Children's Home run by Essex County Council in Essex

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:

 Children and young people benefit from new experiences and make good progress because of the highly personalised individual care from a skilled staff team.  Staff provide good quality support to vulnerable children and young people with complex needs.  Systems of consultation with parents and carers and children and young people means their views are central to the running and development of the home. Their opinions are respected and valued  Transitions for children and young people new to the home, or those who are moving on to new placements or adult life, are sensitively managed. This increases the likelihood of success in the next stage of their lives.  The management team have a passion to raise standards and provide a service that is personal and individual to each child. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and have clear development plans for continual improvements to the service.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Two areas for development were identified. Personal evacuation plans do not always contain enough detail about how changes in behaviour may impede safe evacuation in the event of a fire. In addition, staff and young people have not had the opportunity to practice night time fire evacuations as stated in the home’s fire risk assessment.  Reports of visits conducted by an independent visitor have not been sent to Ofsted as required.

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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 the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2) (b)) 08/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7) (a)) 08/11/2015

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Information about this children's home

This home is run by the local authority and provides short breaks for children with disabilities. It is registered to provide respite care for eight young people with learning disabilities who may also have additional physical and health 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 Improved Effectiveness

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Good

Individual progress for children and young people is positive, despite the short amount of time they spend at the home. Young people are able to practice their social skills and have other experiences they may not be able to have at home. Activities are plentiful: trips to the seaside, parks and playing in the garden all prove popular. A parent stated: ‘Having short breaks has shown my son there is a world out there that is not just family and school. He develops social skills and independence. Food wise, he was very limited and now he will eat anything. Developing his social skills is amazing. Before, he had such a limited social circle. Staff support him to be an adult.’ Children and young people grow in confidence and become prepared for adult life because of the individualised care they receive.

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Good

Positive and trusting relationships are evident between staff, children and young people. Staff understand that using individual communication styles is of paramount importance in enabling individuals to put their views and opinions across. A newly recruited member of staff said: ‘I learned specialist sign language the other day and I used it for the first time with a young person. We understood each other. It was amazing to be able to do that and have a conversation.’ Staff are warm and caring towards children and young people who feel safe and secure in their presence.

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Good

Support for individual health needs during stays is safe and effective. A good level of training promotes a clear understanding of safe administration of medication. Errors in the administration of medication are rare and if they do happen, they are quickly picked up and staff benefit from retraining. Staff provide plentiful nutritious home cooked food, which meets young people’s individual dietary needs. As a result, children and young people, who are totally dependent on adults for their care, remain healthy and well.

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Good

The purpose-built home is well-decorated and maintained. Children and young people have access to a sensory room, lounges and toys and books. On their return from school, staff are ready and waiting to warmly greet them and settle them in to the home and their bedrooms, ensuring a positive start to their stays.

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Good

Transition in to the home for initial short breaks and out of the home to alternative services, when young people reach adulthood, is well-planned and sensitively managed in conjunction with parents and carers and social workers. This enables children and young people to feel safe and secure in new environments and be well-prepared for this important change. Judgement grade

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Good

Staff and managers know and implement safeguarding protocols and procedures, including whistleblowing, to help protect children and young people. Any safeguarding concerns, including allegations against staff, have been referred to the appropriate agencies and the Local Authority Designated Officer, in a timely way. The manager robustly concludes concerns to ensure positive outcomes for young people.

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Good

Parents confirm they understand how to make a complaint although have rarely needed to. In the event of a complaint from parents or other stakeholders, there is rigorous follow up. The manager is reflective in her management of complaints and can demonstrate where lessons have been learned if areas for improvement are identified. Where staff practice has not met the high standards expected, she takes action to ensure the quality of care children and young people receive remains high. Children and young people are protected as a result of well-implemented complaint and safeguarding systems.

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Good

High levels of supervision by staff who are familiar with individual’s needs helps ensure young people are not at risk in the home or in the community or at risk of going missing. Young people benefit from clear routines and positive behaviour management techniques. Challenging and complex behaviours are well-understood and managed. As a result, there are low levels of physical intervention to manage behaviour. Effective strategies de-escalate challenging behaviour to ensure children’s and young people’s safety. Staff make comprehensive records and the management team reviews incidents to ensure practice in this area remains effective and to consider lessons learned.

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Good

Fire safety is generally well managed in the home. Fire safety systems are tested regularly and staff know fire evacuation procedures. However, personal evacuation plans do not always describe in enough detail how a young person’s safe evacuation from the building might be affected by the impact of, for example, a noisy alarm, smoke or darkness. In addition, the fire risk assessment describes staff, children and young people practising regular drills. This has not happened at night time for over a year. These shortfalls have the potential to undermine otherwise robust fire safety systems. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager has been registered with Ofsted for this home since 2013. She is working towards the appropriate residential management level five qualification as required by regulation, as well as holding a level four qualification in residential management.

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Good

The manager, supported by a deputy manager, strives to create a well-run, effective and high quality service. She has clear awareness of strengths and weaknesses of the home and has plans in place to improve areas for development, demonstrating transparent and reflective leadership and management. The manager and deputy manager show passion and commitment in achieving positive outcomes for children and young people and are continuously developing the home. During the inspection the manager said: ‘What an honour and a privilege it is to look after these children.’

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Good

There is a committed and enthusiastic staff team. A turnover in staffing has led to the appointment of a number of new staff. Staff are well supported through regular one to one supervision as well as case supervision. They have opportunities for regular informal discussions and team meetings. New staff benefit from a thorough induction and training programme. There is a training plan to ensure staff remain as up-to-date as possible. Staff access training to meet young people’s health care needs.

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Good

Consistently positive feedback was received from social workers, education specialists and parents about their engagement with the home, children’s and young people’s progress and levels of consultation. Parents and carers feel confident in leaving their child in an environment that is safe and where they know they will be well cared for and have new experiences. A parent said: ‘I trust them 100%.’

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Good

Opportunities for consultation with parents and carers and with children and young people are well used, with swift action on any feedback. The home provides opportunities for parents and carers to meet each other at coffee mornings held at the home, facilitating a system of informal support for each other.

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Good

Effective monitoring systems scrutinise the quality of care at the home. Independent visitors visit monthly and produce reports on their findings. These reports have not been sent to Ofsted as required by regulation, meaning Ofsted has not had an up-to-date overview of the functioning of the home.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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