Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 1 SC044562 Registered provider: Kisimul Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This service is privately owned and is registered as a children’s home and a residential special school. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision. At the time of this inspection, the home was providing care for 27 disabled children and young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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: SC044562 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2023 Full Good 23/11/2022 Full Good 09/06/2021 Full Good 26/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 13 children have moved into the home and 12 children have left. These were all planned transitions into and on from the home.

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improvement to be good

Due to some changes in the staff team and the frequent use of agency staff, children are not receiving consistent care and support. This has been reported by external professionals and family members as a concern and hinders children’s structure and routines.

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improvement to be good

Changes have been made to the physical environment of the home, such as two lounge/dining areas being created. This provides additional areas in the home for relaxation and mealtimes, which is more in keeping with that of a family home. However, inspectors found that some bedrooms have strong odours and poor ventilation. In addition, not all children’s bedroom windows have appropriate window coverings.

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improvement to be good

Staff value education for children and actively promote this. Children’s attendance at school is excellent. Staff support children at school and accompany them on the walk to school each day. Staff are also creative in utilising different spaces in school where children learn. As a result, children’s engagement is good. This means that children arrive at school happy and ready for the day ahead and learning.

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improvement to be good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are well thought out and personalised to the child. The managers understand the importance of child-centred transitions. They carefully consider the needs of children moving into the home alongside the needs of those already residing at the home. Children visit the home before moving in. Therefore, people are familiar to them when they arrive. Children’s bedrooms are decorated in line with their wishes, interests and tastes.

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improvement to be good

The children spend time with their family and the people who are close to them. This is supported and promoted by managers and staff. Some staff have developed good relationships with families and carers. This means that children are suppotred to maintain their relationships with people who are important to them. Parents said that communication has not always been consistent, although this has improved in recent months.

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improvement to be good

The care plan for one child did not reflect the child’s health needs and how these are currently being managed, including the frequency in which dressings need to be changed. Staff had not been recording when wound dressings had been changed, which made it difficult for staff to know when this was required and hindered their ability to meet the child’s health needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 4 Children and staff have regular meetings and consultations to capture the children’s views, wishes and feelings. The manager also ensures that children have regular access to an independent advocacy service. This ensures that each child’s voice is heard. The advocates also carry out bespoke pieces of work with children, such as around making choices, feeling safe and understanding how to raise any concerns they might have.

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improvement to be good

Not all reports written about children use language that is sensitive to the children. For example, one child informed staff that his arm hurt following an incident. This information is not included in the debrief carried out with the child. The report lacks a child-centred approach and empathy to the child.

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improvement to be good

There have been many incidents requiring staff to physically restrain children. However, these have recently started to reduce. The recording and reporting of restraint incidents do not always provide a clear account of the events. For example, one report referred to a child being restrained while standing but then referred to the child being on the floor. It is not clear from the report how the child was safely supported during this time. Other reports have factual inaccuracies, which obscures independent oversight.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, an older child was able to leave the home undetected and was not found for 20 minutes. The child was found on a main road by a member of the public, who alerted the home. This incident occurred because of poor communication between staff and the child not being supervised. Missing-from-care procedures are not yet rigorous and do not provide specific guidance to staff on the action they must take in the event of a child going missing. There was also an occasion when a child left the home and was able to access an unoccupied building on site when staff lost sight of him.

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improvement to be good

Staff say that they do not always feel safe. This is because there is high reliance on agency staff, and not enough staff are allocated to each area of the home to enable children to be supported at their allocated ratio of staff to children. This has the potential to place children at increased risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always sufficiently vigilant. One child was observed in the garden for a period of 20 minutes without staff supervision. Inspectors had to intervene and bring this to the attention of management. Similarly, another child left their allocated member of staff to access their bedroom and was able to enter another child’s room unnoticed. Inspectors had to raise this with a member of staff.

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improvement to be good

The manager has worked with external safeguarding professionals in managing allegations.

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improvement to be good

All staff conduct issues have been investigated, and appropriate action has been taken. Safe recruitment practices mean that staff employed to work with children have been assessed as suitable. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 5 There have been incidents when children have hurt other children and, on occasion, children have been injured. There is also an impact on children witnessing incidents where staff and other children were being harmed. However, staff have now carried out extensive work with children to improve peer relationships, and the managers have reviewed communal areas which are shared by children to ensure better compatibility.

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improvement to be good

In the event of an incident occurring, staff use a radio to call for support from other staff and wait for them to arrive. This leaves staff and the child vulnerable and at increased risk of harm. One incident that occurred required the support of four members of staff, leaving reduced staff ratios in other areas of the home.

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

The manager is highly experienced and has a warm and nurturing relationship with the children. She is a strong advocate for the children in her care. She knows the children well and provides a consistent and stable presence.

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

Staff development is encouraged. Staff receive mandatory training, such as safeguarding and health and safety. Supplementary learning is also available and supports staff to develop their knowledge and enhance their ability to meet the needs of the children in their care.

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

The manager’s oversight has been hindered because of recent changes within the management structure. The manager has not been able to identify some shortfalls in records, this is in relation to the quality of care and outcomes for children.

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

At times, staff have faced difficult situations with staffing resources not being appropriately allocated, which has resulted in low morale’. Communication in the team is not always effective. For example, one member of staff did not receive a handover on returning to work after a period of absence and was not aware of changes to a child’s health needs and required treatment.

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

There are occasions when staffing ratios have not been adhered to. This has left staff feeling vulnerable and unable to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. On a number of occasions, there were six children to two members of staff, which is not in line with allocated ratios and has also been reported as a concern by parents and professionals.

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

Staff attend regular team meetings. However, they feel that these take place in a structured environment and do not allow for reflective discussions or feedback. Staff say that they have not attended meetings and have been asked to sign to say that they agree with the agenda. This does not allow for an environment that supports staff to be reflective.

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

The manager advocates on behalf of children. She has challenged external agencies effectively when children have not received the support and services they need to make progress. The manager has utilised processes to ensure that agencies are accountable Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 6 for their actions, children are treated in a fair way and concerns are escalated in a timely manner.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff are vigilant and know the whereabouts of each child. There must be clear communication when a staff member needs to leave an area so that staff know they are responsible for supervising and caring for the child. It also relates to ensuring that rooms are well ventilated and cleaned and that there are adequate window coverings in children’s bedrooms. 16 September 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— 16 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 7 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 the staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provide in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the required staff-to- children ratios are maintained and that staff are provided with all the required information to meet each child’s needs. It also relates to ensuring that staff work together as a team to provide consistency of care to children.

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Recommendation

 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 individual 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 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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 8 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: SC044562 9

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kisimul Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Vicarage, High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln LN6 9LU

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Inspectors

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Linda Mason, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 10 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

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