Children's home run by Central Bedfordshire Council in Central Bedfordshire

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 flourish as a result of the care and support that they receive in both the short-break and permanent services.  There is routine, robust and effective multi-agency working.  Children benefit from the continuity of care provided by the motivated and skilled staff team.  All children access a range of stimulating, fun yet personalised activities.  Staff are proud of their work and the difference that they make, day to day, to children’s lives.  The registered manager is very effective. He is leading cultural change.  Parents speak highly of the service, and the difference that the service makes to them and their children’s lives.  Staff skilfully look for opportunities to encourage the children to be as independent as their circumstances enable.  The failure to meet two regulations has no impact on the children currently using the service. Shortfalls in quality standards relate to some risk

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The children’s home provision is good because:

assessments, recording, the complete staff appraisal process, notifications to Ofsted and some staff training.

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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 notify HMCI of any revisions to the statement of purpose and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(b)) 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purpose of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year, taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2)) 31/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This is with specific reference to the details of steps to manage risks from within the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Ensure children’s case records (regulation 36) are kept up to date, and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  Ensure staff appraisal takes into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  Ensure that staff can access appropriate resources to support their training

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Recommendations

needs. This is with specific reference to disability and sexuality. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  Regulation 40(4) requires the registered person to notify Ofsted if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) This is with specific reference to when children are required to attend hospital as a result of an incident in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and operates this setting. The service provides care and accommodation for up to eight children who have a learning difficulty and who may also have a physical disability. Premises are organised into three living areas: short breaks, permanent placements and a self-contained flat.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 28/10/2015 Full Good 12/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/12/2014 Full Adequate

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Good

Both health and social services know the children who use this service. A number of children have routine hospital appointments. Each individual has unique, complex learning and/or physical needs. All require continual adult supervision, support and degrees of personal assistance. Some communicate using speech, others through sound, movement and picture exchange.

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Good

Children flourish as a result of their experiences in this home. Across the service, thoughtfully constructed and highly individualised support plans identify children’s targets. This enables staff to direct their energy towards encouraging each individual to achieve, resulting in small yet significant progressive steps, for example in communication, social interaction and managing transitions. One parent said: ‘My daughter speaks very highly of the staff. She is very happy here. The staff have taken the time to understand her.’ Another parent said, ‘My son gets on wonderfully well and has made big progress.’

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Good

The children build trusting and secure relationships with the staff, many of whom have worked in the home for a number of years. Staff say that they ‘love their job’. One member of staff said, ‘It is a privilege to be able to care for the children.’

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Good

Families and those who are important are a central feature. They are welcome and many visit the home regularly. One parent said: ‘I love it. For my son, it is a home away from home.’ Where this is in accordance with care planning, staff facilitate and support contact. This sets the scene for parents’ active involvement in placement planning, helping some children to settle and others to retain significant attachments. One member of the team said, ‘We respect that parents know their children best.’

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Good

Walking there or using transport, all children routinely attend school, and are also actively encouraged to participate in play and sensory learning around the home. Staff attend parent’s evenings and school meetings, and take part in classroom visits. One headteacher said, ‘We work together very closely.’ This partnership approach raises staff awareness about children’s experiences in other settings, helping to inform the direction of support plans.

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Good

Children’s views, wishes and opinions influence decisions made in the home. For example, following consultation, staff transformed a soft play room into a ’chill out’ space. The children chose the colour of the paint and helped to shape the interior. The children also chose to purchase new trampolines for the sensory play areas. These examples demonstrate how meaningfully the staff ensure that children participate, resulting in their inclusion in the running of the home and enjoyment of their environment.

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Good

The child-centred approach ensures that children’s achievements are recognised and celebrated. Individualised monthly newsletters are displayed in the home and circulated to parents, and allocated social workers help to raise the profile of individual accomplishments. This effective level of information sharing helps some of the children and key stakeholders to visualise their improvement. One parent said: ‘I really like the progress reports, because they help me to see in both pictures and words how well he has been doing.’

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Good

Staff play with the children. The result is that those known to be wary or anxious become more confident, for example in initiating touch and eye contact. Staff are creative and ensure that each child participates in a broad range of activities in both the home and the local community, for example, sewing, art, water play, horse riding, theatre trips and swimming. Staff take children on holiday, ‘going above and beyond’ to ensure that they have fun childhood experiences such as going to the beach and visiting water parks.

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Good

The interior offers spacious accommodation for the chronological age span of both children who use the short-break service and those living in the home full time. For example, for one child the staff made ‘a den’, while the other children have access to ‘a sensory room’. All of this is in addition to communal space, such as living rooms. Where appropriate and reflecting individual plans, bedrooms are highly personalised, mirroring individual personality and preferences. Short-break bedrooms are adapted to meet the needs of the child visiting the home. This helps children to feel safe and valued.

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Good

The cook engages with the children and staff to ensure that menus are varied and adapted to reflect cultural diversity. The result is a nutritious and well-balanced selection of food. Older children, particularly, are encouraged to make choices about what they eat and, for example, have the opportunity to choose the contents of their packed lunch. Additionally, each week they receive support to buy and cook food for themselves. These arrangements have a considerably positive impact, promoting independence, raising self-esteem and encouraging social interaction.

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Good

Children do not go missing from this home. Nonetheless, staff liaise with the local police and ensure that relevant information and photographs are to hand, should unforeseen circumstances arise. Children who communicate using speech say that they feel safe and secure. Children observed during this inspection were responding very positively to staff; reciprocating and inviting interaction using touch and laughter. Local authority social workers and parents are among the frequent visitors to this home. All represented in this inspection raised no safeguarding concerns.

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Good

Staff do use restraint. However, the records sampled show that the interventions are short, effective and follow the legislative framework. Significantly, more often, staff skilfully use a range of techniques and strategies to distract, persuade and coax. They patiently explain to children, using words and pictures, when behaviours are unacceptable such as hitting out at others. The result for those children is a significant reduction in incidents and outbursts.

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Good

Where possible, staff proactively encourage children to take risks, for example through play and in social interaction. In areas such as self-injury and accidents, written assessments help staff to identify where potential areas of risk are likely, for example, in relation to children who, if alone for any length of time, may be at risk of harm from the environment. While assessments helpfully identify the headline area for staff’s attention, those sampled lacked detail, particularly in areas where there has been previous cause for concern. This shortfall means that some risk assessments do not go far enough to evidence that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them in the home at all times.

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Good

There have been no allegations against staff.

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Good

Many children receive medication. The arrangements for storing and administration raise no concern. Staff receive training and appear confident in their handling and management of prescribed and controlled drugs. Internal quality assurance processes enable managers and leaders quickly to identify rare occasions of human error and take action to strengthen practice.

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Good

Registered with Ofsted since the interim inspection, the manager is currently studying to complete the required level 5 diploma in management and leadership. He is making a significant difference. A representative from one agency said, ‘I have known this home for many years and it is the best that I have seen it.’

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Good

The manager has introduced a number of productive changes. For example, the staffing structure for short-break and permanent placements is now distinct, resulting in improved continuity of care for all children. While other improvements are clearly evident, for example, new paperwork, the most significant impact that the registered manager makes is in leading a culture which helps children to aspire to reach their full potential. For example, through role modelling and discussion, he is challenging when inviting staff to ensure that children’s views, wishes, achievements and feedback are evident and at the centre of all practice. The result is a stimulated and engaged team that takes pride in its work. One member said, ‘We are open to suggestions and are always striving to improve what we do for the children.’

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Good

The comprehensive workforce development plan identifies mandatory training in areas such as first aid and safeguarding. Additionally, there is a regular opportunity to access and attend supplementary training leading to qualification. The current age range of the children living in the home permanently is such that some are over 16 years. While training does cover a broad span of areas, the range does not go far enough. This is because staff do not have the opportunity to explore disability and sexuality. The risk is that staff miss opportunities to help the older children safely to explore and develop wider personal and social relationships.

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Good

Of the complete staff group, all have either achieved or are working towards completion of the required level 3 diploma. The result is an assured group of professionals. One member said, ‘Our aim is to make an all-round positive impact.’

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Good

Service-focused team meetings and regular supervision provide opportunities for staff to reflect. Discussions based on the individual needs of the children help to identify where alterations to approach could result in improvement. Annual appraisals take place and identify areas for individual staff development. However, they do not seek the views of children or professionals who have worked with that staff member over the year. The result is that the approach to appraisal does not go far enough to ascertain a holistic view of practice.

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Good

Internal and external quality assurance systems help to improve practice. Much work has gone into meeting and, in some cases, exceeding the recommendations from the last inspection, for example, to ensure that children’s views and wishes are evident. Recording has improved. However, ongoing work is required to reiterate the significance of consistency in recording, and signing and dating records. The result is a repeat recommendation in the area of recording.

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Good

Some months ago, the statement of purpose was reviewed. However, at the time of this inspection, an updated version had not been forwarded to Ofsted. This failure to meet regulation has no impact on the children using this service.

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Good

The location risk assessment is not robust and the information contained in the document does not meet regulations. However, because of the uniqueness of the home’s location, and the proximity to and close working relationships with stakeholder agencies, this failure has minimal impact on the children accessing the service at the time of this inspection. The registered manager takes complaints seriously, providing complainants with a clear, written response. His solution-focused approach means that there are very few formal complaints. Working closely with the deputy manager, he deals effectively with incidents that occur in the home and is quick to act when there are lessons to learn from mistakes. However, one incident some months ago resulted in a child attending the accident and emergency hospital department, albeit as a precautionary measure. However, Ofsted was not notified. This shortfall had

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Good

minimal impact, on this occasion. This is because all other agencies were appropriately informed. However, going forward, events in the home that are considered by the registered manager to be serious require formal notification to Ofsted.

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Good

The aspirational registered manager has a clear vision for the continued improvement of this service. He said: ’I want other professionals to see the pride that the staff have in their work’, and ’I want to raise staff’s perception of their professionalism’. One agency said: ‘The service is fantastic and I am entirely confident that other agencies will say the same.’

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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