Children's Home run by London Borough of Southwark in Southwark

Unique reference number SC031479 Inspection date 12/03/2014 Inspector Patrick Sullivan Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 31/07/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This is a local authority service. It provides short breaks for up to five children who have learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Brief description of the service

The children’s respite service shares the building with a similar service for adults. The services are kept separate by locked doors, but some facilities are shared. One manager is registered for both children's and adults' services. Staff also work across both provisions. The adult service is inspected separately by the Care Quality Commission.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

At the last full inspection of the service in July 2014 the overall effectiveness was judged to be good.

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Progress

Since the last inspection a new manager is in place and is applying to be the Registered Manager. He has a number of ideas on how to develop the service and has already put in place a number of improvements.

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Progress

Two requirements and two recommendations were made at the last inspection. One recommendation has not been met. This is due to the imminent move to temporary premises while the existing building undergoes a major refurbishment. On this basis the service is judged to be making good progress. The first requirement relates to updating the Statement of Purpose. The service currently has a new and updated Statement of Purpose which is very detailed and refers to relevant policies and procedures.

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Progress

The second requirement was to ensure that all staff receive appropriate supervision. As part of the inspection supervision records were checked and this is now occurring on a much more regular basis. The manager has put in place a supervision monitoring form and has also devised a more detailed supervision recording form.

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Progress

The first recommendation relates to staff training. A comprehensive training schedule is in place for staff and individual training needs are addressed and recorded in supervision.

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Progress

The recommendation concerning access to the internet will be addressed once the service moves to its temporary location but at this point in time is not met.

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Progress

The service has a stable staff team who are able to provide consistent care to the young people who use the service. They are led by a competent able manager who has a clear vision of where he wants the service to go and how he can expand and improve the current level of service. This vision is reflected in the service development plan which outlines in detail the work required to improve the service.

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Progress

Currently the service is restricted by the existing building and the limitations this places on what can be offered. The home is well maintained and in a good state of decoration. The bedrooms are clean and well decorated if somewhat bare and impersonal.

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Progress

The policies and procedures of the home are in good order with the exception of the 'additional measures of control' book which is lacking a section indicating if the young person is offered medical treatment following a restraint.

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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

 the 'additional measures of control' book should contain a section where it is clearly recorded that the young person has been offered access to medical assistance (NMS 3.16)

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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