Children's Home run by Surrey County Council in Surrey

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:

 Relationships between the staff, children and young people are exceptionally good. Consequently, the residents have all made good progress. Social workers confirm that the staff have children and young people at the heart of everything they do.  The staff communicate very well with professionals and are willing to take on key tasks for the children and young people, such as managing complex and evolving contact arrangements. Social workers say that the home is inclusive and that they feel very much ‘part of the team’.  The children and young people are encouraged to participate in community activities and organising events for charity. The wide range of activities available to them is exceptionally good.  The children and young people have all been able to participate in holidays with the staff, which have broadened their horizons and provided new experiences for them. They are frequent visitors to London and have ready

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The children's home provision is good because:

access to many of the sights and visitor attractions.  The children and young people are very well cared for in practical terms. The home provides impressive, spacious and personalised accommodation for the children and young people, which allows them plenty of room to express themselves.  The home has a well-qualified and experienced registered manager who provides skilled leadership to her team. The staff feel well supported by their managers in terms of supervision and training opportunities.  The quality of the home’s records in relation to the children and young people is very good, particularly the link working records and most of the risk assessments.

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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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard 13. (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. This is with particular reference to:  ensuring that personal evacuation plans for any children and young people and employees who may require them are readily accessible to the staff who may need to implement them;  ensuring that when there is a serious incident, that risk assessments are updated for all the children and young people who were involved; and  ensuring that fire safety checks are carried out at the intervals recommended by the fire and rescue service and

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Requirement Due date

that there is clarity about the purpose and conduct of fire drills. 12/05/2017

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Requirement Due date

Fitness of workers 32. (2) The registered person may only— (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that— (c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform. 12/05/2017 In particular, ensure that staff with medical conditions have accessible and regularly updated risk assessments in place. (Regulation 32 (2) and (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Complaints and representations 39. (3) The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of any investigation. In particular, ensure that if the staff respond to an external complaint and set a consequence for the child or young person as a result, that the matter is fully recorded under the home's complaints procedure. (Regulation 39 (3)) 12/05/2017

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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 the staff fully understand the risks associated with any restraint technique used in the home. Techniques used for restraint that may interfere with breathing and holds by the neck that may result in injury to the spine are not permissible in any circumstances. In particular, work towards eliminating the use of prone restraints. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ (April 2015), page 49, paragraph 9.56)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, record details of the reference verification conversation with the referee. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations’ (April 2015), page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children’s home is registered for up to eight children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home usually restricts the number of children and young people accommodated to seven at any one time.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/05/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/11/2015 Full Good 12/08/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/12/2014 Full Good

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Good

The staff, children and young people have developed extremely warm, positive and nurturing relationships, which help the residents to build self-confidence and resilience. After a challenging period over the winter months, the staff have been able to settle the present group of children and young people and establish a calm, relaxing environment for them. Consequently, the outcomes for all four children and young people are very positive, including those who have only recently been admitted to the home. Numerous examples were provided to demonstrate how children and young people have moved on from their starting points. For example, one young person who has spoken about finding it difficult to deal with groups of people was able to participate in New Year celebrations, including giving everyone a hug. He joined in with a barbecue for young people looked after and joined in the activities there. This young man has matured considerably in recent months. He has challenged

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Good

himself by cycling, with staff, to the top of Box Hill, which is extremely demanding. He has also started to go out cycling on his own and is about to embark on a two- day break with a member of staff, when they will cycle on the South Downs Way. Following successful completion of a football course, this young person was awarded a medal for his participation and engagement. His education is going well and he is enrolled in a local college. One young woman has engaged in difficult appointments and other situations that have cause her anxiety. These include attending an alternative education service regularly, which she now sees as a very positive aspect of her life. This week, she has been commended for her work and behaviour in school. This young woman has been really brave in going to the dentist, which she had previously felt too anxious to do. She has also taken part in a high ropes activity and enjoyed an off-

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Good

road driving experience for her birthday. She has also undertaken a work placement at a nursery, which is a tremendous achievement. A younger child has shown increasing ability to regulate his behaviour. He has been able to listen to the staff’s advice about how to give space to his peers when they are upset. He has helped the handyman with some gardening tasks and participated in numerous activities. There have been trips to Brighton and London Zoo with the school. He has also joined the Air Cadets, so his community involvement is increasing. This child managed a full week of football training. He has been on a 17-kilometre bike ride with the other young people and staff and has made really good progress in swimming. In terms of education, this child has responded very well to his change of school and has made very good progress. The social worker is very pleased with this child’s progress and is actively planning on a gradual transition to

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Good

foster care. This reflects the child’s wishes and feelings. Another younger child, who is new to the home, appears to be happy and settling rapidly. She has already established good relationships with adults and has begun to respond to encouragement and praise. She found the courage to join the inspector and a member of staff on a tour of the home, although this must have been quite scary. This child is participating in the life of the home by baking and helping to keep her room clean and tidy. All four children and young people currently living here are now much better able to articulate their feelings than they were on arrival. They have acquired more maturity in their communication with each other and with adults. All the young people have been on holiday with the home and enjoy a wide range of exciting activities of their choosing. During the inspection, they held a fundraising event for the ‘Comic Relief’ charity. This well-attended event provided

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Good

good education in planning, catering and social contact, as well as encouraging the young people to be good citizens. Social workers are overwhelmingly positive about their children’s and young people’s progress. They value their relationships with the home and say that the staff take the lead to ensure that complex and sensitive pieces of work are completed. Consequently, they have a high level of trust in their colleagues. As one social worker commented, ‘We all work well together.’ Another social worker said, ‘I really enjoy working with (home’s name).’ The children and young people are consulted on a daily basis about their views. They gather around the table for a meal, which provides an ideal opportunity to interact with staff and each other. The staff ask each young person how they are feeling about their day and life in the home generally. This helps to ensure that minor issues between the young people do not develop into major problems and

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Good

that relationships between them remain reasonably harmonious. The home occupies a large and attractive Victorian house, which has an impressively huge wood-panelled hallway and staircase. The property was previously a family home before it was converted for residential accommodation for children and young people, so the communal rooms have a domestic quality and are nicely furnished. The sheer size of the building and the adaptations required to meet fire regulations present a challenge, but the staff have done extremely well to establish and maintain a homely atmosphere. The bedrooms, which were accessible to the inspector, are very spacious and attractively decorated. The home benefits from its own art room, which is a recent development. The home has a good laundry facility, with commercial machines to ensure a speedy and efficient wash. In addition to the children’s and young people’s large and well personalised bedrooms, the home provides plenty of office and meeting

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Good

space for the staff, visiting professionals and family members. Visiting social workers say that they are always made to feel extremely welcome in the home, as was the inspector. The young people have been involved in choosing decorations and constructing furniture for their rooms. One young person said that their room was ‘fit for a princess’. She is clearly delighted with the result. The registered manager confirmed that the hallway is about to be professionally decorated. There are some repair works to complete due to water damage in one of the upstairs meeting rooms, but these had been identified and actioned prior to the inspection. The children and young people enjoy very positive contact with family members, in line with their placement plans. Social workers are working collaboratively with the home to develop contact for some young people who will eventually return home. Young people who are ready to prepare for independence are well supported to do

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Requires improvement

This outcome area requires improvement primarily to reduce the level of serious incidents since the previous inspection. There are also a number of relatively minor paperwork shortfalls, none of which have a direct impact on the children and young people, but they are all related to safety. Three requirements and two recommendations have been made. In the 17 months since the previous full inspection in November 2015, there have been 61 incidents where young people went missing. These missing from home episodes were managed very well and although at the time, the large number was extremely concerning, they have reduced in frequency considerably in recent weeks. The staff have followed agreed protocols when children and young people have gone missing. All have been offered return home interviews to help them reflect on what has happened. These interviews are often taken up by the children and young people and give them an opportunity to tell an independent person if there

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Requires improvement

is anything worrying them about the events leading up to going missing and the incident itself. For several months, one young person, who had been resident in the home for some time, engaged in new behaviours that became difficult for the other young people and the staff to manage. Some of these behaviours were sexual in nature. The dynamics between the children and young people were exacerbated by an imbalance in the ratio of girls and boys in the home. There was only one young woman and three boys and young men at the time. This made life very difficult for the young woman concerned and it was difficult for the staff to help her to stay safe. One of the young men was recently moved to a different provision and since then, the staff have been able to keep his peers safe. Serious incidents, including episodes of going missing, have considerably decreased since his move. There are now two girls and young women in the home, so there is an equal

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Requires improvement

gender balance. The older young woman, who has been resident for some time, says that the home is now a calmer and safer place to live. The home has very good and detailed risk assessments and the following shortfall is uncharacteristic. There was a serious incident between two young people recently, so the risk assessment for one of them was duly updated to reflect what happened. The shortfall is that the information from the updated risk assessment was not also included on the documentation for the other young person involved. This has been incorporated into a requirement under leadership and management, because it is about recording, rather than not assessing the risk. Since this incident, the manager increased staffing levels to ensure that there is additional supervision for the children and young people. Staff have worked hard to help the children and young people to understand how to behave towards each

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Requires improvement

other and towards adults. These measures have, so far, been effective and there has been no repetition. There have been very few restraints in the home. These are only ever used as a last resort. Those that have been carried out have been appropriate and in line with the staff’s training and the home’s policy. Restraints are generally well recorded, although some hand written records in the restraint log are not always legible. The manager has commented on and reviewed each serious incident. One prone restraint was carried out in response to some very extreme and hazardous behaviour. Although the restraint was managed safely, the chosen hold has the potential to interfere with breathing. A recommendation has been made. The home has recorded no complaints for the past two years. However, a driver who provides school transport made a complaint on 24 February 2017 about one young person’s behaviour. This was not logged in either the complaints or the

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Requires improvement

sanctions book. Some confusion arose due to the complaint being made initially to the school, so the view was taken that it was not for the home to record it. This would not have been a problem, had the home left the school to deal with the matter. Because the staff accepted the responsibility of investigating, contacting the complainant for clarification and setting a sanction for the young person, a complete audit trail is required. A requirement has been made. The home maintains very good staff recruitment files. All references are verified and in almost all cases, the verification conversation has been recorded clearly. One reference verification phone call was made but not recorded, so a recommendation has been made. Some staff require a medical risk assessment and also a personal evacuation plan to ensure that their welfare and safety in the workplace is protected. A risk assessment was apparently completed several years ago, by the previous

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Requires improvement

registered manager, but it is not accessible to the home’s current manager. The risk assessment should, therefore, have been rewritten and regularly updated to reflect any changes in the staff member’s circumstances. Although some reasonable adjustments are in place, the staff member requires additional support, particularly with recording, to help them to manage all aspects of their role. A requirement has been made to complete a new risk assessment and review the support provided. Although there is a personal evacuation plan in place for this member of staff, this document was not readily accessible to staff on duty. This should be fully accessible in the event of fire. The remaining shortfalls in this outcome area relate to recording and conducting fire safety checks. These shortfalls have been included in the requirement made under the leadership and management quality standard. Fire alarm tests are usually carried out at recommended intervals, although there

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Requires improvement

are variable gaps of up to two weeks between them. There is a lack of clarity about the function, purpose and recording of fire drills. There have been sufficient fire drills that have been planned and executed correctly, so safety has not been compromised. However, on two occasions when the fire alarm was set off by the children and young people, this was recorded as a 'drill' and not timed. Deliberate false alarms are not official drills because they are not planned and initiated by the staff. There were a number of actions required from the home's fire risk assessment completed in September 2016, some of which dated back to the previous year. All but two of these have been actioned and the manager says that she has until next month to complete these. This is work in progress and as it is within target, no further action has been taken on this inspection. The staff have a good understanding of child safeguarding and there has only been

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Requires improvement

one referral to the designated officer for child protection since the previous inspection. Staff receive regularly updated training in all aspects of safeguarding, as well as in physical intervention.

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Good

The home is well managed by a qualified, skilled and very experienced registered manager. She is ambitious for the home and has developed some areas of outstanding practice. The recording and monitoring shortfalls identified during this inspection reflect the fact that the manager’s main focus is on the children and young people. These weaknesses have no direct impact on the children and young people and can be easily remedied. The manager leads an experienced and largely qualified staff team that is very dedicated to its work. There are both men and women on the team and they reflect a range of ages and interests. The staff work very well together and speak with great passion about their roles. They are totally supportive of the young people and justifiably proud of their achievements. There is a full staff team with no need to use agency personnel. The team is supported by ancillary staff who perform vital roles in helping to keep this very

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Good

large home clean and well maintained. Management monitoring is generally good. There are robust systems in place to monitor the children’s and young people’s progress and development. The staff work very well with other agencies and have forged strong relationships with the local police, the missing person’s coordinator, the looked after children’s nurse and the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). The staff meet weekly to review their work and share information. They receive fortnightly consultation with professionals from CAMHS, who join their team meetings to help them to gain additional insights into the children’s and young people’s difficulties. The staff feel well supported in their roles through regular supervision and appraisals. They say that they receive a great deal of training to promote their professional development. During the inspection, the deputy and the manager both

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Good

went on interesting training sessions, including learning about child sexual exploitation with a focus on the psychology of the perpetrator. The home continues to evolve and develop. The manager has spent the last year building a strong team and now has plans to enhance her management team. There are four senior residential workers, a deputy team manager and a senior practitioner. These experienced members of staff support the registered manager very effectively. She also receives very good support from her line manager. Staff supervision is provided by some of the senior staff who have received specialist training for this role. The quality of the home’s records in relation to the children and young people is good, particularly the link working records and most of the risk assessments. Records are generally clear and easily located. They are written in accessible language. There are some shortfalls in recording, which have been described

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Good

above. The home has an effective statement of purpose, which was last updated in December 2016. The statement of purpose reflects the current management of the home. The manager explained that she likes to talk with parents to guide them through this document. This user-friendly approach helps parents to understand the service that their children receive.

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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 looked after children 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 that 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 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

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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 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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