Children's home run by Action for Children in Watford

Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 1 SC432331 Registered provider: Action for Children 04764232 1097940

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A charitable organisation owns and operates this home. It provides short-break care and accommodation for up to six children.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 29 to 30 November 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

Date of last inspection: 2 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Key findings from this inspection

 All of the children starting at the service have planned and appropriate introductions. Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 2  Communication from the staff and management team to the placing authorities is effective.  Social workers and parents are happy with the care provided by the service.  Children regularly access exciting activities and opportunities.  The staff support the children to express their views and the staff make sure they action their wishes.  The staff and the management team ensure that the children attending the home are well matched when they stay for their short break.  The staff safeguard the children in their care effectively.  The staff complete detailed risk assessments for the children.  The staff and the manager have a clear focus to promote positive behaviours.  The staff help the children to develop their independence skills.  The management structure is extremely effective at managing and developing

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Key findings from this inspection

the service.  The manager recognises the importance of valuing and supporting the team.  The home is well led and the manager has a clear vision for the service.  The manager, team leader and the staff have positive relationships with placing authorities and this is evident through feedback and planning.  There are excellent links within the local community.  There is excellent oversight of care by the 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

 One staff recruitment file did not clearly record all relevant information.  The registered manager does not sign and evaluate the record of physical interventions within 48 hours.  The training does not provide training specific to the needs of the children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/11/2016 Full Good 22/06/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/02/2016 Full Good 06/08/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 3

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

This is with particular reference to ensuring that records are overseen and signed by the registered manager within 48 hours.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

This relates in particular to specific safeguarding training for children with disabilities and bereavement training for the staff.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

This is with particular reference to ensuring that all information is clear within all staff recruitment records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During this inspection visit, the inspector had the opportunity to see one child when she attended the home for a tea visit. This enabled the inspector to see the careful preparations that the staff made prior to arrival. The child is relatively new to the home and the staff were keen to make sure that she enjoyed her stay. They ensured that she had the opportunity to engage in activities she enjoys and cooking her favourite foods. The staff took the time to get to know her, so good plans made her feel comfortable and settled. She was observed to be well supervised and looked after for the duration of her stay. Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 4 All of the children starting at the service have planned and appropriate introductions. The key workers for each child prepare the care plans and meet with the families, professionals and schools. This consistent team approach meets the individual needs of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

each child. This is important as many of the children have complex behavioural, developmental and medical needs. The staff get to know each child’s needs before they arrive; this makes the experience for children coming to the home as smooth and welcoming as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and management team communicate effectively with placing authorities. Social workers are happy with the level of care provided to their children. One social worker said, ‘They [the staff] have really been on board with my child and have been phenomenal and amazing. They [the staff] are an integral part of his support.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access exciting activities and opportunities. These include trips to theme parks, canal boats and football stadiums. These are requested by the children as the staff ask them what they would like to do and make sure this happens, when possible. This variety of regular trips helps the children grow in confidence and develop social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have regular meetings with the children. There is an ideas box for the children to use. There are boards evident around the home with symbols and pictures, inviting the children to express their feelings. For example, the children are encouraged to participate to choose food for their upcoming Christmas party. The staff encourage them to share their views about various issues; these include changes in furniture and decorations around the home. This means that children are able to participate. The staff are creative in making sure that this happens regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to attend education during their stay. The staff communicate with the various schools on a regular basis. Health needs are met. The staff clearly document the children’s health needs and a clear medication process ensures that the staff administer medicines accurately. This is reassuring to parents and families who are using the home. One parent said, ‘It is a fantastic place. All of the staff are lovely.’ Another parent said, ‘My child likes going; he is always happy and smiling when he is going, he cannot wait. I am very pleased.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A similar local service is closing; this means that children with complex health needs will be accessing the home in the near future. The managers and staff are welcoming these families sensitively, reassuring them that the staff are suitably trained and that they have access to enough resources to meet the needs of the children. Preparations are ongoing and the manager advises that she will only accept the children when the full adaptations are in place to accommodate them during their stay. The staff and the managers try very hard to support and welcome families in need to their service. The staff are child-focused and communicate well with families to provide ongoing support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and the management team ensure that the children are well matched to each other. This helps to support friendships and ensure that there are similarities of need, personalities and activities. The children enjoy their time during their short breaks and have good quality experiences. This matching process is careful and detailed. The staff Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 5 and the manager spend a significant period of time to make sure this is right for the children.

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

The children do not go missing from the home. They are never unsupervised inside or outside of the home. There is a missing from care plan on each child’s file in the event that this should happen. The staff are well prepared to take appropriate action to safeguard the children.

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

The staff safeguard the children in their care effectively. The staff record all information on the safeguarding file. The staff and the manager pass relevant information to the placing authorities and family members as soon as possible. The skills of the staff to recognise potential concerns and the quick responses that the staff make ensure that the children are protected from harm.

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

The staff complete detailed risk assessments for individual children. These are up to date and include all relevant details. Staff readily access this information, which informs the staff how potential risks can be minimised.

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

General risk assessments are useful and detailed. The staff use these as a guide when the children participate in various activities. This helps them prepare appropriately. There are sufficient numbers of staff who keep the children safe and follow appropriate processes to minimise risk. The locality risk assessment is current and identifies local areas that could present possible areas of harm to the children, for example a local lake.

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

The staff and the manager consistently promote positive behaviours, de-escalate problems and distract children. This helps to reduce incidents and the children have good experiences in a settled and child-focused environment.

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

The staff help the children to develop independence skills, such as cooking and washing. This supports them to become more independent and grow in confidence over time. The staff carefully support and supervise the children to complete these tasks as independently as possible. The staff and manager regularly review and evaluate progress and outcomes for the children. The achievements of the children are recognised and recorded.

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

Recruitment files are generally in good order and safer recruitment procedures are evident. However, one file did not clearly record all relevant information. This does not demonstrate that all recording is transparent and accurate for each member of staff.

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

The staff rarely physically intervene with the children. When this does happen, the incidents are of a low level. Following each incident, the manager completes detailed debriefs with the staff to explore this further, exploring the circumstances leading up to the situation. There is good management oversight and critical evaluation. The manager does not sign and evaluate these promptly enough. Several of these records are not Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 6 signed and evaluated by the manager until several days after the event. This delays direct support for the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has many years of experience of leading this home. She has been in post since the home opened. She is suitably qualified with the registered managers’ qualification and a national vocational qualification level 4 in health and social care. The team leader has many years of experience in a residential setting and supports the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The clear management structure is extremely effective at managing and developing the home. The registered manager and team leader work extremely well together and they know the children and the staff well. Some of the children have been attending the home from the beginning and this is an important part of their lives. A stable and longstanding staff team provides excellent care to the children during their stays.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager recognises the importance of valuing and supporting the team. This is reflected in the consistent and comprehensive supervision sessions. This means that the staff can readily access support and guidance to fulfil their roles to the best of their ability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff say that the home is well led. A staff member said, ‘I really like it here, I get on well with the manager and the team leader, they are really good role models and work well together; the home is managed well.’ The staff are happy in their jobs and enjoy coming to work every day. This is reflected in their interactions with the children on a daily basis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All of the recommendations made at the full inspection are met. The manager has a clear vision for the home and recognises that it is changing. She is planning ahead and welcoming new children with complex health needs into the service. She is committed to supporting these children and their families while not compromising the needs of the other children in her care. The staff are clear about the ethos of the home, which is to provide good experiences to the children and make sure they have fun.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and the staff undertake significant work around transitions for the children. The manager identifies that at times this is difficult to progress. The manager and the team leader take the lead when planning transitions, seeking the views of the child and the family and liaising with the placing authorities to achieve the right outcome. This reduces the concerns regarding drift and delay for the children as they reach adulthood .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are regular and well attended. The manager shares useful information and learning from recent events and situations. As a result, the staff are well informed and well engaged. They feel part of a team and describe working there ‘as being part of a family’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager, team leader and the staff have strong and very positive relationships with Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 7 placing authorities and this is evident through feedback and planning. They are exceptionally proactive at attending meetings and appropriately challenge social workers if they are concerned. A social worker said, ‘They [the staff] made every effort to attend a meeting at short notice. They were well prepared and they always try their best to make good representations.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that there are excellent links with the local community. A child has recently been part of a bake sale and has raised money for a local hospice. Local businesses donate to the home and are supportive of the provision and its service to children and families. The manager is vocal and proud of the home and consistently promotes its good work and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is excellent oversight of care by the manager; this is clearly evident within the detailed and comprehensive reports provided to the placing authorities’ commissioning teams and internal monitoring. The reports are extremely evaluative and comprehensive, identifying the aims of the service over the next six months. The external monitoring is meaningful and includes the important views of others. This helps to develop the service, ensuring its progress and improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff have access to comprehensive training and this enables them to develop their knowledge and skills. However, this training does not include safeguarding specifically for children with disabilities or bereavement training: a child has suffered a recent loss. This does not provide the staff with all of the skills to sufficiently meet the identified needs of all of the children.

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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: SC432331 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children 04764232 1097940

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 The Boulevard, Ascot Road, Watford WD18 8AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shelagh Frankcom

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Inspector

Debbie Young, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC432331 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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