Children's Home run by Footsteps Care Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 1 SC481293 Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care and accommodation for up to eight children and young people with a learning disability. The organisation has another children’s home which caters for children with similar needs.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people talk positively about their experiences of living in the home. They get on well with staff and each other.  High staffing levels ensure that young people receive the individual support and attention that they need in order to stay safe and make progress.  Young people benefit from clear structures and routines. They engage well with education and enjoy a range of positive activities.  Staff encourage young people to be independent. They help with household chores and, as far as possible, take responsibility for keeping their rooms clean and tidy.  Staff develop positive, trusting relationships with young people. They use praise and encouragement to help young people make better choices and improve their behaviour.  Parents and placing social workers talk positively about the service. They feel that staff often go the extra mile to help young people. Staff are described as being very welcoming and caring.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Whenever possible, staff support young people to enjoy positive, meaningful relationships with their families.  The staff team is resilient and sticks with young people in times of crisis. Young people leave the home in a planned way. They move on positively to placements that meet their needs.  Staff contribute effectively to the professional network. They ensure that key staff attend all planning meetings and appointments. Their contribution to care planning is valued by placing authorities.  When safeguarding concerns arise, the provider works effectively in partnership with lead professionals to ensure that young people are safe and that all concerns are thoroughly investigated.  The manager of the home has excellent oversight of the quality of care provided to young people. He takes prompt action to address any shortfalls.

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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 provider sometimes admits young people with complex needs that are outside the scope of admissions as described in their statement of purpose.  Staff do not always have access to the specialist support and guidance that is needed in order to make sure that some young people with complex needs receive the support that they need to maximise their potential.  The recording in relation to health interventions for young people is not Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 3 consistently accurate.  The provider does not implement the systems that they have in place to record the positive interventions that are designed to focus on young people taking small steps to improve behaviour and independence skills.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 24/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/11/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 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 quality and purpose of care standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet this regulation, the provider must ensure that the home’s statement of purpose accurately describes the range of needs that the home caters for.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; and provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background.

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Requirement Due date

Regulation 6 (2) (a) (b) (i) (iv) 08/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet this regulation, the provider must only admit young people to the home where it is clear that staff have the training and experience to meet their needs.

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; and ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

Regulation 13 (1) (a) (b) (2) (a) (b) (c) 08/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children; administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment; help children to manage long-term conditions; and where necessary, meet specific individual health needs arising from a disability, chronic condition or other complex needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12.) This is with particular reference to ensuring that all checks in relation to monitoring health in respect of diabetes are carried out in accordance with agreed healthcare plans.  Staff should understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13.) This is with particular reference to ensuring that the systems in place to encourage positive behaviours are used in practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home accommodates up to eight young people with a wide range of needs. High staffing levels ensure that each young person gets the help and support that they need in order to stay safe, remain healthy and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are happy in the home. They get on well with each other and value the care and support that they receive from staff. One young person reported that he got on well with the staff and felt that staff had helped him a lot to learn budgeting and to learn to cook. He feels confident that staff have prepared him well for his move to supported living accommodation. Another young person described how much she ‘really likes’ her key worker. She reported that she likes all of the staff and gets on well with the other young people living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people do well in education and have a positive attitude to learning. Staff work with each young person to help them leave for school on time, well prepared and in a positive frame of mind. This enables them to get the most out of their school day. For one young person who is not in education, the provider is working with the placing authority to secure a suitable school place as soon as possible. Staff provide structured activities in order to support this young person to overcome barriers to learning and prepare for school life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each young person has a detailed care plan. Staff use this to identify how best to Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 6 provide individual support. Health needs are clearly identified and staff make sure that young people are healthy and attend medical appointments when required. If staff notice that young people may be unwell or not thriving, they take prompt action to review their healthcare plans. In one example, a young person with complex health needs was not sleeping at night. Staff consulted with health professionals and on their advice, implemented measures to improve her sleep routines. As a result of this, the young person is now more alert during the day. She has a more positive experience at school and benefits from more stimulation and interaction with staff and young people during the daytime. The parent of this young person felt that the staff were ‘doing a fantastic job’. She described the home as a ‘second family’ for her daughter. She said

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

that the staff always make her feel welcome when she visits and she is confident that her daughter is safe in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the health needs of young people well and they undertake specialist training to ensure that they know how to support young people with complex health needs. They frequently have to monitor the health of young people and generally do this diligently, though one health monitoring sheet contained a number of errors. This needs to be addressed to ensure that errors in recording do not lead to errors in carrying out agreed plans to monitor the health of young people living in the home. This shortfall had no impact on the health or safety of the person in question.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placing social workers commented positively about the care provided by staff and the high quality of their contributions to the professional network. The home always ensures that the same staff members attend important meetings. This provides consistent support for young people and ensures that only staff who know the young people well are there to represent them. Social workers commented that staff take prompt action to carry out actions agreed at care planning meetings and statutory review meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have a sense of belonging in the home. Staff encourage this by listening to young people and responding to their views and ideas. Young people benefit from group living, they eat meals together and regularly go out on activities together. Young people are encouraged to talk about any concerns that they have in relation to their peers. These issues are often resolved informally over dinner, where young people can share their points of view. Young people are encouraged to respect each other’s feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As far as possible, depending on their ability and understanding, young people take responsibility for maintaining the household. They do chores, they help to clean the house and prepare food. They are supported to keep their rooms clean and to do laundry. This teaches them valuable skills for independence and promotes a sense of responsibility and self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to understand how young people experience living in the home. They use this understanding to guide their support and interventions. For those young people who are non-verbal, staff use a range of communication techniques and observations to help them understand how young people are feeling. Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 7 Staff make sure that they understand the faith and cultural needs of the young people living in the home. The manager promotes a positive culture of respect and dignity within the home. This ensures that young people with a learning difficulty are supported, according to their needs and abilities, to fully participate in the daily life of the home.

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

Young people are safe. Staff identify areas where young people are vulnerable to harm and take protective action. Each young person has a comprehensive risk assessment in place. This identifies the steps that staff must take in order to reduce risks. Staff carry out actions identified in the young people’s safety plans and the registered manager monitors practice to ensure that young people are safe.

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

Some young people have complex health needs. They are dependent on staff to monitor their health and provide specialist support to keep them safe and healthy. Staff undertake a wide range of training to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to manage complex health needs. This training includes epilepsy awareness, gastric feeding, managing diabetes and administering medications. Training is regularly updated and the rota is carefully planned to ensure that, at all times, staff who provide care are suitably qualified.

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

High staffing levels ensure that each young person has ample support and supervision. Some young people require one-to-one staffing. Shifts are planned carefully to make sure that this is always in place and that young people who need constant attention are never left alone. Staff are mindful that too much supervision and support can, for some young people, feel oppressive and reduce their opportunities to be more independent. They regularly review staffing levels and adjust them accordingly, based upon the needs of each young person.

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

Most of the young people living in the home would be vulnerable if out in the community without supervision. The high levels of staffing and the security arrangements in the building are such that young people cannot leave the home without being noticed. As a result, young people do not go missing. Staff work with young people to develop the skills to become safer when in the community. They teach them traffic awareness, stranger danger and how to safely use public transport.

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

The provider is alive to the risks of exploitation for the young people living in the home. They take steps to ensure that young people are not at risk of exploitation via social media and the internet. Staff keep close control of mobile media equipment. They monitor internet usage and have parental blocks to prevent young people from accessing unsuitable media.

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

The interactions between young people are closely monitored to ensure that young people are safe from bullying or oppression. Young people report feeling safe in the home and feeling safe with each other. Young people are supported to resolve conflict in a way that promotes learning. They are encouraged to talk about difficulties and they are able to put things right and apologise if they behave in a way that causes upset to Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 8 others.

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

Young people are generally well behaved and incidents are quickly de-escalated. Staff develop positive relationships and are able to reassure young people who may be upset. Staff undertake training in behaviour management and additional training in supporting young people who are diagnosed as being on the autistic disorder spectrum. This helps them to understand how some young people may process events and experience situations in a way that can cause anxiety. Each young person has a behaviour management plan that identifies situations that may cause them to be upset. This plan identifies helpful strategies to reduce their anxiety levels and also highlights strategies that are likely to be unhelpful. Where possible, these strategies are informed by what young people say they find helpful or unhelpful.

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

Young people know how to make complaints and when they do so, these are taken seriously. The local authority designated officer for safeguarding said that the home is open and honest, it makes prompt referrals to her if there are any allegations of harm against staff. She went on to say that the registered manager and responsible individual of the home prioritise the welfare of young people and are thorough in carrying out investigations in response to concerns. Young people report that they feel that staff look after them and treat them well.

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

Some young people require close supervision and support from staff with personal care. In these circumstances, staff do this in a way that protects young people’s dignity and keeps them safe.

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

The home is regularly inspected to ensure that it complies with fire safety requirements. Staff undertake frequent checks to make sure that all fire equipment is tested. They carry out fire drills to make sure that staff and young people can be evacuated safely in the event of a fire.

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

The manager of the home regularly monitors safeguarding practice in the home. He is accessible to young people and has good oversight of care practice in the home. He promotes a strong, child-focused ethos and approach to promoting the welfare and protecting young people from harm.

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

The leadership and management of the home are not yet good because a number of young people have been admitted to the home whose needs are outside those stated in the home’s statement of purpose. This runs the risk that the home admits young people without first ensuring that staff have the necessary training and experience to meet their needs. In one example, a young person with a sensory impairment was admitted to the home. The home was not modified to take this into account and staff had no specialist training in order to be able to help her maximise her potential to develop independence skills. In practice, staff did access external specialist clubs and activities to support this young person. She is happy in the home, is safe and making progress in education. Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 9 As mentioned previously in this report, the home looks after young people with a wide range of complex needs which require specialist knowledge in order to support them.

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

Staff undertake specialist training in order to meet these needs in relation to physical health, but they do not always access specialist advice to inform their interventions in relation to understanding complex emotional needs. One young person presented behaviour that staff found to be particularly challenging. They did not have a consistent understanding as to what the underlying reasons for this behaviour were. This presents a risk that the strategies for supporting this young person to make better choices may also be inconsistent.

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

The registered manager sometimes admits young people with complex needs in response to the placing authority finding it hard to find suitable alternative placements. He takes a child-focused, ethical approach to making decisions about who to admit to the home. The provider invariably makes a positive difference to the lives of the young people who are placed there. Despite this, the provider needs to be very clear about the range of needs it can meet and ensure that staff have the training and experience that they need to meet those needs, before admitting young people to the home. This needs to be explicit in the home’s statement of purpose.

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

The registered manager has excellent systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided to young people. He uses these systems effectively to inform service development. He pays attention to the experiences of young people and knows them well. He takes prompt action to address any shortfalls in practice. This ensures that young people receive a consistently high quality of care. Young people feel listened to and report a positive experience of care.

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

The physical environment is maintained to a high standard and the manager continues to invest in creating a homely environment for young people. He is particularly good at managing health and safety in relation to the premises. This means that the building is closely monitored to ensure that it is a safe place for staff to work and for young people to live in.

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

Staff appreciate the support and direction provided by the registered manager. They are consulted and contribute to service development. Staff report that they are able to approach the registered manager for advice or to report concerns.

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

Placing social workers and parents are consistently positive about the contribution that the registered manager makes to care planning. They find him accessible, responsive and helpful. They report that he has good insight into the needs of young people and goes the extra mile to ensure that their needs are met.

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

The registered manager has met all of the requirements made at the previous inspection. Staff are now trained in working with young people who are on the autistic spectrum. He has updated and improved all child protection policies. These now provide clear guidance for staff about what action to take and who to report to in the event that they have concerns about a young person’s safety. Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 10

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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 differences 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: SC481293 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 James Martin Close, Denham, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB9 5NN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anslim Narinesingh

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Inspector(s)

Lee Kirwin: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC481293 12 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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