Children's home run by Cornwall Council in Cornwall

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:

 Young people enjoy their short break at this home. They are given meaningful activities based on their known likes and dislikes.  Young people are supported by staff who place them at the centre of their care. Staff are caring and promote young people’s independence and dignity well.  Young people appear relaxed at the home and there are positive relationships between young people and staff.  Using alternative methods of communication, staff offer young people choices in food, drinks and activities.  Staff show a good awareness of safeguarding procedures and protocols. They have a clear understanding of matters relating to safeguarding young people who may have a disability.  Leaders, managers and staff collaborate well with parents and social workers to ensure that good care is provided to the young people.  Leaders and managers are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the service. They have developed a service improvement plan to address the

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The children’s home provision is good because:

shortfalls.  Improvements in service provision relate to ensuring continuity and consistency of care, staff training, a review of the use of sanctions and improvement in the environment the home offers.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet 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 within the given timescales.

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The quality and purpose of care standard

6. In order to meet this quality standard, the registered person must, and ensure that staff—

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The quality and purpose of care standard

(2)(b)(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background – in particular, ensuring continuity and consistency of care when supporting young people with their eating needs. 31/08/2016

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Employment of staff

33(4)(a) Ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. In particular, training in augmented communication and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. 31/12/2016

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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

 Ensure that the home seeks as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than an ‘institutional’ impression. In particular, review the arrangements for, and the volume of, the telephone ringing in young people’s communal areas, and provide tablecloths and placemats at mealtimes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the behaviour management strategy is understood and applied at all times by the staff, and kept under review and revised when appropriate – in particular, regarding the use of sanctions as part of behaviour management. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide a short break service for up to 21 children and young people who have learning difficulties and/or physical difficulties. The home is managed and owned by the local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

The registered manager and staff place the young people’s needs at the centre of their care and support. Staff are sensitive to the needs of the young people, are caring, and promote their privacy and dignity well.

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Good

Staff are committed to providing young people with positive experiences and new opportunities to help them develop their skills and confidence. Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have focused work hard to evidence the progress young people make. The deputy manager has taken a lead role in this improvement work and, in consultation with a graphics design company, has developed a user-friendly tool that identifies the targets for young people and how these are to be achieved. This management tool is in its early stages of implementation.

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Good

Staff are given comprehensive placement plans, completed assessments and guidance on how to meet the individual needs of complex young people. This guidance includes how to support and meet the young people’s needs in areas such as eating and drinking, moving and handling, and communication. In the main, staff were observed to be implementing these guidelines well. However, it was noted that the eating and drinking needs of one young person were not met consistently at two mealtimes.

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Good

For those young people who have specific communication needs, the environment gives them visual clues and representations in the form of signs and symbols to assist and promote their awareness of their surroundings. In addition, staff encourage and support young people to use a picture exchange system in their daily routines to help them communicate their needs and make choices.

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Good

The healthcare needs of young people are clearly identified and, when needed, staff are given guidance on managing young people’s health needs, including epilepsy. ‘As required’ medicines are predominantly used to manage needs relating to young people’s eating and drinking needs and hay fever, and not to manage behaviours.

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Good

Positive feedback was received about the young people’s experiences in this home. One social worker said, ‘Children are given choices and are supported to do this around their meals and activities.’ Another said, ‘The children enjoy their time there and staff work well with parents and professionals.’ Young people are offered a wide choice of meaningful activities based on their known likes and interests. At the time of this inspection, two young people went bowling and another young person went out for the day with a staff member. In addition, the service has an extensive choice of indoor and outdoor play equipment. One social worker said, ‘The home provides lots of activities that are appropriate for the children staying, and make them all feel comfortable and happy.’ Young people were observed to be enjoying the activities available to them.

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Good

Since the last inspection, there have been some improvements made to the environment within the home and also to the main entrance. Leaders and managers are aware that the fabric of the building is not conducive to promoting a homely environment. This is clearly identified in the manager’s improvement plan. It was noted at this inspection that the home’s main telephone line rings extremely loudly in the communal areas of the home. In addition, there are no tablecloths or table settings provided at mealtimes. These matters do not promote a homely and domestic environment.

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Good

The registered manager said that since the last inspection the students and staff from the adjacent on-site school have no longer used the home’s kitchen and dining facilities. As a result, the home is now only used by the young people who visit for short breaks.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that staff are familiar with safeguarding procedures and protocols, and in particular safeguarding matters relating to young people who have a disability. All staff have received safeguarding training and showed a good awareness of the potential heightened risks posed to young people who have a disability. Young people are helped well to stay safe when accessing this short break service.

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Good

The registered manager works collaboratively with internal and external agencies and parents. As a result, there is good partnership working to share information and/or concerns about young people. A particular matter that has been dealt with effectively relates to considering potential deprivation of liberty issues for young people who have complex support needs. The registered manager ensures that when there is a potential restriction of liberty, the placement plan and risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated to protect the young people.

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Good

Since the last inspection, no referrals have been made to the designated officer or children’s services. There are no recorded incidents of young people missing, and no concerns about young people being at risk of sexual exploitation.

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Good

Positive behaviour is promoted and staff are given guidance as to how to manage young people’s individual behaviours. Young people receive ‘certificates of achievement and recognition’ after positive outcomes. This promotes their self- esteem. Restraint is rare and has not been used since the last inspection. All staff receive training in the home’s preferred method of de-escalation and restraint.

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Good

Since the previous inspection, two sanctions have been imposed on young people. The records of these sanctions report on how the behaviours were managed, not the sanctions being imposed. The measures taken did not have a negative impact on the young people. After discussions on the appropriateness of sanctions, the registered manager said that the behaviour management policy would be reviewed.

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Good

All staff receive fire drill training and good records are kept of the testing of the home’s fire system and the regular checks on the home’s firefighting equipment. One young person showed to the inspector a good awareness of what to do if the fire alarms are activated, and how to respond in order to keep himself safe.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that the home is well maintained and provides a safe environment for the young people.

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Good

The home is well managed and resourced to meet the needs of the young people. The registered manager has the skills and experience to manage the service, and a B.Sc. (Hons) Health and Social Care Management. She is working towards the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare (England).

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Good

Leaders and managers ensure that there is robust and effective monitoring of the quality of care provided by the staff. The independent visitor regularly consults with young people, staff, parents and the placing authority to seek their views and opinions of the care provided. The registered manager responds to any recommendations made as a result of their visit.

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Good

The registered manager is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She has produced a comprehensive development plan. Areas for development include reviewing the complaints procedure to make it more accessible to young people, and developing the home’s recording and activity planning documents to include informal learning opportunities for each young person.

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Good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision that includes reflective practice discussions. The registered manager ensures that good performance is praised and, when improvement is required, this is clearly recorded in staff’s individual records. Staff say that they feel listened to and well supported.

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Good

Although staff were observed to communicate well with young people leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff working in the home have received formal training in alternative augmented communication. In addition, not all staff have received training in percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. The registered manager had already recognised these weaknesses, and these training shortfalls are included in the home’s development plan.

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Good

All staff have undertaken formal training to ensure that all young people travel safely in the home’s vehicles. This was a recommendation at the last inspection.

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Good

There are effective working relationships between parents and staff working at the home. One parent said, ‘My daughter receives great care and support and I have no concerns about the care she receives’, and went on to say, ‘I can turn up here at any time and speak to staff.’

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Good

The registered manager promotes good working relationships with the placing authority and external agencies. One social worker said, ‘I have frequent contact most weeks with the manager to discuss the support that is being provided.’

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Good

The registered manager ensures that she notifies the appropriate authorities and agencies of any significant events at 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 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 that 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 that 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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