Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 1 SC034241 Registered provider: Kisimul Group Ltd

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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 residential special school is registered as a children’s home because it provides care to children for over 295 days per year. The setting is registered to care for 55 children who have learning disabilities. Care is provided both at the main site and at a separate site approximately five miles away.

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children’s safety is a top priority. Children are safe and feel safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 2  Staff consistently follow safeguarding procedures. There is a strong response to all aspects of safeguarding from the management team.  Young people make good progress in many areas of their development.  Social workers strongly praise the home.  Managers have developed a good system for monitoring all significant events in the home. Monitoring has been substantially improved since the last full inspection.  It is very evident that restraints are only carried out after other methods of behaviour management have been attempted. Staff follow young people’s behaviour support plans carefully. These plans are of a good standard.  When young people are ready to leave the home, managers make sure that there is very careful planning. This is managed very well. Young people experience a smooth transition. They know what to expect because they are well prepared.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff manage all aspects of young people’s health very well. Young people’s mental health, physical health and medical conditions are well monitored.  Managers make sure that they ‘speak out’ for young people. They ensure that young people receive the services that they need and deserve.  The home is pleasant and well maintained. There is room for young people to run around and ‘let off steam’. There are plenty of activities on offer, both in the home and the community.

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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

 Records of staff working hours needs to be improved. Records need to show who has been on duty and when. Should an investigation be needed in the future, this would prove difficult unless the record-keeping is put right.  When young people share bedrooms, effective risk assessment does not take place. The risks that young people present towards one another are not minimised. Not enough careful thought goes into deciding which young people should share bedrooms and who they should share with.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/11/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 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, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) In particular, when young people share bedrooms with each other, this should be risk assessed in order to demonstrate that risk can be managed affectively to protect young people. 10/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the registered person maintains in the home the records in schedule 4. In particular, a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home and a record of the actual hours worked. (Regulation 37,(2)(a), Schedule 4 point 3) 10/10/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in many areas. Their complex needs are very well understood by caring, knowledgeable and well trained staff. Social workers are all very positive about young people’s progress. One commented: ’I cannot put into words how [the young person] has changed for the better.’ Positive relationships have been developed between staff and young people. Staff are committed to making sure that young people’s experiences are good. Although staffing levels have recently been lower and staff have been tired, they still ensure that young people have a good time. The commitment of staff is admirable. Extra effort goes into making sure that important occasions, such as graduation and the school ‘prom’, are enjoyable and memorable for young people. Photographs capture the good times. Young people are able to reflect on some very positive memories from their time at the home. Young people take part in a range of activities that are both fun and educational. These

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 4 include celebrating festivals and remembering the fallen on Remembrance Sunday. They have recently been involved in a sailing regatta, which they enjoyed and have had numerous trips out. The pleasant house and grounds are used well and young people are able to run around and have fun. Young people enjoy bike riding, football and games in the garden. Young people complete artwork on a number of topics such as nature and buildings. Young people make good educational progress. Care staff and teaching staff work very well together to ensure that young people receive a consistent approach to their learning and development. Staff consider young people’s mental health and emotional well-being extremely well. It is fully understood that young people with autistic spectrum disorders can also experience mental health issues. Young people’s mental health is particularly well

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

monitored and information is gathered about patterns and trends. The data is used well by community mental health professionals to make important decisions about young people’s progress and welfare. All aspects of physical health are closely monitored by managers. For example, any issues regarding eating are addressed. When there are concerns, young people’s weight is monitored to make sure that good health is maintained. Medicines are managed well. Despite there being large amounts of medicines in the home, with complex prescription instructions, there have been no errors. This reflects a very safe process. Staff understand that young people communicate through their behaviour. Staff are good at interpreting and responding positively to behaviours. They strive to get to the root of the problem. For example, one young person is struggling to engage positively with staff. A wide range of services have been consulted and staff now have a better

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

understanding of the young person’s situation. Work goes at the young person’s pace. Staff are patient and understanding. This means that the young person can have more control over situations that they find difficult. One young person’s parent said: ‘It’s amazing, the whole building is set up for him.’ When young people leave the school, this is managed extremely well by managers. Excellent planning helps young people to succeed. Each transition plan is unique to the individual young person’s needs. Their needs are exceptionally well considered. Young people are very well prepared for the next stage in their life.

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

Young people are safe and protected. They know that they can go to staff if they have any concerns. One young person told the inspector that he felt able to talk to staff about problems and worries, saying: ‘They are nice.’ Young people’s complex behavioural needs and communication styles are well documented. Some young people regularly put themselves at risk through their own complex behaviour. However, each time there is a mark or a bruise, the managers fully explore this. The open safeguarding culture means that there is a high level of professional curiosity. This promotes safety. When safeguarding issues do arise, these are dealt with quickly and effectively by managers. There is a strong and appropriate response. The local authority safeguarding Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 5 leads are satisfied that their protocols and procedures are followed swiftly and effectively. Managers also ensure that the organisation’s polices are followed.

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

Restraint records are extremely clear. They show that other behavioural management methods, identified in the young person’s care plan, are all tried before resorting to physical intervention. Each member of staff knows that safeguarding is their responsibility. There has been a real commitment to improving restraint and incident records. These records now fully demonstrate how young people’s complex behaviour is managed. Risk assessments are of a high quality. Staff understand them well and know how to protect young people from harm. Behaviour support plans contain a very high level of detail and are creative. They guide staff to use proactive as well as reactive strategies to support young people with their behaviour. There is not a robust risk assessment process for making sure that young people will be safe when they share bedrooms with each other. It is very clear that night-time supervision is high and that there are half-hourly checks on all young people. However,

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

young people could pose a risk to each other if potential hazards are not identified through risk assessment. Managers ensure that health and safety checks are undertaken so that the building remains safe for all who use it. The organisation ensures that recruitment checks on staff are also carried out effectively. This ensures that young people are protected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified. He has recently achieved the diploma level 5 in leadership. This demonstrates commitment to his own continuing learning and development. The registered manager is supported by a deputy manager and a team of senior staff. Collectively, the management team ensures that all key events such as restraints and accidents are quickly escalated to the right agencies. Other professionals are positive about the home’s communication with them. This means that young people’s progress can be carefully monitored by other professionals, such as placing social workers and community mental health teams. Work is particularly strong in making sure that young people receive the services that they need and deserve. Managers ‘go the extra mile’ and make representation to other professionals when they feel that young people need access to specialist services. Staff

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and managers are strong advocates for young people. Relationships with other key professionals are very good. Managers have developed a very good network of support for young people. They go out of their way to develop and maintain these relationships. This means that good and informed decisions are made about young people’s care. Parents are kept up to date about their children’s progress. They know that they can speak to the manager. One parent said: ‘I always get a response if I want to speak to Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 6 someone higher.’ Staff are supported through good-quality induction, regular supervision and team meetings. Staff training is good. There is mandatory training such as behaviour management, first aid, safeguarding, epilepsy and medicines. Additional bespoke training ensures that staff know how to meet young people’s complex and changing needs. Children are protected as a result of safe staffing levels. However, the large majority of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

staff say that staffing levels have been a problem since the last inspection. In Ofsted questionnaires, a minority of staff reported unsafe staffing levels. However, during the inspection, staff were very clear with inspectors that there is no negative impact on young people. Some staff have reported feeling tired and experiencing low morale because staffing levels have been lower than usual. One member of staff said: ‘Staffing is low, so staff go off sick, which creates more shortage. Staff are worn out.’ Managers are well aware of this problem and are already taking action. They continue to recruit new staff and support existing staff through this challenging period. They are hopeful that, through their current recruitment drive, the situation will be resolved in the near future. There is no evidence to suggest that young people are negatively affected by staffing levels and they continue to have positive experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Poor recording of staff working hours means that it can be difficult to evidence that staffing levels are safe. For example, records do not clearly state which staff are on night duty, or the beginning and end time of each staff member’s shift. Should there be a safeguarding investigation in the future, it would be difficult to establish who was on duty and when.

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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. 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: SC034241 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Donna Varley-Turner

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Inspector(s)

Caroline Brailsford, social care inspector Judith Longden, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 8 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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