Children's Home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 1 SC444176 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority and provides care for up to four children. It aims to provide high-quality care that makes children feel safe and enables them to reach their full potential.

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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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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/09/2022 Full Inadequate 15/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 3

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improvement to be good

Children are making some progress. However, there are several shortfalls that include safeguarding concerns that have limited the overall judgement.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and two children have moved in. One child moved out in a positive and planned way. In preparation for the move, the child was supported to learn about bills and budgeting. This helps the child to prepare for adulthood. The child’s move was celebrated with a house barbecue. This helped the child to feel appreciated and boosts their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children make progress with their education. One child had missed a lot of school. Staff have helped the child to understand the importance of education. The child now attends school regularly and is committed to preparing for and taking their GCSEs. The school has recognised the child’s progress with a formal award.

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improvement to be good

Children are provided with age-appropriate leisure activities. One child attends a local youth club three times a week. Children enjoy trips to the beach. One child has learned to ride a bike. These activities provide children with the opportunity to have new, enjoyable experiences.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to spend time with their families and friends regularly. When relationships are difficult, staff provide emotional support to children. The staff help children to maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

The home is furnished well. It is a large building and care has been taken to make it feel cosy and inviting. Books and games are easily accessible for children. This provides a nurturing home for children to live in.

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improvement to be good

Children are not always kept safe because some of the staff do not have the skills to identify when children are potentially unsafe. However, when the manager has become aware of this she has taken immediate steps to address any concerns and prevent future occurrences.

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improvement to be good

One child made two allegations about staff, in regard to changing mood. At the time, the registered manager was not at the home. The member of staff failed to report these allegations to the on-call manager. In one case, this meant a child went on holiday with a member of staff whom they had raised some concerns about. The delay in reporting to managers meant that the local authority designated officer was not consulted in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 4 One child returned home under the influence of substances. Staff did not seek advice from health professionals. It is not clear if the child was checked on at regular intervals. As a result, the child was left in their room for a period of time without any oversight by staff in regard to their health. Although the child did not suffer any serious ill health, potentially they could have done.

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improvement to be good

Staff were alerted to a small fire on the exterior windowsill of a first-floor bedroom. The records indicate that despite being aware of this the staff did not take action for approximately 20 minutes. The manager has taken actions in regard to this delay. However, a child was left in a potentially dangerous situation. Following this incident, the local fire brigade spent time with children on two separate occasions. This provides children with opportunities to learn from their behaviour and understand fire risks.

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improvement to be good

Due to self-harm and missing-from-home risks, one child is with staff at all times. However, there have been occasions when the child has left the building without staff realising this. On two occasions, this had led to the child being missing from the home overnight. This has resulted in the child being in unsafe situations.

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improvement to be good

Generally, children’s risks have reduced since moving to the home. Professionals have confirmed that one child is safer since moving to the home. Staff usually respond quickly to risks of exploitation, including removing mobile phones when necessary. This prevents people who are unsafe from having access to children. Relevant professionals are also involved to ensure a multi-agency response.

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improvement to be good

There is a good premises risk assessment. The manager has provided clear strategies to mitigate any risks associated with the location and address.

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improvement to be good

When consequences are used, a conversation with children about their feelings and actions takes place. This thoughtful and collaborative approach helps children to take responsibility for their actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is suitably experienced and has relevant qualifications. She is committed to supporting children to make progress. The manager is aware of the weaknesses and knows what is needed to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Recently, there has been a high level of staff absence, including the management team. There has not been a sufficient contingency to cover this or provide adequate support for the manager. This means the manager has been covering the work of four other people. This is unsustainable and has led to reduced management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Two staff have left employment. Regular agency staff have been working at the home. New staff have also started working at the home. The new staff have been leading shifts before they have the skills and knowledge to do so. This has led to gaps in safeguarding children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 5 Practice issues have been identified by the manager; however, the response has not been rigorous enough. Managers have not made it clear to individual staff that they have failed to follow risk assessments and have left unsafe situations. These incidents have not been discussed in staff supervision sessions and therefore there has been no opportunity for staff to learn and improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are not being used effectively to help staff to understand contextual safeguarding and understand children’s risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have had safeguarding training. However, they have not been supported to assimilate their learning into their practice effectively. Staff would benefit from substance misuse training to help them know when to seek medical attention for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say that the manager is approachable and supportive. The associated professionals are highly complimentary of the progress that children have made. Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 1 June 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 1 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 7 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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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: SC444176 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Farnham House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage SG1 2ST

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Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC444176 9 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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