Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Inspection report children's home: SC458141 1 SC458141 Registered provider: Hertfordshire 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 provides care and accommodation for up to six children who have additional needs such as a sensory impairment, and/or a learning disability and/or a physical 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff work hard to build trusted relationships with the children.  The staff and manager are proactive at ensuring that the children’s voices are Inspection report children's home: SC458141 2 heard.  The staff support the children to engage in their education. The children are making great progress in their education as a result.  The staff have an inclusive approach to the children.  The staff meet the children’s complex health needs.  The staff help the children to improve their life skills.  There are good transitions for children who move into the home.  The children are safe at the home and in the community.  Clear support plans and risk assessments identify the steps needed to help and protect each child.  The manager writes clear compatibility risk assessments when considering new admissions.  The staff team is established and consistent.  Parents feel confident that their children are well cared for. The staff provide

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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

 Fire safety equipment checks are not regular or in line with the home’s guidelines.  There is a lack of regular formal supervision for the staff.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/09/2016 Full Good 11/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC458141 3

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Statutory Requirement

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets 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 ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations. (‘Guide to the children’s home’s regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is with particular reference to undertaking regular safety fire checks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work hard to get to know the children’s individual personalities and likes and dislikes, which enables them to build trusting relationships. The staff spend quality time with all of the children, ensuring that the children have a good routine and feel secure. As a result, the majority of the children have lived at the home for a significant period of time. Longstanding relationships with the staff provide the children with nurturing care and consistency. One child said, ‘The staff are helping me. They are good here.’ The staff and manager are proactive at ensuring that the children’s voices are heard. The staff use various communication techniques to enable the children to make choices about their own lives as far as possible. A social worker said, ‘The staff all seem to know how to meet the child’s needs. They are able to communicate well with the child despite the child’s limited communication. ’ The children have access to an advocate who visits

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

the home regularly. The advocate is supporting one of the children to make a formal complaint about the delay in his transition to supported living. The staff adapt their child-centred approach to accommodate each of the children’s individual needs. Clear support plans identify the children’s needs and how to meet these effectively. A social worker said, ‘I have found the staff to be aware of the child’s needs, and [the staff] change to accommodate the needs presented.’ Inspection report children's home: SC458141 4 The staff help the children to engage with their education and, as a result, the children are making great progress. Two of the children are head boy and head girl at their school. Another child has recently moved class as a result of making good progress. School attendance for all of the children is good. The manager and staff liaise with school staff regularly and attend meetings. These actions ensure that there is

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

consistency of care between the professionals who see the children daily. The staff have an inclusive approach to the children and encourage them to take up opportunities to enjoy new experiences in the local community. There are various activities provided throughout the summer, such as bike riding and going out for meals together. The staff encourage the children to get involved in local clubs. This increases the children’s social skills and helps them to build a good network of support. The staff help the children to improve their life skills. The manager and the staff are clear that this is a focus of the home, with the aim that the children live successfully in the community as they become young adults. The staff and the manager help the children to progress to the best of their ability in readiness to move on to the next stage of their life. One child has made a successful transition to a supported-living flat, and the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

staff retain contact with her as much as possible. The staff meet the children’s complex health needs. There is good communication between the staff and all of the relevant health professionals to ensure that there is a good package of care for the children. The children attend their health appointments, and specialist care services provide additional support as needed. The children have effective support for their emotional and physical needs. The staff are aware of any changes in the children’s mood or presentation and help them to manage their feelings and emotions. There are good transitions for children who move into the home. The staff work with professionals and parents effectively. A social worker said, ‘The transition to the home was carefully planned. Communication between the home, the family and myself was very good.’ This partnership working provides stability and support to the children and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

families at this crucial time. The staff listen to the carers’ and parents’ views and they recognise that each experience for every family is different. The staff encourage the children to be kind to each other. The staff explore specific issues during link sessions with the children and they support them to get involved in activities together. There is zero tolerance of bullying. The staff encourage the children to be aware of each other’s need for their space. Parents are happy with the care that is provided to their children. A parent said, ‘I am really happy. My child has come on so much, and he is so settled. I love the home. They [staff] are really good. His link worker is fantastic and they know him so well.’

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

The children are safe at the home and in the community. The children do not go missing from the home as the staff accompany them at all times and closely monitor them due to their complex needs. Inspection report children's home: SC458141 5 The staff know how to raise concerns and they understand the processes to safeguard children. The children have significant vulnerabilities due to their needs and the staff are alert to these. The manager shares information with social workers effectively and she notifies Ofsted of any safeguarding issues. This provides transparency. The children, at times, present with challenging behaviour. The staff manage these behaviours well. Clear support plans and risk assessments identify the steps needed to help and protect each child. Physical interventions are minimal. When these interventions are used, the records of the incidents are clear. The manager monitors and reviews the records effectively. She seeks ongoing professional advice about the

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

management of such incidents. All of the staff understand the processes and have suitable training. Behaviours are managed consistently and effectively with minimal physical intervention. When children come to the home, the manager writes clear compatibility assessments. These identify any potential behaviours or risks that may have an impact on the dynamics of the home. The manager makes every effort to match the children carefully to the home, to maintain stability and reduce risk. The staff prepare the children who are already living at the home for new admissions, helping them to adjust to the changes. The staff undertake direct work with the children and talk about concerns or issues regarding behaviours. Children have the opportunity to say sorry and explore their feelings if there has been an incident or concern. This helps them to try to make things right and look at positive choices. The home environment is safe. The front door is secure and secure fencing around the

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

garden prevents the children from having direct access to the road. Closed circuit television, bedroom alarms and a listening monitor are used at night. In addition, the night staff undertake regular visual checks. The children’s welfare is a priority. The staff recognise the need for additional protection because of the children’s needs. A social worker said, ‘The staff always make sure he [my child] is OK and safe. There is always someone with him as he is always on the go.’ Staff are aware of the risks presented by the internet. Safeguards relating to internet use include regular checks and monitoring. The manager liaises with the designated officer and seeks advice as required about any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The permanent registered manager has been in post since 2010. She holds a level 4 and level 5 qualification in leadership and management in health and social care. The staff describe her as a supportive manager. There is good liaison between the home and the other agencies that are involved with the children. A social worker said, ‘There has always been good communication between me and the home, with relevant information being appropriately shared. When visiting, I have always been made to feel welcome.’ Inspection report children's home: SC458141 6 The manager provides constructive challenge to professionals on behalf of the children when plans are not moving forward quickly enough. This ensures that the children’s needs are championed. Parents feel confident that their children are well cared for. The staff provide regular updates to parents and carers. A parent said, ‘They [the staff] always welcome me and I

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

can call them any time.’ The home responds to the views of others to improve their services. The manager has a clear vision for the service and is committed to making positive changes to help further prepare the children for their transition to adult services. The internal and external monitoring of the home is effective and helps the home to improve. Clear recommendations that arise from the monitoring are actioned quickly by the manager. All of the staff hold a relevant level 3 qualification. The new staff are positive about the induction process and say that this is helping them to learn about the job in a supportive way. A staff member said, ‘The induction has really helped me and I feel fully supported. If I need anything, I can talk about it. Everyone has been really forthcoming with advice.’ New staff have the opportunity to get to know the service and the children because of the clear and gradual induction framework.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff undertake effective training. The manager has good oversight of the training programme to ensure that the staff develop and maintain the skills to provide a good level of care to the children. A social worker said, ‘The child has been provided with excellent care. Staff have been fully trained to meet the child’s needs.’ A trusted team of agency staff help to fill any staffing gaps. These staff have either worked at the home previously or have a good working knowledge of the home. This provides consistency for the children as much as possible. The manager ensures that rotas are well covered. There is an induction for all of the agency staff so that they know the plans for the children and can provide consistency of care. The social workers describe the staff as ‘consistent’ and say that they know the children well. There are staffing vacancies, primarily in the senior team. New staff are being recruited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The core staff form an established team, as many staff members have been in post for a number of years. A staff member said, ‘We are a close-knit team.’ There is a lack of regular formal supervision for staff. This is due to the large staff team and not enough senior staff members to provide this supervision effectively. The staff report that supervision from the management team is effective and regular enough and that they have access to regular guidance and advice. However, the lack of formal provision does not sufficiently support staff to fulfil their responsibilities or provide them with the support structure that they need. The provision of informal support reduces the impact of this shortfall. The manager has a clear plan to address this in September 2017. The fire risk assessment is up to date, and there are sound plans for the children to evacuate the building in the event of a fire. However, the checks of fire safety

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

equipment are not regular enough, nor are they in line with the home’s policies. Inspection report children's home: SC458141 7

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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. Whenever 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: SC458141 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hertfordshire County Council, Apsley One, Brindley Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 9BF

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Inspector

Debbie Young, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC458141 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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