Children's home run by Peterborough City Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 1 SC033392 Registered provider: Peterborough City 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

A local authority owns and operates this provision. The home is registered to provide short breaks and day care for up to eight 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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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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children receive consistent monitoring and supervision to ensure their safety.  The manager and staff complete good-quality care plans in partnership with parents and professionals to meet the children’s complex needs well.  The children enjoy a wide variety of interesting activities, both in the home and in the community.  There is excellent communication between the staff and the children’s parents.  There are positive working relationships between the staff and the schools that the children attend.  The home is well staffed and resourced to meet the individual needs of the children.  The manager has a clear vision for the home. She is passionate about ensuring that progress continues.  The staff work closely with parents and professionals to ensure that children have well-planned transitions.

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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

 Not all of the staff have received up-to-date mandatory training.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 3

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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 registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 21/07/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from their short breaks and they continue to make good progress. The staff know the children well. They complete good-quality detailed care plans that provide a real insight into each child. Staff work closely with parents and professionals to establish the children’s daily routines, their likes and dislikes, and the child’s preferred method of communication. This ensures that the attentive staff team fully understands each child’s individual needs and provides continuity of care. A parent said, ‘They really get his humour, and they care for him fantastically well. He knows the names of all of the staff and feels completely at home there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children attend full-time education provisions that cater for their specific learning needs. The staff transport the children to and from their school. The staff provide a verbal summary to the school staff about any issues or events. This ensures that the education professionals are aware of the child’s mood and whether they had a restful night. A teacher said, ‘Daily handovers are given. The home provides good care. She [child] is always happy to see the staff when they collect her. They work in partnership and are supportive to parents and school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and social workers describe their relationships with the home as excellent. A social worker said, ‘The home works in partnership; they [staff] are excellent at attending meetings. They always alert me immediately if there are any issues.’ A parent said, ‘The communication is very good and consistent.’ All of the professionals and parents spoken to said that they are fully confident that the staff work in an inclusive and transparent manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The positive and trusting relationships built between the children and staff were evident Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 4 during this inspection. On their arrival for a short break, the smiling children ran to the staff, who greeted them warmly. The children quickly started to participate in their chosen activity, with the staff supporting attentively. A parent said, ‘He has made such progress through the positive experiences that he has at the home.’ Another parent said, ‘Her progress has been great. She is happier, and more settled in her behaviour. On her return from a short break, she is chilled out.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand that children make progress because of their experiences. The staff work hard to ensure that the children enjoy a wide variety of interesting activities, both in the home and in the community. The children enjoy day trips out to the zoo, local parks, farms and the local bowling alley. The staff offer a wide range of on-site activities, such as arts and crafts and messy play, and access to a climbing frame, swings, slide and a tunnel in the garden. This gives the children new experiences and the opportunity to develop their social skills. All of the children have their own book containing photographs of these special moments to share with their families and keep as memorabilia. A parent said, ‘He has fun, he likes the activities. They [staff] have helped him to make progress, especially in interacting with peers. He has gained sharing skills and learned how to give and take.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise the children’s achievements and praise them openly. Many of the achievements have contributed to an increase in the children’s confidence and the development of their independence skills. For example, a member of staff explained that they have worked with several of the children to improve their meal-table skills and that the children are now able to eat independently with a knife and fork. A parent said, ‘My child has even started to help out in the kitchen at home. She now wants to get involved in cooking after taking part in this at the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been no complaints received from the children since the last inspection. The staff consistently spend time with the children to gain their views. The children benefit from monthly visits from an independent advocate who seeks their opinions. The manager ensures that all of the children have an opportunity to share their thoughts. One child told the advocate verbally, ‘I like coming here, and if I had a complaint I would tell everyone.’ Another child communicated through drawing pictures of happy, sad or confused faces. This child was able to share that they are happy at the home, that the food makes them happy, and that nothing at the home makes them sad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has met the shortfall raised at the last inspection relating to risk assessments. She has worked closely with the staff team to ensure that all of the children who attend for short breaks now have an impact risk assessment. These risk assessments are comprehensive, and they include the potential risks that a new or changed admission may have on existing children, along with the correct level of staffing required to meet the individual and group needs of the children attending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home works closely with parents and professionals to ensure that the children have well-planned transitions. Several children have left the home since the last inspection due to becoming adults. The home offers support by accompanying the children on visits to their future adult services provision in order for them to familiarise themselves. Prior Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 5 to leaving, a celebration activity with peers, including a leaving meal, is held to ensure a positive ending. A parent said, ‘I am very happy with the care that the home provided. They knew him so well. He had lots of fun. He was always given choices of activities, and he returned home in a positive mood every time. I have no complaints about the service. The staff were helpful throughout.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Photographs of the children and staff are present in all of the shared areas of the home. The children stay in the same bedroom when they attend and they are able to personalise their room during their visit. This helps the children to build a sense of belonging through familiarity.

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

All of the children have detailed good-quality personal emergency evacuation plans. These plans ensure that staff are aware of the correct action to take for each child in an emergency. Key workers ensure that the children are aware of the actions to take by producing child-friendly booklets explaining the procedures.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. Many of the children have no understanding of danger and, therefore, the staff monitor them closely to ensure their safety. Staff work in a consistent manner with the children to ensure that they have the correct staffing levels to meet each child’s needs. All of the children have individual risk assessments that consider any potential risks and provide risk reduction actions. These help the staff to protect the children.

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

At the last inspection, a shortfall was identified in the behaviour management records. The manager has addressed the shortfall, and all of the children now have their own positive-handling plan. These plans are comprehensive and detailed, and they provide the staff with a clear guide that covers trigger behaviours, a description of what the child’s behaviour looks/sounds like, and give guidance on de-escalation strategies. In addition, the staff continue to complete good-quality general risk assessments, which they regularly update. This means that the staff have useful tools to help them to de- escalate situations, and to measure the effectiveness of the staff’s responses.

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

Parents spoken to during the inspection said that their children are safe and happy while on their short breaks. A parent said, ‘I am very happy with the home. He loves going there for breaks. The staff are very good. They keep him safe.’ Another parent, whose child has now moved on to adult services, said, ‘I trusted them to provide safe care, which they always did.’

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

All of the staff have completed physical intervention training. The skilled staff intervene to prevent children from hurting themselves or others. Since the last inspection, there has been only one incident requiring physical intervention. Such incidents are very rare because the staff respond to the children in a calm and consistent way. The children’s behaviour has stabilised as a result.

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

The home has effective links with the local authority designated officer, who said, ‘I have Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 6 no concerns at all. There has been no need for any involvement for quite some time.’ No safeguarding incidents have occurred in the home since the last inspection. All of the staff have received mandatory safeguarding training. Staff spoken to during the inspection had a clear understanding of how to implement the safeguarding procedures. The staff recognise that they have a duty to safeguard, and they have the necessary skills to ensure that children remain protected.

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

The home provides a well-maintained and safe physical environment for the children. The manager has completed a comprehensive location risk assessment with input from the police. This ensures that local information about positive and negative influences and factors is considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She is well supported by a deputy manager, and together they run a good-quality service. The manager has been in post for 10 months. She is proactive in her approach and she has a clear vision for the home. She is passionate about ensuring that progress continues. A member of staff said, ‘The home is managed well. It has improved. The manager has such a lot of knowledge and experience and really gets things done.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been no changes to the staffing since the last inspection. The children benefit greatly from a stable staff team. They are able to build long-term trusting relationships with consistent adults. The dedicated staff team is very experienced. Many of the staff have been in post for over 10 years. All of the staff spoken to during the inspection showed an in-depth understanding of each of the children. The staff take great pride in providing good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive good-quality supervision, provided monthly either by the manager or the deputy manager. These sessions include discussions on key-working responsibilities and meeting the children’s complex needs. All of the staff have up-to-date annual appraisals, and they have clear personal development targets. This ensures that the staff feel valued and have opportunities to progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring is robust. She carries out regular checks of records and practice, and she takes action quickly to address any concerns. The manager includes parents’ views in her six-monthly review of the home. Parents say that communication is consistent and that they are confident that the home provides good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor provides well-considered reports that contain actions for improvement. The manager and the independent visitor continue to work well together to drive progress. This ensures that the children receive a high-quality service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The one requirement set at the last inspection is met, as all of the eligible staff have now completed the relevant level 3 diploma. The manager has met the recommendation to ensure that each member of staff has a record of their training. The manager has introduced a system that clearly identifies any staff training requirements and/or areas Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 7 for professional development. However, the new system has highlighted to the manager that not all staff are up to date with the home’s mandatory training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager reviews and updates the home’s statement of purpose regularly. The staff understand the ethos of the home, which is to provide a safe, stimulating and happy place for the children to be while they learn, develop and progress. The home is achieving this effectively. All parents and professionals are in agreement that the children make good progress while having fun on their short breaks.

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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: SC033392 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Peterborough City Council, Chief Executive, Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough PE1 1PJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Wendi Ogle-Welbourn

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Inspector

Lynne Drage, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033392 9 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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