Children's Home run by Surrey County Council in Surrey

Unique reference number SC040628 Inspector Paul Taylor Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Registered person Surrey County Council Registered person address Surrey County Council, Children's & Safeguarding Service Runnymede Centre, Chertsey Road ADDLESTONE Surrey KT15 2EP Responsible individual Louise Warren Registered manager Louise Phippen Date of last inspection 03/09/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 10/12/2014

p.1

Previous inspection sustained effectiveness Enforcement action since last inspection none

p.2

Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

p.2

Overall effectiveness

This is a well managed home where a committed staff team provides good quality care. As a result of this young people make good progress, especially bearing in mind their starting points. Young people speak warmly about their relationships with members of staff and say that they feel safe living in the home.

p.2

Overall effectiveness

Members of staff have a very good understanding of each young person's behaviours and background and bespoke packages of care ensure that support is carefully planned and is effective in promoting each young person's progress and safety.

p.2

Overall effectiveness

Staff from external agencies speak highly of the home's willingness to engage and discuss any issues which have an impact on the young people. 'I can't praise them enough. I am really impressed by their partnership working' is a comment from a social worker. The home is also effective in engaging with families and supporting them and the young people to sustain their relationships.

p.2

Overall effectiveness

One requirement is made as a result of this inspection. This relates to ensuring that Ofsted is informed if the police have to attend the home as a result of an incident there. Two recommendations relate to ensuring that supervision occurs at the times set out in the organisation's policy and to reviewing the effectiveness of methods to 3 of 11 persuade young people not to smoke in the home. 4 of 11

p.2

Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by the local authority providing care and accommodation for up to eight children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.4

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2014 Interim sustained effectiveness 25/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 20/12/2013 Full good 19/02/2013 Interim good progress

p.4

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.

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that Ofsted is informed if any events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place. The registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (Regulation 30 (1)) 23/01/2015

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): 5 of 11  review the effectiveness of how children are enabled to understand their health needs, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to make informed decisions about their health. (This is relation to helping young people to reduce their smoking especially in the building.) (NMS 6.2)  ensure that staff have access to support and advice, and are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff. (This is in relation to ensuring staff receive supervision in line with the frequency outlined in the home's policy). (NMS 19.4) 6 of 11

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people enjoy positive relationships with the staff who look after them. They make good progress during their stay at the home. In some cases progress is extremely good especially bearing in mind their starting points, notably in improving levels of self-esteem and confidence.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from living in a home where learning is a part of the daily routines. Attendance levels at education settings are generally good and young people make progress; in some cases such progress is excellent given their poor starting points.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from carefully planned health care. They are able to make informed decisions about whether they wish to take advantage of the advice and support offered, for example smoking cessation and working with a substance misuse agency. Young people's emotional wellbeing is promoted and prioritised, with the staff arranging and facilitating contact with other professionals such as psychologists or psychotherapists. This enables young people to explore some of the difficult emotional issues they experience.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are given good support and guidance to prepare them for moving on to independence. They are helped to learn life skills such a budgeting, cooking and preparing for interviews at college and for jobs. As a result, young people develop confidence in looking after themselves and have realistic aspirations for their future placements.

p.6

Quality of care good

Relationships between young people and staff are positive and empathetic. The quality of such relationships is a strength of the home and enables young people to explore issues which have been difficult for them to discuss and resolve. Young people said that they felt they could talk to staff if they had a problem or were worried about something. Placing social workers talk very positively of the quality of care provided to young people; in particular the commitment shown toward supporting young people with their complex issues and challenging behaviours.

p.6

Quality of care good

Young people are aware of how to make a complaint. In addition to an independent advocate, the young people also have access to an advocacy service provided by young adults who have previously been in care themselves. The young people report that they have managers, key workers and members of staff to whom they can address concerns. As a result, young people are able to express their thoughts, 7 of 11 concerns and feelings freely.

p.6

Quality of care good

Each young person has a bespoke plan of care and this is written in a manner which they can understand. This means that the young people know what their targets are and how they will be supported to progress in their lives. The plans are of a good quality and clearly outline what guidance each young person requires. As a result, members of staff are knowledgeable about each young person's needs and know how to guide and support them.

p.7

Quality of care good

Young people receive sensitive and well thought out support with regards to contact with their families. Staff show considerable commitment in this matter, sometimes travelling with the young people for long distances and staying overnight in order to ensure that the young person is suitably supported. Members of staff also maintain close contact with families, if that is appropriate, in order to keep them up to date with their child's progress and life at the home. This ensures that everyone is working with each other in order to support the young people.

p.7

Quality of care good

Young people’s individual health needs are met to a good standard. Where needed, the home maintains good contact with health professionals, such as psychologists and psychiatrists. All routine health care appointments are in place so that the young people have their everyday health needs met, for example they see a dentist and optician regularly.

p.7

Quality of care good

Young people are discouraged from smoking, but this is not always done effectively or with significant impact. It is clear that smoking inside the home is sometimes carried out blatantly in front of members of staff who, despite their efforts, are unsuccessful in stopping this behaviour.

p.7

Quality of care good

The value of education is actively promoted in the home. As a result, young people receive very good support to attend their educational settings and close communication is maintained with these where necessary. Consequently, the majority of the young people achieve good levels of attendance and progress well. Where they are not attending school or college, the home actively liaises with their educational setting and other agencies with a view to encouraging them and nurturing them back into education.

p.7

Quality of care good

Young people are able to partake in a variety of enriching and enjoyable activities. These include trips to local amenities such as ice skating, swimming and horse riding. Additionally, they also meet their friends from school and college in the community. This ensures that they are active participants in their local community and are not isolated.

p.7

Keeping children and young people safe good

8 of 11 Young people spoke unanimously of feeling safe living at the home. Good quality records show that any incidents of conflict and bullying are discussed with the young people in key work sessions and in young people's meetings. Young people say there is no problem with bullying in the home and that 'the staff have done their best to help and it has worked.'

p.8

Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has worked very well with young people who have been admitted with a history of going missing. This has led to a significant reduction in such incidents. As a result, young people have become more settled and have engaged with members of staff in working positively towards their future. Each young person has an individual protocol in place for members of staff to follow in the event that they might be missing from the home or absent without permission. Records show that they have been followed when necessary. Good working partnerships have been established between the home and the Local Safeguarding Children Board which ensures that when child protection concerns arise they are dealt with in a timely and proactive way. The police have praised the approach taken by the home in working with and attempting to reduce the risks for young people who may have been vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Such an approach enables the home to work in collaboration with

p.8

Keeping children and young people safe good

partner agencies to address the needs of young people who engage in highly risky behaviours.

p.8

Keeping children and young people safe good

Positive behaviour is encouraged and rewarded. Young people have individual behaviour management plans which evidence how each young person prefers to be treated when they are distressed or are displaying challenging behaviour. This means that challenging incidents involving young people have reduced to a marked degree. The staff approach ensures that any incidents are managed well and this means that levels of sanctions are also low. Physical restraint is very rare in the home; there have been no incidents since June of this year. Placing social workers praise the efforts of staff in developing relationships with young people who have previously struggled to relate to adult care, guidance and intervention.

p.8

Keeping children and young people safe good

All new members of staff are subject to a through recruitment system which ensures that all necessary checks are carried out before they start employment. This includes a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and checks that references are genuine. As a result, only adults with appropriate and safe backgrounds work at the home.

p.8

Keeping children and young people safe good

The health and safety of young people and staff alike is suitably protected and promoted. Regular checks are completed on the environment to ensure it is free from risks, hazards or security concerns. Fire safety is taken seriously with drills and tests completed routinely, while all other appliances are checked and serviced as required.

p.8

Leadership and management good

9 of 11 The registered manager has over 25 years of experience of working with young people, is suitably qualified and has been in post for nearly two years. She provides consistent good quality leadership and good support to the staff team.

p.9

Leadership and management good

The manager is aware of the strengths of the home and what areas need to be improved. This is reflected in the home's development plan which outlines areas such as further training in child sexual exploitation (CSE) and training in e-safety. The manager has also ensured that the home addresses shortfalls identified in inspections. For example, the fire testing system has been reorganised since the last inspection and this has ensured that all required checks are carried out effectively. Additionally, the décor and tidiness of the external areas of the house have been significantly improved. This has led to a much more welcoming and attractive external appearance of the home.

p.9

Leadership and management good

The home has a clear statement of purpose which outlines what service it provides. In turn, this enables placing social workers and other stakeholders to be aware of how the home operates. This document is complimented by a young people's booklet which outlines to them what the rules and routines are and what rights young people have. This ensures that everyone understands what the home provides and who is responsible for the management and running of it.

p.9

Leadership and management good

Monitoring of care is achieved to a good standard. The registered manager audits and checks quality and effectiveness of care plans as well as other key areas outlined in Schedule 6. This is underpinned by reviews carried out under Regulation 34 which ensure that the manager evaluates the performance of the home and whether young people are benefiting from living there. Additionally, an external monitoring visitor assesses the home's performance on a monthly basis. This scrutiny of the home means that the team reflects upon practice with a view to ensuring that the young people are progressing and if not, what needs to be changed in order for this to happen.

p.9

Leadership and management good

There are enough trained and experienced members of staff to provide good support to the young people. All members of staff have regular training to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to perform their roles effectively.

p.9

Leadership and management good

Feedback from members of staff is unanimous about the good quality support they receive from their managers. Although the support is ongoing on a formal basis, there have been occasions when members of staff have not received formal recorded supervision at the interval agreed in the home's policy on this matter. While this shortfall has not has an impact on the well-being of the young people, it can mean that there are occasions when there is no recorded evidence that issues and performance have been formally reviewed and discussed.

p.9

Leadership and management good

For the most part, significant events are reported to the correct agencies promptly. However, there has been an occasion when Ofsted was not informed when the police had to attend the home in response to a situation involving severe disruption and 10 of 11 serious misbehaviour by the young people. The situation was resolved with the assistance of the police presence, and placing authorities were informed of the incident. However, Ofsted was not informed and so had no prior intelligence of the situation before the inspection was carried out.

p.9

Leadership and management good

Records are of a good standard and are subject to checks by the manager and senior members of staff to ensure that they are up to date and accurate. Each young person's record gives a good picture of their time at the home and how they have progressed. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10

Leadership and management good

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.

p.11

Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

p.11

Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

p.11

Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

p.11

Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

p.11

Information 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.

p.11

Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

p.11