Children's Home run by Somerset Council in Somerset

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager effectively leads and supports a team who are dedicated to responding to the requirements of young people with complex needs. Quality supervision, regular discussions and specialist training assists the team to provide the best possible care in what can, on occasion, be difficult and emotional circumstances. This is especially the case where young people’s health conditions are life threatening.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Relationships between staff and children and young people are good, staff are attentive and caring. The attention given to providing interesting activities and a stimulating environment contributes to making young people as comfortable and healthy as possible, whilst also enriching their experiences.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 A multi-agency approach to the assessment of needs and planning of care ensures that the complex needs of young people can be efficiently met. The manager works in close partnership with many health professionals. She often co-ordinates their involvement and acts as an effective link in communicating between agencies. As a result, communication is good and contributes to the quality of provision. A social worker commented ‘I’m very happy with the care provided, I visit all times of the day and night, and the environment is always comfortable and relaxed.’

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The children's home provision is good because:

 All young people are regarded as able to communicate their needs in one way or another. Those with the most profound communication difficulties are offered choice. The staff are skilled in picking up on the slightest facial expressions and other forms of non-verbal communication which allows them to understand young people’s likes and dislikes.

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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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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information (as detailed in schedule 2) is available for all staff who work in the children's home. This particularly applies to agency nursing staff. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 26/09/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staffing is sufficient to provide for formal shift changeover, succession, and support for the leadership and management tasks (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 51 paragraph 10.1)  Ensure that arrangements for contacting parents when children are admitted to or discharged from hospital are clear and carried out without delay (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 58 paragraphs 11.15)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to two children who may have learning and/or physical disabilities. It has specialist facilities to provide for children with complex care needs. The home is owned and managed by a local government authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

The manager and staff team have recently had some successful outcomes for a young person who was considerably more physically and academically able than those usually accommodated. They have now moved on to more independent accommodation and are attending college. The home is generally equipped and staffed to provide for children and young people with life limiting conditions, and those requiring palliative care.

p.6

Good

The manager and staff promote positive experiences, comfort and choice for young people who spend time in this home. This is achieved through effective work in partnership with other specialist agencies and careful multi-agency planning.

p.6

Good

Communication and choice is considered imperative in providing care. The staff team are attentive to the communication methods used by young people. Aside from responding to obvious signs of discomfort and distress, staff members are able to discern subtle differences in facial expressions which help them to determine likes and dislikes. They also observe expressions to ascertain young people's wishes and help them make choices. For example, staff gave one young person opportunity to feel the fabric of the different options of clothing, so that they could then indicate a preference in what to wear.

p.6

Good

The staff are attentive to the needs of young people; they speak positively about them and want what is best for them. Attention to personalising bedrooms has led to young people having important things around them including sensory equipment and other personal features. Planned activities include listening to favourite music or staff reading out preferred books; for example, listening to a series of David Walliams’ books and enjoying tales of ‘Gangster grannies’ and ‘Demon dentists’.

p.6

Good

Careful planning for transition into the home involves work with and visits to the home by parents, health, and specialist staff. The information provided at these visits enables the staff team to understand and prepare for the needs of young people. Careful planning for their arrival allows for young people to quickly be as comfortable as possible.

p.6

Good

Contact with parents is maintained in the home with the consent of and following plans written by the placing authority. Sometimes relationships have been put under stress because of forced restrictions on contact. The home has not always contacted parents with important information about a young person and this has led to some concern. The manager felt this practice was complying with parents’ wishes but agreed to amend arrangements immediately so that both of a young person’s parents are kept informed at all times.

p.6

Good

The manager and staff take the health, well-being and safety of young people seriously. The manager delayed admission to the home for one young person until up-to-date health care plans were fully in place. An emphatic approach by the manager in dealing with issues which may affect safety protected a young person from risk of sexual exploitation. The manager’s actions were commended both by the social worker and also by the police who were involved.

p.7

Good

Risk assessments and health care planning is comprehensive. Each aspect of a young person’s health care need has an individual assessment and a plan, which includes clear guidance for staff. These plans are produced with the support and approval of healthcare professionals in order to maximise the benefit to young people.

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Good

Most young people would not be able to leave the home without staff assistance; incidents of them going missing are very rare. Their complex needs and disabilities put them at risk of exploitation and harm. Plans to protect young people are clear and understood by all the staff team. In addition, all staff members receive safeguarding training and know what to do should they suspect anything is amiss or be concerned about a young person’s welfare. Information is passed on to placing authorities as a matter of urgency and Ofsted inspectors are updated about any significant events. The staff work in pairs to provide extra safety and supervision of young people, and waking night staff are employed to attend to needs during the night time.

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Good

Arrangements for accessing medical help and advice are clear. Specialist arrangements with the local hospital are in place to provide quick admission in an emergency and make sure medical histories are readily available.

p.7

Good

Safe recruitment practice, which prevents inappropriate adults working with young people, is not fully recorded as required. Some historical employment information is missing from two staff files and recruitment information for a member of nursing agency staff was not held on the premises. The manager took immediate action to rectify this and improve the recording practice.

p.7

Good

The arrangements for the storage and administration of medication are robust. Several staff check the medication stock and records on each shift to avoid errors and make sure young people receive the medication they need.

p.8

Good

Health and safety checks take place with suitable regularity to prevent young people being exposed to avoidable risks. The home is also fitted with early warning fire detection systems. Young people have an evacuation plan and the staff team practice what to do in the event of an emergency so that they can get young people out safely with the minimum of fuss.

p.8

Good

A Registered Manager is in full time day-to-day control of the home. Karen has the necessary skills and experience to do this job well. She was appointed to this role in November 2014 following seven years management experience in a similar service. She has a child care qualification and is currently studying a high level diploma in leadership and management.

p.8

Good

Quality assurance systems include regular effective and rigorous independent monitoring and reporting on the practice of the manager and staff team. This helps to safeguard young people from the negative impact of any care issues. The manager also scrutinises the quality of care and from this identifies areas for improvement. Strengths and weaknesses of the home are understood and in a relatively short space of time the manager has made several improvements to the service. Previous requirements and recommendations from inspections have been addressed. Records have been reordered to make information clear and easily accessible to the staff team. The environment has been improved to include a new fitted kitchen with rise and fall surfaces which allows young people with mobility issues to use them easily.

p.8

Good

Working in partnership with other professionals is fundamental to the safety, experiences and health of young people. Many aspects of the care provided rely on these partnerships, particularly attention to health needs, and specialist training for staff. The manager is quick to challenge where services fall short of expectations. As a result, she recently managed to secure some additional education for a young person who had missed out on schooling due to ill health.

p.8

Good

Training for staff has effectively equipped them to meet the needs of young people. Alongside essential training, staff study to understand specific medical needs, to undertake required procedures and use equipment related to particular medical conditions. Several staff have recently attended training sessions to enable them to provide massage, which has both health and sensory benefits for young people.

p.9

Good

The staff team appreciate the advantages to young people of working in close partnership with parents. They empathise with those who are separated from young people they ‘adore’ and endeavour to facilitate often difficult and complex contact while following legal guidance and placing authority plans. Unfortunately these arrangements do not suit all parents, leaving one very unhappy.

p.9

Good

The manager provides good support for staff through regular supervision and appraisal, team meetings, and daily discussions about the needs of young people. Staff team members describe her as hard working and always available.

p.9

Good

The manager and staff work additional hours to cover for staff vacancies and sickness and to provide consistency for young people. Recruitment of staff, particularly to management support roles is taking too long. This lessens opportunities for development of the service, and reduces the potential for other young people to be accommodated. Staffing shortages also impact on the staff time available for shift handovers; these are not included in the rotas and rely on the goodwill of staff to stay beyond their shift and handover important information.

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Good

The statement of purpose has been updated. It provides clear information to parents and other stakeholders about the service the home provides. There have been some staffing difficulties including vacancies and staff sickness which necessitated the use of some agency staff. In these circumstances the manager employs staff from a nursing agency to ensure that at all times at least two people on duty have the necessary skills and competence to look after young people with complex needs.

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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 leaders know 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, work based 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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