Children's Home run by Delam Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC064027 1 SC064027 Registered provider: Delam Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six children who have learning disabilities. A private provider owns and operates the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC064027 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are safe in the home, as managers devise and implement risk assessments that reflect young people’s individual needs, abilities and disabilities.  Internal care planning processes are thorough and consistently include young people’s views, wishes, thoughts and feelings.  Staff prioritise young people’s education. They work with external agencies and learning providers to challenge any barriers to education that young people face.  The registered manager effectively monitors and reviews the service to ensure that the care provided meets young people’s needs.  Staff receive good-quality, regular and practice-related formal supervision. Training courses reflect young people’s individual needs.

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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

 Managers do not consistently deploy safer recruitment policies to ensure that staff are suitably checked and vetted. This potentially compromises young people’s safety.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 15/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC064027 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 registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(3)(d)) 15/02/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in all areas of their development. This is because staff deliver bespoke care and support that take account of young people’s individual and complex needs. Managers and staff know and fully understand these needs. They use effective internal care planning processes to identify young people’s progress against defined targets and individual goals, and do this in line with the aims and objectives of the placing authorities. Staff ensure that young people’s case files include all required and relevant information and documentation. This partnership working means that young people receive care and support that enhance their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication methods, including visual aids and sign languages, to consult with young people. They use their skills to seek young people’s views about the quality of care that they receive. Staff incorporate these views in a range of internal care planning documents. These documents include ‘communication passports’, which specify how young people communicate, and ‘Listen to me’ booklets, which highlight young people’s likes, dislikes and changing views and wishes. This means that young people are involved in decisions about their care. This supports their confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have positive relationships with staff, and they appear relaxed and comfortable in their company. Staff use these relationships to slowly encourage young people to try new activities and embrace new experiences. For some young people, the introduction of changes to their daily routines, however positive, can provoke anxiety and frustration. Staff recognise this possibility yet strive to ensure that all young people have the same opportunities as their peers, regardless of their disabilities. As a result, young people thrive in the ‘can do’ culture prevalent at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC064027 4 Promoting education and learning opportunities is central to the daily routine of the home. All young people have suitable education placements. This is because the registered manager and senior staff continually challenge other agencies to ensure that young people have access to the bespoke learning support that they need. This means

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

that young people make positive and sustainable educational progress, taking account of their starting points. Partnership working between care staff and named teaching staff is very effective. One teacher said, ‘It is without a doubt that, without the staff support, (name of young person) would not be enjoying and attending her educational placement.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work in partnership with a number of health professionals to meet young people’s health and medical needs. These professionals include general practitioners, consultants, school nurses, mental health specialists and occupational therapists. Consequently, young people benefit from a full assessment of their complex health needs relating to their disabilities. Staff use this information to devise specific health action plans. For example, for some young people self-injurious behaviours, such as head banging, are symptomatic of their learning disability. Staff work with allocated therapists to provide a consistent intervention response to these behaviours. This integrated and comprehensive approach means that young people’s health needs are promoted. Furthermore, staff and young people work together to review menu and food options. Staff help young people to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with social workers, young people and their families, when appropriate, to undertake and review individual capability assessments. These help placing authorities to identify potential future accommodation options. As young people move towards adulthood and greater independence, staff encourage young people to use their practical skills. For some young people, this means learning to feed themselves and, for others, this means helping with domestic chores.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and carers say that they are ‘always welcome’ at the home and praise the commitment of the manager. One parent said, ‘Our relationship with (name of young person) can be hard, but we are always supported by the manager to find ways forward.’ Staff encourage young people to spend time with their families and make practical arrangements to facilitate these visits. As a result, young people are not isolated from their families.

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

Young people are safe at the home. Staff are skilled in identifying young people’s risks and differentiating between those behaviours that young people can control and those characteristic of their disabilities. Risk assessments reflect each young person’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. Staff use these to devise a range of behaviour support plans. These help and encourage young people to start to take responsibility for their actions, in line with their cognitive skills and understanding.

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

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has worked with independent advocacy agencies, placing authorities, young people and their families to re-assess the use of Inspection report children’s home: SC064027 5 interventions that restrict young people’s liberty. For example, young people subject to the use of walking harnesses when away from the home now have suitable deprivation of liberty assessments in place. These assessments include consultation with young people and demonstrate the risks to young people’s safety, should these restraints not be used. Furthermore, the registered manager now ensures that all restrictions on young people’s movements are fully assessed and regularly reviewed. This ensures that these restrictions remain appropriate, necessary and lawful.

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

Staff understand young people’s disabilities and the associated challenging behaviours that often accompany them. Such behaviours can arise from young people’s feelings of frustration and anxiety. They include self-harm, physical aggression towards others and damage to property. Staff use this information and knowledge to intervene in risky situations and events that may place young people or others at risk of harm. When essential to maintain young people’s safety and when de-escalation techniques fail, staff use physical restraint to manage these situations. They record these incidents in sufficient detail to enable the registered manager to review the appropriateness of this measure of control. This promotes young people’s safety and welfare.

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

There are no incidents of young people going missing from the home. This is because young people’s individual needs and disabilities mean that they are continually supervised by staff. Nevertheless, managers and staff understand the potential risks for young people if they leave the home without permission. Furthermore, the registered manager works with local police teams to ensure that they, too, are aware of each young person’s specific vulnerabilities. For example, all young people have bespoke plans that inform police officers how to engage with young people if they do go missing. This attention to detail means that, in these circumstances, young people are protected.

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

Staff undertake safeguarding training. This training includes modules relating to child sexual exploitation, anti-bullying and radicalisation. This means that staff remain alert to these forms of abuse. Internal safeguarding and child protection policies reflect statutory guidance relating to the management of allegations. These also consider how young people’s disabilities may increase their vulnerability. This promotes young people’s safety, welfare and well-being.

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

There are a number of new permanent and sessional staff now working at the home. However, managers do not consistently deploy the organisation’s safer recruitment procedures. As a result, vetting checks, including right to work documents and employment references checks, are not appropriately verified to determine the suitability of all staff. This potentially compromises young people’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current manager registered with Ofsted in June 2017. She has a number of relevant skills and qualifications relating to the management of children’s residential services. These qualifications include the level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people make good progress at the home because the registered manager Inspection report children’s home: SC064027 6 prioritises their needs. She has an excellent knowledge of young people’s specific disabilities and works in effective partnership with other agencies and professionals. The registered manager is an impressive advocate for young people. When other agencies do not provide young people with access to the services that they need, she appropriately challenges them, holding them to account for their poor practice. This means that young people benefit from integrated care that supports their progress. This ensures that young people’s welfare and well-being are promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are enthusiastic in their role, and focus their activities on supporting young people and meeting their needs. All eligible care staff are suitably qualified or are working towards attaining the relevant qualification within an acceptable timescale. The registered manager ensures that internal training programmes are tailored to young people’s individual needs. This means that staff understand the specific behaviours associated with young people’s individual disabilities. Staff receive regular practice- related supervision. These sessions enable managers to monitor staff performance. They also prompt staff to review their own practice and to focus on their learning and development needs. As a result, staff are able to appreciate how their actions may impact on young people’s behaviours. This means that staff have the skills that they need to support young people effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses her knowledge of the service and of each young person to review and assess the development of the home. Internal monitoring systems are thorough and effective. These enable the registered manager to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative information relating to the quality of care that young people receive. This analysis means that the registered manager is confident that the service continues to meet young people’s needs and reflects the aims and objectives detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. Consequently, placing authorities and young people’s families are fully aware of the range of services that the home provides and how staff support 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 difference 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: SC064027 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 5th floor, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC064027 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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