Children's home run by Impact For Change Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1264756 1 Registered provider: Impact For Change Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

Luton Lane Farm is a short term provision (up to 90 days) registered for two children who may present with emotional and behavioural issues. A manager is in post but not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: This is the first inspection since the home was registered on 20 October 2017.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 1264756 2

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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 ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 09/07/2018

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Recommendations

 Children should have access to the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access the internet safely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19). In particular, ensure systems are in place to help keep children safe particularly when accessing the internet using a smart mobile phone.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team provides the stability children need in this short-term home. The quality of care and support provided by staff offers opportunities for children to explore and understand their circumstances and develop appropriate ways to deal with and express their feelings. Several children have learned to manage their frustration and anger in acceptable ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans are clear and updated consistently to make sure the staff understand the care needs of the children. Leaders and managers compensate for a delay in receiving paperwork from placing authorities by using historic information and talking to professionals, children and parents to inform the support needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health needs are carefully considered. The staff deal sensitively with long-term, ingrained issues such as poor diet and a lack of exercise. Insistence and control is carefully balanced with a need to get to know and build positive relationships with children. Inspection report children’s home: 1264756 3 The homeliness of the environment has been complimented by other professionals and the children. A child who has had a lot of homes in the last few years told me, ‘This home doesn’t look or feel like a children’s home. I like it here and get on with all the staff.’ Positive changes have been made to the environment because staff have listened to and consulted with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home are carefully planned to create as little disruption as possible for children. Staff visit the child, providing information and visits to the home. It has not been possible to make the same planned arrangements for all children moving out. Leaders and mangers have been given little notice or arrangements have been out of their hands. Staff are trying to address this with placing authorities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and family are treated with respect and consideration by the staff. In addition to the official formal reports provided to professionals, the staff also hand write letters to parents. These letters detail the progress children are making and the activities and new experiences that happen.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff compensate for a lack for education provision by encouraging educational activities and providing home tutoring where possible. Meanwhile, staff continue to challenge a lack of full-time, permanent education placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff demonstrate a positive, unconditional regard for children. They recognise the importance of nurturing children and allowing them to observe adults involved in household tasks as a way of learning. Children are encouraged to get involved and they are shown how to do things such as cooking, cleaning and laundry.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff keep a record of children’s life-story work, a continuing history of their time in the home and their significant developments. These books are well presented and provided in appropriate formats. Staff have had the foresight to keep copies should children require copies in the future. One child’s book provided in both hard copy and on a CD had detail in pictures and descriptions of how he had learned to recognise feelings and the coping methods he used to avoid any anger issues turning to aggression.

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

Sufficient staffing numbers help to keep children safe. In addition, Leaders and managers carefully plan who lives together in the home and have made the decision that only two children live together at any one time so that individual needs are not compromised between children. Incidents of bullying are few, and children are not left alone together without appropriate and considered supervision.

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

The use of physical intervention is kept to a minimum. The two occasions when it has been used since the home opened in October 2017 kept children and staff safe. Reflective practice discussions follow any incident allowing staff to see if things could have been done differently and to avoid a recurrence. One child who had come to rely on staff restraint to manage his behaviour in previous placements was supported to learn other coping methods. Staff avoided any restraint during his time in this home. Inspection report children’s home: 1264756 4 Risk assessments are detailed and kept up to date following any incidents. They offer the staff descriptions of triggers to incidents and include effective intervention strategies to help them to avoid difficult behaviour escalating. Individual support sessions have helped children identify when they may become out of control, and staff offer ways to help them to manage anger and frustration.

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

There have not been any incidents of children going missing from this home. Staff spoken to demonstrate a clear understanding of how to respond should this happen.

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

Children’s safety is a priority and all staff receive safeguarding training and have regular discussions to keep up to date about these issues. Safeguards are in place to protect children from inappropriate use of the internet. A combination of staff observing children using the internet, checking the search history and internet access restrictors is in place. The same protective factors have not yet been applied to a child’s internet access when using a smart phone. This could allow them access to inappropriate material or leave them vulnerable to abuse. Action was taken on the day of the inspection to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff, managers and leaders have a shared vision and ethos for this home which is child focused and recognises the need for enthusiastic and dedicated staff. The team has remained stable since the home started operating in October 2017. All the staff the inspector spoke to are positive about their work, demonstrate ambition for the children and are pleased with the support they are offered by leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager recognised she was unable to commit to being in full- time day-to-day control of the home and took action to employ a suitable replacement. Remaining as a director, she and the responsible individual lead practice. They are involved in guiding staff to make considered and suitable decisions, and provide much of the essential training needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff are either qualified or engaged in undertaking professional child care qualifications to enhance their work practice. Staff have also completed specialist training such as dealing with autistic spectrum disorder, attachment issues and understanding child sexual exploitation. Directors are supportive of staff development needs and encourage personal progression. They are growing teams for the future. The induction programme and shadowing experienced staff opportunities are effective in equipping staff to do a good job.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring by leaders and managers and independent visitors is good. This monitoring is effective at helping them to identify things that need improvement. Sanctions have been completely reviewed following the previous use of fines which leaders and managers identified did not help children to change their negative behaviour. Although leaders and managers have produced wall charts to monitor the frequency of supervision, these have yet to fully address the problem. Inspection report children’s home: 1264756 5 Leaders, managers and staff provide a service which meets the aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. Leaders and managers have been flexible in extending some placements beyond the initial 90 days offered. Because leaders and mangers recognise the current challenges in providing moving-on accommodation, they are planning to register a long-term home for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Progress for children is well documented and provided on a weekly basis to placing authorities and other professionals as appropriate. Leaders and managers are readily prepared to challenge when the services provided to children fall short of expectations.

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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: 1264756 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Impact For Change Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Great Warham Cottage, Beaford, Winkleigh, Devon EX19 8AB

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Inspector

Janice Hawtin, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1264756 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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