Children's home run by Hampshire County Council in Winchester

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and staff aspire to enhance the lives of children by making their short breaks as enriching as possible. Displays in the home show the range of activities that staff organise, especially during holidays and over weekends. Recent examples include the home’s carnival week and a trip to the circus, as well as going shopping and to local parks.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has extensive grounds and specialist play equipment that many children take advantage of, whatever their abilities. Weather has taken its toll on some items, with moss ingrained in soft play surfaces and picnic tables beginning to rot. The manager is aware and has taken steps to remedy this.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The exterior of the home has also deteriorated, with some window frames decaying and the paint of doors peeling. The poor state of metal bars used to limit the opening of some windows further detracts from the home’s appearance. The local authority, which provides the service, has agreed a plan of works to make much- needed repairs, and decorators are expected on site in the week of this inspection. It is evident that remedial is well overdue.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Upstairs windows have become dirty following a directive from the local authority that cleaners can no longer use ladders to reach them. Alternative means have not been arranged, and some panes are now quite unsightly from the inside.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Internal decor, fixtures and fittings have had more attention: worn furniture has been replaced, new carpets have been laid in some rooms and child-friendly items such as lampshades and wall stickers have been put up in bedrooms. This is ‘work in progress’, as repairs are needed to walls where fittings have been removed and to woodwork that has sustained damage, particularly from being repeatedly knocked by wheelchairs. The layout of the home, with narrow doorways and tight corners, is unsuitable for larger wheelchairs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and staff remain determined to make what improvements they can, and there is evident enthusiasm to make a real difference to the internal appearance of the home, in order to make it more suitable for children. Staff have removed clutter in communal areas. A member of staff explained to the inspector that there are specific plans to make each bedroom themed, according to the interests of those children who regularly use them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The member of staff with delegated responsibility undertakes fire checks, tests and evacuation drills regularly and records them methodically.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

An emergency pull cord was seen to be tied up out of reach in a bathroom, and the wooden lids of new toy boxes were found to have the potential to trap fingers. Both issues need addressing to avoid unnecessary risk to children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff make considerable efforts to promote children’s skills and abilities. These are the subject of targets set, such as making choices and holding a flannel to wash with. In some cases, the targets are not written well, so it is unclear how it would be known when the aim has been achieved. However, staff are consistent in their approach. Progress is incremental but sometimes significant. A few targets, such as increasing exercise, meet with resistance from children. Staff laudably persist, but reviews should consider different approaches.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are familiar with children’s particular circumstances, personalities, likes and dislikes. They gather and record children’s wishes and feelings in relation to activities, food and stays in general. This recording is from children’s communication or from observation of non-verbal behaviour and it helps to tailor future visits.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has worked to improve the standard of recording in case files. There are very good examples of quarterly reports, contact sheets and incident logs that provide a clear overview of children’s short breaks, how they have been on specific days and events that have occurred. However, there is no record on one file of how actions in a child protection plan are being implemented.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Placement plans and risk assessments provide readers with an understanding of each child’s needs and ways in which staff seek to meet them. Plans, including individual education plans and targets being worked to in the home, have sections that are routinely left blank, but relevant information is available elsewhere. The manager is considering a revision of the format to make it a more streamlined document, thereby showing a commitment to improving administrative processes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff seek to have a close working relationship with parents. Communication books and telephone calls following short breaks ensure effective liaison to help to make children’s stays beneficial for them and their families.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has written to social workers and parents of those young people who are coming to the age when they will be moving onto provision for adults. This is to remind those making the decisions that they can call on the manager’s and staff members’ experience to assist the process. This demonstrates a commitment to multi-disciplinary working for the long-term benefit of young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recording of assistance given to young people who move on from the service continues to be lacking. There is no mention of the practical or emotional help that staff have given to the only young person who has transitioned from the home since the last inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Senior staff have commenced the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare, to enhance the development of their skills and knowledge. The manager identified a course for those staff who provide supervision, but could not obtain places for any of them. No other training has been sourced.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are some gaps in logs, indicating that a few staff members have not had supervision for up to three months.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Case files do not contain consents for the independent person undertaking regulation 44 visits to view case files. Reports do not currently make a clear statement as to how effectively children are safeguarded or whether their well- being is being promoted.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has recently revised the home’s safeguarding and missing-from-care policies. These satisfactorily address the particular issues that are pertinent to children who have significant impairments.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three recommendations are being restated as a result of this inspection. Although the manager has taken steps to address them, this has not yet led to a change in the experience of children, or to the oversight of the home and staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Progress has been made in regard to ensuring that entries on records are signed and dated by the authors and to identifying aims to be worked to in reports on the review of care under regulation 45.

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Information about this children's home

The home is a local authority children's home that offers short-break care and support for up to 13 children who have learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities. There are four beds that are specifically allocated for children who have complex health needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/12/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

05/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered person/s meet/s 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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. This includes ensuring that emergency pull cords are in usable positions and that furniture does not have the potential to cause injury during normal use. (Regulation 12(2)(d)) 16/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

13 In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person is required to:

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems, including inspection reports, to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(h)) 16/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the independent person carrying out visits to the home only inspects a child’s case records if the child and the child’s placing authority consent. The independent person’s report must set out their opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and whether the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44(2)(b)(4)) 16/12/2016

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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

 For the children's home to be a nurturing and supportive environment, it must be homely and domestic, and external and internal decor must be in good order and window restrains must be unobtrusive. (‘Guide to children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should help each child to prepare for leaving, both practically and emotionally. In particular, they should ensure that such work is planned and recorded. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection, we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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Information about this inspection

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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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