Children's home run by Surrey County Council in Woking

Inspection report children’s home: SC040631 1 SC040631 Registered provider: Surrey County 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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 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 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: 16 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff provide nurturing, encouraging and thoughtful individualised support for the young people. Consequently, the young people build positive relationships and develop a sense of stability, protection and trust in the adults Inspection report children’s home: SC040631 2 who care for them.  The young people benefit from the knowledge and experience of the managers and the staff team, who understand the young people’s specific needs and provide them with appropriate support.  Effective partnership working with other agencies enhances the support provided by the staff to promote the young people’s development and welfare.  The staff team is skilled in managing the young people’s behaviour. The use of physical intervention is rare. The staff use a model of restorative practice successfully and the use of sanctions is infrequent.

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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 staff are not consistently reviewing risk assessments following an incident to consider the level of risk and to assess whether existing protective measures are appropriate.  The staff are not providing sufficient support for the young people to develop the skills to resolve conflict between them positively.  In some instances, there is a lack of focus in staff supervision on reflective practice and safeguarding matters.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/09/2016 Full Good 03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC040631 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(1) and (2)(a)(i)) 24/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationship standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflict positively and without harm to anyone. (Regulation 11(1) and (2)(a)(iv)) 24/11/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report children’s home: SC040631 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff deliver effective individualised care within a nurturing environment, where the young people develop and have opportunities to learn how to manage their emotions appropriately and keep themselves safe. Young people benefit from living in a stable environment in which they feel valued and safe. Education is of a high priority. All the young people attend education placements. The staff work effectively with education staff to ensure that the young people have positive education opportunities which meet their needs. Some of the young people attend specialist, therapeutic education provision and alternative learning programmes with support from the virtual school. The young people receive support to overcome their difficulties in engaging in education so that they can make progress. One young person is in the second year of an apprenticeship course, and another young person is studying A levels, having achieved excellent GCSE results.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff pay close attention to the young people’s health needs in order to identify their specific needs and ensure their good health. The staff consistently prioritise the young people’s emotional well-being. The young people receive specialist assessment and help from external health professionals when needed. Close partnership working with the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) includes the attendance of a worker from the CAMHS children in care team at staff team meetings. This provides the staff with important advice and guidance on implementing appropriate strategies to support the young people’s emotional and psychological health. The young people are benefiting from this approach and their emotional well-being has improved The staff value the young people’s views and opinions. Through key-work sessions and informal conversations, the young people have opportunities to raise concerns, make

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

suggestions and discuss their care plans. Complaints are rare and they are always followed up and resolved, thus demonstrating to the young people that their opinions are important and that they are listened to and respected. There is currently some disharmony within the group of young people living at the home. Although the managers are aware of the issues affecting the relationships between the young people, discord remains. Further proactive support from the staff is required to help the young people resolve conflict positively. The staff support the young people to acquire independence and daily living skills as they prepare for the next stage and their move to adult life. Careful thought and guidance helps the young people reduce their anxieties and adjust to the change.

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

Within a safe and nurturing environment, the staff prioritise the young people’s well- being. The young people said that they feel safe living at the home. They develop a sense of safety and security through responsive and meaningful relationships with the staff. The staff recognise and react to the young people’s individual needs, enabling the Inspection report children’s home: SC040631 5 young people to trust the staff and accept the support that they offer. The young people benefit from the relaxing and caring atmosphere and they are confident about talking to the staff if they have any concerns. One young person said, in a recent questionnaire, ‘I love coming home from work and sitting on the sofa, watching TV and drinking tea with the staff.’ Placement plans identify the young people’s needs, but some plans have not been updated following assessment results and do not provide the staff with specific guidance

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

to support the young people and promote their development. The staff understand the risks associated with the young people. Risk assessments outline the action required by the staff to reduce the potential of harm. However, the staff have not updated one young person’s risk assessment following a serious incident. It is not evident that the staff have considered the level of risk for this young person, or implemented appropriate measures to prevent a reoccurrence of harm. The staff promote positive behaviour consistently. The staff use praise, recognition and encouragement, along with clear and consistent boundaries, to support the young people’s development of appropriate behaviour. The staff rarely resort to the use of physical intervention to manage the young people’s behaviour. The staff encourage the young people to take responsibility for their actions using a model of restorative practice to resolve any issues. Sanctions are infrequent.

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

The staff respond effectively when a young person leaves the home without permission, applying agreed procedures to safeguard them and ensure their safe return. The staff receive comprehensive training in relation to all safeguarding matters such as sexual exploitation, radicalisation and e-safety. Staff’s appreciation of the risks that the young people face increases their vigilance in identifying potential danger and protecting the young people. Effective working with external agencies results in a cohesive approach to keeping the young people safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The young people benefit from effective management and clear leadership. The registered manager and the assistant manager have been in post for a considerable length of time and use their knowledge and experience to provide strong support for the staff team. They have a thorough understanding of the young people’s individual needs and continually monitor the young people’s progress to ensure that staff are providing appropriate support to fulfil the local authority’s plan and the young people’s goals. Many of the staff have worked at the home for an extensive period. Managers and staff use their depth of experience successfully to promote the young people’s well-being and improve their life chances. The managers and the staff share a conviction of the importance of developing relationships with the young people based on trust and mutual respect. This ethos is translated into practice. Warm, trusting relationships are the foundation of the successful

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

individualised support that the staff provide. The training for staff is comprehensive and ongoing, enabling the staff to perform their roles competently. The staff have regular supervision, but some records demonstrate an Inspection report children’s home: SC040631 6 insufficient focus on reflective practice and safeguarding matters. The managers and the staff work purposefully together with the young people’s families and external professionals. The young people benefit from this proactive partnership working that supports all areas of their development. The managers’ routine monitoring of all aspects of the home ensures that the young people continue to experience high standards of care. Monthly reports by an independent visitor are rigorous and identify shortfalls. The managers respond promptly with a commitment to maintaining high-quality care for the young people.

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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: SC040631 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road, Woking GU22 7QQ

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Inspector

Jan Hunnam, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC040631 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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