Children's Home run by Creating Care Choices Limited in Lewisham

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Summary of findings

The children’s home provision is good because:

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Summary of findings

 The home has made significant progress since the last inspection including meeting the four requirements and one recommendation made. The manager has completed his registration with Ofsted and has established effective working practices in the home.

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Summary of findings

 The manager has updated the statement of purpose and children’s guide ensuring they accurately record the aims and objectives of the home. All staff are knowledgeable about the aims and how the statement says they will meet them. Staff are enthusiastic in carrying out their work and enjoy warm and nurturing relationships with the young people.

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Summary of findings

 Young people are happy and are making good progress, which the home can evidence. All young people have effective care plans which staff involve them in understanding and commenting on.

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Summary of findings

 Staff work closely with external professionals such as health, education and social workers to ensure that young people are receiving appropriate care.

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Summary of findings

 Staff training has been comprehensive and of good quality. This has enhanced their competency, knowledge and practical skills in working to meet the aims and objectives outlined in the statement of purpose.

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Summary of findings

 Staff use risk assessments to positively encourage safe participation in activities and to structure a safe environment in the home. The manager sets high standards and constantly reviews health and safety issues. As a result the home has achieved a four star rating in food hygiene.

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Summary of findings

 The manager has developed a good working relationship with the responsible person, evidenced by improved resources for the home. Staff receive regular supervision, annual appraisal and extensive appropriate training. The improved skills of the staff team have contributed to reductions in incidents and clear progress for the young people.

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Summary of findings

 Children are safe in the home and staff apply their learning from various courses to keep young people safe. The safeguarding policy is a helpful practical guide to support the good quality training staff are using in their work with young people. However the policy did not explain what actions they must take if someone makes an allegation about the manager. The policy was revised during the inspection and training arranged for staff to ensure their understanding of what actions to take.

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Summary of findings

 The manager makes good use of monitoring information to aid in the development of the home. External independent visitor’s reports are challenging and have aided the home to progress. The manager has a good understanding of the areas for future development and has incorporated them into a development plan. He is aware that some improvements are required in décor and some furniture requires replacement.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  the manager should provide a homely, domestic environment, in particular he should ensure that furnishings are modernised and décor is appropriately maintained (The Guide, page 15, paragraph 3.8)

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Recommendations

 ensure that the policy for protecting children from abuse and neglect includes arrangements in relation to dealing with allegations involving staff in the home, in particular if an allegation is made about the Registered Manager (The Guide, page 44, paragraph 9.19)

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Recommendations

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children on short break arrangements and no more than four young people resident in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to care for children and young people who may have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. However the building is not fully accessible or adapted, meaning that the accommodation of those with significant mobility problems would not be appropriate.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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good

Young people appear happy in the home and are affectionate and interact well with staff. Staff display warmth and affection in their interactions with young people whilst teaching appropriate and safe boundaries. They make good use of training to guide their interactions with young people, especially those with autism. Staff also receive child specific training from psychologists working with the young people. Staff display a good understanding of young people’s emotional development and strive to enhance their self-esteem and engagement with others. A local school described staff as being, ‘…thoughtful and interested in the young people’s wellbeing.’ During the course of this inspection the manager implemented an improved standards and evaluation sheet. Staff were using a less detailed version of this to: collate progress with wide ranging care plan targets; standards within the home; young people’s requests; and family requests. The existing system was effective, in

p.7

good

particular ensuring that staff focus on meeting care plan objectives. Staff score the targets monthly and alter targets as young people progress. The small progressions young people make are captured allowing staff to target their interventions more effectively and reinforce this gradual progress. Staff are successful at engaging children with communication difficulties in commenting on their care and the running of the home. They have enhanced their ability to communicate with the young people by undertaking training in Makaton and picture exchange communication systems (PECS). Young people now comment on care plans and targets and make choices about their personal care. Staff aid them in recording their views on their care plans and in particular on the system for monitoring their progress in meeting targets. These improvements are successfully engaging young people in expressing their views and having their

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good

voice heard and acted on. The number of incidents in the home has decreased as young people have been able to communicate more effectively with staff. All young people have excellent education attendance records. One young person does not attend college but has a tutor who provides education outside the home. The young people all look forward to education and are making progress. The home works closely with education providers and is constantly seeking to improve links and joint working. One school explained how the home joined in their training in Makaton to ensure they were all communicating effectively with the young person. One student has done significant work with his tutor and the home to explore his cultural identity, family background and attachments in the home. This is helping him prepare for his next move and understand it as a progression not a rejection. Students have shown progress in many areas including: personal care; behaviour

p.7

good

management; numeracy; writing; colour recognition; and understanding time, days and seasons. Staff display a real interest in young people’s progress attending all school functions, meetings and parents’ evenings. One school said, ‘They have been proactive and engaged in homework and getting the nursing service involved. They are helping build on her basics and this has been very helpful. They should share the credit for creating a happy child.’ Young people have targets on interacting with others and their use of leisure time. These are monitored and show where they are succeeding and where further input is required. They are more involved in selecting what they wish to do and commenting on whether they enjoyed it and any changes they wish to make. The stable staff team has helped them to form strong attachments and to practice interaction skills in a safe environment. One school praised the stability provided by

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good

the home saying, ‘They have good continuity of care. We see it as a good home for young people rather than a professional place which just does what it has to. The stability they have given young people is as good as they have had in their lives.’ Young people join in a range of activities improving their coordination, health and interaction with others. Staff are broadening the range of activities and in particular provide more opportunities for young people to meet others in social situations. Young people enjoy the activities and are making progress against care plan targets via them.

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good

The home has excellent relationships with local hospitals, including mental health services. Staff use contacts with specialist services to enhance training and in improving their understanding of complex conditions and child development. Staff maintain health care plans for young people and have incorporated the targets into the overall monitoring process. Close monitoring of these aids in the provision of good health care for the young people. For example the home monitors body mass index and adjusts diet and exercise to aid young people in achieving target figures set by health professionals. Meals are varied and include culturally appropriate food and choices made by the young people. They use PECS to select choices and staff record their views on this on their evaluation sheets. Young people maintain good health and can influence aspects of their health care where appropriate.

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good

Staff ensure that young people maintain contact with family, friends and significant people in their lives. Where direct face-to-face contact is difficult the home improves the experience by use of alternative communication methods such as skype or face-time. This allows young people with significant communication difficulties to interact more naturally and effectively with others. Family are encouraged to visit the home and staff assist young people in visiting them. Where necessary staff have appropriately challenged issues of less than good care when these visits have occurred. In addition staff work with young people at understanding their family backgrounds including cultural, religious and any language issues. Young people retain positive links with their families and improve their understanding of their identity through this work.

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good

Young people show in their interactions with staff that they feel safe in the home. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding which has been reinforced through excellent training and regular professional supervision. A member of staff described the training and benefits from it saying, ‘we mainly discussed learning disabilities and physical disabilities in the safeguarding training. It was very practical and therefore very helpful. We discussed all of the recent serious case reviews and incidents in children’s homes. It helps us to understand issues and practice to safeguard our young people.’ Schools praise the care and safety in the home as do parents. One parent saying, ‘my child is very happy and safe there.’

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good

The manager has conducted a major review of safeguarding in the home leading to some significant improvements in staff competency and engagement with young people. In particular he has improved guidance and recording on the provision of personal care for young people and significantly improved the breadth and quality of training. Induction training includes assessed tasks in areas including: safeguarding; working with disabilities; and awareness of mental health issues. The safeguarding policy is a helpful practical guide to working with children with learning and physical disabilities. This is a detailed document which incorporates guidance from professional training and local safeguarding policies. The policy links to other relevant policies such as: missing person’s policy; e-safety; behaviour management; whistle blowing; and the provision of intimate personal care. This ensures that relevant safeguarding issues are covered but does not make the

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good

document too unwieldy. The policy did not contain guidance to staff on actions to take if an allegation was made about the designated person or manager. The manager revised the policy during the inspection and arranged for staff training in the revisions ensuring a safe working environment for staff and young people. The manager had shared his policy with the local authority designated officer, in line with good practice, but received no feedback. The behaviour management policy is an effective guide to working with the young people. The document is reviewed annually and the recent review provides appropriate guidance on how to interact positively with the young people. Staff are encouraged to understand the behaviours and what has led to them rather than being reactive to events. Staff build good relationships and establish predictable routines for the young people. They rarely use sanctions and guidance is clear on

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good

how they must use these to assist learning for the young people rather than punishment for wrongdoing. Staff display a good understanding and effective practical application of the principals contained in the guides and young people’s behaviour in the home is good. Young people interact positively with staff and respond to verbal prompts and guidance. Due to staff’s effective use of behavioural plans and risk assessments there have been no restraints or incidents of young people going missing since the last inspection. One member of staff commented on their improved working with young people, ‘The training has improved the way we work in caring for the children. For example we are much more confident about dealing with difficult behaviour following restraint training. Although there is no use of actual restraints we use things like: remain calm, interact appropriately and defuse situations confidently.’

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good

Risk assessments are thorough and staff use them creatively to enable and encourage activities rather than act as a barrier. The standards and evaluation sheet which staff use to collate progress is a powerful practical aid to safeguarding in the home. For example targets are set on personal safety, such as who is it safe to hug. Staff gather information which evidences young people’s progress in all areas of their development for example: positive relationships, outcomes and their protection. This is a comprehensive method of measuring outcomes and engaging young people in target and goal setting. This has given the home a systemised way of gathering information and evidencing progress. This system collates feedback from all areas of young people’s behaviour and staff interventions as well as analysis of safeguarding actions such as staff recruitment. The information staff gather evidences the small changes in young people’s behaviours in a safely

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good

The home has suitable risk assessments in place which are appropriately enhanced by staff training and all young people have personal evacuation plans which staff practice regularly. The home has an effective business continuity plan ensuring that young people will receive continuous care in all circumstances. The manager rigorously monitors all health and safety matters ensuring the home has constantly improving standards. All staff have trained in: moving and handling; medication in a children’s home; first aid; food hygiene; and risk assessing both personal and building risks. The home has also achieved a four star award for food hygiene. Young people live in a safe environment cared for by a competent and suitably trained staff team.

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good

The manager commenced employment in August 2014 and recently completed his registration with Ofsted. He has extensive appropriate qualifications and over sixteen years’ experience in managing children’s homes. Under his leadership the home has made good progress since the last inspection. This experienced manager has energised the staff team and formed an effective working partnership with the responsible person and owner. The home has effective succession planning in place and the manager ensures that he appropriately supports and develops staff. During the inspection the Registered Manager consolidated different strands of information into one workforce plan. The manager has successfully addressed all recommendations and requirements set at the last inspection. In particular there has been an excellent response to the training requirement and discussions with staff show that this has been effective in

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good

raising their competency in working with children with learning disabilities. Staff can communicate with children more effectively and have a good understanding of how to provide good safe care. The manager has completed a comprehensive review of recording systems and has implemented an effective scheme tracking aims, objectives and outcomes. The home can now demonstrate the effectiveness of their interventions with young people and the engagement of the young people in this process. Young people are receiving an improving service from staff who are enthusiastically applying their well-planned and comprehensive training. Improved monitoring and recording is providing evidence of the positive impact these changes are having on young people’s progress in meeting care plan targets. The manager receives good quality professional supervision which, allied to his extensive reading, ensures he is aware of current trends and patterns in social

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good

work. The manager uses this in his professional development and supervision of the staff team. Consequently they demonstrated a sound knowledge of the backgrounds of the young people, how to communicate appropriately and provide safe nurturing care. The Registered Manager has revised the statement of purpose and children’s guide ensuring they clearly describe the service supplied to young people. He ensures that the home runs in line with the revised statement of purpose. All staff have a copy and those interviewed during the inspection outlined in detail the aims and objectives of the home. In particular staff are knowledgeable about the drive to provide a culturally appropriate and safe environment for young people which engages them in commenting on care plans and practice. This has had a significant positive impact on the care provided to young people and the staff teams understanding of the aims and objectives of the home.

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good

The manager effectively uses the good quality independent visitor’s reports. These set appropriate targets aimed at: improving outcomes for young people; and ensuring the home meets all regulatory requirements. The manager maintains a business continuity plan, a development plan and an impressively detailed review of the location of the premises. Targets from the independent visits influence the constantly updated development plan and support the improving care of the young people. For example the visitor made positive suggestions about care planning which the manager incorporated in the development plan. He then successfully translated this into the improved monitoring of care plan targets and provided staff training to ensure the effective implementation. The completion of the review of location has involved discussion and engagement with a vast number of local services and resources. The young people are benefiting from the improving

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good

relationships with neighbours and greater awareness and use of community resources coming from this review. The manager supplies a review of the quality of care to Ofsted at the required frequency. He evaluates the quality of care for young people in this regular review evidencing his good understanding of the service and how to aid staff in improving outcomes for young people.

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good

The manager says he is, ‘seeking to engender a level of enthusiasm in the team and generate a positive drive for improvement.’ Staff interviewed demonstrated this enthusiasm and a shared understanding of the ethos of the home. One member of staff said, ‘Resources have improved, recording has improved, we know policies and procedures training has improved we are now good.’ The manager carefully controls admissions and discharges ensuring the best outcomes for the young people. They are appropriately prepared for moving on by undertaking shared work in the home and at school, on identity and transition. The transition planning is sensitive to the communication and comprehension difficulties individual young people may have and staff do this in small stages with intensive support and explanation. Staff prepare young people for these difficult moves sensitively and planned ongoing support improves the potential for a successful

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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