336 10 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 21 April 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2605336 11 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 (1)(a)(b)(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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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 (4)(a)(b)) 21 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; 21 April 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2605336 12 regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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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(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 21 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

* This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff consistently promote education engagement for all children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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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 children's home: 2605336 13

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Children's home details

Registered provider: The Serendipity Centre Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 1ST Floor, Goodlands House, St. Lukes Close, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2US

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Inspectors

Kelly Marchmont, Regulatory Inspection Manager (lead) Matthew Hedges, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2605336 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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