Social care · Children's home inspection (SCCIF)

Children's home SC416733

Inspected 14 Dec 2016 · URN SC416733

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Summary

Good

Ashley Hinson

What we read, and from where

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Inspection datesingle source
14 Dec 2016
Inspectors verified
Ashley Hinson
Helped and protected verified
Good
Overall effectivenesssingle source
Good
Postcode verified
NR6 6BX
URN verified
SC416733

Page 1 of 14

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

OverallGood
Helped and protectedGood

70% of comparable inspections in the last three years were graded Good (12,716 inspections).

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+81Very positivemore positive than 93% of reports of this type graded Good

OutstandingGoodRIInadequate

Reads more warmly than most reports of this type graded Good.

Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.

Praiseoutstandingwell plannedstrong relationshipseffectiveconsistentlyclearsensitive

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsWhat needs to improveAbout the inspection positive critical

Findings243w+80
What needs to improve120w+20

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 14
Words of findings: 353; shorter than usual (typical 1319)
Reading level: Fairly hard; Flesch 50, typical 51
Average sentence: 20 words
Next steps: 2; typical 4
Hedged sentences: 0%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 8%What needs to improve 4%About the inspection 88%

Full report text

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:

 The children and their families benefit from short breaks that are well planned and sensitive to their needs.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and staff have strong relationships with families and with external professionals.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The children engage in a range of activities during their short breaks, many of which they experience for the first time.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff attend a range of training courses that are designed to meet the needs of staff working with children who have disabilities. This includes training that focuses specifically on the safeguarding needs of children who have disabilities.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager embraces challenge and uses this to drive improvement.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and staff respond to challenges in order to ensure that the children and their families can continue to receive a service. They work creatively to provide a service for children who have been excluded from school and children who have complex health needs.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The children’s families consistently give outstanding feedback about the service. Families have confidence in the service despite the complex needs of their children and the fact that this will be the first time many of these children have stayed away from their family home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The inspection identified two areas for improvement. These relate to ensuring that there is a clear policy in respect of staff recruitment and ensuring that care plans are updated following changes to children’s needs.

p.3

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61 paragraph 13.1) This is with particular regard to having clear policies, procedures and guidance relating to safeguarding checks carried out when recruiting staff who have lived or worked abroad.  Ensure that staff record information about the child in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62 paragraph 14.4) This is with particular regard to ensuring that updates to care plans are comprehensive.

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Information about this children's home

The home, which is operated by a charity, provides short breaks for up to three young people who may have a learning difficulty, physical disability or sensory impairment. It operates for a limited number of days each month.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/09/2015 Full Good 16/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/10/2014 Full Good 24/02/2014 Interim Good Progress

p.5

Good

The children receive care from a staff team who know them well. The staff are interested in the children and their experiences. The children enjoy their stays and make progress because of the support that they receive. The staff have good relationships with the children and their families. The staff are sensitive to the impact of the children’s particular diagnoses and they adapt their approaches accordingly.

p.6

Good

The service works with children and their families to identify areas in which the children can develop their independence. Parents report that the children make progress, for example, in making their beds and becoming more independent with personal care. A parent said, ‘When he first started he was very anxious about using toilets and showers and they have helped very much with that.’ This is a short-break service and as such the focus is more on experiences than on progress. Families report that the children are able to engage in a wide range of activities. They say that these include new opportunities that the children would not otherwise experience.

p.6

Good

 ‘She gets to do things that she would never have been able to do otherwise.’  ‘They go out on day trips and socialise and go bowling and do the activities that she likes to do. They fit it all around the children’s needs. She gets to do things that she would not be able to with us.’

p.6

Good

Families report that the staff and manager introduce children to activities, such as meals out, that they had not felt confident enough to try themselves. However, encouraged by their children’s success in taking part in these activities with staff, the families have since repeated them.

p.6

Good

The children are encouraged to participate in the care that they receive. The staff have training in a variety of communication methods. They provide information in accessible formats. This increases the children’s involvement in routine communication and conveys a basic message of respect.

p.6

Good

Parents and professionals report good, sensitive, effective planning and engagement when the manager and staff introduce children to the service. Consequently, children make positive transitions into the service. A social worker said, ‘The home visits [families] and they are very good at this. They give good information about what the family and the child can expect. They have information in lots of different forms. Families find this reassuring.’ A parent said, ‘It was quite difficult to begin with as he gets anxious. They have worked hard to make sure that he is comfortable and trying new things. They are responsive and adaptable.’

p.6

Good

The service has a good relationship with the children’s schools. The staff have attended a parent’s evening recently to provide information about the service to potential service users and to be available to the families of existing service users.

p.7

Good

Children’s care plans are detailed. However, in one instance, there was not a full update to a care plan after a change to a child’s dietary needs. The size and complexity of the care plan contributed to this oversight. While this did not result in any risk to the child, there is a potential risk if errors occur in relation to other areas of children’s care plans.

p.7

Good

Good levels of staff supervision and support mean that the children continue to be safe and feel safe. The consistency of staffing increases the likelihood that children will build relationships with the staff and develop trust. Interactions between staff and children are relaxed and positive.

p.7

Good

The staff are clear about the process for raising concerns about the conduct of colleagues or the safety of a child. They are aware of whistleblowing procedures. The staff know the senior managers who visit the service. This visibility and accessibility increases the potential for staff to go outside of the immediate line management structure should they have concerns.

p.7

Good

The building is clean and tidy. The staff make concerted efforts to ensure that the physical environment is safe. The staff are mindful of the needs of the children, a number of whom have patterns of eating non-food materials. The staff adapt the environment accordingly while maintaining a homely feel to the building. Regular fire drills and health and safety checks take place.

p.7

Good

There have been no occurrences of children going missing from the home. The staff manage behaviour effectively. They do this without recourse to physical interventions or sanctions, with no physical interventions or sanctions used since the last inspection.

p.7

Good

Recruitment procedures need to improve. They do not consider the process to follow when undertaking recruitment of staff who are living or have lived overseas. There is confusion among managers regarding when to seek international police checks. This does not support managers to adopt a consistent approach to assure themselves that robust checks are in place.

p.7

Outstanding

The experienced and qualified manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2015. She inspires confidence and commitment from her staff. She welcomes scrutiny and acts as a positive role model for the staff and the wider service.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager makes child-centred decisions about the service. There is a passionate determination to meet the needs of the children. This results in a strong can-do culture. Parents and professionals recognise this. A parent said, ‘Their ethos is so person-centred. A lot of services say that they are but they [the staff] are genuinely person-centred. They think about how to make his stays happy and comfortable and adapt it to make sure.’ A social worker said, ‘This is a very positive can-do service. They are willing to consider different options. They provide that little bit extra.’ The manager and staff respond creatively to challenges in order to ensure that the children and their families can continue to receive a service. They work creatively to provide a service for children who have been excluded from school and children who have complex health needs.

p.8

Outstanding

The staff and managers provide a high quality service in line with the aims and objectives detailed in the statement of purpose. The nature of the service means that over time the staff work in a range of services for children who have disabilities and their families. This provides both a challenge and a reward. The challenge relates to maintaining management oversight and visibility. This has improved over the past year. The manager is regularly on-site carrying out management tasks. She also works directly with the children when necessary. The reward is that staff have a good holistic knowledge of the needs and experience of the children and their families. This includes the needs of siblings.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager has addressed the recommendations raised at the last inspection. She has a positive approach to challenge and scrutiny. This significantly contributes to the collective drive for continual improvement. A parent said, ‘We have liaised with them a lot and they do not mind if we make suggestions. They are very open to ideas to improve.’

p.8

Outstanding

The staff team is stable and there is no use of agency staff. When necessary staff do additional hours or experienced bank staff provide cover. This ensures consistency for children whose diagnoses generally mean that they require it. The staff team receive regular, individual supervisions. They have access to and are attending a range of appropriate training. New staff are quickly booked on to training courses. All staff have received specialist training in safeguarding children who have disabilities. This is very positive and has had an immediate impact on the knowledge of some staff. All staff have or are working towards relevant qualifications.

p.8

Outstanding

External professionals are very positive about the quality of the service and the flexibility and commitment of the staff and manager. They report good, effective communication and engagement. A social worker said, ‘They are excellent. They are my favourite to work with and that is not an exaggeration.’ A headteacher said, ‘I found them to be very positive partners in supporting our students.’

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Outstanding

There are strong relationships with families who consistently provide outstanding feedback. Families have confidence in the service despite the complex needs of their children and the fact that this will be the first time many of these children have stayed away from home.

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Outstanding

 ‘It has been fantastic and wonderful. It has got to the point where I can drop him and not worry at all.’  ‘It is brilliant. I cannot wait for the nights to come around.’  ‘They are very helpful. They do not panic. They call us when needed. They are brilliant. They all make us feel very important.’

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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 result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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