Children's home run by Livability

Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 1 SC371073 Registered provider: Livability

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 16 children and young people. It offers a short-break service and a residential provision to children and young people up to the age of 19 who may have physical disabilities and associated complex learning and care needs. The home is operated by an organisation with charitable status. The home is registered as a non-maintained residential special school, but is regulated against the children’s home regulations as it provides 52 weeks per year placements.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 14 to 15 December 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 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: requires improvement

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have very good relationships with the young people they care for. They treat them with respect and dignity.  The registered manager is very good advocate for young people when she feels that young people and/or their families are not being provided with the support they need.  Healthcare arrangement are good and ensure that young people’s healthcare needs are well met.  The registered manager and the staff team are aspirational for the young people and themselves.  The process for young people moving into the home is excellent. These ensures that young people and their families feel confident about the move and settle quickly.  Staff development and training is a strength of this home. Young people are cared for by a well-trained team that understands them and knows how to meet their 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

 Ensure that all staff receive good-quality supervision and that follow-up actions from these sessions are documented and reviewed.  Remove as many of the health and safety signs around the home as possible. These detract from the comfortable, homely environment that staff are trying to provide for young people.  Ensure that records of applicant’s interviews include an explanation of the scoring system used as well as the decision to appoint or not.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2017 04/10/2016 Interim Full Improved effectiveness Requires improvement 18/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/06/2015 Full Requires improvement 20/11/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 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

Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that records of supervision contain clear evidence of whether actions have been met 28/02/2018

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, any unnecessary health and safety signs around the home must be removed.

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 3.1) In particular, records of applicant’s interviews need to contain an explanation of the scoring system and the decision whether to appoint or not.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good-quality care from a dedicated team. Interactions between staff and young people were seen during the inspection and were very good. There was a lot of laughter and fun. Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 4 The quality of young people’s day-to-day experiences is very good. Young people get to take part in a range of activities, both at the home and in the community. They have taken part in outward bound courses, local radio and music production.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents were very complimentary about the home. Parents said, ‘It’s really great,’ ‘It’s exactly what we wanted,’ ‘Staff really love my child,’ and ‘This place is by far the best.’ Parents said that they felt confident leaving their child with the staff. One parent said that although their child has medical needs, they were so pleased that their child has a care plan and not a medical plan as had been their experience before. Parents praised the team for how well they care for their children and the support that the team gives to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides young people with excellent medical and healthcare. The administration, storage and recording of medications are very good. The systems in place ensure that young people receive their medication when they need it and how they like to take it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people at the home require personal and intimate care. Staff do this with great respect and ensure that young people are treated with dignity. Young people are given control over who provides their personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff manage young people moving into the home very well. The form this takes is dependent upon the young people. Recently, a core team of staff spent time with a young person at their previous home to get to know them, understand their needs and how to meet these. This resulted in the young person settling into the home very quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the young people’s methods of communication. During the inspection, a young person who uses the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) symbols showed interest in another young person’s communication book. Staff were so excited about this, not only because the young person initiated this but also they were using it to express an emotion for the very first time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the home provides young people with all of the specialist equipment they need. Both kitchens have work surfaces that go up and down so that all young people can get involved. Young people also have access to a range of specialist services on site. These include occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s rooms are comfortable and personalised. Some have audio and visual monitors for health reasons. There is ample communal space for young people to enjoy. The registered manager and staff are in the process of developing a sensory lounge rather than a sensory room. They are looking at how they are able to provide stimulation via smells and sounds as well as lights and textures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s files are well maintained and contain all the required information. Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 5 Despite the young people having significant medical needs, the plans are care-based and not medicalised.

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

Safeguarding processes at the home are clear and followed in day-to-day practice. This protects the young people. Staff interviewed had a good understanding of the safeguarding systems, their duty of care and the additional vulnerabilities of the young people that they care for. Where there have been safeguarding concerns, these have been swiftly and appropriately dealt with. The registered manager shares information with external professionals, including Ofsted.

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

The manager evaluates the work that has been undertaken following each incident and where any lessons to be learned are identified these are acted upon. During her safeguarding work, the registered manager has built up good and effective working relations with the police and the designated officer.

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

Good recruitment practices are in place which protect young people from those who may wish to harm them. Currently there is no explanation of the scoring system used at interviews and how this relates to the decision to appoint or not. All agency staff are checked to the same degree as substantive staff. The registered manager carries out audits of personnel files for agency staff to ensure that this is the case.

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

Young people live in a safe environment. Staff and visitors are not permitted to use their mobile phones on site to protect the privacy and safety of the young people.

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

Risk assessments, maintained by the staff, are excellent. They clearly identify the level of risk and what actions should be taken to reduce or eliminate this risk. These are frequently reviewed and where needed updated to ensure that they remain current.

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

Since the last inspection, no young person has been restrained. The staff team focuses on knowing the young people well, knowing each young person’s triggers and being proactive rather than reacting to situations. Where needed, young people have a behaviour management plan which is kept under review.

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

Staff help young people where possible to learn about keeping themselves safe. Young people are helped to understand their own vulnerabilities and self-protection skills. An example of this is work that is being done with regard to online safety.

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

Each young person has a personal fire evacuation plan which details what help they will need in the event of a fire. Staff ensure that all equipment which young people use is regularly checked and still meets their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 6 Since the last full inspection, a new registered manager has been appointed. She is appropriately qualified and experienced for the role. The registered manager has a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in the home and is working with the team to address these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear vision for the home, which includes having high aspirations for the young people, the staff and herself. She advocates for young people when she feels that decisions made are not in their best interest or the interests of their families. The staff team sees it as a key part of their role to advocate for the young people they care for and ensure that they receive the best possible care and service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Currently, staff are receiving regular supervision but the records of these sessions vary in quality. Some lack evidence of follow-up actions being clearly set and then reviewed at the next session. This had already been noticed by the registered manager and plans are in place to address this. However, these are yet to be embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff prioritise the young people’s well-being. They are very cohesive as a team, which provides a good atmosphere where young people can thrive. The members of the staff team are well trained and receive any additional training needed to meet young people’s needs. A good example of this is where a core number of the team received specific training on a young person’s medical needs prior to that young person moving into the home. Currently, only this core team is working with this young person while other staff are trained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager sees the development of the team as key, as they are her best resource. At team meetings, they discuss the Quality Standards and Regulations so that staff increase their knowledge of these but also how they meet them as a team. The manager has also recently attended Ofsted provider events and taken information from these back to the team. In addition, the registered manager has set projects for each member of staff, which involves them carrying out research and then presenting this to the rest of the team. One example is resources to be used with young people to keep themselves safe online.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of this inspection, there were some staff vacancies. The registered manager has covered these by additional shifts herself and the use of a small number of agency staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Consultation with young people is given a high profile. Staff seek young people’s views on all aspects of their care and their plans. This helps them to develop their self- confidence and self-esteem.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team welcomes feedback from parents or external professionals on the work they are doing. They see this as means to help them improve, which in turn improves things for the young people. Social workers said that they are very impressed by the staff team and the care they provide, not only to the young people but to their families as well. Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 7 The staff team has worked hard to make the home appear welcoming and comfortable despite the equipment that some young people need, such as hoists. However, there are a large number of health and safety signs around the home which detract from their efforts to make it more homely.

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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: SC371073 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Mitre Passage, London SE10 0ER

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Inspectors

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC371073 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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