Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report children's home: SC066277 1 SC066277 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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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 setting is owned and operated jointly by a local authority children’s services department and a National Health Service foundation trust. This service offers short breaks for up to nine children and young people who have learning disabilities that may include sensory and physical disabilities, complex health needs or challenging behaviour.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Enforcement action since last inspection

Inspection report children's home: SC066277 2 None.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children have fun and benefit from excellent relationships with staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff support children to settle into the service at their own pace.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children’s views and welfare are central to all aspects of the service.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff encourage children to develop their independence at every opportunity.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are skilled in recognising signs of potentially unsafe behaviour, and are adept at using approaches to prevent escalation and effectively protect children.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and the staff have good links with children’s parents, social workers and schools.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and the staff are excellent advocates for the children they support.

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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

 The service continues to be short staffed. As a result, managers have had to cancel the stays of children who have complex health needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The service acted outside its statement of purpose in admitting a child as an emergency placement prior to an assessment being carried out.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Recruitment procedures do not ensure that all the required recruitment checks for new staff are completed.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There have been isolated incidents of staff not following the child’s care plan or using a sanction when it is not clear if the child has the capacity to understand this form of discipline.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have not consulted other agencies or professionals to inform the service’s location assessment.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager has not ensured that any external agency staff have met the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children's home: SC066277 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2016 Full Good 19/05/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/11/2015 Full Outstanding 19/05/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC066277 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) 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. (Regulation 13(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. 27/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16(5)) 27/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

If an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, the registered person may only allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (Regulation 32(2)(b)) 27/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (Regulation 32(2)(a)) 27/07/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person must 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 above 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)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that any external agency staff should meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications and the registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 54, paragraph 10.16) Inspection report children's home: SC066277 5  The registered person must ensure that no more than half the staff on duty at any one time, by day or night at the home should be from an external agency. ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 54, paragraph 10.17)

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Recommendations

 Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process: ‘Children’s homes regulation amendments 2014: Advice for children’s homes providers on new duties under regulations that came in to effect in January and April 2014’. ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The ethos of the home is extremely child centred and a culture of promoting children’s communication and choice is evident. The quality of work and the commitment demonstrated by staff to ensuring children are able to share their views are excellent. Staff have an in-depth knowledge of children’s communications abilities and are attuned to children’s different methods of communication and their non-verbal cues. Staff provide children with the time and patience to ensure they are able to share their opinions. Children are asked about their feelings regarding their stay, and the quality of activities and food on offer, at each visit. Staff use this information effectively to plan children’s stays and personalise their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s independence is a focus of the service and staff are dedicated to supporting children to do as much as they can for themselves. Staff’s patient and persistent approach supports children to learn to dress themselves, use the toilet, access the community and pay for items when out shopping. As a result, children are being prepared for adulthood and building on their confidence and self-esteem. Staff regularly review children’s progress and ensure that targets remain relevant and progressive. Staff praise children’s achievements and have installed a new achievements wall to celebrate accomplishments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Friendships are recognised as an important part of children’s lives. Children who are of a similar age and have similar interests and abilities stay at the same time to promote relationships with their peers. This has had a significant impact on children’s social skills and has improved confidence and promoted their self-esteem. For children who find it difficult to interact with their peers, the staff ensure that they attend the service on quieter nights so that their stays are relaxed and comfortable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are occupied and stimulated, and enjoy their time at the service. There are a Inspection report children's home: SC066277 6 variety of activities on offer. Parents reported that their children love coming to the service and enjoy their time here. Staff are creative in engaging children in activities and in encouraging them to try new things. For example, there are story bags to engage and stimulate children with complex health needs in story time. Staff have introduced new communication aids and objects of reference to support children to choose how they would like to spend their time at the service. Activities include day trips out to the cinema and park, as well as using the sensory room and undertaking arts and crafts within the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans are extremely comprehensive and detail the unique support strategies in place to ensure children receive high-quality care in the way they prefer. Staff know the children they support extremely well. Parents said that they feel that they and their children have excellent relationships with staff. Staff have an excellent knowledge of children’s individual personalities and needs. Transitions are well managed; children and parents have opportunities to visit the service to get to know the service and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents described staff as open and responsive. Staff have developed good links with children’s schools and parents, and have ensured that children’s behaviour management plans, strategies for maximising independence and rewards are consistent. This means children are aware of expectations and feel safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The service employs nurses and all staff have received specialist training so that children with significant health needs can have short breaks.

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

Parents and the professionals spoken to were unanimous in their belief that children are safe when they use the service. There have not been any safeguarding concerns since the previous inspection. Staff receive training in safeguarding and child protection. They demonstrate that they have a good understanding of how to report concerns and allegations. The manager has introduced new procedures for recording concerns, including any new marks and bruises, to ensure that they quickly identify and report any issues to relevant authorities when necessary.

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

No children have gone missing since the previous inspection. The risks of children going missing are limited due to high supervision levels. Staff know the procedures to follow should a child go missing and the actions they must take to support the child to return to the service safely.

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

There are no concerns regarding child sexual exploitation or radicalisation of children within the service. Staff have a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of these risks and know how and when to report any concerns to the relevant agencies. Staff are skilled in understanding each child’s vulnerabilities and work proactively to reduce individual risks. Children’s risk assessments focus on risk reduction, while supporting children to take part in activities relevant to their age and understanding. Inspection report children's home: SC066277 7 Staff provide a safe space for children to express themselves. Staff are watchful and when necessary use calm talking and distraction techniques to support children who become distressed. When it has been agreed in a child’s support plan, staff use a timer or ‘black spot’ to remove children from heightened situations. Staff have used these strategies effectively to support children to calm down and regulate their emotions,

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

resulting in one low-level physical intervention since the previous inspection. There have been a small number of incidents of staff not following the child’s care plan or using a sanction when it is not clear if the child has the capacity to understand the measure. Although these practices appear to be isolated instances, the manager’s monitoring failed to identity these concerns, resulting in missed opportunities to improve practice and promote the well-being of children.

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

The service’s location assessment is regularly updated, but there is limited evidence of consultation with other agencies or professionals, such as the police. When risks are identified, action is been taken to minimise them.

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

The environment is child friendly and is well decorated. All fire safety checks have been completed to ensure the building is fire safe. However, children’s personal evacuation plans are not sufficiently individualised to ensure staff are aware of how to keep each child safe if a fire was to occur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is an experienced and competent professional. She is a qualified nurse and has completed the level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The manager is extremely passionate and child focused. She is committed to providing a service that listens to children and acts on their views. This is evident in the excellent support provided by staff to ensure children are able to participate fully in the life of the home and express their views on all aspects of their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s in-depth knowledge of the children has been enhanced by her increased oversight of the assessment process. She is determined to provide the best for children. Parents said that the manager and the staff are excellent advocates for the children and their families and will challenge on their behalf to ensure they receive the necessary support from other agencies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Parents described the excellent relationships they have with staff, and explained that they trust staff and do not worry when their children are staying at the service. Parents have the opportunity to provide feedback on the care their children receive and the development of the home. This means children and their families contribute to the future planning of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager continually seeks to improve the service and she has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager completes monthly and quarterly reports, the findings of which are used to inform the service’s development plan. There has been a significant improvement in the quality of monitoring reports Inspection report children's home: SC066277 8 completed by the independent visitor. These reports and recommendations are more challenging of the service and assist the manager in improving children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff stated they feel valued and supported by the manager. A new member of staff was happy with the level of support and training available within the organisation. Staff are now receiving supervision in the timescale stated in the workforce development plan. A review of supervision notes evidenced staff’s focus on children’s well-being and safety, as well as their own development. This reflects the staff members’ commitment to improving practice and children’s experiences. The manager has reviewed the service’s workforce development plan to ensure that it now contains the required information. As a result, staff are clear on the expectations around induction, probation, supervision and training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The service operated outside its statement of purpose by admitting a child as an emergency placement on the direction of senior leaders. An assessment had not been completed to determine whether the service could meet the child’s needs. The nature of the admission meant that there were insufficient permanent staff on shift and this resulted in two shifts having a majority of temporary staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Current recruitment practice does not ensure that only appropriately vetted staff are employed to work with children. A requirement was made at the previous inspection regarding recruitment practice. However, pre-employment checks had not been completed for the one member of staff who has started since the previous inspection. Discussions with the registered manager also identified that she was unsure of whether agency staff have undergone the required recruitment checks as required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The service continues to experience a shortage of permanent staff. This has prevented the service from fulfilling its statement of purpose and has resulted in a number of children’s stays being cancelled. To lessen the impact on children, staff have offered tea visits and day care to provide them with some continuity of support. Although managers are taking action to address the vacancies, their strategies have not led to successful recruitment of the required number of new permanent staff.

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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 who 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 Inspection report children's home: SC066277 9 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: SC066277 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Castle, Winchester SO23 8ZB

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Inspector

Melissa McMillan, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC066277 11 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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