Children's Home run by Somerset County Council in Somerset

Unique reference number SC030439 Inspector Janice Hawtin Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Somerset County Council Registered person address County Hall Taunton Somerset TA1 4DY

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Responsible individual Robert Eveleigh Registered manager Stephen John Mullins Date of last inspection 16/09/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 05/02/2015

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged adequate at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has declined in effectiveness .

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This inspection

The home has declined in effectiveness because leaders and managers have not fully dealt with all the requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection. In addition, managers and staff have not followed the organisational safeguarding policy which requires them to make referrals to statutory agencies following an allegation made by a young person. The manager has not updated the young person’s risk assessment to include the risk of making allegations. As a result, young people are left vulnerable to abuse, and staff who are the subject of allegations are unsupported against unfounded claims.

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This inspection

Refurbishment of the home is now underway; all areas are being painted and decorated to improve the setting for young people. It is not yet clear how the staff will make the home more comfortable and welcoming once the decorating is finished, as such this previous recommendation is repeated until this is achieved.

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This inspection

Managers and leaders have failed to provide all staff with formal monthly supervision; a weakness that was identified at the previous inspection and continues, albeit to a lesser extent. The manager has now received supervision on a regular basis. Additional training has been provided for staff on reflective supervision. The content of supervision sessions has therefore improved to make sessions more meaningful and the staff accountable to their role and responsibilities. Sessions are booked in advance so that staff have opportunities to make the most of this support, and put together additional agenda items. Appraisals have not been completed for staff. As a result, opportunities for their performance to be reviewed, and for leaders and managers to identify and deal with staff’s personal development needs are limited.

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This inspection

The records maintained by staff following an incident of restraint or physical intervention require improvement. The Registered Manager is unable to confirm 3 of 6 from the records whether guide techniques and or restraint have been used. Some records are illegible and others contain subjective language to describe antecedents such as ’silly behaviour’, or ‘attention seeking behaviour’. Staff are skilled in managing the complex needs and unpredictable behaviour of the young people and numbers of physical interventions remain low.

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This inspection

Following the last inspection the Registered Manager returned to fulltime work in the home and is now in day-to-day charge. He has a development plan in place and has recently negotiated a reduction in the numbers of young people the home can accommodate at any one time. Consequently staff will be better placed to carefully consider the young people being accommodated together, and they will be able to continue to manage some very complex behaviour by restricting numbers.

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This inspection

The structure for monitoring by the Registered Manager has improved; it is in a format which promotes change and development to benefit young people.

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This inspection

Young people continue to benefit and progress from the care provided. A professional stakeholder commented ‘one of the strengths of this home is the communication between different environments. They share behaviour management success with the school and vice versa. The young person is much calmer and less anxious much of the time’.

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This inspection

Four new senior posts have been created within the care team; three staff have been promoted to these roles. They have taken responsibility for specific areas of development linked to the improvements needed within the home and their own skills. Developing communication with young people and the environment are two of the areas identified. 4 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children's home is registered to provide both permanent residence and short-stay breaks for up to eight children and young people who have complex learning disabilities and associated communication and behavioural needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/09/2014 Full adequate 10/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 21/11/2013 Full good 11/02/2013 Interim good progress

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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) notify without delay the person's listed in column 2 if any events as listed in column 1 of Schedule 5 take place (Regulation 30(1)) 27/03/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) promote and make proper provision for the welfare of young people accommodated in the home. In particular ensure risk assessment are up to date (Regulation 11(1)(a)) 27/03/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which shall include detail of the matter listed in(3)(a)-(i) and (4)(a)&(b) of this regulation (Regulation 17B(3)(a)-(i), (4)(a)&(b)) 27/03/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

27 ensure that all persons employed by the registered 27/03/2015 5 of 6 (2001) person receive appropriate supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 27(4)(a))

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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 the home provides a comfortable and homely environment. In particular, ensure that the corridors, toilets and bathrooms have a homely look and feel about them (NMS 10.3)  ensure there is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping and take action when needed. (NMS 22.1) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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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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