Children's home run by Action for Children Services Ltd in Watford

Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 1 SC057804 Registered provider: Action for Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides residential short breaks for up to five young people who have learning and/or physical disabilities. The service is operated by a charitable organisation in partnership with a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 February 2018

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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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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Well-trained staff safeguard young people.  Young people make good progress as they become more independent and grow in confidence.  Effective risk management ensures that staff promote an effective balance between young people’s safety and the opportunity to experience a range of activities.  Young people appreciate and respond positively to the highly personal and individual care and attention that they receive.  Young people form trusting relationships with the staff and are fully involved in planning and reviewing their short stays.  Skilled and experienced staff enable young people to communicate their views, wishes and feelings from the moment that they arrive and throughout their stays.  Attention to planning means that young people feel relaxed and comfortable with other young people. They look forward to their stays because they enjoy positive friendships with other young people.  Parents have a very positive view of the service. They appreciate the progress

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Key findings from this inspection

made by their children and the partnership working that they experience with staff.

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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

 Staff must consistently administer young people’s medication as prescribed.  All staff working in the home must be recorded on the staff rota.  Casual and agency staff must receive supervision.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Outstanding 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 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 must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular, the registered person must ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(b)) 20/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (5)(b)) 20/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 Schedule 4.3) This is with particular reference to the staff duty roster. 20/04/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy their stays. Making friends and socialising is an important facet of young people’s short-stay experiences and they say, ‘I like coming here because I am with my friends’ and ‘Everything is good.’ Young people make good progress and learn a range of new skills and have opportunities to try new experiences. Parents have a very positive view of the short-break service and their children’s experiences. Parents’ comments include, ‘I feel completely secure, they always do all they can to make him and us feel safe and understood’ and ‘My son is very safe. I trust them like I would family.’ Young people have an excellent sense of self-determination as they are fully involved in their stays and the running of the short-stay service. Parents’ comments, such as ‘the big thing is that they listen to my son, they put the child’s voice first’ sum up staff’s strong commitment to consulting young people. Young people are fully involved in their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

plans, including writing their own daily records. Young people feel valued because the registered manager and staff listen and respond Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 4 to their views. For example, feedback from young people’s evaluation forms are used to allocate bedrooms for the next stay. Routines in the home are adapted according to young people’s needs and wishes. For example, young people enjoy brunch during school holidays as they choose to have a lie-in. Young people stay in a comfortable and stimulating environment. The home is adapted to support young people’s physical disabilities and to promote their independence. They quickly relax and look forward to having fun. They have an instant sense of belonging when they arrive and receive a warm welcome from staff. The lounge, dining area and conservatory provide a choice of communal space for young people. A range of play equipment, DVDs, access to TV channels and sensory equipment means that young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

people of all ages can enjoy their stays. The outdoor play and garden areas provide further recreational opportunities. Young people also enjoy a range of outings. Trips out to the local park, cinema and eating out are firm favourites. Effective planning and risk management ensure that all young people can try new experiences and parents can feel at ease while their children are away from home. Young people develop excellent independence skills. They enjoy cooking and taking responsibility for domestic chores such as washing and ironing. Some young people learn how to use public transport and are making progressive steps to understanding their transition to adulthood and living more independently. Young people have a great sense of achievement and self-esteem as staff develop plans and activities to promote young people’s independence targets. The formal ASDAN programme means that young people gain qualifications as they develop skills for

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

learning, work and life. Certificates take pride of place at the setting as young people enjoy and take immense pride in cooking, DIY projects, peer mentoring and studying a football module. Young people feel valued and are able to express themselves because staff understand young people’s individual communication styles. Staff ensure that a range of communication methods, including sign language, symbols and photographs, are available to ensure that young people are able to express their needs and wishes. Compatibility assessments are effective. Young people settle quickly and develop new friendships because managers and staff plan their stays effectively. This means that there are no concerns about bullying and young people look out for each other. They understand other young people’s needs and behaviour and show kindness and tolerance. Young people benefit from a good sense of safety due to positive relationships with

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

staff. They are able to share their concerns. While there are no concerns about bullying at the home, effective partnership working with one young person, his parents and school has resolved concerns about bullying at school.

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

Care planning is bespoke, child-centred and effective. Young people are protected with detailed healthcare plans. Staff are suitably trained to support young people who have complex medical needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 5 Transitions are well managed. The manager’s and staff’s visits to young people’s family homes, good-quality written information about the service and pre-admission visits to the service put parents at ease. Bespoke transition plans help staff to lower young people’s anxieties about staying away from home. Parents feel involved and comfortable as they are fully involved in developing detailed and individualised care plans that guide staff in how to care for their children. Ongoing discussion about each young person ensures that plans are up to date, relevant and include parents’ views. Collaborative work between staff, parents, education and health agencies helps young people to make good progress in their education, behaviour

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

and health outcomes. Meaningful target setting and regular reviews ensure that young people have challenging yet achievable goals to develop their skills and independence. Effective measuring strategies capture progress and also identify when young people are not doing so well. Staff are quick to review and adapt their own practice when required to provide focused support to ensure that young people make good progress. Safeguarding procedures are reinforced through effective staff training. The registered manager and staff have a sound understanding of their safeguarding duties and responsibilities. Managers work collaboratively with social workers to promote the well- being of young people and their families. Young people do not go missing. This is due to good security in the home and appropriate levels of supervision when out in the community. Relationships with the local police are positive and the registered manager’s attendance at a local community forum

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

keeps her up to date with local concerns. There are no concerns about child sexual exploitation or radicalisation. Staff training equips them with the knowledge that they need to identify and report concerns should they arise. Young people enjoy themselves while remaining safe because staff understand young people’s sensory challenges and triggers. Staff are skilled in planning young people’s stays and managing transitions so that they can reduce young people’s anxiety. Clear insight into the individuality of each young person enables staff to expertly and consistently implement diversionary tactics and reinforce positive behaviour. Parents comments include, ‘The staff understand my son and know him well enough to know how to talk him round. They also know when he may need a little bit of quiet time or when he may need a bit of attention.’ High regard for health and safety ensures that all staff take responsibility for keeping

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

children, young people and themselves safe. Fire safety is well managed. For example, personal emergency evacuation plans are in place to provide clear guidance for staff to support young people who may be distressed by fire evacuation procedures. The home uses safe recruitment practices to help ensure that staff employed in the home are suitable to work with young people. The registered manager has carried out an extensive investigation into recent medication errors. Procedures for the handing over and booking in of medication are much improved. Staff have also updated their medication training. However, at the time of this inspection, routine and effective auditing processes identified another medication error. While there was no negative impact on the young person, the review carried out by the Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 6 registered manager has failed to ensure that staff practice in this area is consistently

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified. Young people are cared for by a core team of well-trained and knowledgeable staff. They show high levels of commitment and place young people’s best interests at the centre of their practice. Staffing arrangements meet the complex needs of the young people. Staff are flexible and willing to change shifts in order to provide consistent staffing. Recent staffing shortages, due to maternity leave and staff sickness, have led to some reliance on the use of casual staff to ensure that staffing levels are met. While casual staff complete an induction package, they have not received regular supervision. In addition, records of rotas are disorganised and there is a lack of clarity about which staff work in the home and when. Information about how to make a complaint is accessible for parents and young people. Displays using symbols mean that young people know who to tell if they are unhappy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s meetings provide a forum for young people to air their views and contribute their ideas about improving the service. The new ‘Welcome Guide DVD’, personalisation of the new conservatory and the range of activities have all been achieved with the full participation of young people. Development is steady and embraced by staff, young people and parents. Changes such as a later time for parents to pick up their children are as a result of the management team’s ability to seek and respond to parents’ feedback. The service continues to develop because staff and managers value research and training. For example, the registered manager and staff continue to enhance their already competent skills in communication. The registered manager’s current involvement in two projects about the use of medication and about preventing abuse of children who have learning disabilities improve staff knowledge and their awareness of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

these issues. The registered manager has a clear understanding of her monitoring responsibilities. The management team’s robust auditing can be evidenced in the independent visitor’s monitoring reports, which are extremely positive and recommendations are rare. Three statutory requirements are set as a result of this inspection.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 7 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: SC057804 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael O’Sullivan

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Inspector

Elaine Cray: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC057804 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 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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