Children's home run by Langley House (Harwich) Limited in Tendring

Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 1 SC060282 Registered provider: Langley House (Harwich) Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have learning disabilities and/or associated physical disabilities. The home is owned by a small private company.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Children’s complex social and sensory needs are met in a warm and caring environment. Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 2  Children make good progress across a number of areas in their lives. The staff give careful attention to the children’s individual needs.  The care is delivered by a committed manager and equally committed staff team.  Children have positive relationships with the staff and teachers, which has led to all of the children attending school.  Safeguarding practice enhances children’s safety. The staff respond well to any child protection concerns.  Care is taken to ensure that children’s moves into the home are managed sensitively.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Evidence and evaluation of key-work meetings are basic and do not give clear information.  The manager and the independent person have not taken into account conflicts of interest in relation to the independent monitoring of the home.  The working hours of one member of auxiliary staff have not been recorded.  The statement of purpose does not reflect the current staffing and management at the home.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/11/2016 Full Good 21/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37(2)(a)) This is in particular reference to ensuring that there is a record of the times when the maintenance person works at the home. 30/06/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint, at the registered providers’ expense, a person (‘the independent person’) to visit and report on the children’s home carried on by the registered provider. Subject to paragraph (4) and (5), the registered provider may not appoint the following as an independent person, a person who has, or has had, a connection with a person working at the home. (Regulation 43(1)(3)(g)(ii)) 31/07/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

If the independent person becomes aware of a potential conflict of interest (whether under Regulation 43(3) or otherwise) after a visit to the home, the independent person must include in the independent person’s report details of the conflict of interest and the reasons why the independent person did not notify the registered provider of the conflict of interest before the visit. (Regulation 44(6)(a)(b)) 31/07/2017

p.3

Recommendations

 Homes are required to develop and keep under review a ‘statement of purpose’. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) This is with specific reference to ensuring that the statement of purpose has accurate information about the manager and the staffing.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies 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) In particular, evidence and evaluate key-work meetings. Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Over time, and relative to their complex social, sensory needs and starting points, children make good progress in all aspects of their lives. The children build warm, trusting and helpful relationships with staff. Parents and professionals speak positively of the progress that children make and the good work that is done to help children to achieve their goals and to develop positive behaviours. A parent said, ‘I am immensely happy with the progress that my son has made. I never thought it would ever happen.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Admissions are managed carefully. During the inspection, observations of a child having an overnight stay prior to moving in showed that staff managed the interactions sensitively. He was warmly welcomed and helped to settle. Staff assisted him to put personal items, which he had brought with him, away in his freshly painted and refurbished bedroom. This approach helps children to develop new skills and to maintain a sense of belonging and permanence. The child was observed to be excited and joyful at his new bedroom and soon-to-be new home. The child’s social worker said, ‘He seems happy. He wanted to move in straight away after his first time here for tea.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-structured routines and support plans assist children to learn to manage their behaviours and to communicate what they are feeling and thinking in a range of different ways. Children are supervised on a one-to-one basis. They build good relationships with their key workers. The staff have a good understanding of children’s strengths and needs, and how to support their progress. The staff are vigilant and careful in their care of children. They continually reassess what children are doing in order to understand them better and help them further.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education needs form an important part of their care. The staff support the children’s attainment in education through the maintenance of good routines, provision of educational activities and because of the staff’s participation in multi-agency meetings and the review of services. All of the children attend an education provision. An education professional said, ‘The staff know the children really well, which enables the children to make good progress.’ They also said, ‘The care is completely child focused, taking into consideration their interests and activities.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work very hard to establish trusting relationships with children. This is achieved through patience, consistent responses and a genuine warmth. As a result, children experience fewer incidents of distress and they learn to manage their emotions in more positive ways. This enables children to access community-based activities that previously would not have been considered possible. These activities include trips to the beach to visit the home’s beach hut and to go crabbing, and visits to local parks and to a sensory- play centre. One child is a member of the British Gymnastics Association, which enables him to attend a local club where fully trained staff support him with his mobility.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are in good health because the staff identify and meet their needs. Meal Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 5 times are enjoyable occasions during which a healthy, balanced diet is provided. Children participate, when possible, in some of the daily routines at the home. They communicate in various ways about the things which affect their daily lives, such as what to wear and where to go on activities. For example, a child who is non-verbal is now able to choose the outfit that he will wear for the day and the activity that he goes on. The staff promote the children’s rights and give them a voice. The children are listened to and their wishes are acted on.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comprised of three bungalows, which have a large private space for children to have contact with their families. All of the bungalows are adjoined by their gardens and are in close proximity to each other. All three of the communal areas are very clean and fresh. They are decorated to a good standard and all of the bedrooms are personalised and well equipped.

p.5

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

The staff ensure that the children adhere to the daily routines, which provide stability and structure for the children. The staff implement positive behaviour plans and strategies, which are known and, in time, understood by the children. The children are safe, secure and protected at all times both inside and outside of the home. The children develop an understanding of their behaviours and positive coping strategies.

p.5

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

The staff are acutely aware of the children’s behaviours and the risks associated with these. The staff have a good understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities. As a result, children are protected from possible child sexual exploitation, bullying or other forms of abuse. Regularly reviewed individual risk assessments ensure that the measures to keep the children safe are effective. The well-structured environment, underpinned by clear plans and routines, enables the children to learn trust and to practise strategies to manage their behaviours. As a result, one child is now able to have some free time.

p.5

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

Staff de-escalate challenging behaviour successfully. Physical restraint is only used when necessary to protect the children or staff from harm. All of the staff are trained in the use of restraint. Incidents of restraint are recorded well and include, when possible, children’s views. The manager reviews and considers each incident and raises any learning points during team meetings and staff supervisions. This means that strategies and behaviour management plans can be adapted and changed to ensure that the children are suitably supported.

p.5

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. The use of sanctions is minimal and proportionate to the behaviour. ‘Time out’ is used by the staff and understood by the children. This often results in the children developing positive behaviour strategies.

p.5

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

Safeguarding issues are promptly investigated, recorded and resolved in a timely manner. All of the staff attend safeguarding training. They know what to do if they have a concern about a child’s well-being. Sound recruitment procedures mean that all of the necessary background checks are carried out before a member of staff commences Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 6 work. This helps to ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with the children.

p.5

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

Changes in children’s presentation are observed and monitored by staff. Concerns are raised with other professionals and meetings sought in order to thoroughly assess and respond to these changes.

p.6

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

Children are offered clear and consistent boundaries to ensure that they enjoy a sense of safety and develop trusting relationships with staff. They learn, in time, to manage their emotional responses to situations in a more socially acceptable way. This prepares them for more demanding community-based activities and adulthood.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted. He has completed his level 5 diploma in leadership and management. He has good insight into the challenges of his current role, having been the deputy manager for a number of years. He understands how to develop an effective team and support children to progress well from their starting points, and the importance of accurate, detailed paperwork. The statement of purpose is of a good standard. Although it is being revised, it does not currently reflect the recent changes of management and the staffing structure.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is currently writing a development plan which focuses on ensuring that children receive appropriate, safe care, developing a skilled team and maintaining good- quality paperwork.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care and support planning is well organised, detailed and helpful. Staff understand children well and use their knowledge carefully to think about what events and behaviours mean. For example, the staff’s observations of bedtime routines for one child, and subsequent actions, have led to the child being able to manage bedtime routines without distress. Records contain good information and provide a unique picture of each child. However, key-work sessions are not consistently recorded. The manager has good insight into the children’s strengths, vulnerabilities and progress from their starting points. However, these are not always recorded in a focused manner. This does not enable information to be captured accurately or evaluated to inform future planning.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager offers good support to the staff. He leads a staff team that is dedicated to and very experienced in caring for children who have complex needs. The manager is accessible and approachable and, when necessary, will offer practical support in the care of the children. Regular team meetings ensure that children are discussed in detail and that they remain the focus of activities in the home.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions cover a wide range of topics appropriate to individual staff members’ needs. Appraisals occur annually and training is of a good standard. However, the working hours of one member of the auxiliary staff have not been recorded.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and professionals said that the manager and staff offer good levels of Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 7 communication and that the services that the children receive support their continual progress. One parent said of a recent incident involving her son, ‘He [the manager] phoned me to keep me informed throughout, and then came round with [the child] after for a cup of tea, as he knew I would be very worried and anxious. This made so much difference to me and how it made me feel.’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home and produces monthly monitoring reports. The information contained in the reports gives a good overview of the home, the staff, and the children who live there. The independent person is known by a person working at the home. However, the provider has not addressed the conflicts of interest that have arisen as a result and the visitor’s reports have not documented this conflict.

p.7

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.

p.7

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: SC060282 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Langley House (Harwich) Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 90 Lee Road, Harwich, Essex CO12 3SB

p.8

Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC060282 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9