Children's home SC044963

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:

 Care plans are clear, individualised and of a high standard.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The well-being of children is central to all decisions made.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff find creative and innovative ways to communicate with children.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff understand risks specific to each child and detailed, up-to-date plans are in place to best manage identified concerns

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff advocate strongly on behalf of children and are proactive in challenging when responses from other services are not adequate.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Effective managers lead a strong and committed staff group by example.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Despite limited resources, staff are passionate and creative about offering children the best experience of care.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff look after children with significantly different needs with skill, patience and kindness.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 In difficult circumstances, staff work well together to ensure that all young people have their complex needs met and that they are safely cared for.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 There are some areas for improvement. Children make progress across areas of their development but staff do not consistently record this against targets set.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Areas of the home environment are not of a high enough standard.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The variety of activities offered to children outside of the home is limited.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff do not consistently record information with regard to required health and safety checks.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Regulation 44 reports lack detail, insight and understanding.

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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

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 provider 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 to meet the needs of each child. 20 July 2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care, particularly with regard to ensuring that all health and safety checks are consistently undertaken and accurately recorded (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, particularly with reference to recording information on children’s files against identified targets in order to measure progress. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities, both inside and outside of the home (where appropriate) and are encouraged to engage in these activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person is confident that the independent person they appoint has the skills and understanding necessary to: relate to children in a home’s care, assess all relevant information, and form an impartial judgement about the quality of the home’s care. In particular, ensure that the independent person provides Regulation 44 reports that are accurate, complete and of a consistent standard. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is a local authority provision. The home is registered for up to 16 children and young people accommodated in four separate flats. All the children and young people have severe learning disabilities, and some also have physical disabilities and complex behavioural, emotional and social needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

3 February 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

28 September 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

24 March 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Children’s care plans are written in a simple, clear and effective way, providing staff with detailed information enabling them to meet individual need to a high standard. Plans are child centred and accessible and wherever possible produced in a format that children will also understand. Some children have complicated health conditions that require expert knowledge and training. Information regarding individual requirements is clearly documented, and in addition staff receive regular input and training from specialist health colleagues.

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Good

Relationships between staff and children are well established and interactions are warm and nurturing. Children respond well to the gentle, consistent care they receive and appear to enjoy time spent in the company of staff and managers. Staff know children well and understand their needs, and they remain proactive and committed to finding new ways to enable those with communication difficulties to be heard. Wherever possible, staff consult with children about their care and encourage them to contribute to planning. Staff can evidence where children have indicated an interest in an activity and how they have subsequently enabled them to access it.

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Good

Staff take the initiative to ensure that transitions are planned well in advance and managed in a way that they hope each child will understand. The importance of significant changes taking place within the home is also recognised. Staff have produced pictorial social stories to help children to understand and accept what is happening in their home. Special events are marked with celebrations and parties in line with each child’s choice. Scrapbooks of photographs and mementoes of special times and events are created for each child for when they move on.

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Good

All children are in an appropriate educational placement, and staff liaise and consult with individual schools in order to provide consistency and continuity of care.

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Good

Children are enabled to have positive contact with important family and friends in a place and at a time that is best for them. Staff assist with facilitating contact both in the home and within the wider community.

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Good

Staff, social workers and parents say that children make progress across all areas of development due to the care and consistent support offered to them. They are able to give examples of improvements in self-care, behaviour and self-regulation. One parent said, ‘It has done him the world of good being here. It was a very difficult decision to make when he was younger but the progress he has made has been amazing.’ Staff identify measurable targets for children to work towards, but currently recording against these is not detailed or sufficient for progress to be measured effectively. Staff do not review individual aims and outcomes regularly enough to consider if they are still relevant, met or need amendment.

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Good

Children do have access to some activities and pastimes which staff endeavour to link to their specific interests. However, there appears to be limited variety, particularly in and around the wider community.

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Good

Some areas of the home look homely, attractive and well cared for, providing a comfortable and pleasant environment for children to be in. Other areas have suffered significant damage, and equipment has been broken. Although repairs to recent damage are scheduled, bathrooms remain old and worn and are not in keeping with a nurturing home environment.

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Good

Risk assessments clearly identify specific concerns relating to individual children and tailored management plans are in place to manage all known risks. Each behaviour or concern is identified, with suggested strategies to reduce likelihood of harm occurring. Risk assessments are not generic but take into consideration each child and their vulnerability to a number of concerns. Review dates are scheduled and staff update plans following any changes or incidents of concern.

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Good

Children do not go missing because staffing and management of the home is good. Some children are identified as having the potential to abscond if given the opportunity. Strategies to ensure that this does not happen are clearly recorded, underpinned by a detailed policy and procedure of which staff are fully aware.

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Good

Staff understand the risk of child sexual exploitation, particularly in relation to the very vulnerable group of children for whom they care. The deputy manager has recently delivered additional training, which looked specifically at the risk to children with disabilities. Staff are fully aware of the potential of some children to self-harm, and again the risk is managed appropriately. As a consequence, incidents for the group of children currently living there have significantly reduced.

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Good

Each child’s behaviour is managed in a way specific to their needs and is recorded in their care management plans. Positive behaviour is recognised, encouraged and rewarded and imposed sanctions are rarely used. Staff concentrate on focusing children on the natural consequences of behaviour. For example if something is deliberately broken it becomes unavailable for use. Where appropriate, for more challenging behaviour, staff liaise with the local behavioural management team. They are able to provide expert consultation and advice to most effectively manage individual behaviour.

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Good

Physical intervention is used, but as a last resort and only when it is considered that a child or others may be in danger. Most interventions are low level and are used to defuse a situation before it reaches crisis point. All incidents are recorded in detail, are subject to management review and consideration and risk assessments are updated accordingly. Children and staff are given the opportunity to express how the incident affected them, both at the time and after the event.

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Good

Staff do not always record information consistently in relation to daily health and safety checks and cannot therefore evidence that required standards are consistently met.

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Good

The registered manager is experienced in working with children with disabilities and with complex behavioural, emotional and social needs. She has completed an NVQ level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care. A similarly experienced deputy manager supports her, and he has also completed his level 5 qualification.

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Good

Managers are clear about the importance of children being central to all decisions made and endeavour to ensure that their best interests remain of paramount importance. They know the children well and lead by example, with passion and commitment in advocating on their behalf. One social worker said: ‘They were extremely proactive in pushing the transition through and focusing others on making the right choices for him. It was a very difficult time for all involved but they managed extremely well, balancing the needs of all the children and ensuring that everyone was safe.’

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Good

A strong staff group receive regular training, which they say mostly meets their needs. A number of staff members are currently funding themselves to undertake the level 5 diploma in order improve knowledge and enhance practice. A staff and home development plan is in place, focusing on areas of policy and practice requiring further development. Each member of staff has responsibility for areas of particular interest that they research and cascade to colleagues. This ensures that everyone is instrumental in driving up standards and improving practice. Recruitment procedures are robust, ensuring that all possible safeguards are in place, and new staff members say that the induction programme is of high quality. Staff have regular supervision which is both reflective and practical. Staff report that managers are available daily for consultation and advice. One staff member said: ‘She is a brilliant manager. I have never worked for better. She screams from

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Good

the rooftops for us and the children.’ Team meetings take place weekly and are forums for discussion and professional development.

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Good

Managers speak with confidence about the strengths of the home, citing the commitment of staff to be totally child centred as a particular positive. They are also aware that there are areas that require further development. For example, better recording against more clearly defined targets for children in order to evidence progress made. There is also an acknowledgement of the challenge they face in continuing to offer best quality service with the shrinking resources available. They remain committed to positive change, however, and are proactive in seeking alternative ways of improving the home. For example, they have recently secured agreement for a fully fitted, state-of-the-art sensory room through a local charity. This will be a significant addition to the quality of the home for many of the children.

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Good

The statement of purpose has been recently updated and amended. Staff know and understand the contents and purpose of this document and strive to ensure that the aims and objectives are regularly met.

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Good

The quality of professional relationships is of a good standard. All social workers contacted spoke highly of the commitment shown to children and resulting communication with other agencies. One social worker said: ‘I have an absolutely brilliant, positive and constructive working relationship with staff, link worker and house manager. They have the welfare of the children as a paramount consideration.’

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Good

Independent visitors undertake regular assessments of arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people in the home. A number of individuals continue to share this role and it is rare that there is consistency between them. Reports produced are often lacking in detail and some information recorded is inaccurate. The value that these inspection reports offer to managers varies from month to month, so they are of limited worth in driving forward improvement.

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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 children looked after 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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