Children's home run by Utopia Supported Housing

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2748091 1 Registered provider: Utopia Supported Housing

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to six children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. No children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last full inspection, the registered manager has left their post.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the provider’s action against the compliance notices that were reissued following the previous monitoring visit on 4 June 2024. Both compliance notices were deemed to be met following this visit. This is because the provider has taken the necessary steps to address the serious and widespread shortfalls. Furthermore, the threshold for the restriction of accommodation is no longer met, therefore this has been lifted.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have carried out a learning review of the previous management shortfalls in relation to safeguarding children. This has included a review of all incidents, allegations and risk plans for the children who have lived at the home since it opened.

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This monitoring visit

Following this review, an action plan has been devised by senior leaders. The action plan identifies the steps that need to be taken to address the widespread shortfalls and to ensure that there is learning and reflection. For example, there has been extensive development of the staffing team. This has included structural changes to the team to ensure that the home’s culture and ethos are fully understood by staff.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has ensured that all allegations have been identified and has taken the appropriate steps to report and investigate the concerns raised by children. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2748091 2 Following the provider’s review of events, senior leaders have ensured that notifications of all serious incidents that have occurred since the home opened have been made retrospectively to Ofsted and the local authority safeguarding team.

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This monitoring visit

The senior leadership team has worked together to understand where things have not worked well. This includes reviewing all children’s care planning from the point that the children were referred to the home. They have sought feedback from the children’s social workers and the staff team to review what went well and what could have been done better. They have used this feedback to ensure that this learning is reflected in the home’s policies, procedures and statement of purpose. The senior leadership team has also used the identified learning to develop appropriate monitoring systems that enable leaders and managers to have more effective oversight of the home. This is to ensure that children receive good care.

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This monitoring visit

The current senior leadership team consists of the responsible individual, operations manager and a service manager. Both the operations and service managers have the necessary skills and experience to support the management of the home in the interim period. A new manager has been appointed and is due to start their employment shortly.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have reviewed the ways in which children are able to share their views. This is to ensure that children feel valued and that staff have the skills to listen to children and act on their feedback.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have invested time and provided training, development opportunities and resources for the staff team. This has enabled staff to develop the required skills and experience to support the children’s needs as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

New staff who have joined the home have received a thorough induction and feel the training provided has been helpful and supportive. This has helped them to be ready for when a child moves into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Processes to ensure that staff are fully vetted before they commence employment are not yet embedded. For example, a new employee’s original Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate has not been viewed or documented. Therefore, this requirement is repeated.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/04/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2748091 3

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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 recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that original DBS certificates for new staff are seen and that a record of this is made. 25 August 2024

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2748091 4

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Utopia Supported Housing

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: English Room, Old Free School, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Lauren Mercurius-Mascoll

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Inspector

Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2748091 5 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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