Children's home run by CareTech Community Services Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 1 Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have learning and/or physical disabilities. This is a private organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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Key findings from this inspection

 Relationships between the young person and staff are excellent.  Staff deliver good care built around sound knowledge of the young person‟s needs. The young person‟s independence skills improve along with her self- confidence. Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 2  The young person is safe and protected from harm.  Staff are carefully vetted, and staffing levels are sufficient to provide good supervision and support to the young person.  Partnership working with external services is effective to promote the safety and well-being of the young person.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have not yet received all essential training.  Staff do not always review risk assessments in relation to medication errors.  The young person does not benefit from having an advocate. Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 30/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Children looked after are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff continually assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home‟s policies and procedures on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person has lived at the home since the home‟s registration in November 2016. The young person was accommodated in March 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person enjoys living at the home. The relationships between the young person and the staff are built on trust and respect. This has enabled strong bonds to form quickly. A social worker told the inspector, „Our local authority are very impressed with the planning from the request. The way staff reacted and were willing to meet her to do an assessment was absolutely fantastic. From what I could see, the attitude was just amazing.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff took time to visit the young person before agreeing the placement. Members of staff gathered crucial information to support their knowledge of the care required. This enabled staff to get to know the young person and build a relationship quickly. As a result, the transition into the home was smooth and helped the young person to settle in remarkably well. A staff member said, „She has settled in really well. She is interested in everyone and everything. She is chatty to us, like she has known us for years. She knows who staff are, and she now responds to us and says hello using our names.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person does not yet have an allocated school. The manager and staff are working in partnership with education professionals to secure the most appropriate school. In the meantime, staff are proactive in promoting education. The staff encourage a daily routine that incorporates learning. The young person is enjoying the interactive sessions and is making good progress in committing to improving her learning outcomes. The young person has a sense of pride in her achievements that are further supported by the staff‟s praise. As a result, the enthusiasm for learning continues to develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide the young person with access to a wide range of health services to ensure that her complex needs are met. The young person is registered with the local general practitioner, opticians and dentist. Staff ensure that appointments are attended and health professionals are kept informed and up to date with information needed to be shared.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff employ a wide range of communication techniques to help the young person participate in meaningful discussions. This helps the young person to communicate her wishes and feelings clearly. Staff are sensitive and understand the impact of the young person‟s disability. Members of staff allow the young person the time to process information and give a view or reply to a question. This empowers the young person to make decisions about her care. However, the young person does not have an advocate. This means that she does not have an independent listener.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact with families is promoted. The staff welcome the young person‟s visitors to the home. Staff make them feel welcome and plan visits in line with the contact arrangements. A social worker told the inspector, „The family are made to feel welcome. Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 5 Her mum and grandma were in tears to see her doing so well. She has activities in and out of the house. Staff promote her skills and the communication stimulates her brain. This is the normal, homely environment that she needs. The staff are very knowledgeable of her medical needs. There is not much research in the area of her diagnosis; no one knows what‟s next. They are helping her to develop skills to adapt to her new lifestyles.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment is maintained to a high standard. It provides a welcoming atmosphere where the young person can relax. The young person has made her bedroom more personal by shopping for items of her choice that reflect her personality and identity. This helps her to feel more at home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The home provides a safe environment for the young person to live in. Regular health and safety monitoring ensures that the home is free from hazards. This keeps everyone that visits, works and lives in the home safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person is protected from harm because staffing levels are high. This enables the young person to receive the support required to maintain her well-being. Staff are recruited safely. This ensures that anyone employed is safe to work with children or young people. Equipment used for manual handling, sleeping, bathing or moving is serviced regularly. This keeps the young person safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff protect the dignity of the young person when assisting with personal care. They carry out these duties sensitively, ensuring that they use good communication at all times. A staff member said, „When showering, we keep her dignity and do her hair first. We make sure that she is covered at all times.‟ As a result, the young person feels safe and protected.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Robust personalised risk assessments are in place. These inform staff how to provide care and assistance safely. Risk assessments highlight the young person‟s vulnerabilities and detail how the staff should manage these risks. However, the manager did not take prompt action to review the risks to the young person when concerns emerged regarding medication. This compromised the safety of the young person.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff keep the young person safe because they understand the child protection reporting systems. The young person understands how to make a complaint because staff provide the complaints procedure in a range of formats for her to understand. This protects the young person from the risk of abuse.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person does not present with challenging behaviour. There are no records of physical intervention, going missing from care or child sexual exploitation. The staff work in close partnership with the local police. Some officers have attended workshops to help them understand how best to communicate with the young person. Regular visits to the home have taken place, and as a result, the young person has developed good Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 6 relationships with the police.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff praise the young person for her achievements, regardless how small. There are no records of any sanctions. Staff understand the importance of empowering the young person to feel good about herself.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for six months. She holds a level 5 diploma in management and has significant experience of managing residential childcare settings. An equally experienced and qualified deputy manager supports her. Together they work well, leading a skilled and passionate workforce. Most staff are qualified. Those who are unqualified are within the regulatory timescales to obtain their qualification within two years of starting work. However, not all staff have received training on disability that relates to brain injury. This limits staff knowledge in keys areas of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff receive good regular supervision, and undertake appropriate training. The staff feel very well supported by their manager. A staff member said, „I can‟t fault the management team. I have supervision every two weeks and a probation meeting to monitor if I am meeting the standards. This helps you to aim high. If anything is bothering me, I can speak to my manager. There is an open door policy to go and seek advice when needed.‟ Another staff member said, „We have the same values and beliefs. We are a brilliant team that are all here for the same reason.‟ All of the staff members genuinely want to be here and want to make a difference. As a result, the young person receives a high standard of care from skilled and knowledgeable staff who are passionate about their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose is kept under review and amendments are made when changes occur. The manager knows that staff understand the statement of purpose and its ethos, because they demonstrate in practice its aims and objectives. As a result, the young person benefits from a settled placement, where she is thriving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager continues to review the quality of care. Additional monitoring is conducted by a monthly visit from an independent visitor. This ensures that the service is monitored effectively and any shortfalls are quickly identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works effectively with external partners, including the police, to share information. Feedback in review reports and compliments books, and verbal feedback from social workers, praises the hard work and effort that the management and the staff team apply in the delivery of care. A social worker said, „The communication is excellent. I am always kept informed and up to date. The staff provide excellent support. If I had to leave my own child there, I know my child would be well cared for.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff recognise where progress is being made. They set achievable goals to encourage the young person to become independent. A staff member said, „The professional relationships are effective. At the review, we met her mum and her nan. Nan was amazed she was calling her “Nan”, as she would not do this before. The Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 7 independent reviewing officer could not believe there was so much change. In six weeks she had seen her come out of her shell.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the „Social care common inspection framework‟, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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‟. Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: CareTech Community Services Limited, 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1245823 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children‟s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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