Children's Home run by Consensus Support Services Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 1 SC386258 Registered provider: Consensus Support Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural and/or learning disabilities. The home is owned and operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 21 to 22 September 2017

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff provide bespoke care that is planned with meticulous detail.  The staff have high aspirations for the children, and proactively support them to Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 2 progress in all areas of their development.  Safeguarding arrangements are effective and work well.  The staff actively challenge any barriers that the children face, and ensure that the children have equality of opportunity to services and experiences.  Transitions from and admissions to the home are planned extremely well.  The leadership and management of the home are highly innovative and drive improvement.

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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 fire risk assessment has not been reviewed regularly.  The garden is not fully operational as there is overdue maintenance work on one surfaced area.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/12/2016 Full Good 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 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 registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review the fire risk assessment regularly. 30/10/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home meets children’s physical necessities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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Recommendations

In particular, maintain the outdoor area to ensure that it is usable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The standard of individualised care is excellent. The children are cared for and supported in a safe and enabling environment. The home has been through an intense transition period, as three children have left and two children have moved in. The children who have moved on, to adult services, did so after successful long-term placements at this home. This truly is a home for the children who live here. The average stay is over three years. The children at this home have learning disabilities that can have an impact on their ability to communicate and manage change. Therefore, good transition and admission planning are crucial. Meticulous planning helps the children who depend on established routines make the required adjustments. The preparation for the children’s futures and transition is second to none. One child has moved on to a two-bedroom house where he will receive one-to-one support. There have been visits to the new provision, and the new carers have visited the child prior to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

him leaving this home. The child chose the decor and furniture at his new home. Another child moved to an adult placement and had his existing in the new placement. His belongings were moved slowly. The pace and planning of this move eased the stress Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 4 of the transition for a child who has a diagnosed autistic spectrum disorder. The staff work carefully to ensure that adult services for the children are good, and fully meet their needs. The staff have ensured that the children are at the heart of the planning, and that their views are reflected. An external professional said, ‘This is such a good service that some of the adult services are disappointing in comparison.’ The staff actively challenge responses from other professionals to ensure that the adult services fully meet the needs of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of the relationships with social workers, teachers, behavioural specialists, parents and school staff is instrumental in making this service so successful in meeting the children’s needs. The staff are good at celebrating successes and achievements. Staff give the children 100% focus. Education provision is confirmed for each child prior to their arrival at the home. For children who are new to schools there are flexible arrangements, such as the school staff attending the home, and the care staff supporting the children at school. The care staff use home-school diaries to relay information. For some children, there have been long periods out of school. Regular attendance is progress in itself. Other children have settled well at school and started to find out which subjects they enjoy and gain benefit from. Older children access further education college placements. The culture of the home is one in which all of the children attend education every day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff enable the children to build and maintain family ties. The staff are resourceful and dynamic in fulfilling the children’s wishes. By listening to the children’s views, the staff have enabled one child to rebuild relationships with her siblings. The staff have collated photos and simple captions to provide an illustrated life story to help capture the child’s family background. An open day at the home enabled relatives and friends to come and spend quality time with the children in a familiar environment. Time with their families supports the children to develop an understanding of their history and background.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff benefit from regular clinical oversight that enables them to look beyond behaviours to provide a holistic approach to the children’s care. A social worker said, ‘Triggers are known by staff, and this has reduced behaviours; he [child] has self- awareness.’ The staff members’ approach to behaviour has enabled the children’s pre- admission medication to reduce, significantly supporting healthier lifestyles. Healthy food options are provided, with lighter choices purchased for the children who require these. Activities such as majorettes have enabled the children to become increasingly mobile and develop muscle strength. The children are busy and active, and they enjoy a wide range of varied activities that have therapeutic benefits. They enjoy plenty of physical exercise activities, trips out and going to the theatre. These activities have enabled one child to cease using a wheelchair, another to sit through a theatre show, and others to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

use public transport. For some children, these are first experiences. A professional summarised, ‘My young person has had a wonderful two years. They have been encouraged to do things they [previously] didn’t enjoy. Their outlook [staff] on life is amazing. I cannot say enough good words about them [staff].’ There have been a number of improvements to the decor and presentation of the home. The lounge has a new sofa, curtains and decor, and the hall, stairs and landing have Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 5 been repainted. Children’s choices and preferences are fully evident in each bedroom. The staff involve the children in redecorating, helping them to understand the process and accept the changes. The garden has had a makeover, with AstroTurf fitted in square tiles. However, these tiles are peeling up at each corner, restricting the children’s full use of the garden.

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

The risks posed to these children are managed well. These risks are mainly associated with behaviours linked to autistic spectrum disorder. Each child has a comprehensive management plan that guides the staff on how to mitigate against these risky behaviours. The staff are conscientious about updating the plans to include recent incidents. These documents provide a concise overview, and strategies for the staff to minimise the risks to children and to others.

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

Some of the children receive intimate care and high levels of practical support. Observations of the children, combined with parental and professional feedback, confirm that the children trust the staff and will let them know when they have concerns. The level of support that these children need raises their vulnerability and means that having confidence in staff is essential.

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

The children have limited communication methods. The staff use a wide range of alternative communication methods and pictorial aids to ensure that the children can express their views.

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

The staff understand how to report concerns about one another’s practice. There has been one allegation about a member of staff, which has been referred appropriately and investigated thoroughly. The allegation turned out to be unsubstantiated. Informed learning points have come out of this investigation and have been shared with the staff, and implemented. The manager conducted a good investigation that shows professional curiosity and insight. This investigation was conducted under the guidance of the designated officer, as defined in the home’s safeguarding policy. This demonstrates policies working in practice to safeguard the children.

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

Behavioural consequences, such as a delayed trip out or a different staff member to support the child, sensibly reflect the incident that resulted in the consequence. The sanctions are proportionate and fair, and they provide meaningful links to the events. These links help the children know that there are consequences to their actions, which prepares them for adulthood. The staff are trained in the use of protective safe holds. The recognised holds are all in line with the accredited training provided by the home. The records show that there is a clear rationale for each intervention. The reasons for the interventions are to prevent injury to the child, another child or a member of staff. Evaluations of these incidents make sense and are effective, and following these interventions the children are calmer and safer. Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 6 Bullying is not a concern. High levels of supervision mean that the staff are always on

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

hand to defuse difficult dynamics as they arise. There have been isolated incidents in which a child has scratched another child. However, there are absolutely no targeted or persistent behaviours directed towards any one child. Most incidents are indicative of the child’s diagnosed autistic spectrum disorder. The children at this home are always supervised while outside, and never leave the home alone due to their vulnerabilities. They do not go missing and are not assessed as at risk of child sexual exploitation or becoming radicalised. Despite this, the staff are made aware of how to recognise the signs as part of their safeguarding training. The health and safety checks are completed regularly, and utilities and appliances are annually serviced. The children are taught about fire alarms, and the staff prepare the children to ensure that the noise does not frighten them. However, the fire risk assessment for the building has not been reviewed for three years. This is not in line

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

with the fire regulations that require the fire risk assessment to have a regular update. Therefore, changes to the home may not be included, and precautionary fire measures may not be assessed properly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager of this home is experienced in residential childcare and holds a relevant level 4 qualification. She has made a notable difference to this home, taking the inspection judgements on a consistently upward trend and aspiring to provide outstanding care. The manager has comprehensive oversight of the children and the unmistakeable progress that they make. The children’s accomplishments are abundant, and are as a direct result of the care that they receive. The staff go above and beyond to ensure that the children are comprehensively prepared for admission to and transition from the home. The admissions are planned with enormous detail to minimise any disruption to the children. A professional spoken to during the inspection summarised, ‘This is a very good service that offers excellent care to vulnerable people.’ The manager has successfully addressed the previous shortfalls, and has taken a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

dynamic approach in her actions to improve the home. Notably, the staff morale and training have improved. The staff team receives exceptional support from the manager; their achievements and efforts are celebrated by the organisation. The staff feel valued and recognised for their efforts. The regular team meetings incorporate day staff, night staff and team leaders. These regular opportunities for all of the staff to meet provide for embedded systems in which the children’s progress and safety is evaluated for effectiveness. A social worker said, ‘The care is personalised and delivered to a high standard, and the attitudes of the staff are exemplary.’ The staff team members are working extremely well towards gaining qualifications, representing a significant improvement since the last inspection. Half of the staff are qualified and half are working towards the qualification. The manager has been instrumental in securing a pay scale to encourage professional development. The staff

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

are given the time and support to complete their training. For example, national Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 7 vocational workshops are held at the home with the assessor and with support from qualified staff. The structure in place has enabled the staff to work enthusiastically towards gaining a level 3 qualification. The staff work with other professionals to support the children’s aspirations and abilities. The staff are highly valued by external professionals. One professional spoken to during this inspection said, ‘It is a pleasure to work with this service, and it’s a real joy to come here.’ Another external professional said, ‘ Absolutely brilliant, the best providers I know.’ The home actively challenges responses and barriers to ensure that the children get equality of service, and that they can access their entitlements and rights. Appropriate challenge has meant that moving-on plans have been delayed while the staff ensure that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

the new environment completely satisfies the child’s wishes. The staff have enabled a child who was ready to leave the service to use mobility payments to acquire a vehicle of their choice that is in line with peer fashions and trends. For some children, there is no other advocate for the child, and without verbal expression this makes children exceptionally vulnerable. The home provides strong parental advocacy coupled with an absolute determination that these children will benefit from equality of opportunity in line with their peers.

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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: SC386258 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Consensus Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bradbury House, 830 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 9YQ

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Inspector

Deirdra Keating, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 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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