Children's Home run by McRae Residential Care Services Limited in Croydon

Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 1 SC025813 Registered provider: McRae Residential Care Services Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to eight boys who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in March 2007.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: 6 September 2023

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/09/2023 Full Outstanding 01/11/2022 Full Good 24/02/2022 Full Outstanding 15/01/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, where the home was judged outstanding, the quality of care, help and protection, and management oversight has declined. Children’s overall experiences and progress have been hindered due to insufficient attention to their safety and welfare.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff lack the necessary skills to manage relationships between the children and to prevent harm. The consequent lack of sufficiently effective support has left some children both feeling vulnerable, and at risk.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Care plans for children are often missing essential details and do not always provide staff with consistently clear guidance on how to meet the children’s individual needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The process of moving children into the home is poorly managed, leading to children being placed in the home before their needs are fully assessed, and without considering the needs of the children already living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health plans are not kept up to date, resulting in staff lacking sufficient knowledge of the children’s health needs and how to address them. On one occasion, this lack of oversight led to a child not receiving the appropriate medical support when concerns arose about their physical health.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite these shortfalls, staff have a stronger focus on the importance of learning, consequently children are making progress with their education. Three children are doing well at college and another child is receiving bespoke one-to-one support. One child is receiving support that is helping to develop their independence in preparation for adulthood.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

All the children can take part in various activities, and last year were able to go on holiday, which they enjoyed. These varied opportunities help to create positive memories for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children participate in house meetings, which provide them with opportunities to discuss various topics that have an impact on their daily lives and offer a platform for giving feedback. In contrast, the independent visitor who attends the home regularly does not consistently gain feedback from children, parents or professionals. Managers were unaware of this until this was raised during the inspection. This hinders the independent overview of the home and reduces leaders’ oversight and understanding of children’s experiences. Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 4

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The inadequate understanding of risk management in the home has led to an escalation in incidents, placing children at risk of physical or emotional harm. For example, one child informed staff that they were threatened by another child in the home with a knife. Despite the child’s expressed fears, staff did not take adequate action to support the child and to build relationships between the children. This failure resulted in the child receiving malicious texts and feeling increasingly unsafe in their home.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

When children go missing from the home, staff do not consistently follow established procedures. At times, there have been insufficient numbers of staff to collect children when they have been found by the police. In addition, leaders have not ensured that children returning from a period of being missing are always offered a return home interview to fully understand the reasons children were away from their care.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children’s risk assessments lack critical details, leaving staff without essential information to ensure their safety. For instance, when a child with a history of bullying other children moved into the home, there was no consideration of staff skills to minimise the risk of bullying.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The absence of thorough assessments has resulted in children with a history of exploitation continuing to be at risk.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders have failed to identify gaps in the safe recruitment process, resulting in essential checks lacking the required level of assessment to determine whether staff are fit to work with children. For example, one member of staff had a 12-year employment gap with no explanations.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders have not ensured that the home is maintained to ensure that children are safe. In the garden, a child’s toolbox was not locked away, despite there being concerns about some children’s use of weapons in the home. In addition, some areas of the home need repair or attention.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not maintained effective oversight of children’s records. This has led to a significant decline in the quality of children’s records and plans. The home’s recording systems are not well understood by staff or leaders, and information is not readily accessible.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is responsible for two children’s home. They have delegated the daily oversight and management of this home to a home manager. This has resulted in a lack of accountability for the day-to-day care of children and the home is not functioning in line with its statement of purpose. In addition, not all relevant incidents are notified to Ofsted in line with regulatory requirement. Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 5 Staff are largely inexperienced and are not working as a team, leading to gaps in the quality of care and children’s needs going unmet.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The absence of leadership oversight has resulted in staff lacking the necessary experience and skills to meet the children’s needs. Additionally, records show that not all staff have completed the training noted as mandatory by leaders or training specific to the needs of children living in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers cannot provide evidence that the registered manager or home manager are receiving regular supervision. Supervision arrangements for staff are inconsistent and not child focused. Leaders and managers are unable to demonstrate that staff receive yearly appraisals.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings are irregular, and discussions about children are not always properly actioned or followed up to ensure children’s needs are met. There is a lack of oversight of the quality and accuracy of children’s records, and leaders and managers cannot provide evidence that they review these records to ensure they are correct and well- maintained. Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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)(iii)(iv)(vi)(d)) 31 March 2025

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 31 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 7 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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

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)(b)(c)(d)(f)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 25 April 2025

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 25 April 2025

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep under review and, as necessary, revise the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 34 (6))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure the missing policy is up to date. In addition, they must ensure staff have access to the revised missing policy, which supports them to 25 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 8 follow and understand the missing protocol when children are missing from the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

p.8

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.8

Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must keep children’s records up to date and ensure information in children’s files is clear and accessible. 25 April 2025

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.8

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.8

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (b)(e)) 25 April 2025

p.8

Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

p.8

Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 25 April 2025

p.8

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.8

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: SC025813 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: McRae Residential Care Services Limited

p.9

Inspectors

Ruth Okezie, Social Care Inspector Chelsea Agyeman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC025813 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.

p.9

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10