Children's home run by Peterborough City Council

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

At the last inspection, one requirement and one recommendation were set. The manager has met the requirement, as she has now gained written consent from the placing authorities for the use of electronic monitoring in the home. This ensures that placing social workers understand and agree to this monitoring.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager previously had no impact risk assessments for the children who stay for short breaks. Work has started on the individual impact risk assessments, and those that have been finished are of good quality. However, not all of the children have impact risk assessments at this time. This recommendation is restated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and staff are committed to promoting and maintaining the children’s health and well-being. They work in partnership with a community nurse who provides ongoing training to staff and with whom regular case discussions take place. The community nurse said, ‘Staff are competent, caring and committed.’ The home provides packages of shared care to several children. A social worker commented that the support given by the home is of a very high standard. They said, ‘Staff consistently work with parents to ensure that all health appointments and medication requirements are maintained.’ This high level of support promotes professionals’ and parents’ confidence in the care that is provided.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager ensures that new admissions are planned well. This planning allows for introductory visits and comprehensive assessments to be undertaken. Parents are fully included in this process, which helps to settle their anxieties. A parent said that the staff are always helpful. They said, ‘My child settled very quickly. I now feel differently. I am more optimistic about the future. Staff keep him safe and he loves it.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff work closely with parents and social workers to ensure that plans are in place when children are due to move on to adulthood. A parent said, ‘Staff are supportive. They always attend meetings and visits.’ The parent said that staff have always been committed, flexible and accommodating during times of crisis. The staff are continuing to provide a high level of support to this child during his transition. Many of the children are non-verbal. Staff work in consultation with parents and social workers to establish the children’s preferred methods of communication. Various tools and approaches are used. The manager has successfully ensured that children are included at reviews by arranging for staff to prepare a DVD about the child. This enables the child to be represented and actively involved in their future care plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff feel well supported by the manager and each other. Staff receive regular supervision and have undertaken the in-house mandatory training. Staff are supported to access specialist training, which equips them to meet the children’s specific and changing needs. All eligible staff are undertaking the level 3 diploma. Their coursework has been completed, but has not yet been assessed and certificated. One member of staff has not achieved the relevant qualification within the required timescale.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children are encouraged to socialise with their peers. They benefit from a good range of activities, such as arts and crafts, messy play, outdoor play, visits to the farm and visits to local parks. A parent said, ‘My child likes all the one-to-one attention given and the activities. He especially likes being taken to see animals, and he becomes visibly excited on his arrival at the home.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff create good-quality care plans and keep clear, informative records. On reading a child’s file it is possible to gain a real sense of the child’s personality, their developmental needs, their daily routine and the care that they require. This ensures that any new staff are well informed and promotes continuity of care for the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has not undertaken a review of the quality of care that is provided for the children. This means that opportunities are missed to formally identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the areas for improvement in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All of the children attend the same school. They benefit from the staff’s close working partnerships with education professionals. Twice-daily communication between the home and the school ensures that there are good levels of information sharing. The close proximity of the school to the home means that the staff can attend immediately if any support or assistance is required. This partnership working reduces the anxiety for children when they transition between the home and school.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff are committed to providing a safe environment for the children, many of whom have no sense of danger. All of the rooms in the home are child friendly and are equipped to meet the specific needs of the children. The well-established and experienced staff are attentive and understand the high level of observation that is required to ensure that the children are cared for safely. The home provides a safe physical environment and is amply staffed according to the needs of the children. The staff understand that the children’s safety is paramount. There have been no safeguarding incidents or restraints since the last inspection and children do not go missing from the home. The staff follow the home’s protocols for minimising any hazards in order to safeguard the children effectively. The staff understand the whistleblowing procedures and say that they would feel confident about following these procedures if they had a concern. Parents say that their children feel safe. A

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

social worker said, ‘I cannot fault the care and commitment provided by the staff.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two new requirements have been set at this inspection. These shortfalls do not have an impact on the children’s outcomes, nor do they detract from their experiences at the home. The care that is provided is of good quality.

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and operates this provision. The home is registered to provide care for up to five children aged between six and 18 years. The home provides specialist care for children who have physical disabilities, and/or learning disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 01/08/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/11/2015 Full Good 06/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. The individual must attain the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’) or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma. The relevant date is, in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls two years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home, or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care that is provided for the children ( ‘ a quality of care review ’ ) at least once every six months. (Regulation 45 (1)) 31/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that placements for children are only accepted when managers are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plan and when managers have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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 who 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 children looked after 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

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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