Children's Home run by Anna House Limited in Havering

Unique reference number SC058603 Inspection date 28/08/2013 Inspector Sharon Lewis Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately-operated children's home provides short break care for up to six children and young people with physical and learning disabilities.

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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 good .

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Overall effectiveness

Children benefit from a consistently good short break service. There is a culture of celebrating each young person's strengths and providing personalised care which helps them maximise their potential. Children respond well to the supportive, nurturing environment and are making considerable progress. This is underpinned by high quality support and care planning. Children participate in qualitative activities, which increase their social and life skills. In addition to promoting their independence, calming their moods and improving their communication. Children display a sense of ease and happiness in their surroundings. They look forward to their short breaks and their parents are appreciative of the service.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff demonstrate a very competent understanding of safeguarding and safe working practices. There is good continuity of care and partnership working with schools. Placing authorities are regularly updated and find correspondence particularly helpful. Children benefit from an enthusiastic and experienced staff team. High staffing levels meets children's individual and collective needs. Children receive care from staff that are continually trained to effectively meet their needs. Leadership and management arrangements are strong and there is a passionate desire to provide a high quality service for children. Recommendations have been made to further improve the staff appraisal and service development process.

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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

 take into account children's views in the staff performance appraisals process (NMS 19.6)  produce a written development plan for the future of the home. (NMS 15.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children are able to flourish and they benefit from good outcomes. Professionals comment that children are 'doing well'. Children demonstrate greater maturity, calmness and socially acceptable behaviour. They are thriving within a stable, empowering environment, maximising their potential. Children enjoy their short breaks and are making substantial progress in relation to their starting points. Parents comment on the positive changes in their child. Examples are an increased vocabulary and use of communication aids. This promotes their choices and self- expression.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Psychiatrists highlight that children's moods have stabilised since being at the children's home. This contributes to their emotional well-being. Children are now more continent, mobile, sociable, have improved independence skills, table manners and sleeping patterns. This increases their self-esteem as they are making choices, expressing themselves and verbalising their needs. Children learn to develop a strong self-identity, taking pride in their cultural and national heritage. This includes undertaking valued life story work and documenting memories.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children have the opportunity of engaging in extensive activities internally and in their local and wider community. This provides opportunities for their personal development and fulfilment. Individualised and group programmes offer a fun way of children expressing themselves and enjoying a wide variety of experiences. Programmes take account of their interests, preferences and a desire to nurture their talents. They enjoy arts and crafts, going to the cinema, bowling, going to parks, farms and to the seaside. Children state they enjoy 'going on the bus' and being 'taken out'. They also enjoy celebrating their birthdays, a range of festivals and key events.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children are achieving educationally. This is recognised by professionals, who are impressed with their efforts and steady progress. Achievements are recognised both within school and at the home. Children receive awards from their schools highlighting their improved performance. They also receive certificates from the home, an example being in recognition of their co-operation and social skills. Children actively engage with staff to undertake their homework they also enjoy reading together.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children benefit from having appropriate contact with their families. Family, friends and other significant persons can pop into the home to visit while they are on their breaks. This is due to the home's 'open door policy'. Children keep in contact by phone and they enjoy socialising with their families and professionals at social events; an example being the home's barbecue. Children have the assurance that contact, promotes their best interests due to the close monitoring of arrangements by staff.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Personal development and promoting independent living skills is a key aspect of the service. Children receive support from an early age to develop life skills, in preparation for adulthood. They learn independent living skills which build on their self-worth. This includes attending to their personal care, shopping, money management, baking, making snacks, drinks bed making, laying and clearing the table, tidying their room, doing their laundry, watering the gardening and other household skills. Children's participation in these tasks is dependent on their ability. Statutory reviews highlight that children are 'more independent'. Children learn to take responsibility for the environment and make a positive contribution to society. They assist with recycling within the home and assist with feeding the animals when visiting the farm.

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Quality of care

The short break service provides an enriching experience for children. The service focuses on improving their life chances and uniquely empowering them and supporting their families. Staff sensitively care for children and have a strong awareness of their diverse needs. Children have positive attachments with staff; the quality of interactions staff have with children is sensitive and respectful. Staff demonstrate good communication skills, particularly in relation to responding to non- verbal cues. Social workers highlight that staff are 'very capable' and have a 'good understanding of young people'. Staff state, that they 'love interacting and supporting children, meeting their needs.' They feel the service they are offering is 'pretty good'.

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Quality of care

Staff work significantly well with placing authorities and schools. An example of this is the life skills work with the child which is part of their pathway plan and links in with school objectives. Care planning comprehensively details the child's specific needs and their morning, day and night time routine. Expectations of children are realistic and achievable. This takes into account their disability, race, culture, religion, communication and behavioural needs. Care planning acknowledges children's abilities and unique qualities and is subject to regular reviews. Children produce their own pictorial person centred plan with staff support. This complements the home's and the placing authority plans. Children’s files fully detail and evaluate their progress.

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Quality of care

Children influence decision making, through exercising their daily choices and key work meetings. Children benefit from the home's close working relationship with parents. This enables staff to have a better understanding of children, their preferences and specific needs.

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Quality of care

Children benefit from good health care arrangements with strong links with supporting health professionals. Staff are able to manage a wide range of health conditions. They receive the necessary training to effectively respond to health needs; an example being specific training in relation to gastro feeding. The home encourages children to lead a healthy lifestyle in relation to diet and exercise. Children learn the importance of good nutrition; they enjoy a wide range of international, appetising nutritious meals. Personal preferences, religious traditions and allergies are catered for; this includes gluten free and halal diets. The diverse staff team is also able to meet particular cultural needs regarding preparing traditional foods. Children incorporate exercise in their daily routines. They regularly enjoy going for leisurely walks, swimming and trampolining.

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Quality of care

Children reside in a homely, comfortable maintained building. The environment takes into account children's disabilities. The ground floor is suitable for wheelchair users, hoists are available in these bedrooms. Children have adapted bathrooms, shower chairs, handrails and adjustable beds. The front entrance and the rear access to the garden both have built in ramps. Throughout the premises are photographs of children engaging in fun activities and their art work is also on display. The entrance area also has photographs of staff, which aids children with familiarisation.

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Quality of care

Children have their own bedrooms, which are suitably furnished and decorated to reflect their needs and personalities. Children have access to a range of communal areas. They enjoy relaxing in the main lounge, playing with toys or watching television. Children can also enjoy playing in the garden, which has a trampoline, lawn and patio area. Mealtimes are a social occasion, where children eat in the dining area within the lounge.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service has good arrangements which focus on safeguarding and promoting the best interests of children. Social workers state that they have 'no safeguarding concerns'. The ability to meet children’s complex needs is at the heart of staff recruitment. The vetting of staff meets regulatory requirements. The service is highly selective, with the recruitment of the right person for the job being more important than the filling of a vacancy. Staff have relevant experience within the social care field. Their personnel files include a summary of their interview and why they were appointed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has established links with the Local Safeguarding Children Board. Staff are able to access relevant training and the home receive regular email updates. The home's safeguarding procedure has been updated to include the new regulatory guidance. Staff benefit from recent safeguarding training and are aware of the correct procedure to follow in the event of an allegation. The complaints procedure is widely available. The service effectively manages complaints. The home operates in a transparent manner and has an open dialogue with children, families and placing authorities. This enables any concerns to be promptly raised.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Children benefit from the service's ability to effectively manage challenging behavioural needs. The home produces behaviour profiles which follow guidelines received from the child's school. This provides good continuity of care and a uniform response to specific behaviours. There is a strong emphasis on firm boundaries, diverting children's attention and engaging them in meaningful activities. Children are making significant progress in managing their moods, professional reports confirm this. They respond well to praise and encouragement. The low number of challenging incidents is exceptional. Staff do not have to restrain children or impose any sanctions. Children enjoy their short breaks. They do not experience any bullying and are not absent without authority.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Children benefit from the home's management of health and safety matters. There is a risk management approach and promotion of good practice. This involves extensive consideration of potential hazards. The service has regularly updated risk assessments for all aspects of safety of the premises and grounds including fire and children’s behaviour and activities. The home provides a secure and safe environment. The service has a five star rating following their environmental health food hygiene inspection. Certificates also confirm regular checks of electrical, gas and fire safety equipment.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

Children benefit from a consistently good service. Social workers describe the service as 'flexible' and 'very reliable'. They state that 'the child is at the forefront of thinking' and there is a 'good understanding of parents' needs'. Children benefit from passionate leadership and a caring committed staff team. The clear Statement of Purpose highlights the overall mission, aims, objectives, philosophy of care and the range of facilities and services available. Children have their own pictorial guide which clearly details what they can expect from the service. These documents are subject to regular reviews and provide a good portrayal of how the service positively enhances children’s lives. The home has a very good relationship with their neighbours and the wider community. Local organisations regularly donate toys and gifts to the home particularly at Christmas and Easter.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management within the home is significantly strong. The quality monitoring system meets regulations and is centred on the experience of children. There is an awareness of areas for further development, however details were not available in a written plan. The home is well resourced and financially viable. There were no requirements or recommendations from the last inspection. The home demonstrates a good capacity for further improvement. The home regularly receives compliments from other professionals and parents. There is extensive communication with parents and placing authorities to ensure effective partnership working. There is a strong commitment to promoting equality and diversity, which is apparent in care practices and documentation. Staff maintain comprehensive records that they store securely. Records clearly outline children's strengths and how the service enriches their lives.

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Leadership and management

Children receive assistance from an experienced, relatively stable, committed staff team. The staff team is culturally diverse and gender balanced. Staffing arrangements are flexible and meet the holistic needs of children. The high staffing ratio enables children to receive one to one support. The organisation provides a wide range of training and support which effectively helps staff support to fulfil their role. Staff receive a good induction and comment that all aspects of this process 'was valuable' and will help them 'provide great care for service users'. Staff benefit from regular individual supervision, team meetings and appraisals. The latter is due to be completed. Currently the appraisals process does not children's views. The new national minimum standards recommend that where possible children's views are sought.

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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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