Children's Home run by Barnardo’s in Oxfordshire

SC013143 Unique reference number 21 June 2010 Inspection date Michael Williams Inspector Random Type of Inspection

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26 November 2009 Date of last inspection .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 6 Inspection Report: SC013143

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Brief description of the service

This service is run by a national charity for vulnerable children. It provides care and accommodation for a group of young people who are learning disabled and can exhibit challenging behaviour. It is the only full-time care provision for disabled children in the county, and has spaces for five children. At the time of this inspection, four young people were receiving long-term care and one was receiving shared-care at the home. It is located not far from the centre of town and has its own car park and garden area. All accommodation for children is on the ground floor, as are the staff offices.

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Summary

This was an unannounced interim inspection. Its focus was to follow up the recommendation from the home's previous interim inspection in November 2009, and to re-inspect the staying safe outcome for children. Its main findings are that the previous recommendation has been implemented and that the staying safe outcome area is satisfactory, or sound.

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Summary

Sound aspects of the home's practice to help children stay safe include: the privacy given to each young person; the individualised complaints information for each young person; the continual focus on safeguarding; the countering of bullying and management of behaviour; and the safety and security measures.

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Summary

No action is required or recommended. The overall quality rating is satisfactory. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last inspection recommended that the home's risk assessments for each young person are dated, so that staff know they are up to date. This inspection found that the home had made this improvement, which is reported in the helping children to stay safe section.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Young people's privacy is respected and their information is securely stored and confidentially handled. Each young person accommodated has their own bedroom, and is discouraged from entering other young people's bedrooms. Young people can lock their bedroom doors to ensure privacy; staff are able to access bedrooms in an emergency. Young people's information, held in both electronic and paper records, is securely stored.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people and their parents know how to complain if they are unhappy with any aspect of the home. The home has a formal complaints procedure and has developed individualised complaints information for each young person, using Widgit symbols. Staff can use the latter with young people if they are feeling unhappy about anything. Most commonly these complaints are about other young people's behaviour. Since the last inspection, the home has not received 4 of 6 Inspection Report: SC013143 any formal complaints and only a few informal complaints from young people. These complaints are logged, dealt with appropriately, and monitored by the Registered Manager or her deputy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are protected from abuse and an appropriate response is made to any allegation or suspicion of abuse. The home follows their provider's protocol in relation to safeguarding and protecting children. For example, safeguarding is a set agenda item at staff team meetings and in staff supervision. Body forms are readily available for staff to complete and pass on if necessary to record injuries. The home's safeguarding practice was recently audited and found to be sound by the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are protected from bullying. It is countered in part by staff at the home working on a one to one basis with young people, and by young people being encouraged to complain about it. This high ratio of staff to young people, coupled with the young people's learning disabilities and the mechanism for opening the home's external doors, means that young people have not been absent from the home without consent.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are assisted to develop socially acceptable behaviour, through encouragement of acceptable behaviour and constructive staff response to inappropriate behaviour. The home has an individual behaviour plan for each young person, which in one instance included staff guidelines for a young person's positive behaviour chart. The home follows their provider's protocol for reporting incidents. Incidents that involve staff using physical intervention and measures of control are then recorded as required, in a volume kept for that purpose. The Registered Manager commented that the needs of the young people at the home explains the high number of incidents recorded since the last inspection. The inspector saw this to be the case, but will evaluate this more fully during the key inspection of the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Positive steps are taken to keep young people, staff and visitors safe from the risk from fire and other hazards. The home has implemented the recommendation previously reported, to date each young person's risk assessment so that staff know they are current. The home has a profile on each young person, that includes their individual risk assessment with the date it was completed and to be reviewed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The selection and vetting of all staff working with young people in the home was not inspected on this occasion. New staff have started work at the home since the last inspection, but their complete recruitment records are held at the home's head office. The inspector will therefore arrange to inspect this key standard during the home's key inspection.

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Organisation

The organisation is not judged. 5 of 6 Inspection Report: SC013143

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Childrens Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

There are no recommendations. 6 of 6 Inspection Report: SC013143

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