Children's home run by Virgin Care Limited in Camden

Inspection report children’s home: SC458431 1 SC458431 Registered provider: Virgin Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who may have a sensory impairment, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. Care and accommodation are provided on a short-break and flexible basis.

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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: 9 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff place the needs of the young people at the centre of their practice. Young people enjoy their short breaks. Staff communicate well with young people’s families to ensure continuity and consistency of care. Inspection report children’s home: SC458431 2  This short-break home is efficiently managed. Staff and parents speak highly of the current management team.  Young people settle well into the home. They enjoy a wide range of social and leisure activities. As a result, young people’s confidence and their social skills have improved.  Independence is promoted well. Parents say that they have noticed that their child has learned new skills such as laying the table and cooking.  Staff have a good awareness of safeguarding processes and protocols. Staff are well trained in safeguarding, and de-escalation and restraint training, and the vast majority of staff have a formal care qualification.

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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 staff have undertaken training in autistic spectrum disorder or supporting young people with learning disabilities, despite young people who visit this home having these specific needs.  Risk assessments and care plans do not include explicit information about the need for monitoring devices that are used with young people.  Leaders and managers have been asked to review the storage arrangements for play equipment, improve record-keeping, and seek young people’s views following the use of restraint.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 25/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/07/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC458431 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

12: The protection of children standard The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of harm to the child. In particular, ensure that the use of monitoring devices are risk assessed and included in written documents. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— Ensure that each child’s relevant plans are followed. In particular, ensure that staff follow the guidance in relation to nightly checks on young people, and that all care plans refer to the use of monitoring devices where agreed. (Regulation 14(2)(c)) 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. In particular, ensure that all staff receive training in autistic spectrum disorder and learning disabilities. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 31/12/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC458431 4

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home supports children’s safety and well-being. In particular, review the arrangements for the storage of play equipment in the rear garden. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations and quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.23)  Ensure that any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.60)  Ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This applies to a wide range of records that are kept by the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported well by a staff team that places the young people’s individual needs at the centre of its practice. Staff recognise and celebrate the young people’s achievements. Staff work positively and proactively with parents to ensure continuity of care and support when their child visits for short breaks. Parents provided positive feedback about the service. One parent said, ‘My son absolutely loves it and he has a wonderful time.’ Another parent said, ‘The staff are very aware of his needs and they know him very well.’ Parents say that there is good communication with them from the staff. Young people enjoy a wide range of activities, and social and leisure opportunities. These opportunities include visits to local parks, shopping trips, trips to adventure parks and cafés and restaurants. Parents are pleased with the activities provided for young people. A parent said, ‘My child has a lot of activities and outings and is becoming more

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

independent from us. Her confidence has improved.’ In addition, parents said that they consider that their child’s self-help skills have improved because they socialise with other young people and access the wider community. Young people settle well into this short-break home. A parent agreed and told the inspector, ‘It is fantastic, my child has settled in really well. He’s made a good connection with his link worker.’ Staff use augmented and alternative methods of communication to seek young people’s views and opinions. Young people are offered choices about the food and drinks they prefer and which activities they would like to do during their visit. Inspection report children’s home: SC458431 5

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

Since the last inspection there have not been any referrals made to the designated officer or children’s services. Staff demonstrate a good awareness of safeguarding procedures and protocols and have undertaken safeguarding training. There are no concerns relating to child sexual exploitation, young people going missing or bullying. The manager ensures that young people are safe during their visit. She ensures that young people’s needs are compatible with each other. If needed, some young people visit when no other young people are present, and are supported to enjoy their short break with the required staffing levels. Parents consider that their child is safe, and one parent said, ‘I have no concerns about my child’s safety or welfare.’ Staff manage behaviour positively. They successfully follow detailed behaviour support plans to help young people to manage their behaviour, feelings and emotions. Restraint

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

is used as a last resort. The manager evaluates the use of restraint to look for triggers and trends, and to ensure that the measure used is appropriate. The manager identifies if any lessons have been learned and acts on this learning. The manager has identified that some restraint records are not always sufficiently detailed. She is helping staff to make improvements in this area. The views of the young people who have been restrained are not always sought and recorded. Monitoring devices are used in agreement with parents, and protocols are devised to specify how they are to be used. These devices are primarily used to monitor the healthcare needs of the young people. The manager reviews the use of such devices. However, some risk assessments do not refer to their use, and do not clearly link into all young people’s placement plans. This weakness does not place the young people at risk. Young people benefit from a safe and secure rear garden that has an abundance of play

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

and leisure equipment. Facilities to store these items when they are not in use are insufficient and, when they are left out, may pose a health and safety risk to some young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is currently on maternity leave. Since April 2017, a registered manager from another home in the same organisation is managing the home. She is in the process of applying to Ofsted to register for this home until the registered manager returns. The home is managed effectively. The current manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and ensures that there is regular and robust external scrutiny of the quality of care. She responds efficiently to any recommendations that are made by the independent visitor. There are no recorded complaints since the last inspection. Staff speak highly of the support that they receive from the current manager. A member of staff said, ‘She listens to us and keeps us informed.’ Another said, ‘She is very supportive and ensures that I get regular supervision.’ Staff receive regular supervision Inspection report children’s home: SC458431 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

that includes reflective practice discussions. Staff are provided with mandatory training. However, not all staff have received specific training in understanding autistic spectrum disorder, or supporting young people who have learning disabilities. Young people who visit this home have these needs. The vast majority of staff have attained a level 3 diploma, while those who have not yet achieved this qualification are undertaking it. The manager collaborates well with parents and social workers when developing young people’s placement plans. Overall, placement plans are comprehensive and provide staff with useful information about how to support the young people. Staff have a clear understanding of the young people’s needs and are passionate about the care and support that they provide. However, staff do not always follow the plans in relation to keeping detailed records about some young people’s behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff provide the young people with a homely environment. The home is furnished, decorated and maintained to a good standard and there have been improvements to the internal and external spaces since the last inspection. Staff make every effort to enable the young people to have the same bedroom when they visit. There are plans for all of the bedrooms to be redecorated. Staff are currently consulting with young people about their preferences for colours and furnishings.

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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 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: SC458431 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Virgin Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lynton House, 7-12 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9LT

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Inspector

David Kidner, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC458431 8 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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