Children's home run by St. Benedict’s Care Solutions Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 1 Registered provider: St. Benedicts Care Solutions Ltd

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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 owned by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children lived at the home. All three children were present during the inspection and engaged with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in June 2024. The post is vacant.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no responsible individual.

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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 inadequate

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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: 2688362 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/01/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 3

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home have had an impact on the overall experiences and progress of children.

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, there has been no change to the children living in the home. All three children have lived in the home for over a year and are settled. They have formed positive relationships with the staff and each other.

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improvement to be good

The physical condition of the home needs attention to meet good standards. For example, carpets in the children’s bedrooms are stained and one carpet has a large burn mark. There are marks and damage to walls and doors throughout the home. Children’s bedrooms are not personalised, and the draws in one child’s dressing table are screwed shut. Fire doors do not shut properly. One child described the sensory room as ‘horrible’. A lack of attention to the upkeep of the home detracts from children living in warm and welcoming environment.

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improvement to be good

Each child has a preferred way of communicating with others. However, staff do not consistently engage with the children in line with their chosen methods of communication. This is a missed opportunity to enable children to express their views and ensure that they are fully consulted about their care.

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improvement to be good

Internal plans for the children’s day to day care are not consistently updated to reflect known information or when things change. This means that staff do not have access to clear and current guidance about children’s needs and how they can best support children.

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improvement to be good

Children are attending education and are making progress. One child has recently had a short story published in a book. The child is extremely proud of this, and their achievement has been celebrated by the staff.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a variety of activities, both inside and outside of the home. They have recently enjoyed a seaside holiday and have undertaken trips to a safari park and local speedway. One child attends a dodgeball group, which helps to enhance their social skills.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with their families. This ensures that children maintain relationships with people who are important to them. One parent informed the inspector that they always feel welcome when they visit the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 4

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improvement to be good

The children told the inspector that they feel safe living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk management plans do not consider all the known risks to children and their vulnerabilities. As a result, staff do not always have the knowledge or necessary guidance to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff responses to behaviours that are difficult to manage do not always demonstrate an understanding of the child’s previous experiences and trauma, and this has caused further emotional distress to the child. For example, one staff member threatened that they would call the police if the child continued with their behaviours. This did not provide the child with nurturing care.

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improvement to be good

Staff only use physical restraint when it is necessary to safeguard children and others. Following being held, children are not always spoken to or given the opportunity to talk about the physical intervention. This is a missed opportunity for children’s wishes and feelings to be heard and for children to understand the reasons for them being held.

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improvement to be good

The registered provider has not ensured that recruitment processes are safe. For example, recruitment records do not always contain a full employment history. Where there are gaps in employment, the manager has not taken sufficient action to explore them. This means that potentially unsuitable adults could be employed at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the children to understand risks in the community and how to make safe decisions. For one child, this has led to a gradual increase in the time that they can spend alone in the community as part of their independence plan.

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improvement to be good

There are clear procedures in place for the safe storage and administration of medicines. This ensures that children receive their medication in a safe and correct way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager post has been vacant since June 2024. A new manager has been appointed and arrangements are being made for them to commence in post. The deputy manager is overseeing the management of the home in the interim. A new responsible individual took up post but has since left. Ofsted was not notified about this responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management oversight and monitoring of the home are weak. Leaders have not identified shortfalls in the quality of care for children, the home environment, safeguarding practice or record-keeping. Consequently, managers do not have sufficient insight into the quality of the care provided to the children and how this needs to be improved. Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 5 The registered provider has failed to ensure that managers and staff have regular supervision. This means that the manager and staff are not being provided with an essential opportunity to reflect on the children’s care, their practice or any professional development needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are shortfalls in staff training. For example, staff have not received training that is specific to the individual needs of children living in the home. This does not support the continuing professional development of staff to ensure that they have the relevant skills to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Professionals have mixed views about children’s care. One social worker described staff as supportive. However, another child’s social worker said that there had been a decline in communication from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 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 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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there is sufficient monitoring of all aspects of the day-to-day running of the home, and that staff have training that is specific to the individual needs of children living in the home. 14 October 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— that staff— 14 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 7 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

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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must make sure that all known risks to children are identified and explained, and that there is clear guidance for staff that they follow. .

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must make sure that children are provided with a clean, hygienic and safe home environment.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered provider much ensure that children’s care plans are reviewed and updated in line with their individual needs. 14 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 6 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 8 The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff are safely recruited.

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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

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

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 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated. 14 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation

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Requirement Due date

any change in the identity of the responsible individual; (Regulation 49 (e)(iii)) 14 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 9

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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: 2688362 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St. Benedicts Care Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6a George Street, Nottingham NG1 3BE

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Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2688362 11 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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