Children's home run by Lavender Grove Cares Ltd

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 1 Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares

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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 provides care for up to three children aged between five and 18 with complex social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection and one child was spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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Inspection date: 18 February 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection took place in response to concerns raised with Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection. The child spoke to the inspector. Since the last inspection, two children have moved in, and two children have moved out of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to fully assess the risks of children moving into the home and the emerging risks that became apparent. This has significantly contributed to a serious safeguarding incident between two children. This incident then resulted in the unplanned ending of the placement for one of the children.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have failed to ensure the safety and well-being of the children through effective supervision of the children, despite being aware of the risks.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to report significant incidents to the placing authority. On one occasion, a child was drinking alcohol in their bedroom. On another occasion, a child left the home and asked a shopkeeper to call a taxi for them. The child’s social worker was not informed of these incidents until the social worker either visited the home or the child told them. This significantly compromises the placing authority’s ability to monitor the day-to-day care and safety of the child. Consequently, feedback from a social worker was negative. A social worker said: ‘I would never place another child in this home.’

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager is due to leave the home, having been away from the home for a period of time. They were not present during this inspection. A new manager has been appointed. However, their oversight of the home has not yet been effective. A child smokes in their bedroom, affecting their health and compromising the safety of others at the home. Leaders and managers’ response and oversight of this is poor. The staff failed to remove smoking-related items to prevent the child from smoking. This affects children’s quality of care and experiences.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been significant delays in children receiving debriefs following physical interventions. When debriefs take place, leaders and managers lack professional curiosity in exploring children’s responses when children are unhappy with the intervention. This significantly reduces the likelihood that any staff practice weaknesses are identified and addressed.

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Findings from the inspection

When children go missing from the home, staff follow their individual missing protocols. However, on some occasions children have not received independent return home interviews. When return home interviews are completed, leaders and managers do not review records of these interviews, which means that opportunities Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 3 may be missed to understand why children go missing and to reduce these incidents.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager submitted a quality of care review report to Ofsted. However, the report does not contain any feedback from children about their care. This makes it difficult to assess what impact children have on the development of the home and the quality of care. Furthermore, the report does not contain feedback from staff, families or professionals. This limits the quality, depth and value of the review.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff enable the children to take part in activities, hobbies and leisure interests, and children speak positively about these activities.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are making progress with their education from their starting points. They access education with support tailored to their individual needs. Staff encourage children to persevere with education and work through challenges. Staff also encourage and support children to engage in age-appropriate independence skills.

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Findings from the inspection

Feedback from staff spoken to during the inspection was positive. Staff say they feel fulfilled in their role and are supported by the management team. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2024 Full Good 20/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 5

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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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure good oversight of the quality of care and experiences of children, ensuring that the home’s environment is stable and safe for children. 31 March 2025

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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; 31 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 6 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand their roles in safeguarding and supervising children and make arrangements to protect children from harm.

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should only accept children into the home when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and when they have fully considered the impact on the existing group of children. 31 March 2025

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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 31 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 7 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children and staff are spoken to following each incident of physical intervention and that information obtained is scrutinised to identify if any follow-up action is required.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5 (a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that relevant information about children is shared with children’s placing authorities without delay. 31 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b) (5)) 31 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Information provided by such interviews should be considered when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Gothic Cottage, Moreton Road, Ongar CM5 0EZ

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Inspector

Anver Rose, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2569520 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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