Children's home run by Medway Council in Medway

Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 1 SC066166 Registered provider: Medway Council

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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 provides short breaks for up to five children at a time who have severe learning disabilities and who may have an associated physical disability and/or present challenging behaviour. Currently, there are 49 children registered with the service. The local authority, primary care trust and clinical commissioning group fund the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 28 to 29 November 2017

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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: Inadequate

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because:  Leaders and managers have made significant and sustainable improvements in Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 2 previously identified areas of failure and shortfall, particularly in relation to recruitment practice and workforce development.  The staff team is stable and sufficiently equipped to consistently provide small groups of children who have complex needs with safe and enjoyable short-break stays.  Children who have substantial needs and challenging health and dietary conditions are able to have fun and enjoy new experiences.  Parents and carers are able to trust staff and enjoy peace of mind when their child is having a short break.  A caring and motivated staff team provides children with good opportunities to form positive and trusted relationships with the staff and each other. The children’s home’s areas for development:  Some aspects of care planning documents are unclear about the purpose and

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Key findings from this inspection

targets of a child’s stay, including areas of potential risk.  Recently completed staff training requires reflection and consolidation in order to identify any residual core training needs.  Remaining issues that undermine staff cohesion and team working need to be identified, understood and addressed.  The development of staff supervision practice would benefit from further improvements to records and the structure of supervision sessions.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2017 Full Inadequate 20/12/2016 Full Good 01/06/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6(2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that plans are clear and targeted. 15/03/2018

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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 requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that plans are clear and provide staff with clear guidance about how to keep the children safe and reduce the risk of harm. 15/03/2018

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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 ensures that staff work together as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13(2)(b)) 15/03/2018

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 That the registered manager ensures that systems are in place to ensure that all staff receive regular supervision of their practice by appropriately qualified and experienced professionals and that records in this regard clearly reflect these arrangements. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by a staff team that knows them well and understands their complex needs. This enables the children to feel secure, and to quickly settle and enjoy the benefits of a welcoming and stimulating environment, away from their families. Consistent care from confident, attentive staff makes the children feel valued and enables them to build trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. The repeated positive experiences of the children give parents and carers confidence and peace of mind. This enables the families to also enjoy the benefits of their children having short breaks. Staff are ambitious and increasingly creative about expanding the life experiences of the children during stays, as well as supporting them to increase their independence. Giving full effect to these aspirations is, however, currently being hampered by stay plans that are insufficiently specific and recording systems that don’t clearly capture the progress

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

that the children make. Staff seek to understand the wishes and feelings of the children with communication difficulties, and they do this effectively. They are not complacent, however, and strive to improve their communication with all the children who attend, and particularly with those children who have the greatest difficulties. Staff liaise closely and effectively with schools, social workers, transport providers and parents/carers. This enables the children to maintain essential routines and engagement with their learning. Leaders and managers are flexible and genuinely helpful in supporting parents and carers as well as the children. For example, when stays need to be rearranged or adjusted due to unexpected circumstances, such requests are accommodated. This helps to build positive relationships and to ensure that stays have the most favourable outcomes.

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

The children are safeguarded by a staff team that treats them with dignity and respect and consistently seeks to understand their needs and vulnerabilities. Leaders and managers aspire to the highest possible standards of medication administration and routine health and safety and checks, particularly those in relation to fire safety and individual evacuation plans. Any errors, however minor, are taken seriously, and appropriate remedial action promptly taken. The children are safer and their well-being better protected as a result of the recent review and revision of, and added rigour to, staff recruitment practice. Current practice better identifies persons most suitable to work with the children and more reliably screens out those not suited. The current system of record-keeping does not make the key information about the children’s safety and best possible care clear or readily available. Managers recognise

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

this shortfall and are taking improvement action. Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 5 Staff’s good knowledge and understanding of the children, use of proactive preventative strategies and good de-escalation techniques combine to limit the need for physical restraint. If used, it is only as a last resort. When applied, restrictive techniques are proportional and of short duration and mostly aimed at preventing or limiting self- injurious behaviour. The children are kept physically safe by vigilant, proactive and well-informed staff. Equipment and toys are safely used in accordance with the abilities of the children. Staff display a sensible attitude towards risk-taking, and allow the children to test and explore their abilities and interests, while keeping them safe. Staff understand their wider safeguarding role and are alert to possible indicators of exposure to harmful circumstances when children come for breaks. They take

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

appropriate action to respond to concerns when necessary, including liaison and referral to safeguarding professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This service is currently led by an experienced and capable interim manager who has applied for registration with Ofsted. He is supported by a deputy who has extensive experience in working with children who have complex needs. An experienced and capable middle-management structure is in place. Systematic and sustained efforts by leaders and managers to address previous failings and shortfalls are reflected in a staff team that shows improved capacity, competency and stability. There are, however, some unresolved issues relating to some staff relationships that undermine consistent and cohesive team working, which is fully focused on the well-being and progress of the children. Significant progress has been made in the organisation and delivery of staff supervision. This supports staff to provide consistent and continuous care to the children to a good standard and contributes to the further development of the service. This improvement

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

remains in its infancy and is not yet an established part of staff culture. Good systems for the induction and probation periods for new staff are now in place. New staff learn about the setting and the children at a realistic and appropriate pace, and this enhances the quality of care the children receive. A thoughtful and proactive approach to staffing schedules ensures that carefully composed groups of children are matched to staff teams that are properly equipped to meet their needs and best able to enhance their stays. There has been an emphasis on core training for staff in recent months, increasing the levels of staff competence and confidence in caring for the children. The full benefits from this training, however, have not yet been analysed through a process of review and consolidation, nor channelled into individual staff appraisal systems. Leaders and managers display a professional attitude and practice in their dealings with

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

external agencies. They are able to appropriately challenge and encourage others in order to secure the best possible cooperation and contributions to the care and progress of the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 6

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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: SC066166 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR

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Inspector:

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 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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