Children's home run by The Little Flower

Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 1 SC462631

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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 provides residential and respite care and accommodation for up to three children or young people who have physical and/or learning disabilities. A private company runs the home.

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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

 Young people receive meticulous care and support from staff who understand their particular needs.  Young people enjoy an extensive range of fun and stimulating activities inside and outside of the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 2  Young people do not go missing from the home.  Sanctions and physical restraint are not used in the home.  Young people make good progress from their starting points. Their individual targets are monitored and regularly reviewed.  The committed staff team is trained to provide specialised medical support to the young people.  Staff understand the young people’s communication preferences. This enables the young people to express their wishes and feelings and to contribute to their short-break stay.  Staff’s dedicated and consistent care enables the young people to develop trusting and secure relationships.  Parents and professionals are very complimentary about the quality of care and

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Key findings from this inspection

support provided by the staff team at the home.  The highly experienced manager is always looking to raise the quality of the home’s provision. Any suggestions from parents or professionals are actioned without delay.  The registered manager provides staff with good support, including training and regular supervision.

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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 young people’s risk assessments are not always complete and up to date.  Community activity risk assessments are not comprehensive. Strategies to minimise any risks are not routinely recorded.  The home’s location risk assessment is up to date, but does not include the locality community police information.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/10/2016 Full Good 03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 3

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5). In particular, ensure that risks relating to individual community activities are understood by staff, and that measures are in place to minimise those risks. In addition, ensure that risks relating to any health and physical disabilities are recorded for each child and strategies to reduce any risk are recorded.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the home is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded. Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. (‘Guide to the children’s home’s regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1). In particular, the locality risk assessment should include neighbourhood police information in relation to anti-social behaviour and gang activity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from highly individualised care during their short breaks. Young people’s care plans are comprehensive. Contributions from parents, carers and professionals enhance the young people’s bespoke care plans. Social, emotional and health needs are identified, along with young people’s communication preferences and likes and dislikes. Members of the highly skilled staff team combine this knowledge with their enthusiasm to provide the young people with planned, sensitive care coupled with a fun and stimulating short break.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress from their starting points. Progress can be in small ways; however, for many young people and their families these small steps are highly significant. One of the home’s stated purposes is ‘setting small achievable targets leading to bigger objectives’. The age and ability of young people are carefully considered to set appropriate targets. These targets, which might include choosing an activity, holding a brush or turning a page, are routinely encouraged and recorded by staff. The progress made by young people is captured and reviewed in detailed daily logs, young people’s quarterly summaries and photographs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a large three-bedroomed property in a quiet location. The home’s interior is of an excellent standard: clean, bright, airy and well decorated. The home is suitably adapted for the young people’s individual needs, with features that include hoists, a modified bathroom and modified beds. These make the young people’s daily routines Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 4 easier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has an excellent range of stimulating toys and equipment that are available to the young people. In addition, the home’s monthly activity planner provides the young people with a wide range of positive experiences. Activities include arts and craft sessions, music and movie time, bubble play, football and cooking. Young people can also relax with the home’s sensory equipment. The young people enjoy regular outings in the local community. Visits to the library, shops and local parks are popular. A parent said that the young people are ‘always out and about on trips’. The garden offers the young people opportunities to grow fruit and vegetables in the raised flowerbeds. Home- grown fruit smoothies are a favourite. The young people, their parents and carers also enjoy the home’s annual summer party. Photographic displays of the young people’s activities add to the home’s welcoming atmosphere.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, the living room was filled with music and young people’s laughter and smiles. The staff team supported all the young people in singing along and dancing to the music. This typifies a parent’s description of the home as ‘a friendly homely environment. When you walk in you feel the love and I feel comfortable knowing he will be well looked after. Lots to do, lots to see.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many young people who are using the service are non-verbal. Staff successfully understand young people’s wishes and feelings through their verbal and non-verbal communication choices. For example, during the inspection, staff responded appropriately to a young person’s raised arm gesturing for staff to stop playing, a thumbs-up sign signalling a young person’s agreement to continue a game and another young person pointing to identify a choice of football to play with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager invites parents, carers and the young people to visit the home before their first overnight stay. Parents and carers appreciate this sensitive planning. A parent notes, ‘Pre-placement information and support to the family was very helpful.’ Additionally, the young people receive reassurance while they familiarise themselves with new peers, adults and their new environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and the staff team help prepare the young people when they leave the home. Parties and present-giving celebrate the young people’s departure. The resourceful and imaginative staff team creates individual portfolios for the young people, to assist in their transition. Personal portfolio titles such as ‘Come and have a look at what I have been doing during my stay’ and ‘This is all about me’ provide detailed pen pictures of the young people in preparation for their transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the young people with high levels of supervision and regular through-the- night observations as appropriate. Staff handovers are effective. Staff share updates on the young people’s social and emotional welfare, alongside their health needs. This provides the young people with seamless, consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take care to provide the young people with meals that meet their specific dietary requirements. Bespoke menu planning meets each young person’s needs and Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 5 preferences. Menu planning takes account of food allergies, cultural preferences, and the way that young people prefer their meals to be served.

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

The home provides a safe environment for young people during their short breaks. The registered manager is fastidious about safety of the premises. All statutory certificates for fire checks and health and safety checks are current, and reviewed in line with regulations. Regular fire drills are conducted when the young people stay, and every young person has a personal evacuation plan. This ensures that the young people and staff are familiar with the procedures should an emergency occur.

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

Young people do not go missing from the home. They do not go out unsupervised. The dedicated staff team’s appropriate close supervision and support enables the young people to develop warm and friendly relationships, with a sense of safety, protection and trust in the adults who care for them.

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

Safeguarding practices help to protect the young people and promote their welfare. All staff receive training in child protection procedures and are confident about how to report any concerns or allegations. This promotes the young people’s safety. Recruitment and employment practices are robust. This helps to prevent unsuitable persons working with the young people.

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

The home’s risk management system highlights risks in relation to each young person. However, not all aspects of risk, such as community activities and the home’s geographical location, are up to date. While these shortfalls do not place the young people at significant risk of harm, the registered manager is aware of the need to review and update this documentation.

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

Every young person has a behaviour support plan. Staff are highly skilled in managing young people’s behaviour. They know the young people very well, understand their needs and apply a consistent and sensitive approach to any challenging behaviour. A professional reported significant progress in a young person’s emotional presentation, and says that the young person ‘is now relaxed and has made progress in his behaviour’. Physical restraint and sanctions are rarely used in the home. There have been no restraints or sanctions recorded since the last inspection.

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

The registered manager conducts thorough impact, risk and placement-matching assessments prior to young people coming to the stay at the home. Meticulous consideration is given to ensuring that all of the young people’s needs are met, including their stability and safety. This ensures that the home only admits young people when managers and the staff are confident they can provide appropriate and safe care.

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

Every young person receives a good-quality children’s guide. The guide sets out very well, in pictorial and written form, what the young people can expect during their stay in Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 6 the home. The guide provides the young people with helpful information on how to complain or seek advocacy support. Parents and carers receive a similar guide, which enhances their knowledge of the young people’s support in the home and how to raise any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of this short-break service place the needs of young people at the heart of practice. The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and opportunities of the home. She conducts regular reviews of the home’s quality of care. The progress of the home is monitored against the quality standards. This results in comprehensive and detailed action plans being drawn up to further embed the skilled care offered to the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The well-qualified registered manager is passionate about delivering high-quality, nurturing and individualised care to the young people. The home’s statement of purpose, to provide a ‘high standard of care for children and young people in a warm, safe and homely accommodation that is in a non-institutionalised environment’, is evident throughout the home. The registered manager says, ‘The young people always come first.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager describes the staff team as ‘a family’. A member of staff reports that she is ‘extremely well supported both inside and outside of the home’. Staff say they ‘work as a team’, with good communication and support from the registered manager. This enhances the staff team’s confidence, and their collaborative approach to the young people’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is generous with her time and experience. She is very active in the local community. The registered manager volunteers at local school sports days, attends the young people’s school pageants and fetes, collects gifts for the local carnival and sits as a school governor. These actions all enhance the registered manager’s positive profile in the community. When she provided extra assistance to a parent and child in the local area, the parent wrote: ‘I was hugely impressed that she was willing to go the extra mile to make a difference to my son’s quality of life. That’s hard to forget!’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is fully staffed. A suitably qualified volunteer regularly attends and enhances the staff team’s skill set. All staff are qualified in, or working towards, the level 3 diploma in residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager prioritises staff’s continuing professional development. Regular staff supervision and annual appraisals, along with monthly staff meetings, highlight areas for additional training which are then scheduled. All staff receive comprehensive core training which includes medicine administration, first aid, food hygiene, infection control, moving and handling, child protection and disability, child sexual exploitation and preventing radicalisation. Training bespoke to the young people’s individual needs, Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 7 such as specialised meal-time techniques and communication tools, add to the staff’s wide-ranging knowledge. Training is regularly refreshed in line with guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good monitoring systems are in place. The independent visitor’s reports are detailed. The monthly reports highlight evidence of good practice and recommendations for improvement. The registered manager has a passion to raise standards. She actively embraces any recommendations made. These swift actions ensure the home’s continuous progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has addressed the one requirement and one recommendation made at the last inspection. The comprehensive statement of purpose now includes details of the management and staffing structure, along with staff qualifications. This enables timely work-force planning. Amendments now made to the records for the administration of medicines enhance the safety protocols already in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A parent’s written compliment summarises this home: ‘The registered manager gave me a warm welcome. The home was clean, secured and provided excellent facilities and activities. I got a sense of a caring home that instils fun into the daily life of the children and makes their stay a happy, positive and meaningful experience – a home away from home.’

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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: SC462631 8

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Cheridah Caesar-Mejias

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Cheridah Caesar-Mejias

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Inspector

Victoria Jones, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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