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:

 This short-break service is well managed and the registered manager and staff place the young people’s needs at the centre of their care. The manager has a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has developed an action plan to address the latter.  Young people are offered a wide range of activities in both the home and the wider community. They are regularly consulted on the activities that they wish to access at the time of the short break, and at their next planned visit.  Detailed placement plans support staff in how to meet the individual needs of young people. Targets are set and evaluated, and clearly evidence the progress that they are making. These are regularly reviewed and updated.  Young people’s specific health needs, such as support in managing their epilepsy and their diet, are clearly identified. Staff are provided with detailed guidance in how to meet these needs.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff use a variety of communication aids effectively to offer young people choices in their day-to-day living. This includes choices in meals, drinks and activities.  The home is well maintained and child-friendly. Young people are relaxed and comfortable in the environment and there are positive relationships between young people and staff.  Areas for improvement identified at this inspection include matters relating to staff training in augmented communication, young people being involved in the development of their placement plan, and ensuring that speech and language therapy assessments, where required, are provided to the staff team.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

4(a) Ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. In particular, training in augmented communication and attachment. 31/01/2017

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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

 Ensure that the arrangements of the staff sleep-in facilities are reviewed, in order to ascertain if these can be further improved. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home works in partnership with relevant people as appropriate so that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. In addition, ensure that staff are provided with speech and language therapy assessments as these reports may offer advice and recommendations to include the use of communication aids, equipment and/or any necessary language support. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides a short-break service for up to four children/and or young people who have learning 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

14/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people receive good individualised care and support. Comprehensive placement plans guide staff in how to meet young people’s needs. These are supported by specific risk assessments relating to their individual needs, such as moving and handling, and accessing the local environment and facilities. There is good communication and planning between the staff. This ensures that staff are aware of the needs of the young people who are coming to access a short break. Development targets are regularly reviewed and discussed. Detailed records are maintained to clearly evidence the progress that young people are making. One parent said, ‘he is socialising more, and is now choosing his meals’.

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Good

However, the placement plans are not child-friendly and there is no evidence to suggest that young people have been involved in the development of their plan, as and where appropriate.

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Good

Through accessing a short break at this home, young people develop self-esteem and their confidence improves. One young person said, ‘I am a lot less stressed, more at ease by coming here’. He added, ‘I get quality time with other young people, make friends and the staff have taught me confidence and to be more social and talk to other people’. Parents and social workers speak well of the short- break service. One parent said, ‘it’s early days but I am really impressed with how well he is settling in; he seems happy here’. Another parent said, ‘it’s great here’.

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Good

There are good relationships between young people and staff. Young people are at ease in the home’s environment and appear very relaxed and comfortable in the home.

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Good

Young people are regularly consulted about what activities they would like to do when staying at the home and enjoy the activities that are provided. One young person gave nine out of 10 for the activities, and a parent said, ‘I can’t believe my son has been camping. I have seen a photograph of him washing up, and he doesn’t do that at home.’ In addition, young people are given choices in everyday living, such as choosing meals and drinks and taking part in household chores. The registered manager has developed a management tool entitled ‘your voice’. This tool clearly evidences how young people are consulted, and records how young people’s wishes have been acted upon. For example, when accessing their short break, one young person wanted to do some baking and go out for a meal. Records viewed evidenced that these activities took place. In addition, the registered manager undertakes a monthly audit of this management approach to

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Good

ensure that the staff are consulting with young people and listening to their wishes.

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Good

Some young people have complex support needs in relation to their health, including their dietary needs, and matters relating to their epilepsy. One young person’s epilepsy support plan has been countersigned by their GP and epilepsy nurse, and gives clear guidance on the emergency action to take if needed. One parent said, ‘staff follow his epilepsy protocols and I don’t worry about him here’. However, the recording of some entries pertaining to young people’s epilepsy is not always clear. This is due to the recording format that is used.

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Good

Some young people use alternative methods to communicate, including the use of signs and symbols. Staff use these methods to offer young people choices and to seek their views. Staff have been extremely proactive in devising their own resources to enhance communication. It was noted that not all placement plans contain a report from a speech and language therapist. Such reports may contain guidance, advice and further recommendations to promote communication between young people and staff.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that safeguarding processes and protocols are embedded in staff practice. All staff have received safeguarding training. Matters relating to safeguarding regularly appear on the agenda at staff meetings and at handovers between shifts. In order to evaluate staff knowledge and awareness, the registered manager regularly presents safeguarding scenarios to the staff team, and they are expected to discuss and record the actions they would take. The registered manager audits these responses to ensure that staff can demonstrate a thorough awareness and understanding of safeguarding principles and protocols.

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Good

Young people are safe at the home. One parent said, ‘I have never had any concerns to think otherwise’. A young person said, ‘I feel safe here. I know the people here and they are not strangers.’

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Good

Positive behaviour is promoted and young people are encouraged and supported to manage their behaviours and feelings. Staff use communication tools to promote this to good effect. Comprehensive behaviour support plans are implemented where needed in order to guide and support staff to manage specific behaviours. These are supported by detailed risk assessments that have been countersigned by the registered manager and parent. Restraint is rarely and appropriately used and sanctions are not imposed. All staff have received training in the home’s chosen methods of de-escalation and restraint.

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Good

There have not been any incidents of young people going missing, no concerns relating to child sexual exploitation and no referrals made to the designated officer or children’s services.

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Good

Leaders and managers ensure that there is a robust audit trail to demonstrate the safe recruitment of staff. This includes agency staff.

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Good

Fire safety is promoted. There are regular checks and servicing of the home’s fire system and firefighting equipment. All staff and young people take part in regular fire drills. Where required, some young people have personal emergency evacuation plans.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that there is regular servicing and testing of the home’s utility services. The home has a dedicated maintenance person who ensures a safe environment is maintained.

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Good

This short-break service is effectively and efficiently managed. The registered manager has been in post since April 2007 and has the appropriate experience and qualifications to manage the service. She places young people at the centre when delivering their care, and staff are committed to providing high-quality care and support.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that there is regular scrutiny of the service by the independent visitor, and responds effectively to any recommendations made. She has undertaken a comprehensive review of the quality of care provided. Improvements identified through this review inform the home’s service development plan. This is a detailed development plan that currently includes further development in the following areas: improving evidence of consulting with young people; continual analysis of target-setting for young people, to demonstrate their progress in accessing the short-break service; and improvements to the home’s environment.

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Good

There is good communication with parents and social workers. One parent said, ‘communication between me and the staff is brilliant’. A social work team manager said, ‘staff are good at keeping the social worker informed, and I have no concerns about the quality of care provided’.

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Good

Staff receive effective and regular supervision and the vast majority of staff are qualified to level 3; those staff without the qualification are working towards it.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that all staff receive mandatory training and specialised training to meet the needs of the young people. This includes training in epilepsy and moving and handling. However, not all staff have received formal training in augmented communication and attachments.

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Good

Staff are not provided with satisfactory sleeping-in accommodation. The accommodation is located in the loft space. Due to this, staff cannot stand vertically because of the low eaves. In addition, this space is used for storage and there is an extra computer and a desk.

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Good

The registered manager informs parents, agencies and authorities of significant events in the home. Good records are maintained to demonstrate action that has been taken where safeguarding concerns are identified.

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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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