Children's home run by Action for Children in Watford

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager leads the staff team to address the extensive list of statutory requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. Teamwork is improving and staff are motivated in their attempts to improve the service and keenly contributed to this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people make good progress and have positive experiences. The short breaks service gives children and young people the opportunity to try new activities; they become more independent and socialise with others. Parents value the service and appreciate the independence skills their children learn as a result of visiting. The service gives added value to their lives and provides an essential break for their families.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The care planning framework is much improved, as specific and child-focused information is readily available in ‘grab’ files. Staff make better connections with parents and now include pre-admission telephone calls as part of the admission process.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Essential information can be easily accessed by staff and this improves the consistency and quality of care provided to children and young people. For example, individualised information about children’s and young people’s food likes and dislikes, and dietary needs is part of the care planning improvements. Individualised sheets are removed from a central file and are now displayed in the kitchen for each child’s and young person’s stay.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people come to stay in a vibrant and child-friendly environment. Themed and personalised bedrooms give them a firm sense of belonging when they visit. Discussion in team meetings and close monitoring by the management team ensure that staff no longer use furniture to restrict the freedom of movement of children and young people. While this statutory requirement from the last inspection has been met, the management team acknowledges that further training on environment restraint will further improve staff practice. Children and young people also enjoy improved levels of privacy. Staff have developed greater awareness of the appropriate use of listening monitors in children’s and young people’s bedrooms, as the monitors are now only used at night-time and are routinely turned off and stored away each morning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Core safeguarding procedures are now well-managed and there has been an improvement in the recording and monitoring undertaken by the registered manager. Children and young people are kept safe with effective risk management, as streamlined risk assessments marry with practical and clear behaviour management plans. Children and young people do not go missing, due to the secure environment and staff vigilance. There are no concerns about sexual exploitation of the children and young people. There are no other child protection concerns at the service at this current time.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessment is much improved, with bespoke risk and behaviour management plans for each child and young person. For example, staff are clear about how medical needs may impact on behaviour. Children and young people are also kept safe with effective personal emergency evacuation plans, which will ensure their safety if there is a fire.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people enjoy good health, as staff share important information with parents in order to support children’s and young people’s medical and healthcare needs. Individual protocols and training enable staff to care for children and young people with complex needs, such as those that result from epilepsy.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people enjoy a stable environment, with calm and measured management of behaviour. Children and young people are kept safe, as staff identify and understand triggers for anxiety. These triggers are now clearly identified in risk and behaviour management plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Positive relationships are a key part of effective behaviour management. The quirks, likes and dislikes of individuals shine through in children’s and young people’s files and enable staff to channel positive behaviours. For example, staff redirect some young people’s challenging behaviour with practical tasks. Helping with chores gives one young person positive outcomes and helps his sense of achievement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Compatibility is high on the agenda when selecting groups for short stays at the service and there are no concerns about bullying at the home. Transitions in and out of the home are successful due to effective partnership working with families.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been no complaints about the operation of this service since the last inspection. Developments in communication mean that children and young people now have meaningful information about their rights, including how to complain.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff make steady and meaningful improvement in communication processes. For example, there is a new communication board on which information can be posted in symbol form. Children and young people can also retrieve symbols from the board to aid their communication with others. Two staff now have responsibility for leading this project and use their work experience in education as a good foundation. However, there is no plan to formally contact all children and young people’s schools about this communication project. The registered manager and staff acknowledge that sharing communication programmes between school, home and the service will improve children’s and young people’s social and educational experiences.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff have made impressive progress in improving child-centred records. For example, new booklets ‘My Stay at…’ use photos, symbols and pictures to provide a visual tool for children, young people and parents to share information about short stay experiences and progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

As the management team becomes more strategic, action plans and new procedures directly impact on staff practice and the safety of children and young people. For example, an overhaul of medication procedures has resulted in more effective recording procedures. Consistent recording formats contribute to safe medication administration and protect children’s and young people’s medical needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager promotes staff development with training in a range of areas, including behaviour management, risk assessment and epilepsy awareness; this training takes place across the management and staff team. She also monitors her own development more closely. She has completed a variety of short courses and is consistently working towards her management diploma. Staff supervision and focused team meetings also aid staff development and monitor performance.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers are open to and embrace feedback. They are willing to learn and use audits to look at practical changes that have the most impact on children and young people. For example, improvements in handover meetings and a new shift planner promote effective information sharing and organisation. Shift planning is more focused on developing children’s and young people’s targets, and children and young people benefit from greater consistency in the quality of care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager maintains effective monitoring systems and is quick to respond to independent monitoring visits. Internal monitoring ensures that the home continues to improve and moves towards compliance with the ‘Children’s Homes Regulations. The recommendation regarding children’s and young people’s records is repeated, as progress is still ongoing. Two other recommendations regarding working in partnership with schools and further training in environmental restraint are set as a result of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This section should outline: The home is registered to provide care for up to four children who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The home provides short break care. The home forms part of a large charitable organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 24/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/12/2015 Full Good 06/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s Statement of Purpose. This is with particular regard to staff using furniture to restrict children and young people’s freedom of movement around the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)

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Recommendations

 Seek to formally develop the home’s working relationships with each child’s school in order to continue improvements of the communication processes for children and young people using the short break service. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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Recommendations

 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)

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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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