Children's Home run by Wandsworth Borough Council in Wandsworth

Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 1 SC065478 Registered provider: Wandsworth Borough 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 is a local authority-operated home for young people who have a physical and/or learning disability. The home provides short breaks and long-term care for up to 13 young people at any one time.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 December 2016

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because:  Staff and managers meet the young people’s complex needs in the way that a good parent would.  Young people benefit from a wide range of activities that enhance their social skills.  Young people are well supported in their transitions beyond the children’s home.  Staff and managers work in partnership with parents and professionals to help young people make good progress despite their challenging starting points.  Young people are safe and their well-being is promoted by staff and managers, who are finely attuned to their needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/08/2016 Full Good 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/10/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 3

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s safeguarding policy includes detailed information on the arrangements for the safeguarding of young people from child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and female genital mutilation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the regulator. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the children are informed of how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for advice and assistance about their rights and entitlements. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.19)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that a review of quality of care, under Regulation 45, focuses on the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good individualised care in both short-break and long-term stays from staff and managers who are attuned to their needs. Young people make good progress, given their challenging starting points. For example, young people achieve targets, such as washing themselves, taking public transport and participating in group activities. A young person’s social worker stated that the staff know the young person and provide good care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s health needs are well supported by the staff and managers. A parent Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 4 stated that the staff are ‘very attentive’ to her daughter and they stay on top of her medication management. A staff member, who is also a qualified nurse, helps to ensure that young people’s complex health needs are met effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from a wide range of activities offered by the home. For example, young people go to the beach, the library, the park and other places, which enhances their social skills. Young people are encouraged to choose activities so that they have a say in how they spend their time. This helps them to feel heard and empowered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are assigned key-workers who provide one-to-one attention and build good relationships with parents. Young people are able to build positive relationships with their key-workers and other staff members, which help to instil a sense of belonging. One parent stated that her child ‘really enjoys her stay’ and that ‘the care is perfect’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who have limited verbal abilities are encouraged to communicate with the use of a picture exchange communication system, Makaton signing and other methods. Staff also use visual boards to help young people to understand day-to-day routines as well as plans for the future. Staff are quick to recognise signs of joy or distress in the young people and to respond appropriately. Photos of staff and regular visitors are displayed on the wall for young people’s awareness. Young people know how to complain. The complaints policy is easy to understand and the children’s guide is child focused. However, neither contains a reference to the office of the children’s commissioner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s school attendance is good, and they are supported to make progress in their learning. Young people receive the specialist services they need and benefit from good partnership working between the staff and other professionals. For example, a young person who receives support from the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) experiences consistency of care from the service and the home in relation to her emotional needs. A CAMHS professional stated that the home has ‘a good understanding’ of the young person’s complex needs and has given professional input to help the young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s transitions to their new placements are managed effectively. Young people are taught independent living skills and are supported during each step of the move in a way that alleviates their anxiety and promotes positive outcomes. Young people who have moved to adult care homes since the last inspection have benefited from a well-coordinated effort by the staff, who keep the young people’s needs at the centre of their actions. As a result, the young people experienced successful transitions and are doing well in their new placements.

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

Young people are helped and protected from harm when they are living at the home. Young people’s vulnerabilities are well understood and managed effectively by the staff Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 5 team. Staff and managers regularly update young people’s risk and health assessments to include risks associated with physical health, going missing, self-harming and exploitation. Behaviour management plans include strategies for responding appropriately to and mitigating risks for young people. Consequently, young people experience safe interventions that promote reductions in maladaptive behaviours.

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

Handover meetings help to ensure that young people receive consistent help from staff on different shifts. Staff discuss each young person’s needs, any special incidents and any positive outcomes achieved by the young person. The meeting is recorded and tasks are followed up by staff.

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

The home has a good ‘missing’ policy in place. No young person has gone missing from the home since the last inspection. Staff are clear about and adhere to the home’s child protection procedures.

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

A complaint filed since the last inspection has been adequately handled in line with the appropriate procedures involving the local authority designated officer. Incidents of concern are properly investigated, have clear outcomes and reflect a child-centred approach. However, notifications of serious incidents are not always sent to the regulator in a timely way.

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

The location risk assessment is fit for purpose. The safeguarding policy is comprehensive and reflects the requirements of relevant legislation. However, it lacks details of the arrangements in place to protect young people from the risks of child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and female genital mutilation.

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

The systems in place for recording restraints and sanctions are appropriate. Young people’s views are recorded, and there is evidence of the manager’s review of the incidents. However, the quality of the daily log recordings is not consistent. Young people’s experiences of the day and the impact of the staff’s actions on the outcomes are not always clear.

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

Parents and professionals stated that young people are safeguarded in the home. A social work manager from a placing authority stated, ‘We don’t have any safeguarding concerns’, in relation to the home. A parent of another young person said that her child is safe in the home. Young people can identify adults whom they feel comfortable with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has over 20 years of experience in residential care, which she applies effectively in overseeing the home. She ensures that the home is adequately resourced to meet the young people’s needs. Staff are suitably vetted. Recruitment arrangements are in place to hire more permanent support workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided through audits, practice observation and supervision. When issues arise, the manager takes effective Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 6 action to address the concern, resulting in improved practice and higher confidence of staff. The registered manager and her deputies implement the learning from feedback, compliments and complaints to improve the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A parent stated that she has ‘a good relationship’ with the managers, who ask for her input in delivering a better service to young people and their families. The parent feels that she has a say in how her child is cared for by the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers’ aspiration for young people is evidenced in the progress that they have made in the key areas of their lives. For example, a young person who displayed physical aggression with very little warning and was about to be excluded from school was supported by the staff to improve his behaviour through a consistent behaviour improvement plan between the home and the school. The managers and staff, by working in partnership with families and professionals, help young people to achieve positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s self-evaluation of the home’s strengths and areas for further improvement is thoughtful. It informs the overall development plan for the service, which includes developing the workforce. The manager makes accurate assessments of the young people’s needs and ensures that the care plans reflect the support required. She ensures that the home is achieving the ethos set out in its statement of purpose. However, while the manager’s written evaluation under regulation 45 is underpinned by the quality standards, it lacks a detailed analysis of data and the impact that the care is having on the young people’s outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor’s reports are comprehensive. The registered manager recognises the importance of the independent visitor’s reports and their function of informing the quality review of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which they find helpful in supporting them to reflect on and improve their practice. There is evidence of staff being challenged and developed through supervision. Team meetings are also used to improve the quality of the care delivered by the staff and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One parent, who describes herself as a ‘fussy mum’, stated that she is happy with the care her child receives, and that the home ‘takes the pressure off’ the parents and is ‘very accommodating’ to their needs. Feedback from other parents includes compliments to the staff and managers for their ‘flexibility, open door policy and taking on parental concerns’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A staff member stated that it is nice to work with positive colleagues who create a happy environment for the young people, despite the challenges they face. Staff and managers strive to make a difference in the young people’s lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 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 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: SC065478 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: London Borough of Wandsworth, Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street, London SW18 2PU

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Inspector

Linda Kim-Newby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065478 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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