Children's home run by Central Bedfordshire Council in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 1 SC391464 Registered provider: Central Bedfordshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and operates this setting. The service provides care and accommodation for up to eight children who have a learning difficulty and who may also have a physical disability. Premises are organised into three living areas: short breaks, permanent placements and a self-contained flat.

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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 outstanding

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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: 12 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because:  The children are looked after by staff who truly care for and adore them. The staff see the children’s abilities rather than any perceived limitations. Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 2  The children receive highly personalised support that recognises their differing levels of ability.  The children’s achievements are celebrated. Each month, staff generate a personalised newsletter that details the children’s achievements and the progress that they have made towards meeting their targets.  The consistent use of permanent staff provides the children with continuity of care.  The managers are equally as aspirational for the staff as they are for the children.  The managers find creative ways to address sensitive topics, such as sexuality, and support the staff to discuss these topics with the children in key-work sessions.  The children are provided with the opportunities to develop skills and

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Key findings from this inspection

experience activities and trips that they would not have otherwise.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:  The areas around the building, such as the garden and grounds, gives the home an unkempt appearance. This detracts from the improvements made to the interior of the home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 28/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 3

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Recommendations

 Provide a nurturing and supportive environment that is homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, maintain the upkeep of the garden, grounds and external areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The interactions between the staff and the children are full of warmth, care and adoration. The children receive highly personalised support. The staff focus positively on the children’s abilities and their individual characters. They adapt to each child’s differing levels of ability and their preferred communication styles. The staff skilfully seek and incorporate the children’s views using a variety of communication techniques. These include social stories and information boards, which enable the staff to know what a particular sound or look from a child means. This ensures that the children have an active voice at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children achieve exceptionally high school attendance levels of 99%. The staff work with the children’s schools, and share knowledge and strategies to ensure that the children receive a consistent approach to their education. The children’s behaviour can be changeable during the school holidays, as many of them struggle with any changes to their routine. The staff have successfully managed these challenges by planning a programme of activities based on the choices that the children have made. The children are visibly happy during their interactions with staff and each other, and they have been enjoying a particularly busy time over the summer. The children had recently returned from a week in Wales, and two of the children then had a camping trip. There are pictures on display that show the fun that the children and the staff had on both holidays, despite the poor weather conditions during both trips.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children who live at the home have chosen the colour schemes in their bedrooms. For the children who have short-break stays, the staff have boxes containing items and furnishings in character themes or colours that match each child’s preference. These are used to personalise the children’s bedrooms prior to their arrival. This gives the bedrooms a familiar feel for the child each time they stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff hold regular children’s meetings, and records of these meetings are written up with accompanying pictures that show the children making their choices, such as outings, foods and activities. The children’s achievements are celebrated and a copy of their individual achievement newsletter is shared with the children’s family and the professionals involved in their lives. This is a child-friendly way of celebrating the Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 4 children’s progress as they work towards meeting their targets. The achievement newsletters for the current month are on display in the main entrance. This position of this display maximises the number of children, parents and visitors who view the information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff set aspirational targets for all of the children. The new format for recording and tracking these targets clearly demonstrates the small steps that the child will need to make to ultimately achieve each target. The staff focus expertly on the children’s abilities rather than the limitations associated with their disabilities. This positive approach is enabling the children to progress, develop skills and have experiences that they would not routinely have. Parents spoke positively about the difference that the home is making to their children’s lives. They praised the staff for enabling their children to develop their self-care, independence and social skills, which will help them throughout their adult lives. Many of the parents described the home as an extension of their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff actively advocate on behalf of the children. The children benefit from having access to an independent advocate. The managers recently gave the children a choice of two new advocates. The children are building relationships with their chosen advocate. One child will continue to access the advocacy service when he moves on. This will provide him with continuity and the ability to raise concerns quickly should they arise at his new setting. This safeguards the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s files show a significant improvement in the quality and detail of the records. These records provide a fuller picture of the children’s time at the home. Key- work sessions detail discussions regarding general topics, such as leisure activities, feelings, emotions and independence, and specific topics, such as moving on. The reports for the children’s reviews are comprehensive, and the format contains pictures of their achievements and details the progress that they are making. The reports contain a section in which the child’s views are gathered, and include their feelings about the home, the staff and their care. These views personalise the reports in a way that brings them to life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported to access the medical and health services that they need. When there are concerns about specific health issues, such as weight or diet, the staff work in conjunction with the children’s families and other professionals to monitor the children. This ensures that all of the adults involved in the child’s care are aware of how the specific concerns are being addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children are due to move on, and the staff are successfully managing their transition. The moves have been coordinated to so that they happen at a pace that the children can manage. The transition period includes the introduction of staff from the new homes spending time with the children. This gradual approach is to ensure that the transitions happen without any undue anxiety being caused to the children or their families Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 5

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

The manager considers the compatibility of the children when reviewing new referrals and allocating stays. He uses feedback received from the parents, social workers, the schools and the staff. This ensures that the children’s stays are coordinated to enable them to have a positive stay with the children they like and those who have similar needs and abilities.

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

The children’s risk assessments are comprehensive and detail how any known or potential risks will be reduced or addressed. These assessments are revised as and when new risks or behaviours are identified to ensure that the staff are working with current information.

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

The location risk assessment is comprehensive. The manager has incorporated risks that the children identified, such as strangers, dogs, trains and fireworks. The inclusion of risks that the children identified enabled the managers to incorporate some items that cause the children concern and would not have ordinarily been included.

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

The staff do not impose sanctions. They focus on the reinforcement of positive behaviours. Although there are no incidents of deliberate bullying, there have been occasions when a child has unintentionally hit out and hurt another. The staff have managed these events effectively and reviewed the situations to ensure that any preventable actions are built into the children’s risk assessments and support plans.

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

The manager sourced specialist training for the staff that covered disability and sexuality. This addresses a recommendation made at the last inspection. The manager used a team meeting to watch a video sourced from a local school on the same subject. This provided the staff with an opportunity to have open discussions as a team. The team members explored how they would address any questions that the children may raise when they discussed the topic in their key-work sessions. This open approach enabled one child to state whom he would tell [his mum or the police] if someone tried to touch him inappropriately. The conversation included how he could stay safe online, such as not sending emails to strangers. The children, supported by the staff, have access to the internet. The system has the appropriate firewalls to ensure that the children can only access suitable internet sites and content.

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

Children do not go missing from home but the staff are aware of the actions that they would need to take should this occur. Each child’s file includes a summary of essential information with a picture of the child that the staff can provide to the police immediately.

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

The home has not received any complaints. Information about how to make a complaint is provided in various ways, such as in the children’s guide and through the use of the advocate who visits the home.

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

The staff undertake a range of training that includes health-related training such as Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 6 gastrostomy feeds and medication administration. The staff undertake physical- intervention training and safeguarding training, including the prevention of child sexual exploitation. The staff have no safeguarding concerns about any of their colleagues. They are all familiar with the whistle-blowing process should they ever have cause to raise concerns. There have been no safeguarding matters at the home. The designated officer has attended team meetings to discuss their role.

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

One child, knowing the fire alarm was about to be tested, expressed his dislike of the noise experienced in a recent test evacuation. The staff member reassured him that on this occasion the test would be conducted when the children had left for their trip to the cinema. The routine fire drills ensure that the children and the staff are familiar with the evacuation processes in the event of an emergency.

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

There has been an increase in the number of physical interventions since the last inspection. The increase occurred near the end of the school year and is attributed to the change in the children’s routine. The number of incidents has since reduced. There was a similar increase during the previous year. The manager has revised the incident forms to streamline the recording of the use of physical interventions and incidents. These are now logged on one form, which reduces the need for duplication in records. The managers have ensured that the staff have recorded the use of any physical interventions within the expected timescales. This addresses the only requirement made at the last inspection.

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

The home has been redecorated internally in a number of areas, and is much improved. The children’s bedrooms are freshly painted and furnished in line with the children’s preferences. The insertion of patio doors in one of the lounges provides more light and an additional point of access to the garden. Some aspects of the garden and the front of the home have become overgrown and unkempt, and the current fencing does not provide the children with any privacy, as was highlighted during a recent event.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has been in post since late 2015. He holds relevant level 3 and 4 qualifications in social care and is currently undertaking a level 5 qualification. He works closely with his deputy manager, who has worked at the home for over a decade. The managers complement each other and have an effective division of duties. The staff describe them as supportive, and say that they like the open-door approach that that the managers offer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers have an extremely detailed understanding and knowledge of all of the children currently living at the home, those having short stays and those who have moved on. They proudly describe the positive progress that the children have made since commencing using the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers have an honest and realistic view of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and recognise that some progress is slower because of the current staff vacancies. The managers have made modifications to address some of the aspects of recording that Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 7 they were seeking to improve and streamline. This has included revising aspects of the paperwork to improve the quality of the records. The changes to the paperwork and the auditing process have been rolled out over the past few months and the benefits, such as the new style achievements and target-setting processes, are evident. The managers have high aspirations for the children and the staff, and are continually seeking ways to develop the service. Their current focus is recruitment and ensuring that the children due to move out experience a seamless transition to their adult-service provisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers are adept at identifying the individual’s skills within the staff team. An excellent example of this is that the managers are supporting four staff to undertake the level 5 qualification, despite them not presently being in leadership roles. Additionally, the managers are encouraging a valued long-term relief worker, who already holds the level 5 qualification, to take on additional responsibilities. This demonstrates a commitment to upskilling their staff team. The staff are undertaking leadership tasks, such as monitoring the quality and completeness of records, to equip them with the experience of some managerial tasks in readiness for their future progression. This fosters their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff are currently covering additional shifts because of staff vacancies. This prevents the need to use agency staff and ensures that the children receive consistent care from staff members whom they know. The managers are recruiting to the vacant posts and are continually monitoring the additional hours that the staff are working to ensure that they do not overstretch themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

At the last inspection, one requirement and three recommendations were made. These have been addressed. The managers addressed the requirement by emphasising to the staff the importance of the timely recording of any physical interventions. The managers have since created a streamlined recording system to minimise duplication. This, along with an additional layer of internal auditing provided by the level 5 candidates, has led to tremendous improvements in the quality of recording overall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

To address one of the recommendations made at the last inspection, the managers sought feedback about staff members from various parties. This information was gathered and formed part of each team member’s annual appraisal. The managers are seeking to develop this process further. This is to ensure that any feedback provided is contextualised, because many of the areas being identified had already been addressed with staff members by the time of their appraisal.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers use their own internal auditing and the monthly independent visitor’s reports to drive improvement at the home. The manager’s six-monthly review of the quality of care comprehensively details an overview of the children’s progress and achievements and changes in the past six months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The team meetings are used for discussions about the children, staffing issues and for training sessions, including the quality standards and inspection framework. This promotes the sharing of information and ensures that the staff are reflecting on their practice as a group. Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 8 Feedback from the children’s families and professionals is extremely positive. They describe having a close working relationship with the staff, with shared aspirational goals that enable the children’s achievements to be highlighted and celebrated. The families and professionals are positive about the levels of communication and the way that the home works with them. They feel that the children are cared for. Parents are positive about the care that the children receive, and when any issues are identified the managers and the staff work tirelessly to resolve them. The parents’ comments include:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

 ‘He turns 18 and we don’t want to leave unless we can take them all [staff] with us. It is like family here and communication is perfect. I can relax when he is here.’  ‘They are a really good bunch and [the managers’] doors are always open, and that gives you peace of mind as a parent.’  ‘He [the manager] is so child-focused and it feeds down to the staff.’

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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: SC391464 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford, Bedfordshire SG17 5TQ

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC391464 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 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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