Children's home run by Kids

Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 1 SC454707 Registered provider: Kids

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This short-break children‟s home is operated by a national charity. This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for no more than seven children and young people at any one time. The children may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 July to 1 August 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 requires improvement to be 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: 21 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2017 Full Good 10/10/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/05/2016 Full Good 27/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Quality standard 6 (1) and (2)(c)(i)).

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that children‟s bedrooms are fitted with suitable floor coverings to enable staff to keep them clean, that any damage to the home is repaired promptly and that suitable facilities are provided to enable wheelchair users to help to prepare food. 15/09/2018

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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 in paragraph (1) 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. (Quality standard 12 (1) and (2)(a) (i)).

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to the need to:

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Requirement Due date

 update risk assessments on individual children promptly to include any new information  ensure that staff report any unexplained marks on a child to the local authority within statutory timescales 15/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 4  conduct and record fire safety checks at the intervals recommended by the fire and rescue service. The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure

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Requirement Due date

was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a), (b) and (c)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review the home‟s system for recording restraints to ensure that all of the above points are included in the record. 15/09/2018

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home‟s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home‟s care („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 65 paragraph 15.9). In particular, these reports should provide scrutiny and challenge, which enables the service to further improve.  As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.1). In particular, the responsible person should clarify with the applicant all gaps in their employment history, prior to their appointment.  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information

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Recommendations

about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4). In particular, ensure that children‟s care planning documents are updated regularly and kept on the child‟s file. Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This short-break children‟s home provides high-quality day-to-day care for up to five children or young people at any one time. Relationships between the children, young people and staff are exceptionally warm, respectful and positive. Staff commented that it is a privilege to spend their working day playing with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home offers a total of 27 children and young people the socialisation and group activities that cannot easily be provided in their own homes. Parents commented that their children love coming to the home and they could not manage without this service. Short breaks enable families to have a much-needed rest, which helps them to continue to care for their children in their own homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the children and young people who enjoy short breaks at this home have conditions which can cause them to become extremely anxious in certain situations. For these individuals, relatively small achievements can have a considerable positive impact on the quality of their lives and those of their family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For example, some children and young people have improved their communication skills, so that they can better convey their wishes and needs. Some are now more patient and tolerant of others. They can now cope with sitting in public places with noise around them. Others are learning to interact with others. This will help the children and young people to lead relatively normal lives in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One older young person has learned how to choose items in shops, and scan and pay for them. This offers her the chance to improve the skills she will need to become more independent as she approaches adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides an extensive range of activities for all children and young people who come to stay there. During the inspection, a group of young people went to a wildlife park in the morning and then to a local shopping mall in the afternoon. This was a successful and enjoyable day for all concerned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a large, attractive garden with a polytunnel and raised beds, so that the children and young people can help to grow vegetables and fruit. The garden provides sensory experiences, physical activities and a musical water feature for the children and young people to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home consults children and young people, as well as their parents, on a regular basis. After every visit, children, young people and parents receive suitably tailored questionnaires to enable them to provide comments on the care provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some young people enjoy helping to bake and prepare meals in the home‟s kitchen. The kitchen is not yet adapted for use by young people who use wheelchairs. Although the Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 6 staff try their best to involve them, those who use wheelchairs would benefit from more accessible facilities. Other areas of the home, such as the garden, are wheelchair friendly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the home is bright and nicely decorated throughout, there are some areas which are showing signs of wear and tear. For example, one children‟s bedroom laminate floor covering has lifted. The manager has plans to replace this area of flooring.

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improvement to be good

There is a failure to update children‟s risk assessments when there is a new incident. For example, in January 2018, one young person ran away from the staff and reached the home‟s main gate before he could be diverted. A parent reported a similar incident while the child was in their care. Not all of the children‟s and young people‟s risk assessments include bullying and the risk of going missing.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager identified a medication error in April 2018, in which a child received less than their prescribed dose of medication. He investigated this error and took appropriate action to avoid a repetition. This incident was notified to Ofsted, as required by regulation.

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, none of the children and young people have gone missing. One child has been restrained. However, neither the restraint summary book nor the incident report provides a full account of what happened. This does not provide enough information for the manager and regulator to assess the quality of the intervention.

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improvement to be good

There was a period between the previous inspection and 22 February 2018, when the fire alarms were not always tested on a weekly basis. Managers identified this shortfall and, since then, alarms have been tested weekly. In addition, visual checks of fire extinguishers, which are carried out weekly, are not always recorded in the relevant section of the fire log.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment files are generally of a good standard. Gaps in employment history have usually been identified and are discussed with the candidates during their interview. One file was seen in which the member of staff had an unexplained three-year gap. It transpired that there was a valid reason for this, but it had not been identified during the recruitment process.

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improvement to be good

At the previous inspection, the home was asked to review the interview scoring matrix so that the scoring and decision-making process is more transparent. This has been actioned.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager notified Ofsted about an incident when staff did not report a potential safeguarding matter to the emergency duty team. The manager has already taken action to reinforce the child protection procedures with staff, but this shortfall has been noted in the requirement under the child protection quality standard. Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 7

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an experienced and qualified registered manager. He is currently undertaking a level 7 award in leadership and management, to augment his existing qualification at level 4. The manager is supported by a very able deputy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are well able to give examples of the children‟s and young people‟s progress and are justifiably proud of their outcomes. There are good management monitoring systems which help the manager to track the children‟s and young people‟s progress, but the home has only recently started to collate this information in a formal way. Monitoring systems identified the shortfall set out in this report and action to address these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a strong vision for where he wants the home to be in the short, medium and long term. He has clear plans for achieving this and wants the children and young people to have inclusive, positive experiences at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager identifies the quality of his staff and the home‟s relationships with other agencies as significant strengths. The registered manager has developed very positive relationships with the police, schools, children‟s and young people‟s services and the health trust. He has a good relationship with the designated officer for child protection and escalates any concerns appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager prepares detailed reports under regulation 45 of the „Children‟s homes regulations 2015‟. These reports are evaluative and help to guide the home‟s improvement. However, the home‟s independent visitor reports are in a question-and- answer format, which does not help to identify shortfalls and drive improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is adequately staffed for the number of children and young people. The staff team is diverse, well trained and supported. All experienced staff hold a qualification at level 3. Three recently appointed staff have been enrolled to undertake this award.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Both recommendations from the previous inspection have been met. However, both recommendations, in relation to employment practice and the quality of regulation 44 reports, have been repeated because there are now different shortfalls.

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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: SC454707 8 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: SC454707 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7−9 Elliotts Place, London N1 8HX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Caroline Stevens

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Inspectors

Heather Chaplin, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC454707 10 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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