Children's home run by SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd in Sutton

Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 1 SC431799 Registered provider: SWAAY Child and Adolescent Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home may accommodate up to two children and young people. It is operated by a private company which has other similar homes in the area. The company specialises in providing care and therapeutic intervention for young people (males) who have a history of sexually harmful behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 This home offers stability and safety to the young people.  Young people benefit from the opportunity to reflect on their past behaviours and develop new strategies and coping skills.  Young people feel that their views are taken seriously and that they have a say in how their home is run.  Open and honest communication is developed using community meetings. This helps the young people to reflect on their behaviours and learn skills to resolve differences and conflict.  The staff team is well trained and committed to providing a high standard of care.  Very well-planned care packages ensure that members of staff and therapists work closely to offer the young people excellent emotional support.

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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

 Staff shortages in other homes run by the organisation mean that core members of staff from this home have to work elsewhere, sometimes at short notice. Young people at times feel aggrieved by this situation.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2017 Full Good 09/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 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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Recommendations

 The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of the children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. If children complain, or give a view on how the staffing structure could be improved to promote the best of care for them, appropriate action should be taken. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15) Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy living at this home. It provides them with safety and stability as well as giving them opportunities to make significant progress. ‘Actually, I’m glad I live here,’ a young person said.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The settled atmosphere and clear routines help the young people to establish an equilibrium in their lives which enables them to reflect upon their past experiences and find a way to move forward.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people feel actively involved in the running of their home. They have daily opportunities to make suggestions and offer their opinions in both formal and informal settings, such as key-work sessions and social interactions with their peers and members of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are carefully prepared for moving into the home. They have the opportunity to visit and they are only admitted if they show that they want to take advantage of the opportunities the home has to offer, such as therapy and the very clear boundaries and routines. This ensures that the young people are committed to working with the staff and that they have a genuine interest in addressing their specific issues and problems.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Therapists develop meaningful and trusting relationships with the young people, who acknowledge their worth and are clear that they find their sessions useful. The therapists keep in touch with members of staff, especially key workers, so that continuity is achieved and key workers are then able to spend time with the young people to discuss specific issues or areas of concern. This helps young people to further feel that there are adults who genuinely care for them, and who are united in helping them move forward.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to develop their independence in line with their abilities, vulnerabilities and risks. This is with particular regard to unsupervised time away from the home. There is a very carefully vetted package, monitored by a multidisciplinary team that plans the individual programmes. Other independence skills, such as cooking and life skills, are incorporated into each young person’s routine. They benefit from these routines, which give them responsibilities and help them to feel they are investing in the shared community living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Attendance at school is an accepted and embedded part of the young people’s routines. They attend the school which is operated by the same organisation that runs this home. This has given the young people the chance to experience education as positive, often for the first time in their lives. Young people enjoy school and have shown a real determination to make their time there a success. The current young people at the home, despite only having been there for one term, are making significant progress already. Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 5 Young people also take part in enriching and enjoyable activities. Each young person’s preferences are known and arrangements made for them to attend clubs, such as badminton and piano lessons. As a result, they are able to broaden their circle of friends, and have the opportunity to strengthen their social skills and develop their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide sensitive and well-planned support that allows young people to keep in contact with families and significant others, such as past foster carers. Staff ensure that the young people are prepared for these visits, as they are very aware of the stresses and anxieties that some of these events may cause. Additionally, the members of staff will work with therapists and the young people to explore the feelings that contact with their families may evoke. This process is skilfully carried out and provides the young people with reassurance and safety, despite the concurrent emotional challenge.

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

Young people feel safe living in this home. There is a settled atmosphere which provides them with space to relax and enjoy activities, and enables them to reflect on their behaviours and past histories.

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

The young people have a number of adults who they can approach for support and help, or to voice any concerns about how they are being cared for. They are confident about using the home’s complaints procedure and say that their complaints are treated seriously.

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

Members of staff and the young people are aware of any risks which the young people are vulnerable to, or may pose to others. The young people and adults alike are aware of what measures are in place to keep everyone safe. Well-planned key-work sessions, combined with close multidisciplinary working, ensure that young people learn to implement better coping strategies and manage risk. The programmes of education and support are, for the most part, very successful, and enable the young people to develop insight into their difficulties and behaviours.

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

There are clear protocols in place which are implemented if a young person is missing or absent without permission. This ensures that the correct agencies are promptly informed, and are advised of the extent of the risks associated with the young person being missing. Consequently, these agencies can respond knowledgeably and work with the home to help the young person to return safely.

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

There is an emphasis on using group meetings to address any behaviours or discuss any issues which may have an impact on the atmosphere in the home. This leads to a shared dialogue and an opportunity for everyone to resolve issues openly in a structured and safe way. This approach helps to embed stability in the group and develops the communication skills and confidence of the young people.

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

Young people in the home behave very well; they enjoy the rewards system, which provides them with the incentives and motivation to maintain their good standards of Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 6 behaviour. Managers ensure that any sanctions imposed are appropriate and fair. Importantly, the young people say that they are treated fairly and understand why sanctions have been used.

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

Young people know what risks are involved when they use the internet. There are clear guidelines provided for young people and members of staff regarding the use of the internet. The effective implementation of these ensures safe and appropriate use of this resource.

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

All members of staff have received training in safeguarding and child protection. They all know who to contact and who to inform if they have concerns about a young person’s safety or behaviours. Records show that any concerns have been shared promptly with relevant agencies to ensure that action can be taken to promote the young people’s well-being and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a newly appointed manager. He has yet to apply to Ofsted to be registered. He has over nine years’ experience of working with young people, and has worked at this home since February this year. It is clear that he has a very good understanding of the personalities and needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a core team of staff members who are experienced and knowledgeable. On occasion, staff members have had to work at other homes within the organisation due to staffing shortages in them. This has been a source of disquiet from the young people and has led to a formal complaint being made by them. Although this has not compromised the safety of the young people, it has meant that they have not always had the access to their key workers and significant members of staff when they have expected them to be on duty. This has had an influence on planned activities. A recruitment drive has been conducted by the organisation to rectify the staffing shortages; however, these efforts have not yet had an impact.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care plans are of a very good standard. They outline how members of staff are to meet the young people’s needs and what strategies are to be used to support them. Young people are actively involved in developing their care plans and this helps them to invest in their futures and to feel that they have an influence on their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are very well organised and give a very good account of each young person’s time in the home. Records of key-work sessions show how young people have responded to the support offered and how they have engaged with the programmes which have been developed for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All members of staff receive regular supervision which assesses their performance and competency. They also attend regular team meetings to discuss the dynamics of the group and young people’s needs, and to ensure consistency in their approach. Members of staff unanimously praise the variety and amount of training they receive from the Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 7 organisation which runs the home. The support they receive has meant that the morale of members of staff is good, and that they are committed and conscientious in carrying out their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Members of staff are ambitious for the young people. While it is early days for the young people currently resident in the home, they have engaged very well, and clearly trust and like the adults who care for them.

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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: SC431799 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SWAAY Child and Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 591 London Road, Sutton, Surrey SM3 9AG

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Inspector

Paul Taylor: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC431799 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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Inspector

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