Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

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 make progress, because staff understand their needs very well. Staff assist them in developing skills to cope with and enjoy their daily life. As a result, young people’s anxiety levels are reduced and they develop improved emotional resilience.  Together, the head of care and the registered manager have led the team through an unsettled period when there were some management changes and staff shortages. Staff remain very motivated and happy in their work.  Care staff and education staff work very well together to support young people to make excellent progress with their education.  The environment is very pleasant, very well maintained and well suited to the young people who live at the home. It provides a very comfortable and homely experience.  A wide range of leisure activities are available. Young people develop new interests, because they have taken part in activities that they may not

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The children’s home provision is good because:

ordinarily have access to.  Young people’s needs are central to all decision making by staff and management. Young people learn that they have a voice and that their views are respected. This builds their self-esteem.  There are some shortfalls in recording. It is difficult to evidence what happened during significant events. This does not support effective monitoring and makes investigation difficult.  The statement of purpose lacks clarity about who the registered manager is, which could cause confusion to parents and placing authorities.  The registered manager has not had formal supervision in line with the quality standards. She is new in post, and the monitoring of her practice has not been robust.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered for 39 children with learning disabilities. The home is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered as a children’s home, but is a residential special school.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 01/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/10/2015 Full Outstanding 19/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/10/2014 Full Outstanding

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in schedule 1. (Regulation 16(1), schedule 1(18))

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Requirement Due date

This is in particular relation to the current statement of purpose, which is not clear about who the registered manager is. 31 October

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, clear and objective recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and that the principles of paragraph 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  Ensure that records of restraint are kept and enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly when any issues or trends emerge. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’,

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Recommendations

page 49, paragraph 9.59)  Ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Good

Young people make very good progress, overall, at the school, because of the strong ethos of joint working between care and education. Young people experience the consistency of care that they need to cope with the challenges that they face, particularly with regard to their autistic spectrum disorders. Young people enjoy very positive, trusting and warm relationships with staff. All aspects of young people’s progress, however small, are much celebrated in a way that is meaningful to them.

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Good

All professionals agree that young people progress very well with their education. Their comments included: ‘I can’t praise them at the home enough’ and, ‘the education side is great’. Educational outcomes are clearly defined and further targets set to optimise progress. All staff understand young people’s learning journey. As a result, young people make progress beyond what is expected for their age and ability.

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Good

Newly admitted young people settle in quickly, despite change and transition being particularly difficult for some. Compatibility between young people is well considered, and their needs are well understood before their admission. This means that they can make early progress, because they feel settled and less anxious about their transition. One staff member reflected on young people’s progress soon after admission and said, ‘the change in young people brings so much joy’.

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Good

Despite this being a large setting, the smaller group living areas create a family atmosphere. A calm environment is created, where young people can feel less anxious and be in a good position to make progress.

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Good

Arrangements for the administration of medicines work well. They ensure that young people receive their medication in line with their prescription. Health needs are well met and young people receive support from a wide range of agencies. Each aspect of health is well considered, with detailed healthcare plans adding clarity about how these should be met. Young people who have complex medical conditions are assisted by staff to overcome barriers to progress. They can therefore live a fulfilling life. For example, despite having a life-limiting condition, one young person has recently achieved the ‘Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award’. This is a great personal achievement.

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Good

When young people move on from the home, this is very often a natural progression, because they are ready to leave children’s services and to move on to adult services. They are well prepared, because they are supported by staff to develop the skills that they need to cope with the change. They are also equipped with a range of independence skills.

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Good

Contact with parents has a high priority. Young people can continue to have very positive relationships with family and people who are important to them. One professional commented very positively on this during the inspection, saying: ‘they are brilliant and superb with this, they organise contacts and are being great.’

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Good

Staff know young people extremely well and support them to reduce their anxieties. Therefore, young people are able to improve their behaviour with less need for physical intervention. Staff actively seek to understand any triggers for behaviour. This proactive approach helps young people to make progress, because their trigger points can be avoided. Staff know what to do if young people present with more challenging behaviour and respond in a proportionate way that teaches young people about socially acceptable behaviour. Young people are taught the skills that they need to be able to cope with transitions and change.

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Good

Physical interventions are proportionate to the level of risk presented and are used appropriately to keep young people safe. However, some records do not provide full details of restraints or other significant events. It can also be difficult to ascertain which staff were supporting the young person at the time. This has the potential to hinder any safeguarding investigation, should an allegation of poor practice be made. New leaders and managers have started to improve this area. They have introduced new staff training to include a better understanding of physical intervention recording. Agency staff are also now trained in physical intervention, to ensure that they have a basic knowledge of some physical intervention techniques.

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Good

No young people have been missing from the home, and staff always know their whereabouts. Staffing levels are such that young people are well monitored according to their individual needs. There are higher levels of supervision for those young people with medical conditions such as epilepsy, keeping young people with complex health needs safe.

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Good

Young people live in a safe environment where they can feel relaxed and happy. Each young person’s communication method is well established and understood by staff. This ensures that they have a voice in their own care.

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Good

Compatibility within groups is extremely well considered at the point of admission. Young people are only admitted if the placement is suited to them and if they can be kept safe from harm. Individual risk assessments are robust and contain full information about the steps that staff should take to minimise risks. Staff are clear about what they must do and, as a result, young people remain safe in their activities, in and out of the home.

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Good

There is a robust training programme which ensures that staff know how to protect young people. Staff are trained in safeguarding and are very clear on what they must do if they have a concern. One staff member said: ‘I’m not one to stay quiet, so would be telling somebody if I was not happy.’ There is always a timely response and all safeguarding matters are dealt with immediately when they are raised. Staff also know what their managers should be doing to make sure that safeguarding issues are reported outside of the home. A member of staff said, ‘I expect to know what’s happened, if I pass something on.’ This robust approach protects the vulnerable young people.

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Good

Young people are protected from unsuitable adults, because the organisation is vigilant about checking staff suitability at the point of recruitment. For example, when a new member of staff was recruited recently, one of their previous employers did not give a full reference. The organisation kept on pursuing this until there was sufficient information for them to determine accurately whether the person was suitable. This demonstrates the tenacity needed to protect young people from potential abuse.

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Good

A new manager has been appointed since the last inspection, and was registered by Ofsted in July 2016. She has several years’ experience in a management position and a wealth of experience of working with young people with learning disabilities in a residential setting. A new head of care has also been appointed. The home has a statement of purpose that is very clear about how the home sets out to care for young people, but is not clear on who the registered manager is. There is potential for parents and placing authorities to be unsure whom they should address any concerns about the running of the home to.

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Good

The registered manager and head of care have led the staff well through a period of change. Staff feel happy and well supported in their role. There is a definite momentum of improvement and an atmosphere of excitement about the future. The managers are energetic and continue to drive forward improvements to ensure that young people receive a high standard of individualised care. They are currently working on better evaluations of young people’s outcomes and a more individualised approach to how to recognise young people’s achievements in a way which is meaningful to them. They have also already picked up on some of the shortfalls in recording, as identified in this inspection, and have started work to improve this area.

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Good

Managers monitor the quality of care regularly, but monitoring could be more meticulous, with a greater attention to detail. Since the last inspection, managers have signed off some records without being able to ascertain fully the finer details of what happened and when. This is with particular regard to some significant events and physical intervention records. The organisation completes its own independent monitoring. These visits are robust, and when shortfalls are raised these are put right quickly, demonstrating the capacity and drive for improvement.

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Good

The thorough staff induction and training programme ensures that all staff, whatever their role, are aware of the home’s policies and procedures and understand how to implement them. Agency staff are trained and inducted to a lesser degree, but they are still knowledgeable about how care should be delivered, safeguarding procedures and physical intervention techniques. Staff at every level feel well supported. Regular supervision gives them the opportunity to have their say and to have their performance monitored by their manager. However, the new registered manager has not had regular time with her manager. Opportunities have been missed to support her continued development.

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Good

There is mixed feedback from professionals about communication from the home. A small proportion of the feedback from partner agencies raises concerns that the level of detail in the information that they receive is not sufficient to evaluate children’s progress and safety fully. Leaders and managers are striving to improve the standard of paperwork to ensure that all professionals involved in young people’s care receive information that is more detailed.

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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 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 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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