Children's Home run by Surrey County Council in Surrey

Unique reference number SC370703 Inspector Janet Hunnam Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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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 Sandy Thomas Registered manager Sally Ann Carey Date of last inspection 16/07/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 19/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

At the previous inspection in July 2014, the home was judged good for overall effectiveness. One requirement was made relating to ensuring the statement of purpose includes all the required matters. The home has addressed this requirement.

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This inspection

Young people continue to make significant progress at the home and benefit from highly individualised care. Staff tailor induction programmes for young people beginning their programme of short breaks to suit their specific needs. Staff are extremely flexible in their approach, working closely with parents and carers to allow young people to feel safe and secure during their stay at the home. Extremely detailed assessments of young people’s needs result in a person-centred plan that fully encompasses all aspects of their care and identifies clear goals to promote positive outcomes with respect for their unique qualities and vulnerabilities. A key strength of the home is the focus on promoting young people’s personal and social development so they acquire independence skills and achieve their potential in adulthood. With intensive support, young people make progress in their behaviour, social skills and independence skills.

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This inspection

A high level of staff supervision, within a nurturing environment where the safety and well-being of young people is at the forefront of practice, protects young people. Staff know young people very well and are skilled in understanding the meaning of their behaviour and diffusing and de-escalating difficult behaviour. Detailed 24-hour support plans, behaviour guidelines and communication strategies enable staff to manage young people’s behaviour safely.

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This inspection

Young people experience a wide range of enriching activities both within the home and in the local community, extending their social experiences and building their confidence and self-esteem. Young people who previously had difficulty making 3 of 5 transitions from one environment to another now have the confidence to cope with such changes with drastically reduced staff support. Young people have opportunities to pursue their individual interests and participate in group activities thus developing a sense of their own personal identity.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager and deputy manager monitor all aspects of the home effectively and are continually striving to improve and develop the service. An improved system for providing feedback to parents and carers following the young person’s short break is in place. Staff complete a ‘My Stay’ record outlining the young person’s activities and progress towards their targets after each stay at the home. This ensures parents and carers are fully informed and are able to support the strategies implemented at the home to benefit young people.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager is currently strengthening the staff team by recruiting additional part-time staff. These part-time staff undertake the full range of training, ensuring that all staff who support young people at the home are competent and confident in their role. All staff receive excellent levels of training, support and supervision.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager strives to provide a bright, homely, welcoming environment for young people. Young people who live at the home have accommodation separated from those young people who use the home for short breaks. A programme of on-going maintenance and redecoration, with young people choosing colours and wallpaper, ensures the home is appropriate to their needs.

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This inspection

No requirements or recommendations are made as a result of this inspection. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

The service is owned and run by the local authority, providing care and accommodation for up to four young people and short breaks for up to 16 young people with learning disabilities.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2014 Full good 17/02/2014 Interim good progress 10/09/2013 Full adequate 25/01/2013 Interim satisfactory progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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.

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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.

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