Children's home run by Inroads Essex Limited in Mid Suffolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 1 SC069178 Registered provider: Inroads (Essex) 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 home is a privately owned residential service for up to six children who have learning difficulties and who may display some challenging behaviour. The home provides primarily long-term care. However, it continues to provide shared care for a very small number of children.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 27 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children benefit from a manager and staff team who care and promote their needs.  All the children have an educational placement which is fully supported by the staff team.  Children enjoy a wide range of activities.  The home is set in a beautiful backdrop of fields and woods.  The children are safe, secure and protected.  There have been no incidents of children going missing.  The staff support safe, managed contact with the children’s families.  The care plans and risks assessments are detailed and clear.  Strong and effective leadership is consistent and provided by an experienced manager.

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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 home environment is tired and worn.  Potential hazards in the kitchen/dining room and garden need addressing.  Leaders and managers need to be more creative around meal times.  Not all of the staff communicate effectively with all professionals.  Staff do not receive regular supervision or appraisals.  Staff and children have not been de-briefed following incidents of care and control.  All of the children do not have memory boxes.  Monthly independent visitor reports do not give a good overview of the home, the staff, and the children who live there.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/09/2016 Full Good 01/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 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, the 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(2)(b)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, fixing of the doorbell, replacement of towels with curtains at bedroom door windows, replacement of torn sofas, personalisation of children’s bedrooms, deep cleaning or replacement of stained carpets, development of the sensory room and repair to tired and worn fixtures, fittings and décor. 28/02/2018

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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 the premises used for the purpose of the home are located, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, lights are required to enable children to play safely in the garden when it is dark. Ensure that the location of kitchen and dining room risk assessed against possible hazards when transferring hot food from one room to another. 28/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(f)) In particular, leaders and managers to consider family values in 31/12/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 4 relation to meal times spent with staff and children. The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 31/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the independent person produces a report about the visit which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. A copy of the independent person’s report must be provided to the registered manager. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)(7)(d)) 31/01/2018

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Recommendations

 Beyond local authorities, there are other people, bodies and organisations that have responsibilities towards children in children’s homes. Many of these are referenced specifically in the regulations and guide. The important thing is that homes take the initiative in identifying others who must play a part for their children and engage with those relevant people proactively, advocating for the children in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.7) In particular, ensure that communication with social workers and education providers is more frequent and evidenced.  The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of their time spent living at the home and help them to record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress, taking into account their starting points, across most aspects of their welfare and their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. The children benefit from a manager and staff team who care and promote their needs. Children benefit from support that contributes to change and improvement in their lives. A social worker for one of the children said, ‘The team are a fountain of knowledge in regards to the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s care and support plans, ‘My Profile’, are informative, up to date and provide a clear picture of each child and their daily care needs for the staff to follow. The children complete their own daily records called ‘My Day’, which are excellent and encompass everything the child has done from the time they got up until bedtime. This gives the children a sense of belonging and a different view from the staff’s perspective. These records assist the staff to plan around the children and give them an insight into their world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children have an educational placement which is fully supported by the staff team. The communication books between the home, school and parents are good. As a result, the teachers and parents have a good overview of what the children have been doing during evenings and weekends. For example, the books describe what food the children have eaten, time that the children are out in the community, their general mood and any progress they have made. However, not all of the new staff communicate effectively, which the manager is aware of and working on to improve. One education professional said that communication needs to ‘sharpen up’. However, they also commented, ‘Children appear to be very happy who live there [the home].’ This promotes continuity of care from all care givers and supports educational attainment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities. They have been to Pleasurewood Hills and were given the choice of three activities to come into their home: a mini zoo, a magician or a music band. The children chose the mini zoo and enjoyed it immensely. Personal interests and hobbies are encouraged, including football training and attending majorettes. The staff have gone above and beyond to meet the children’s particular needs. However, children are not supported to keep appropriate memorabilia of their time spent living at the home to help them to record significant life events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where appropriate, the staff support safe, managed contact with families, which helps the children to develop relationships that will sustain them into adulthood. This helps staff to understand family dynamics, build relationships with families and use these experiences to enhance better outcomes for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is set in a beautiful backdrop of fields and woods and is adequately decorated and furnished; however, the children’s bedrooms lack warmth and colour, some children’s bedroom door windows have towels instead of curtains hanging, the sensory room lacks equipment and parts of the home’s furnishings and fixtures look tired and worn. Consideration needs to be given to the location of the kitchen and dining room Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 6 with regards to potential hazards when staff are transferring hot food between both rooms. Leaders and managers are looking at current practice in relation to meal times, which all the staff do not join. The garden is an amazing space for the children to play and grow, and there is ample equipment. However, observations were made during the inspection in the early evening of the children and staff having fun. It was too dark for the staff to see the children at times and this is a potential hazard and safety concern.

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

The children are safe, secure and protected at all times both inside and outside the home. Children are offered clear and consistent boundaries to ensure that they enjoy a sense of safety and develop trusting relationships with staff. They learn, in time, to manage their emotional responses to situations in a more socially acceptable way.

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

The staff are acutely aware of the children’s behaviours and the risks associated with these. The staff have a good understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities. As a result, children are protected from possible child sexual exploitation, bullying or other forms of abuse. Regularly reviewed individual risk assessments ensure that the measures to keep the children safe are effective. Clear plans and routines enable the children to learn trust and to practise strategies to manage their behaviours. This prepares the children for more demanding community-based activities and adulthood. As a result, one child has recently moved successfully into the home’s adult provision.

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

Each child has an individual behaviour observation and restraint book. These are robust, bright and colourful. The staff de-escalate challenging behaviour successfully and physical restraint is only used when necessary to protect the children or the staff from harm. All of the staff are trained in the use of restraint. Incidents of restraint are recorded. However, the de-briefing sessions with the staff and the children have not been recorded. The manager reviews and considers each incident and raises any learning points during team and handover meetings. This means that any strategies and the behaviour management plans can be adapted and changed to ensure that the children are suitably supported. There have been no incidents of children going missing. There are local protocols in place should a child go missing.

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

The safety of children is promoted. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice. They are fully aware of their responsibility to protect the children from abuse and they can confidently describe reporting procedures. The staff are fully aware of the roles of external agencies and report in confidence their organisation’s whistle-blowing policy. This knowledge helps to ensure that any safeguarding concerns are reported and dealt with promptly. Safeguarding issues are promptly investigated, recorded and resolved in a timely manner. Good staffing levels reduce the chances of bullying taking place. Bullying in the home is not an area of concern. Boundaries are clear, coupled with consistent daily routines and one-to-one supervision, all of which provides the children with a level of security that they are comfortable with. The children were observed with a member of staff at all times throughout the inspection.

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 7 Sound recruitment procedures mean that all of the necessary background checks are carried out before a member of staff commences work. This helps to ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with the children.

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

There is a process and system in place for the safe administration and recording of medication, which is robust. The staff ensure that they have all relevant health information pertaining to each individual child’s health needs, which are on file and up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Strong and effective leadership is consistent and provided by a qualified and experienced manager. She has been in post for many years and brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to this role. She is respected and valued by staff, who benefit from her supportive leadership. She leads by example through her involvement in all aspects of the day-to-day running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff do not receive supervision at regular intervals and there is no matrix to show when supervisions have been held. Staff spoken to say that they feel supported; however, no staff could recall when they last received supervision, or an appraisal. A member of staff who has been working at the home for a long period of time was not aware of what an appraisal is. Since the last full inspection, there has been a large turnover of staff. A significant number of new staff have started at the home, some of whom are currently going through their induction. This practice does not enable the staff to review and develop their childcare practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not fully addressed or met the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection to good effect. An independent person visits the home and produces monthly reports. The information contained in the reports does not give a good overview of the home, or the views of the staff and the children who live there. This does not ensure that the service is monitored effectively and any potential shortfalls fully identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Case records for the children reflect the work done to support them. Regular audits and reviews ensure that the plans and assessments reflect the current and changing needs of each child. The staff clearly have good aspirations for the children and work collaboratively to ensure that their holistic needs are known and met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monthly staff team meetings look at all aspects of practice throughout the home and how to develop the staff further and utilise their existing strengths. There have been training opportunities to ensure that staff develop their skills further with individualised training for staff who are progressing in their careers. Eligible staff hold the necessary level 3 qualification in residential care or are working towards it. All of the staff attend safeguarding and mandatory training. They know what to do if they have a concern about a child’s well-being. Notifications of concerns to external agencies and Ofsted are appropriate. When notifications are made, information is concise and clear. This provides sufficient Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 8 information to describe events and the actions taken by the home in response to these events

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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: SC069178 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inroads (Essex) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suffolk House, Unit 7, Hydra, Orion Avenue, Great Blakenham, Ipswich IP6 0LW

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Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC069178 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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