Children's home run by Surrey County Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 1 SC405933 Registered provider: Surrey County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a local authority and provides a short-break service for children and young people who have learning and/or complex disabilities. The home offers overnight care for a maximum of six children and young people. The home also offers day-care packages. Inspection dates: 25 to 26 July 2017

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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

Date of last inspection: 15 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are strong working relationships with both parents and professionals, all of whom speak very positively about the positive difference that staff make in the lives of the children.  Transitions to commence or move on from this short-break service are well managed, and children and parents are fully involved in the process. This enables children to settle in well and feel safe.  Children have a wide range of social opportunities both in the service and out in the community.  The managers are child centred in their approach and are constantly looking at ways to enhance children’s experiences.  Since accessing the short-breaks service, children have grown in their confidence and independence.  Positive behaviour is consistently promoted, with a focus on rewarding positive, rather than sanctioning negative, behaviours. Children learn what the boundaries are through the appropriate role modelling by staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children show genuine affection for the staff, and there is a nurturing and inclusive atmosphere at the home.

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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

 Some individual risk assessments and care plans lack the required clarity and do not reliably inform staff of the actions to take in order to reduce risks.  Managers have not used monitoring effectively to ensure that they have clear oversight and are fully aware of all the weaknesses identified. Audit trails in some cases are weak. This was an area for development at the last inspection also.  Team meetings are not used as an opportunity for learning or developing staff skills and knowledge.  There have been delays in enrolling staff on the necessary level 3 course in residential childcare.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2017 Full Good 01/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/02/2016 Full Requires improvement 02/09/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 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 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 to make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are working to up-to-date individual risk assessments and that these detail individual vulnerabilities such as risk of child sexual exploitation and relevant information from professionals. 31/08/2017

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(h)) In particular, be aware and have good oversight of all areas of recording and ensure that audit trails reflect this. 31/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff engage proactively to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3) In particular, ensure that targets for children are specific and progress is demonstrated.  Ensure that suitable arrangements are made to manage, administer and dispose of medication. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 4 standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) In particular, ensure any medication errors are recorded to enable review and improvement to processes where relevant.  Ensure the registered person only accepts placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page

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Recommendations

55, paragraph 11.4) In particular, gain information from previous placements to determine the assessed needs.  Ensure staff are enrolled on the necessary course to gain the level 3 qualification in a timely manner, to ensure they complete the course in the required timescales. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.6)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘It’s a comfort to know they understand my daughter so well.’ This is one of the many positive comments received from parents, and through observations it was evident that staff do know children very well, and that they have developed trusting and secure relationships with them. The warmth and dedication that staff show towards the children was something that all parents spoken to reflect on, and feel that this has given them confidence in the ability of the staff team. Parents and carers are fully involved in care planning and, through this consistent approach along with the good communication and support by staff, children have made individual progress in a range of areas since accessing this short-breaks service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence. Children’s confidence has improved in this area. Some children previously found staying away from home very difficult and distressing. They now enjoy their visits and are settling well into the routines that the home offers. They look forward to this time away when they can be with friends. Through the trust formed with the staff, children are able to develop their skills and try new things. Children are now verbalising and communicating more, and are able to undertake personal care tasks such as undressing and cleaning their teeth, and therefore become more independent. Children enjoy a range of activities both on site and off site in the community. This is providing opportunities to further develop social interactions and have fun. There is careful consideration of activities outside of the home to ensure that children are able to make the most of these occasions. Children are

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

actively encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle through exercise and diet. For some children, this is an area that they may struggle with due to self-restricted diets. Staff actively encourage children to try new, healthy foods.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make choices in many aspects of their care, including the choice of staff whom they work with, the activities that they take part in and the meals Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 5 that they eat. Children are encouraged to express their views and feelings in the running of the home. Staff fully support choice for children as a matter of everyday routine. Young people are cared for in line with their individual placement plans. However, these continue to vary in quality, along with the children’s individual risk assessments. An update of one child’s plans did not take place, despite there being seven incidents of challenging behaviours over a number of months. Staff were not given clear guidelines during this time to prevent a recurrence. Other plans do not detail information and recommendations from professionals’ reports, and important vulnerabilities such as risk

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

of child sexual exploitation are not explored. Targets to develop greater independence or improved behaviour are identified for children in their care plans. However, in some plans there is again a focus on the desired outcome which is not specific or broken down into goals, for example ‘to wash and dress independently’. This generic aim reduces the ability to undertake regular reviews to measure progress and ensure that targets are still appropriate and achievable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last full inspection, staff have worked with parents and professionals to manage transitions into the home well and have successful transitions from the home. Transition weekends have been a way to further develop independence and prepare young people for their next steps. One child who has very recently started short-break visits stated that the move in was good and how nice the staff were. Another parent described how staff go out of their way to ensure that children are settled and ready for overnight stays, making sure that it is at a pace appropriate for both the child and their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships with parents, carers and professionals are very positive, with all describing how the home is a welcoming and safe environment where their children are happy and enjoy the many experiences on offer.

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

Parents were confident that their children’s safety was a priority in the home. Staff are aware of the children’s individual vulnerabilities and, in particular, the additional risks due to each child’s disability. Staff are confident in their safeguarding responsibilities and state that they would have no hesitation in reporting any concerns to the necessary people. Children appear comfortable and relaxed in the presence of staff and each other. Staff know children well and are able to interpret when children may be feeling unhappy or anxious. They respond in a nurturing and caring manner and, as a result, children feel secure and are able to relax. Parents are confident in the staff team’s ability to manage any situation.

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

Children are not currently assessed as displaying high risk in the area of child sexual exploitation or going missing from care. Although in discussion managers recognised that the children’s disability makes them vulnerable and are aware of actions to take should there be concerns, there is no reflection of these risks in each child’s individual risk assessment or care planning. When children access the provision, consideration is given to their possibly being able to put themselves at risk by going off site. There has been one incident where a child went off site but only went down the road, and another Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 6 where a child wandered off during an activity. There have been internal investigations following these incidents, resulting in changes in practice. The necessary protocols are in place to enable staff to be aware of the procedures to take, should this occur again.

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

Children enjoy good relationships and interact positively with staff and others. Bullying is not identified as an area of concern and some children have developed a tolerance of others since accessing the service. This is due to the consideration given to ensuring that children stay with an appropriate peer group. Staff are consistent in their management of behaviours and actively promote positive behaviour. Achievements are celebrated and this reinforces the positive approach. There has been one low-level physical intervention since the last inspection and this was proportionate in the situation. Staff use restorative ways of working with children to increase a sense of personal responsibility and ownership. Staff role model and promote appropriate boundaries and teach what is safe and acceptable. Only one sanction has been used since the last inspection.

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

The home has effective links with the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and any concerns are passed on appropriately. There are now clear audit trails, following internal investigations, to ensure that any recommendations are followed up and action is taken in a timely manner.

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

The premises provide a safe and secure physical environment where children feel safe and are safely cared for. The servicing and routine checks of fire safety systems, equipment, and gas and electric installations take place as required and are now easier to access. The home has recently had a fire risk assessment with some actions highlighted. It has an action plan with agreed timescales in place to ensure compliance.

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

Previous requirements have been repeated, which continues to question the effectiveness of the monitoring and oversight by the managers. Effective action has not taken place to address the requirements fully. Monitoring and review systems have not identified areas such as weak audit trails in recruitment files or training records not being clear and easy to assess to ensure and review if staff have the necessary skills for specific children. In addition, managers were aware of a medication error, but did not record this to review if the processes used are safe and effective. There is still limited oversight by managers of children’s placement plans and risk assessments to ensure that they are of a consistently high standard.

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

There is a permanent registered manager in place who has the necessary experience and the appropriate qualification. The registered manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses, and talks about the areas that she feels need further strengthening. However, some areas identified in the inspection have not been recognised by the manager. The registered manager and deputy manager are fully involved in working with the children and the transition processes into the home. However, care planning information from previous short-breaks placements is not gained by the managers to enable all information and known risks to be explored to ensure that they are able to meet the child’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 7 Children are clearly the priority at the home, and staff and the manager focus on ensuring that children progress. Managers have a clear understanding of what this looks like for each child and are constantly looking at ways to enhance experiences for the

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

children. They work on shift to ensure consistency and that staff are working to the required standards. The managers are constantly looking forward to how to improve, and they have been successful in improving staff morale at the home.

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

The home is staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the children currently accessing the service. Due to an influx of new referrals, it is recruiting additional staff. Managers will undertake shifts to ensure minimal use of agency staff and greater consistency for the children. There have been some changes of staff since the last inspection, and the managers have been working closely with the senior staff to equip them with the necessary skills and support them in their roles. They have continued to use the monthly improvement meetings to look at staff skills and how to develop further and utilise their existing strengths. In recent months, team meetings have been limited in information and have not been used to their full effect to explore understanding in areas such as safeguarding. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that staff are equipped with the necessary knowledge and competencies in these areas.

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

There have been more training opportunities to ensure that staff develop their skills further, and training has become easier to access. Training in mental health and attachment disorders is an area that managers recognise that staff would benefit from, and this has been booked for September. A number of staff have the necessary level 3 qualification or are completing this. However, there has been a delay by the organisation in enrolling staff on this course. This may lead to staff not finishing the qualification in the required timescale. Managers have been challenging this and are still awaiting the confirmation of start dates for some staff.

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

Children benefit from highly effective working relationships between staff, parents and professionals from a range of agencies. These include health professionals, social workers and schools. The children are clearly the priority in all decisions made, and staff and managers strongly advocate for them. Parents’ comments include ‘staff and managers are brilliant and they try so hard’ and ‘the service is indispensable and communication is great.’

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 8 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC405933 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road, Woking GU22 7QQ

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Inspector(s)

Emeline Evans, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC405933 10 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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