Children's home run by Lavender Group Homes

Inspection report children’s home: 1183937 1 Registered provider: Lavender Group Homes Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation and provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have been diagnosed as having learning disabilities.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1183937 2

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Recommendations

 Where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs (see regulations 5(c)). Staff should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress, with some examples of excellent progress for children over recent months.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer a nurturing and supportive environment, which is supported by trusted relationships. This, combined with a comprehensive understanding of individual needs, contributes to good outcomes for children. Staff are clear about the plans for each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in full-time education and their attendance is excellent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to progress in many areas of their development, but they are making significant strides in their social and emotional development and in communication. Children are supported to develop their social skills and independence skills. A parent said: ‘He is interacting more with people and he is trying new things at home now.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s memory books, social stories, review reports and monthly summaries all reflect pictorial evidence of children’s engagement in activities and their achievements. Staff work hard to evidence this and children will benefit from this work in their journey through care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and families are supported to maintain positive and meaningful contact. Having supportive contact arrangements is a key strength of the home. Support is provided to families in contingency planning, transport arrangements and shared behaviour management strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key workers and managers track children’s progress on a weekly and monthly basis. Social workers receive comprehensive monthly update reports. A social worker said: ‘The home is very positive and communication is great.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1183937 3

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

The new registered manager ensures that robust safeguarding processes are in place and are well understood by the staff team. The manager prioritises safeguarding children and understands the specific vulnerabilities of the children in their care.

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

Staff work hard to ensure that children are safe. Thorough plans and risk assessments contribute to a reduction in risky behaviours. Plans are regularly reviewed using a whole-team approach. Staff are not risk-averse as they support children to take appropriate risks.

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

Children’s risks are well known, shared and documented. Staff know that having a good understanding of each child’s method of communication is key to reducing incidents within the home. Staff respond appropriately to risks, challenging behaviour in the home and any violence towards staff and other people.

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

Children live in a safe and secure environment. Regular checks of the premises ensure that there are no risks to the young people. Children at the home do not go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since being in post, the registered manager has quickly recognised the home’s key priorities. The manager has focused on ensuring that children’s well-being is prioritised, and ensured that the staff team is stable. A parent said: ‘The manager’s main concern is my child and his happiness. The manager has gone above and beyond in his role to do this.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has successfully recruited more staff and this has improved the stability of the staff team. Staff fully understand the nurturing ethos of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has addressed all of the requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection. The manager recognises the difficulties that the team experienced due to changes in managers, but staff are now reassured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Positive leadership and management systems are in place to track the progress that children make. The manager has good oversight of all the work completed by staff, including key-work sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is more structure in the home regarding staff training, staff supervision and team meetings. Staff feel able to share their experiences and they feel supported by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff experience a good induction to the home and supervision is maintained to ensure that staff are clear about their ongoing roles and responsibilities. The manager is now focusing on progressing staff through the required qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Transition planning is delayed for some children. This has been recognised by other professionals. The manager should escalate concerns in a timely manner. A recommendation is made in relation to this. Inspection report children’s home: 1183937 4

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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: 1183937 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lavender Group Homes

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Inspector

Bev Allison: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1183937 6 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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