Children's home run by Northamptonshire County Council in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC374180 1 SC374180 Registered provider: Northamptonshire 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

This local authority home is registered to provide residential placements for up to six children and young people who have learning disabilities. The children and young people each have a diagnosed autistic spectrum disorder, in conjunction with a moderate or severe learning disability.

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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: 19 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people make notable progress as a result of the good- quality care and support provided. Inspection report children’s home: SC374180 2  Children and young people have opportunities to take part in a broad range of activities. Social opportunities mean that children are growing in confidence.  Parents and professionals are, for the most part, very confident in the care provided and say that children and young people are happy and settled.  Staff understand the diverse needs of each child and young person. Staff genuinely care about each of them.  Children’s and young people’s anxieties are reduced by the consistent approach to daily routines and care arrangements. They become increasingly confident in the care provided, and are learning new skills at their own pace.  The manager provides good leadership. Staff feel supported and receive a good level of training. A strength of the service is a core of very experienced and

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Key findings from this inspection

knowledgeable staff.  Staff work well in partnership with professionals and parents to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.

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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

 Records should always provide a clear audit trail of actions and evaluation when a child is noted as having a bruise or body mark.  Records of incidents involving physical restraint should be more detailed. Recording should include management oversight comments, clarify the effectiveness of the intervention, and include a summary of the management de-brief with staff.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/09/2016 Full Outstanding 04/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC374180 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 maintain records for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the need to strengthen the audit trail of evaluation and actions taken when body marks or bruising is noted on a child. (Regulation 36(1)(a), Schedule 3 (paragraph 22)) 04/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint in order to identify effective practice, and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure that it meets the needs of each child. In particular, this relates to providing additional detail in records to evidence management oversight and comments. Also, a summary of the debrief discussion undertaken with staff and more clarity about the effectiveness and consequences of the use of restraint. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are happy and are very settled living at this home. Parents and involved professionals have a positive view about the care provided. Comments include, ‘She has made amazing progress. She is doing brilliantly. This is such a good placement.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers use their combined knowledge and skills to plan and deliver personalised care. A parent spoke positively about how his child has started eating foods Inspection report children’s home: SC374180 4 for the first time after moving to this home, having previously followed a liquid-only diet. An independent reviewing officer said that one child, ‘seems happy, and seems able to communicate with staff. She now lets staff know what she wants.’ It is apparent that the staff genuinely care about each of the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are in good health and each attends full-time education. The staff team works effectively with parents and involved professionals to ensure that health and educational needs are met. A health professional said, ‘I have only had a good experience with this service. There is good joined-up working and they are clearly involving parents, and consider wants and needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence is promoted. Staff recognise even the smallest of steps forward. For example, a member of staff spoke enthusiastically about how one child is now accepting the introduction of a toothbrush. This demonstrates that staff engage proactively in the child’s journey of development. Notable progress for one young person is the move from being doubly incontinent on admission to using a toilet independently. This was only possible because of a well-timed, concentrated and consistent approach implemented by the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Individual needs are considered when planning trips out in the community. This means that children and young people benefit greatly from social experiences. Children have recently enjoyed a trip to the seaside, paddling in the sea and having a fish and chip supper. Activities planned for the week of the inspection included a visit to a country park, where children particularly enjoyed the sensory garden area. Staff know children well and understand how much time is best spent on activities in the community and when to spend calm time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff strive to promote choice and participation within a supportive environment. Schedules are used to ensure that children and young people know what is happening, now and in the future. This forward planning reduces anxieties and supports children and young people who need consistency and routine. The children and young people also benefit from readily available choice and communication cards. This means that they can communicate preferences to the staff and make their views known. Regular visits are made to the home by an external advocacy group. More recently, the children’s rights team has been visiting. The aim of this is to begin to know the children and young people, with a view to further enhancing opportunities for participation. These arrangements show that staff prioritise children’s involvement and choices.

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

Parents and professionals express confidence that children and young people feel safe. One parent spoke to the inspector about how her child is so much more relaxed. She said, ‘He is a completely different child. Before, he would hurt himself a lot and no longer does this, he is so calm now.’

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

The service develops a wide range of risk assessment documentation that sets out risk management strategies. These strategies provide staff with guidance about individual Inspection report children’s home: SC374180 5 and group needs, and promote the safety and well-being of children and young people.

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

Children and young people are fully supervised and monitored at all times. This means that staff are close by and respond quickly to keep children and young people safe. Staff quickly divert children and young people away from potential hazards. Staffing levels are kept under review and adjusted when necessary to strengthen safeguarding arrangements. For example, when one child showed the potential to cause distress and possible harm to other children, the staffing levels and risk management plans were adjusted. Because of the high levels of staff supervision, children and young people do not go missing from this home.

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

Risk management strategies and behaviour plans are agreed with parents and involved professionals. This means that there is broad agreement as to how best to manage complex behaviours. Staff understand behaviours in the context of diagnosed disabilities and individual needs. A strength of the service is the consistent approach to behaviour management. As a result, children and young people begin to understand what is expected and start to follow daily routines.

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

Restraint, by means of restricting free movement, has been used in accordance with multi-agency agreed plans for one particular child. This child has now moved on to a placement that is more appropriate to his needs. For other children, there have been very few incidents where physical interventions have been necessary. Although the manager reviews each incident, records lack detail and clarity in some areas. For example, records are signed to confirm that staff involved have been spoken to by a manager, but do not reflect a summary of such a debrief conversation. No management comments are recorded when the manager has sought further information in relation to specific events. A recommendation has been set to guide improvements to the quality and effectiveness of these records.

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

A further weakness is found in relation to recording safeguarding decisions. On some occasions, when a child presents with a bruise or mark to their body, the lack of an audit trail makes it difficult to establish how decisions have been reached or how accidents are assessed and followed up. No direct poor outcomes for children are identified, but it is important to ensure that records in this area of care are robust and that monitoring is thorough.

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

The inspector is aware that allegations of a child protection nature are being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the home in response to the allegations were considered, alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection, to inform the inspector’s judgements. Staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC374180 6 The registered manager is appropriately skilled and experienced. She is currently working towards the requisite management qualification. Staff speak highly of the manager and the support she provides to the team. Comments include, ‘She always emphasises that the children come first. She takes an interest in the children, and personally gets to know each child and their families.’ Over recent months, the registered manager has spent time away from the home, carrying out some additional duties on behalf of the local authority. However, she has retained a focus on this home and staff do not feel that her absences have impacted negatively on the support available to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager confidently advocates for the service and for the children and young people who use the service. She understands the strengths and weaknesses of the service. Discussions have opened with senior managers to ensure that the service provided is appropriate to the needs of children and families. This demonstrates that service development is at the forefront of the manager’s thinking.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers have forged positive relationships with external agencies and family members. It is apparent that staff consult broadly and keep involved parties updated about children and young people’s care. Feedback about staff includes, ‘Their professionalism stands out, and they treat the children with respect and know what they need.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing arrangements have been stable. Staff training is seen as important. Mandatory training provides staff with knowledge in relation to fire safety, food hygiene, autistic spectrum awareness and safeguarding children. There is a core of longstanding, experienced staff who take a lead in the consistent, well-organised care provided. The manager is proud of the commitment shown by staff. The staff say that this is a happy place to work and that the team members are very supportive of each other. This culture adds to the nurturing environment provided to children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recommendation made at the time of the last inspection has been met. Independent monitoring visits now include observations of direct work with children and young people. This puts children at the centre of practice.

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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: SC374180 7 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: SC374180 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Northamptonshire County Council, John Dryden House, 8-10 The Lakes, Northampton NN4 7YD

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Inspector

Mary Timms, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC374180 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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