Children's Home run by Action for Children Services Ltd in Buckinghamshire

Unique reference number SC424103 Inspection date 28/06/2013 Inspector Bridget Goddard Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/10/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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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Brief description of the service

This is a short-breaks service run by a national charitable childcare organisation. The home accommodates up to eight children and young people with disabilities. The young people’s needs range from moderate to severe learning disabilities with associated physical, health and sensory impairment and/or complex multiple needs.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people achieve satisfactory outcomes in this home, and some make good progress. This helps them be as independent as possible. However, the home does not monitor young people's progress sufficiently. Generally, the quality of care offered is responsive to young people's individual needs and sensitively delivered, but occasionally the quality can be inconsistent. However, local authority colleagues and parents think highly of the quality of care offered. Young people are kept safe and enjoy a variety of suitable activities.

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Overall effectiveness

There are some significant staffing shortfalls which have has resulted insufficient monitoring of the quality of care. Pre-stay planning and effective safeguarding training are also areas for development. However, it has not directly impacted on young people's well -being.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that proper provision is made for the care of children accommodated in the home. This particularly refers to pre-stay planning in relation to resources, activities and food (Regulation 11(1)(b)) 02/09/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed receive appropriate training, particularly in regard to safeguarding; and appropriate supervision (Regulation 27(4)(a)) 02/09/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the registered person establishes and maintains a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals which improves the quality of care provided. (Regulation 34(1)(a)(b)) 02/09/2013

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that each child's plan is monitored by a key worker within the home who ensures that the requirements of the plan are implemented in the day-to-day care of that child. This specifically relates to ensuring that children's progress on their targets is routinely tracked and monitored (NMS 25.2)  ensure there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring fire safety in the home (NMS 21.1)  ensure that there is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping and take action when needed (NMS 22.1)  ensure that the statement of purpose is updated to ensure clarity. (NMS 13.1)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Generally, young people enjoy their stay and make reasonable progress in developing their skills and self-confidence. Some young people make very good progress. For example, they learn fundamental self-help skills such as toileting independently and being wary of traffic. This means that they are more able to live with others in an inclusive environment. Other young people learn life skills around personal hygiene and this helps them prepare to live as independently as possible. However, although young peoples' progress is discussed at their reviews, it is not clearly tracked and monitored in between. This lack of systematic monitoring means that young people may miss out on opportunities to develop or maintain skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people communicate their views and wishes in a variety of ways, and generally staff are able to meet reasonable preferences. For example, wherever possible young people are able to choose their favourite bedroom. However, young people are not always able to enjoy their favourite pastime as pre-stay preparation is insufficiently thorough.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health needs are soundly met. The home has recently developed additional resources to meet young people's complex health needs, and this means that they are more likely to be well-met. While staying at the home, young people continue to benefit from regular school attendance. The home maintains appropriate working relationships with schools, attending reviews and sometimes observing young people in class. This helps provide some continuity of care between settings.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home also works closely with parents. Their views are routinely sought on young people's care and communication books are available for each stay. Young people benefit from this team approach to meeting their needs.

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Quality of care

Parents and local authority colleagues are generally happy with the care offered by this home. Parents say that their children are always happy to come and stay. Local authority colleagues praise the home's 'team approach' and 'good standard of care'. However, there is some inconsistent practice by staff which means that sometimes young people have a variable care experience. For example, lack of individualized preparation for stays, can result in avoidable behavioural issues. Staff are generally well-attuned to young peoples needs and appropriately respectful about the young people they work with. They are keen to promote both dignity and privacy and are appropriately sensitive when delivering personal care or dealing with challenge. However at stressful times practice, can be inconsistent.

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Quality of care

Staff are skilled at deciding which groups of young people attend together. Local authority colleagues note that this careful balancing of young people's needs is a clear strength of this home. This means that young people are more likely to have a positive care experience in that for example, loud and active young people are not matched with those who find noise distressing.

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Quality of care

Young people have a strong presence in this home, with their personal pictures on their bedroom door and their drawings on the wall. The premises and garden are spacious and adequately maintained. This means that young people can take full advantage of the generous space to play football, computer games or quietly watch television or do artwork. At weekends particularly, young people enjoy cooking and trips out and external groups offer occasional creative activities. Generally, young people are able to follow the activity of their choice and get the routine that they prefer.

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Quality of care

Placement plans are clearly and succinctly expressed. Usually, staff are very aware of the content of placement plans and use these to generally guide everyday care. Other agency colleagues praise staff for their regular attendance at relevant meetings about young people, and their reliable completion of reports. Staff appropriately meet young people's health needs, in that they receive extra training on specific medical conditions and are then supported to put this in place. There are sound medication procedures which involve two-person dispensing and regular skill re-assessment.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is adequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people demonstrate that they feel safe in the home by their generally relaxed and trusting behaviour. Staff have an appropriate understanding of behaviour management, and look to de-escalate situations as much as they can. Generally, they look at the young person's mood and then try to be as flexible and positive as possible. This strategy is usually successful in that numbers of restraints are low. Recording of these occasions is accurately done, but is very detailed and repetitive. This means that important detail may be overlooked.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are also appropriately protected by safe premises and routine health and safety checks. Although fire checks and drills are sufficient to protect young people, they are not always done in line with the charity's policy. All young people do have their own personal fire evacuation plan, which details their particular needs in case of a fire. Staff do have appropriate knowledge of safeguarding and have a sound understanding of what to do in safeguarding situations. However, although this does not have a direct impact on the well-being of young people, staff do not feel as well-prepared and knowledgeable as they would like.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Good staffing ratios and appropriate security mean that young people do not usually go missing. However, the home is prepared for such an event with appropriate procedures, and sound relationships with local police.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate .

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Leadership and management

There have been no complaints since the last inspection, and the management team have effective systems for obtaining feedback at reviews. The Statement of Purpose has been reviewed but still contains minor shortfalls . The manager has effectively reviewed the children's guide and it is now an appropriate and useful document. There is an adequate development plan in place. The manager has successfully met the requirement from the last inspection and most of the recommendations. The recommendation relating to reviewing and updating to the statement of purpose has been repeated. Most young people's records are succinct and clear.

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Leadership and management

There are some significant shortfalls in staffing, particularly in relation to management and support posts. One effect of this is that supervision responsibilities are now shared between a smaller number of management staff. However, staff are generally positive about their supervision and appraisal sessions. Most are completed in line with the charity's policy, but some are not. This means that there are reduced opportunities to discuss individual practice issues regarding young people. Recruitment is now underway for an administrator, but a senior post remains unfilled. These vacancies have clearly had some negative impact on the day-to-day running of the home, but young people have continued to be appropriately cared for.

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Leadership and management

Although monthly visits to monitor the conduct of the home in line with Regulation 33 visits have continued and are sound; there is a shortfall with regard to routine management monitoring in line with Regulation 34; particularly in relation to file audits. This means that there has been insufficient scrutiny in relation to policy and practice compliance, and lack of identification of patterns and trends.

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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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