Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund

Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund Inspection under the social care common inspection framework

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disabled children

This residential holiday scheme for disabled children is provided by a voluntary and charitable trust. It provides a residential holiday of one week for children with complex needs, including learning and physical disabilities and complex health needs. The scheme operates from a residential activity centre.

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Overall experience and progress of

children and young people, taking into account:

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outstanding

How well children, young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The residential holiday scheme for disabled children provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the residential holiday scheme contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.

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outstanding

Date of previous inspection: 14 August 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund

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Key findings from this inspection

This residential holiday scheme for disabled children is outstanding because:  Without exception, all children attending the camp have a high-quality, enjoyable holiday.  Leaders and managers are inspirational, confident and ambitious for children in improving the experiences of those in their care.  The culture of the camp is characterised by high expectations for all children. Disability is no barrier to the children’s achievements and experiences. They experience a full range of opportunities that promote their personal growth and development in a supportive and safe environment.  Children are exceptionally well cared for by experienced and competent helpers.  Children receive high levels of support and supervision. Highly effective planning manages and minimises risks to children while they are attending the holiday camp.  The quality, range and accessibility of activities significantly enhance

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Key findings from this inspection

children’s experiences, choices and understanding. They take part in varied, new and stimulating activities, making new friends.  Leaders and managers work in a coordinated way with children, their families and health professionals to ensure that children continue to have the right help and support during their stay.  Parents are confident that their children are well cared for during their holiday.

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Key findings from this inspection

The areas for development for the residential holiday scheme for disabled children:  The only shortfalls found relate to minor administrative issues. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund

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Recommendations

 Ensure that there is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping and take action where needed. (NMS 15.1)

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outstanding

The camp leaders and manager ensure that this holiday scheme provides children with excellent care and positive experiences that enrich their lives. The children are encouraged to take part in a wide range of stimulating, fun and exciting activities that promote their growth and development. These include playing games, canoeing and rafting, swimming, wall climbing, and arts and crafts. The helpers are universally supportive of the children, and their approach is to treasure individual progress and value diversity. They ensure that a child’s disability is no barrier to their achievement and experience.

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outstanding

Children enjoy extremely positive relationships with the adults who are looking after them. The helpers have strong interpersonal skills that enable them to build trusting relationships with children. The helpers use various communication methods with individual children, including pictures, symbols and Makaton. This ensures that all children can exercise choice about which activities they take part in.

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outstanding

Several children over the years have returned as adult helpers and are actively involved in the running of the scheme and the charity. This means that the leaders and helpers are highly motivated and driven to ensure that the children get the most from their holiday. Furthermore, a high number of the children come back to the camp year after year, because they are confident that they will have an enjoyable holiday.

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outstanding

Care planning and practice are highly personalised to meet the individual needs of each child. Comprehensive information regarding individuals is collected prior to the holiday scheme, including home visits to meet the children, their parents or carers, as well as seeking information from the health professionals involved in children’s lives. This considered planning, completed every time that a child attends the camp, enables the leaders and camp doctor to ensure that the needs of each child are met and that they get the most from their holiday.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs are clearly identified and very well met. The leaders and managers ensure that they have critical information, such as any specific medical Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund conditions, allergies and medicines. This ensures that children’s healthcare is not disrupted during their stay. Several of the helpers are medical professionals, and monitor children’s health and well-being effectively during their stay. This ensures that the children receive the right medical attention when required. The arrangements for managing medication are safe and effective.

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outstanding

Throughout the inspection, all the helpers were observed to be continuously encouraging and praising the children. All achievements by children are celebrated. This increases children’s confidence in their own abilities, irrespective of their disability.

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outstanding

The charity does not own any premises. The holiday camp takes place every year at a licensed activity centre. The venue is secure from unauthorised access and is well adapted to accommodate the needs of all children attending the camp.

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outstanding

Comprehensive activity risk assessments and health and safety checks are undertaken prior to and during the holiday camp. Leaders and managers ensure that all activities are safe and that appropriate insurances are in place. However, they have not updated the hard copy of the swimming activity risk assessment. This is an administrative weakness and does not impact on the safety and well-being of the children undertaking this activity. Effective action is taken to ensure that all helpers are aware of the fire evacuation procedures at the start of camp. The inspector has advised the camp leaders and manager to obtain a copy of the fire checks undertaken by the activity centre, for their own records.

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outstanding

Leaders and manager respond effectively to all accidents. At the time of the inspection, there had been a small number of minor accidents that leaders and helpers had responded to effectively. This promotes children’s welfare and safety.

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outstanding

Observations confirm that all the children have built positive relationships with the helpers and completely trust them. Leaders and helpers are suitably trained in safeguarding. Leaders and manager confirm that there have been no safeguarding concerns. The intimate care needs of disabled children are managed with the greatest possible sensitivity. Helpers demonstrate an excellent understanding of each child’s needs and vulnerabilities.

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outstanding

During their stay at camp, children’s behaviour is exceptionally positive and acknowledged by helpers and leaders throughout the children’s holiday. Restraints and sanctions are not used as a measure of control or discipline. There have been no concerns in relation to children going missing from the camp or bullying. Effective help and support are given to the children about how to treat others with respect.

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outstanding

Leaders and manager ensure that there is careful recruitment and selection processes. Appropriate checks are undertaken on all helpers and instructors to Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund ensure that they are suitable to work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager ensures that the camp is managed effectively and efficiently. The leaders and manager are highly inspirational, confident and ambitious to improve the experiences of all the children. This ensures that all those children attending the camp have a high-quality and enjoyable holiday. The leadership group has developed excellent relationships with the children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The helpers are all unpaid volunteers with a wide range of skills and experience. They include students and health, education and social care professionals. They have high expectations and aspirations for all children. In July the helpers attend a planning weekend organised by the leaders and manager. This ensures that they are well prepared to meet the needs of all the children during their holiday. The helpers also receive appropriate training prior to camp, including safeguarding and manual handling training. There are sufficient helpers to meet the needs of all the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The holiday camp is meeting the aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. This ensures that the children and their parents and carers are clear about the services and support that the holiday scheme provides. On the first day of camp, the leaders and helpers review children’s information and medication with their parents and carers to ensure that the scheme has the most up-to-date information. At the end of each day, leaders and helpers have a planning meeting to reflect on the day’s events and review the children’s progress. This ensures that the children benefit from continuity of care throughout their holiday.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership team strives for continuous improvement and has an excellent understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the camp. Leaders monitor the quality and impact of the camp and seek feedback from the children and their parents or carers at the end of the holiday. This enables the leadership team to take positive action to secure any future improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Where a child is not settling at the camp, leaders and managers take appropriate steps to ensure that the child’s plan is reviewed with the family. For example, a child who had been experiencing severe homesickness was encouraged to continue to attend as a day camper. This proactive approach meant that the child continued to attend the camp and experience the wide range of stimulating activities on offer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Parents’ comments include, ‘It’s absolutely amazing… they are just great, they are expanding her world and she is meeting different people. They absolutely understand her needs. It’s wonderful, she is doing activities that she would never be able to do otherwise.’ ‘He loves it… he goes on about it all year. They are absolutely amazing with the kids.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leaders and manager have addressed the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection in relation to updating the statement of purpose and ensuring that Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund all medication administration follows NICE guidance, particularly regarding the need for covert medication practice. This demonstrates that the leaders and manager respond effectively to recommendations to improve. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund

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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 difference 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 the 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 residential holiday scheme for disabled children 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 Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (England) Regulations 2013 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund

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Residential holiday scheme for disabled children details

Registered provider: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund

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Residential holiday scheme for disabled children details

Registered provider address: 13 Pickering Road, Broughton, Astley, Leicestershire LE9 6WA Responsible individual: Andrew Powell Registered manager: Vincent Keating

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Residential holiday scheme for disabled children details

Email address: committee@heswallcamp.org.uk

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Inspector

Michelle Bacon: social care inspector Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund to 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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