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.

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 There are some very positive outcomes for young people.  Young people access a broad range of leisure activities including many that they have not tried before. Staff ensure that disability does not prevent young people from aiming high.  Young people access education, which is bespoke to their individual educational needs. The setting of aspirational learning targets results in some very positive progress.  Young people make some very good progress because care planning is invidualised. Staff understand how to meet each young person’s needs well.  Young people enjoy very positive relationships with staff. They have fun in a safe environment.  The home’s accommodation is particularly well suited to young people’s needs and allows for good supervision.  Young people feel relaxed in an environment that provides comfort and warmth. The high-quality furnishings add to the very homely feel.  Staffing levels are flexible and can quickly be adapted to meet the complex

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

needs of young people.  There are some very positive outcomes. However, young people’s experiences are affected by some shortfalls to safeguarding practices.  In particular, a recent safeguarding issue has not been passed to the relevant professionals for their consideration. The use of a room known as the ‘soft room’ is not properly considered with regard to the young people’s freedom of movement. One restraint record did not sufficiently explain why a restraint conducted on the floor was necessary.  In addition, some improvements are needed to records. This is to ensure that they are sufficiently detailed and clear to enable robust monitoring.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person is required to ensure that staff:

p.4

Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare (vii) are familiar with and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. This is in relation to a failure to pass a safeguarding concern about a child to the child’s social worker or local designated officer for their review. 24/12/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered manager should ensure:

p.4

Requirement Due date

( 1)(b) that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that promotes their welfare. This is in particular relation to the registered manager ensuring that safeguarding procedures are consistently followed. 24/12/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii) 24/12/2016

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:

p.5

Recommendations

 Ensure that case records 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)

p.5

Recommendations

 Ensure that any use of mechanical restraint follows a rigorous assessment process and, as with any restraint, is necessary and proportionate. Wherever such a restraint is planned, it should be identified within a broad ranging, robust behaviour support plan which aims to bring about the circumstances where continued use of such restraint will no longer be required. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 47, paragraph 9.45)

p.5

Recommendations

 Ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.36)

p.5

Information about this children's home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to 45 young people with learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and has a school on the same site, which all young people at the home attend.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Outstanding 17/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/09/2014 Full Good

p.6

Good

Young people make some very positive progress. They are supported well because of a creative approach from staff who have a good understanding of their needs.

p.7

Good

The high staff ratio protects young people’s welfare and ensures their continued progress. There are always enough staff on duty to take young people out on trips and to ensure high-quality, individualised care. Staff know how to respond to young people’s complex and changing needs because of high-quality care plans. The plans are very regularly updated.

p.7

Good

Staff communicate well with young people, reducing their anxiety. A young person was recently very effectively supported to cope with loss and grief. The support was particularly meaningful for them. This is because it was highly creative and was specially developed for them using their own communication method.

p.7

Good

Young people enjoy some very positive relationships with staff and it is evident that they are able to have fun in a safe environment. Equally, boundaries for good behaviour are clear so that young people know what is expected of them.

p.7

Good

Young people enjoy and have access to a wide range of leisure activities. Resources are excellent, and staff ensure that there are no barriers to any activity because of disability. For example, some young people have been sailing and have used a climbing wall. Others are completing work towards the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. There is a culture of aiming high so that young people can learn about what they are good at and enjoy.

p.7

Good

Young people make very good progress with their education. They engage in activities and clubs that promote their learning. There are opportunities to mix with peers, thus improving social skills. Individual learning plans ensure that each young person has clear educational targets. All staff ensure that young people have opportunities to work towards these targets in the classroom and in the home environment. This helps to consolidate young people’s learning.

p.7

Good

Individual health needs are clearly documented, so that staff understand how they should meet them. Arrangements for the safe administration of medicines are well organised. Although there has been an error in administration since the last inspection, it is clear that reflection and learning from this has secured improvement. Young people’s health improves. Some young people who have previously only felt able to eat a very small range of unhealthy foods find themselves enjoying a wide range of healthy food soon after their admission. Also, those who have not felt able to eat with others have now developed good table manners and are more able to tolerate those around them. More socially acceptable behaviour assists young people to engage positively with their family and community.

p.7

Good

The environment is extremely well suited to young people. It provides comfort, relaxation and fun activities in a very homely, well-kept and pleasant environment. Young people can feel proud of where they live and regularly develop their independence skills through helping to keep areas tidy.

p.8

Requires improvement

Young people are not as well protected as they could be. This is because managers do not always escalate concerns to the relevant professionals. Young people’s behavioural needs are so severe that they routinely sustain marks and minor injuries. Staff at every level appreciate this and also understand the additional vulnerability of disabled children in residential care. They do their best to ensure that all marks are clearly recorded and to ensure a clear time line of when the marks appeared. However, this information is not always shared in line with safeguarding procedures. On one occasion, staff noticed an accumulation of marks and bruises on a young person that had emerged over a short time frame. The registered manager was not able to ascertain how each mark had happened. They did not refer this to the child’s own social worker. Neither did they refer the matter to the local designated safeguarding officer. This meant that relevant professionals

p.8

Requires improvement

were not able to form their own opinion about what should happen next and could not make decisions about what steps they would like to take in relation to the young person’s safety. Assumptions were made about how the marks arose and some poor record keeping did not help in establishing further information.

p.8

Requires improvement

Some young people are restrained when their behaviour becomes unsafe. This is a reflection of the needs of a very complex group of young people, some of whom struggle to regulate their own behaviour. Staff are well trained in the home’s chosen method of restraint. One member of staff said, ‘It’s all about not using physical intervention,’ which shows that restraint is a last resort and to keep young people safe. Most records show that restraint is necessary to protect individuals. One record did not specifically show why a restraint was conducted in a ‘supine’ position. It is not clear why staff did not step away when the young person took themselves to the floor. Managers are knowledgeable about how the young person was struggling to regulate their behaviour during what was a very difficult period for them. However, they had not questioned the lack of detail in the recording. Improvements need to be made so that the full details of every event can be

p.8

Requires improvement

established to ascertain the safety of every young person in every instance. Some other records are of a poor quality. There are several records with additions and crossings out, when it is not clear who has made these amendments, for example records detailing the use of the ‘soft room’.

p.9

Requires improvement

Some young people are often offered the use of a ‘soft room’ to assist them with regulating their own behaviour. The aim of this room is to provide young people with a safe area when they struggle to regulate their behaviours. The registered manager explained that the use of this room as a safe space is not the preferred option and that use of outside space is more effective for many young people. However, the soft room is routinely used for one young person. The young person has been in a ‘walking restraint’ to this room, which is in another building, several times. There is also evidence to suggest that the young person has tried to get out, but has not been allowed to do so. The way that the soft room is being used is not risk assessed, formally monitored or regularly reviewed. Relevant professionals are not asked for their opinion or involved in the risk assessment of such practice, which is a restriction of the young person’s movement.

p.9

Requires improvement

Young people are protected particularly well from any adults that might be unsuitable to work with them. This is because the recruitment process is very robust, ensuring that each member of staff is carefully checked. There are criminal record checks and extra vigilance is exercised when scrutinising references, making absolutely sure that each new staff member is suitable.

p.9

Requires improvement

Risk assessment documentation is of a high quality. Young people’s changing and complex needs are fully captured, and the regular updates to risk assessments add clarity for staff on how each risk should be reduced. It is very positive that young people are supported to take appropriate risks so that they can access exciting leisure opportunities. Because risk assessments are robust and staff are not risk averse, no young person’s disability stops them from having a full and wide range of leisure opportunities.

p.9

Good

The registered manager has been the manager of this home for many years and he holds the level 4 diploma in leadership and management. Young people are always at the heart of his decisions. He remains enthusiastic about young people’s progress, with a clear drive for further improvement. Young people appear to have good relationships with the registered manager and one young person smiled while telling an inspector that the manager is ‘good’. Managers express a commitment to ongoing improvement and there are good plans in place to keep the home moving forward. For example, there are continual adjustments to the very pleasant living space to ensure that it continues to suit the needs of the group. The range of activities improves all the time to ensure that young people are able to have new experiences.

p.9

Good

The overall monitoring of young people in the whole school is good. The liaison between the school and care staff is particularly effective in ensuring that all behaviours are well monitored, demonstrating progress for many young people. The provider has employed an independent person to visit the home monthly. This visitor robustly evaluates the quality of care, and any recommendations made are quickly addressed.

p.10

Good

Some staff feel unhappy about recent changes to their shift pattern and report that this is the cause of recent low morale in the team. While they express dissatisfaction about this, they have been fully involved in a consultation process. The manager is absolutely clear that, while some staff find change difficult, the changes are to enable shifts to be better managed around the needs of the young people.

p.10

Good

The large majority of staff interviewed feel that some senior managers are not approachable and feel that staff could be praised more for their good work. The registered manager disputed this and evidenced meetings in which staff members had been directly praised for their work. In addition, there is no evidence to suggest that the quality of care or young people’s safety and welfare has been detrimentally affected in any way. While the level of staff morale is low, all staff members are unanimous in stating that young people are always listened to and responded to effectively by all managers. Staff comments include: ‘The manager’s door is always open,’ and, ‘If it is a concern about a child, there is never any waiting.’

p.10

Good

Staff provide good-quality, child-centred care because they are well inducted, trained and knowledgeable about young people’s needs. Their training equips them to develop their skills and ensures that young people’s needs are met. Staff say that they have their performance closely monitored. Regular supervision meetings, in which their work with young people is fully discussed and analysed, enhance their work practice. When there are concerns about staff performance, these are followed up with individuals to ensure that young people receive consistently high- quality care.

p.10

Good

Good levels of staffing enable managers to increase the provision in response to changes in individual need or group dynamics. There are some staff vacancies, but staff report that they have been able to cover these themselves without any reliance on agency staff. This is testament to their commitment to young people.

p.10

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’.

p.11

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

p.11

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.

p.11

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

p.12

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 .

p.12

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,

p.13

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.13

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

p.13