Children's Home run by Jubilee House Care Trust Limited in Hertfordshire

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:

 Parents confirm that that their children enjoy and look forward to visits.  The home is mostly well furnished, decorated and maintained, with high quality resources adapted to meet young people’s needs.  A competent manager and deputy lead a consistent core staff group, committed to offering young people high quality care.  Staff are skilled and knowledgeable. They know young people well and are able to safely meet their needs.  Staff are motivated and proactive to ensure young people have positive experiences when they visit.  Young people are able to access social opportunities that may otherwise not be available to them.  Young people make progress; achievements are recognised and celebrated.  Staff enable young people to contribute to planning for the home.  Parents are confident that staff safely care for young people.  Young people’s care support plans are detailed, accessible and updated

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The children's home provision is good because:

regularly.  Staff have regular training to manage complex behaviour and health needs.  Staff are not updating some young people’s risk assessments frequently enough.  Staff do not all understand the home’s statement of purpose.  Staff do not always ensure that unused feeding solution is immediately disposed of.  Bathrooms are not in keeping with the rest of the home. They are old and require re-fit and refurbishment.

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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 maintain records (“care records) for each child which are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 24/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to the update and refurbishment of the bathrooms, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c)(i) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. 24/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b)(i) ensure that staff understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. 24/11/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): Make suitable arrangements to ensure that staff dispose of all medication and feed solution in a consistent and timely way. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 35 paragraph 7.15)

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Information about this children's home

This short-break centre is run by a registered charity. It offers overnight short- break care places for up to five children and young people with learning disabilities, who may also have physical disabilities. Day care is also offered on the same site for children and young people with similar needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people have individualised care packages and support plans, offering a short break respite service specifically catered to their needs. Some of the young people have very complex health and behavioural needs. Staff work hard to encourage and enable young people to access positive and enjoyable activities. Parents say their children are able to take part in activities that otherwise may not be possible, which they both enjoy and benefit from. One parent said: ‘He has access to opportunities in the community that I could never give him, as a consequence, he has come on in leaps and bounds. He has made fantastic progress.’

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Good

Staff recognise, reward and share positive progress, however small. An achievement board in a communal area highlights individual successes in a very colourful and simple way that young people are able to understand. Staff work with young people to identify what is important to them in relation to every aspect of their care support plan. They record this on individual files, in a visual way so that staff and young people can look at progress made.

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Good

Staff and young people have very warm and positive relationships. Some young people have been coming for many years and have established strong and secure attachments with staff. Other young people, for whom this is a new experience, are welcomed and encouraged at their own pace. Staff work hard to make all young people’s stays as positive and enjoyable as possible.

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Good

Most of the home is decorated in bright attractive colours and each of the bedrooms has a different theme, which young people helped to choose. Young people have access to a large soft play area, a sensory room, a gaming room and an outside space with a sensory garden. Staff cater activities to individual needs and abilities. As a minimum the staffing ratio is two to one and where necessary this is increased to one to one. This ensures that young people have the focused attention of staff members at all times.

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Good

Bathrooms are fitted with specialist equipment and adapted to meet the needs of young people with physical disabilities but are old and in need of replacement. The shower and surround is particularly worn and tiles and grouting are discoloured and marked. The flooring is stained and boxing around pipes is damaged. This does not provide a homely environment.

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Good

Staff are knowledgeable about the administration of medication and competent in managing some complex health conditions. Staff have periodically updated training. Health colleagues regularly monitor and sign off staff undertaking medical procedures. The administration of medicines is controlled by a stringent procedure that staff understand and implement consistently. Checks and balances are in place to ensure that there is minimal opportunity for error. One parent said: ‘I am completely confident that he is safe when he goes there, they know him so well, understand his medication and everything, I can relax.’ Despite this, staff do not always ensure that all unused feed solution is disposed of immediately.

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Good

Young people have monthly forums where staff assist and enable them to focus on things important to them about the running of the home. For example, planning for future activities. The laminated pictorial minutes of the last meeting are displayed in a communal area accessible to all young people.

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Good

Staff ensure that transitions are managed carefully and at the young person’s pace. Young people are introduced to the home gradually; starting with shorter visits building up to overnight stays where appropriate. Managers have identified that transition to adult services, for young people and their families, is often very difficult. They are proactive in starting this process at an early stage. They are willing and able to work with other agencies to ensure that young people’s experience of transition is as smooth as possible.

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Good

The manager has undertaken a location risk assessment with input from external agencies such as the local police. Young people do not go missing from this home due to the high staffing ratio. Staff have recently undertaken training in relation to the risk of child sexual exploitation. The manager, with multi-agency colleagues, is working towards embedding this in practice. Particularly in relation to very vulnerable young people with learning and physical disabilities.

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Good

Staff understand and follow safeguarding procedures and are clear about their responsibility should a child protection concern arise. All staff undertake safeguarding training as part of their induction into the service, which is refreshed every three years.

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Good

Each young person has a behaviour management plan, which identifies behaviours, triggers and strategies. Staff review plans of young people with very challenging or dangerous behaviour frequently to ensure that plans remain current and relevant. They use physical restraint as a last resort, where the actions of a young person may endanger themselves or others. Staff record every incident of restraint. The manager reviews the records to ensure restraint is appropriate and proportionate. Similarly, staff record all accidents or situations that involve violence. The deputy manager investigates individual incidents and brings emerging issues to staff for discussion at team meetings.

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Good

Most young people, particularly those with challenging behaviour, have very detailed, robust and regularly updated risk assessments to cover all situations and activities. Some young people who are more consistent in their behaviour and who do not normally pose a risk to themselves or others do not have their risk assessments updated often enough.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post for 11 years. She has a level four qualification in care and management and is currently undertaking a level seven qualification in care and strategic management. She leads by example and has a deputy manager who provides able and competent support.

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Good

The staff group consists of permanent workers and carries just one half time vacancy. Staff retention is high, with most having been in post for more than a year. The manager uses bank staff from a group known to the young people, who have experience of working with them. This ensures that young people receive continuity of care wherever possible.

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Good

The recruitment process is thorough and robust and managers undertake all appropriate checks to ensure new staff are suitable to work with vulnerable young people. A full induction programme is in place for new members of staff, covering basic information about safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures. Staff have regular supervision with a senior colleague, which is both practical and reflective. All staff undertake a rolling programme of training, covering essential skills and knowledge. Training in key areas is refreshed on a regular basis, which the manager monitors to ensure consistency across the staff group. Staff advise that they are able to request training to cover particular areas of need or interest.

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Good

Staff understand the values, ethos and objectives of the home but some were not able to link this to the home’s statement of purpose.

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Good

Relationships built between staff and young people’s families are of a particularly high standard. Parents are consistently complimentary about the standard of care offered to their children. They are very satisfied with the communication with the home and are confident that staff consult with them and value their input. One parent said: ‘They ensure that I know what is going on. He can’t tell me anything but I am always kept up to date by staff. They either tell me or they send me a note in his communication book.’ A social worker said that she believed ‘the staff are the key strength of the home’.

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Good

The manager is clear that her first priority is the well-being of the young people who use the home on a regular basis. She is confident and able to challenge when referrals and requests are made that may compromise young people’s safety. The manager and deputy are proactive in challenging other agencies, particularly around transition arrangements for young people moving to adult services.

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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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