Children's home run by The St Christopher School in Southend-on-Sea

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 enjoy accessing high-quality short breaks here.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home offers a bright, clean, welcoming environment, which is maintained to a high standard.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff know children very well and understand their specific needs.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Relationships between staff and children are warm, nurturing and positive.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Rooms are thoughtfully furnished and decorated to reflect the needs and preferences of children.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Care plans are clear, well written and regularly updated.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Robust and efficient systems are in place to ensure that medication is safely handled and administered.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Children are encouraged to develop independent life skills appropriate to their specific abilities.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Children are offered a wide range of activities and opportunities that may otherwise prove difficult for them to access.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home maintains strong, professional links with partner agencies.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Risk assessments are in place for all children, but are not sufficiently individualised.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Currently, the systems in place to evidence the progress that children make do not fully reflect what they are achieving.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Some safeguarding checks made in respect of newly recruited staff have not been undertaken robustly enough.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Although staff have supervision on a regular basis, the records kept do not evidence that it is reflective and of a high quality.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Some staff have not obtained the required level 3 diploma for residential childcare within the prescribed timeframe.

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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 „Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards‟. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff ensuring that full and satisfactory information is available in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2, with particular reference to two written references, including a reference from the person's most recent employer and if a person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, verification so far as reasonably practicable of the reason why the employment or position ended. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 3 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (England) ("the level 3 Diploma") by the relevant date which in the case of in individual who was working in a care role in a home of 1st April 2014, is 1st April 2015. (Regulation 32 (3)(b) (4)(a)(5)(b)) 3 June 2016

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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 staff recognise and celebrate the achievements of children, with clear records made in order to better evidence progress („Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards‟, page 31, paragraph 6.7).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, in particular ensuring that plans are sufficiently individualised („Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff receive good quality supervision, which allows them sufficient time to reflect on their practice and discuss matters relating to the children assigned to their care, and is clearly recorded („Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.2).

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Information about this children's home

This home is a purpose-built residential short-break facility for six children with learning and physical disabilities. It is run by a charitable organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

29 December 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

9 December 2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The home is bright, welcoming and maintained to an exceptional standard. It is thoughtfully decorated, furnished and resourced. The environment is calm and ordered, offering a very pleasant place for children to enjoy short breaks away from home. Communal areas are attractive, with photographic displays of trips out, and paintings and collages that children and staff have created. Bedrooms are personalised for each individual visit, with pictures and bed linen specific to each child‟s taste and interests. Children feel welcome and cared for, knowing that this high-quality facility is available just for them. One child said, „it is a nice place, very homely and the people are lovely.‟

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Good

There are a variety of activities for children of all abilities to access, including a recently installed, state-of-the-art sensory room. Staff know the children well and cater to their needs when planning activities both on and off site. The home benefits from the use of a specially adapted swimming pool and sports hall attached to the school within the grounds. Children are also able to access local community resources, and staff are proactive in finding new and exciting things for them to do. Recent trips to a local sports track facility that offers specially adapted bicycle rides have been particularly popular. Children are given the opportunity to experience activities within the wider community that parents may struggle to manage. One parent said, „there is such a range of things for him to do here, things I just can‟t do with him anymore.‟

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Good

Some children have significant communication difficulties, so staff work hard to find ways for them to express their preferences and offer views about the service. The pictorial exchange communication system is utilised throughout the home to enable children to communicate their needs and to make choices. To obtain their views about the service that they are offered, a picture-based questionnaire is also used and is completed by children. The manager uses the collated information to plan and shape individual care, and to develop the service.

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Good

Some children also have complex health problems. Staff are knowledgeable, confident and competent in managing their needs. A meticulous system to manage and monitor medication is in place and well maintained, thereby reducing the likelihood of error occurring.

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Good

All children accessing the service have an appropriate educational provision in place. Staff maintain good working relationships with schools and liaise closely to ensure that the care offered is consistent. Children are also encouraged and assisted to undertake homework, where appropriate.

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Good

Transitions are managed at the pace of individual children and their carers, both into and out of the service. Staff are willing and able to work closely with colleagues from other services to ensure planning and consistency, wherever possible.

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Good

Care plans are individualised and profiles provide a full picture of each child, their needs, wants and likes. Every child has a number of aims identified for their short- break stays. Staff, social workers and parents are clear that the service does assist in improving independence skills and establishing routines. As a consequence, they maintain that children enjoy improved confidence and raised self-esteem. However, the recording systems in place do not sufficiently detail and evidence the individual progress made.

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Good

Staff understand the particular and complex vulnerabilities of children who access this service. Children do not go missing, due to the high level of supervision and appropriate measures taken to ensure their safety in and around the home. One parent, who described her son as a „runner‟, said that „they understand him and what they need to pay attention to, every little detail, so I don‟t worry. I know he is safe.‟ A recently updated location risk assessment further strengthens this view.

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Good

Staff receive regular training in online safety and countering child sexual exploitation, and show an insight into the specific risk that some children with disabilities may experience. The manager is clear about their responsibility to work in partnership with other agencies in relation to such matters, and is able to evidence where this has happened. Staff understand safeguarding, and have systems in place to monitor and manage concerns.

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Good

Each child has a clear personal emergency evacuation plan, with very specific information detailing how they will need assistance in an emergency. This information is clearly set out on a single laminated sheet that is attached to each bedroom door, ensuring that it is easily visible, on every visit.

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Good

Behaviour is managed in a consistent and proportionate way. Each child has an individual positive behaviour plan, which outlines, in very simple terms, aspects of behaviour that they may require support with. Again, plans are laminated and affixed to the door of each room, ensuring that staff are aware of behaviours and appropriate strategies to manage them.

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Good

Low-level sanctions are used, where appropriate, in a balanced way. This ensures, where possible, that children understand behaviour that is and is not acceptable. Staff manage most negative behaviour by distraction and diversion. Physical intervention is used rarely, and as a last resort when there is a risk of harm to a child or others around them. Each incident is written up in full, and records are overseen by managers who use relevant information to update care plans and risk assessments.

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Good

Each child has a risk assessment, looking at areas of concern and how to best mitigate potential hazards. However, currently these are not sufficiently detailed and individualised to reflect the very specific needs of each child. Further detail would better inform and equip staff to manage risks to every child in the most effective way possible.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post since 2008 and holds the NVQ level 5 qualification in leadership and management. An experienced and competent deputy manager ably assists her.

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Good

Children make progress through coming to this home. Staff, social workers and parents are proud of achievements made. Children are encouraged to become more able and independent, and it is an expectation that everyone plays a part, however small, in the routine of the home. There are photographs of children undertaking many different household tasks, from food preparation to assisting with laundry. Staff enable children to develop life skills that will be of benefit to them as they move towards independence. Children are encouraged and congratulated on the smallest of successes, and are understandably proud of their achievements.

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Good

However, individual targets are not yet sufficiently detailed to evidence clear and measurable progress for children from their unique starting points. Currently, the aims of the stay are too broad and do not illustrate the small steps taken to achieve overarching objectives.

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Good

The manager has plans to develop the home. These include improvements to the physical environment, in which she hopes to involve the children. She also recognises the need to develop a system to enable staff to more accurately measure and evaluate the progress that children are making. Work is currently underway to adapt the current system used to enable children, their carers and those working with them to understand better the progress that they are making.

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Good

The quality of professional relationships is good. Staff work closely with carers and colleagues to ensure that the service that children receive is as seamless as possible. Social workers speak highly of the provision. One said, „This service is exceptional from the introduction onwards. Feedback is brilliant. Always a “can do” attitude. Reports are frequent and communication is first class.‟ Parents are also complimentary. One mother said, „The level of trust makes all the difference – if you don‟t trust who is looking after your child, it makes no difference how lovely it looks. The staff, especially the managers, are wonderful.‟

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Good

The statement of purpose is up to date and the home is delivering a good-quality service in line with this. Staff understand the purpose of this document, and how the content informs and shapes the service that they offer. Regular team meetings provide an opportunity for staff to discuss issues in greater depth, to develop greater and more consistent understanding.

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Good

Staff at the home are very experienced and some have been employed by the service for many years. They know the children who have been coming to the home for a long time extremely well, and relationships are positive and strong. They undertake frequent and varied training across all relevant areas, which is regularly updated and refreshed. However, there are a significant number of permanent, long-serving staff members who have not undertaken the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. This does not ensure that those working with the most complex and disadvantaged children have a consistent grounding in all aspects of effective and safe care . The manager is aware that this matter requires urgent attention and has started to plan how to address this without further delay. All staff receive regular supervision from an external trained supervisor and counsellor. Records are kept, but notes are brief and do not evidence that this

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Good

provides an opportunity to reflect on practice issues to improve the quality of care that is offered. Staff say that managers are always available for informal advice and supervision. All staff are subject to annual review and performance management, undertaken by the registered manager.

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Good

Some recently recruited staff have started to work in the home before all information regarding safeguarding checks has been received. Also, some information has not been verified in line with regulations to ensure a robust response to safeguarding. The impact of this on children has been minimal, to date, as new staff members are closely supervised by an experienced member of staff during their probationary period.

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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 „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 0300 123 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

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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