Children's home run by London Borough of Croydon in Croydon

Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 1 SC041887 Registered provider: London Borough of Croydon Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The local authority owns this short-break home. The home provides short-break accommodation for up to seven young people who have severe learning disabilities. The home can also provide emergency short-term care. In addition, the home provides a day-care service. The duration and frequency of short breaks that young people receive varies, based on their assessed needs.

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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: sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress.  Staff understand the specific needs of young people and provide them with good standards of support, guidance and care.  Young people only start their short-breaks stays once managers have assessed that staff can meet their needs.  Young people receive encouragement to learn and develop their independent living skills.  Managers and staff engage particularly well with parents/carers, and involve them in their children‟s care.  Young people benefit from staying in a home that is purpose-built to meet their needs.  Young people receive good care from a staff team that is stable, experienced and well trained.  Managers provide staff with strong leadership and place the needs of young people first.

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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 independent visitor‟s reports fail to assess how effectively the home safeguards young people and promotes their well-being.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Good 09/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 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

(4) The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

(a) Children are effectively safeguarded: and The conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)) 30/01/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from staying in a home that meets their varied and complex needs. Managers carefully assess the specific needs of young people prior to them starting their short-break stays. The registered manager regularly attends the local authority‟s resources panel. This enables her to review referrals as part of the authority‟s joint assessment of young people and their family‟s needs. In addition, staff visit and assess young people at their schools and their families‟/carers‟ homes, and speak to all professionals involved with the young people. Such an approach enhances the matching process and ensures that the home only admits young people who staff can care for well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents/carers and care professionals speak positively of the home, in particular the good quality of care provided by staff for young people and the efforts staff make to ensure that young people enjoy their stays. One parent stated, „The staff are very good and friendly, and encourage parents to take part. They understand my daughter and how best to support her.‟ Another parent noted, „Excellent service, cannot fault it. The staff are always welcoming to us and if for any reason we do not have the means to get him to the home, staff will always volunteer to collect so he does not miss his break.‟ A manager for a social work disabilities team commented, „The home provides a very good resource for children with disabilities; children enjoy it and parents love it. Well-trained staff who are committed to positive outcomes for children.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 4 Young people receive good support which enables them to move into the home in a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

planned way. Admissions occur at a pace dictated by young people. There are no timescales on how quickly young people should start their short-break stays. For example, young people come for tea visits leading up to an overnight stay. Young people can have as many visits as needed until they are ready. This allows young people opportunities to get to know the adults who will look after them. In addition young people get to meet their peers and become accustomed to the home environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good care planning ensures that staff understand the individual needs of young people and how they should meet them. Parents/carers contribute to the completion of care plans and work alongside staff to ensure that young people settle. For example, one parent came into the home in the evening to help staff gain a better understanding of the young person‟s bedtime routine. This helped to inform staff practice and in turn meant that the young person was able to settle to bed much more easily. Staff regularly attend young people‟s education reviews. This helps the staff team to be aware of how well young people are doing in their learning, and contributes to a holistic approach to meeting the needs of the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans highlight each young person‟s specific diagnosis and the manner in which they communicate their needs. They also include details of the young person‟s daytime and night-time routines, behaviour, sleeping patterns, education, risk assessments and medication. Care plans are regularly reviewed and involve contributions from parents/carers, education staff and staff from the home. The good quality of care plans helps to guide staff in providing young people with consistent support, guidance and care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress during their short-break stays. Staff help young people to improve their self-care skills, such as their personal hygiene. In some instances, progress is highly significant given the young people‟s starting points. For example, a young person who struggled considerably with settling in their bedroom at night is now able to sleep well. This process has taken several years and has involved staff gradually and sensitively encouraging the young person to accept their support in settling them to bed. A parent commented, „The staff team are amazing; they have provided so much care and support and as a result he [son] has become more confident, which is truly down to the staff team.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of the home is the support that young people receive as they approach adulthood. Young people aged 16 or over attend short breaks at the same time as others in their peer group. The transitions group of young people stays every week. These older young people receive staff guidance to develop their independent living skills. For instance, the staff guide them in planning menus, food shopping, learning money management and making choices on activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from staying in a home that is purpose-built to meet their needs. The building provides them with a spacious, bright and very welcoming environment. Pictures of young people enjoying activities inside and outside of the home help to Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 5 create a homely atmosphere. Young people stay in bedrooms that offer them a good level of comfort and specialised facilities. Physical adaptations ensure that young people can engage fully in the life of the home. For example, the computer suite has a facility that can accommodate young people who use wheelchairs. In addition, the large garden enables young people to enjoy the outdoors in safe surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a wide range of activities. These include trips out of the home to visit local places of interest, going swimming and walking. During the summer, a number of young people went on holiday to a seaside resort for a few days. Young people who may not otherwise have gone on holiday with their families/carers were given priority. The trip proved very popular and is planned again for next year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff involve parents/carers and families in events that bring young people and adults together. For example, the home hosted a summer garden party that was attended by a wide range of people, including the young people‟s parents/carers and social workers. Managers and staff are currently busy preparing for the festive period, which will include parties and a Christmas grotto.

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

Young people receive short breaks in a home where their safety and well-being are extremely important. Managers and staff receive appropriate training in safeguarding, health and safety, and behaviour management. The home complies with local authority child protection arrangements and works in partnership with the local authority to ensure that young people are safe. When concerns arise, swift referrals are made that follow statutory guidance. A manager for a social work disabilities team commented, „Managers will always share any concerns with the social worker and they [the home] maintain excellent recording systems.‟ One parent stated that staff „keep him [son] safe‟.

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

When an incident occurs, managers and staff thoroughly review the situation in question and use the experience to develop and improve practice. They also involve parents/carers to ensure that everyone is aware of any incidents or areas for improvement. For example, the occasions when young people go missing from the home are rare; however, there was one incident when a young person left the home for a short while, unnoticed by staff. This event did not result in any harm to the young person. A full investigation was conducted by the managers and included a review of staff practice and the security and layout of the premises. As a result, staff practice concerning the supervision of young people was tightened alongside the improvement of risk assessments. One parent noted, „The home has always been safe, but has now improved even better. I feel very confident in the service and the commitment of the

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

Good assessments ensure that staff appreciate the risks and vulnerabilities of the young people in their care. Risk assessments are practical, and give staff clear information on keeping young people safe. These appropriately highlight concerns without limiting the young person‟s ability to engage in the life of the home. For example, they provide Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 6 guidance for staff on how to manage individual behaviour issues, such as when a young person chooses to drop to the floor. This approach enables staff to understand why young people behave in certain ways and clarifies how staff should respond.

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

The home supports parents/carers in considering how to manage the difficult behaviours of young people. The home puts on parent group meetings that include the involvement of the local authority‟s challenging behaviour team. This allows parents/carers to discuss the particular concerns they have around their children and enables them to receive expert guidance, advice and strategies with regard to managing situations in the family environment.

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

Appropriate measures are implemented to ensure that young people are protected. One member of staff has specific responsibility for ensuring that anti-virus and internet protection are updated and working appropriately.

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

The home has received the top rating for cleanliness from the local environmental health department for the past six years. This ensures that young people and staff alike benefit from high standards of hygiene.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide staff with strong leadership and ensure the needs of young people come first. The registered manager has managed the home for over 12 years. She holds a social work qualification and is suitably qualified to fulfil her role. The registered manager receives support from a suitably qualified and experienced deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have addressed a vast majority of the recommendations made at the previous full inspection. However, the recommendation relating to the independent visitor‟s reports has not been addressed. The independent visitor‟s reports continue to fail to provide a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home‟s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home‟s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose provides a suitable overview of the home and the services that it provides to young people. Young people and their parents/carers can also gain information on the home and its procedures via a DVD.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people receive care from an experienced, qualified and stable staff team. Staff receive good levels of training. In addition, team „awaydays‟ allow the staff team to consider more specific areas of care and intervention. The most recent one involved managers and staff giving presentations on sensory communication, autistic spectrum disorder, reflections on behaviour and disabilities experiences using motor skills and trust and communication with young people. A member of staff said that they gained a good deal both from learning and from bonding as a whole team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers engage openly with parents/carers and actively support them in developing their care skills and knowledge. Managers regularly facilitate and deliver a range of Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 7 relevant training sessions to parent groups. Training has included understanding sexualised behaviour and behaviour management. Parents/carers can also bring to the groups ideas that they want more information on. The groups attract a good level of attendance and provide parents/carers with a vital resource.

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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: SC041887 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: London Borough of Croydon, Education Department, Taberner House, Park Lane, Croydon CR9 1TP

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC041887 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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