Children's Home run by Autism Sussex Ltd in Bexley

Inspection report children‟s home: 1264841 1 Registered provider: Autism Sussex 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

A charitable organisation runs this short-break service for disabled children and young people on behalf of the local authority. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides „overnight stays‟ for up to 10 children and young people who have „disabilities and/or emotional and behavioural needs‟. The service is for children and young people living in the borough, and access to the service is through the local authority‟s disabled children team.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

This is the home‟s first inspection under the newly registered provider, Autism Sussex. Inspection report children‟s home: 1264841 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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(i) 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff and managers should continually and actively assess the risks of sexual exploitation, bullying, radicalisation and self-harm to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. 15/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

(a) children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

(b) the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‟s assessed needs. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. („Guide to the Inspection report children‟s home: 1264841 3 children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that notifications of serious events are sent to the regulator. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. („Guide to the children‟s

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Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that case records are kept up to date. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.3) In particular, ensure that a clear record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure; detail the processes for managing and improving poor performance; detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4) (b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the

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Recommendations

home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟ page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that a review of quality of care, under Regulation 45, focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The registered person should also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. The review should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that the home is homely and domestic rather than „institutional‟. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that all necessary repairs and refurbishments are completed in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good care from staff and managers who are attuned to their needs. Young people experience positive stays and are supported to make good progress from their challenging starting points. Young people look forward to spending time at the home. Parents stated that they felt confident about leaving their children in the home. Inspection report children‟s home: 1264841 4 Young people with limited verbal abilities are encouraged to communicate through the use of a picture exchange communication system, Makaton signing and other communication methods. Staff recognise signs of distress in the young people and respond appropriately. Young people are encouraged to express their feelings and are helped to feel understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people‟s health and educational needs are well supported. Staff and managers understand the young people‟s vulnerabilities as well as their strengths. Transitions from the home are thoughtfully planned and well managed, which reduces anxiety and promotes good outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people experience sensitively planned admissions to the home and are welcomed warmly. Referrals are carefully vetted so that only those young people whose needs can be met by the home are admitted. However, on one occasion since the last inspection, a young person admitted on an emergency referral had significant needs beyond what the home could meet. The young person had access to a specialist service during her stay and was moved to another placement in a planned way. However, there is room for improvement in managing admissions effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people‟s peer groups are carefully matched, where possible, allowing them to build familiarity and friendships with one another. Opportunities to participate in various activities in the community are offered to the young people. This helps to reduce their isolation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are taught self-care and independent living skills, helping them to feel empowered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, young people benefit from communication between the home and those who matter to them, including professionals and family members. Views from parents, social work professionals and the placing authority managers are largely positive about the quality of care and support the young people receive in the home.

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improvement to be good

Some risk assessments are robust while others are not. Not all risk assessments include risks associated with sexual exploitation, bullying, self-harm and radicalisation.

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improvement to be good

Behavioural management plans set out strategies for managing difficult behaviour. However, staff do not always work to the young people‟s behavioural management plans, even when there are clear strategies set out in the plans. Consequently, some of the young people do not receive effective interventions with their challenging behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The system in place for recording restraints and sanctions is appropriate. The use of restraint is low. The registered manager reviews each incident and implements any learning from her review. Inspection report children‟s home: 1264841 5 The quality of the daily log records is inconsistent. Some are more detailed than others. Young people‟s experiences of the day and the impact of the staff‟s actions are not always clear.

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improvement to be good

Young people who have verbal abilities know how to complain. The children‟s guide is easy to understand and contains a reference to the office of the children‟s commissioner. Complaints are handled in line with the home‟s procedures with child-focused outcomes. However, there is room for improvement in keeping a clear record of complaints and resolutions.

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improvement to be good

The home normally notifies Ofsted of serious incidents that have taken place without delay. However, the home did not notify Ofsted of a specific serious incident, and the reason for the lack of notification was weak.

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improvement to be good

Medication is generally organised safely. Staff and managers make sure that they keep young people‟s medication under review and report any effects on their well-being.

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improvement to be good

The home‟s location risk assessment and safeguarding policy are comprehensive. The home has a missing person‟s policy in place. Young people rarely go missing from the home. Staff are clear about and adhere to the home‟s child protection procedures.

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improvement to be good

Parents and professionals stated that young people are safeguarded at the home. A social worker manager stated that there are no safeguarding concerns. The designated officer for the local area has not received any referrals in relation to the adults working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened and is suitably qualified with a level 5 qualification in leadership for health and social care. The registered manager ensures that the home is adequately resourced to meet the young people‟s needs. The use of agency staff is carefully monitored. Staff who do not have a level 3 qualification or the equivalent are enrolled on a course arranged by the provider.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager monitors the quality of care provided through audits, practice observation and supervision. Staff members stated that they felt well supported to carry out their duties. Gaps in practice are challenged and staff are supported to perform to an acceptable standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager‟s evaluation of the home is underpinned by the quality standards. However, there is room for improvement in the written report under regulation 45. The manager has a plan in place to ensure that her report contains her in-depth analysis of the service, as well a detailed action plan for the next six months. The manager understands the importance of using the quality review as a continuous improvement tool. Inspection report children‟s home: 1264841 6 The home has a comprehensive training plan. Staff are offered training that covers the mandatory and supplementary areas for staff learning. The home‟s workforce development plan, however, needs to be updated with the new arrangements that have been implemented with the change of provider. This includes details of management and staffing structure, processes for managing staff performance, and timescales for probation and supervision of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person makes monthly visits to the home and her reports are comprehensive. However, they lack the independent person‟s clear opinion on whether young people are safeguarded and their well-being promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers work in partnership with others to ensure that young people experience positive stays and make good progress. They prioritise getting to know the young people, and learning their communication styles, likes and dislikes, and complex needs in an effort to provide good care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager promotes a child-focused service by seeking feedback from the young people, parents, carers and partner agencies individually, at annual events and review meetings. Their feedback contributes to the young people‟s care planning and informs overall service delivery.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While staff and managers work diligently to maintain a homely environment, there is room for improvement in ensuring that any repairs and refurbishments, however minor, are completed in a timely manner. The registered manager has made arrangements to ensure that the home is child-friendly and the level of impact on the young people until the repair is completed is minimal.

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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: 1264841 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Autism Sussex Ltd, Sussex House, 19 High Street, Battle TN33 0AE

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Inspector

Linda Kim-Newby, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1264841 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 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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