Children's Home run by Action for Children in Hertfordshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC426172 1 SC426172 Registered provider: Action for Children

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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 service is run by a large charitable organisation. The home provides short breaks for up to six children who have learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2015.

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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: 5 December 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: SC426172 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2018 05/12/2017 Monitoring Full Good Inadequate 05/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC426172 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

The children‟s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children‟s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, take effective action to respond to children‟s wishes and feelings that are communicated during house meetings. 03/12/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home‟s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(e)) 03/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is—

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 18/12/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC426172 4 (4)(a)(b)(5))a)(b)) The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) This is in regard to agency and voluntary members of staff. 03/12/2018

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Recommendations

 During a short break, staff are responsible for maintaining a child‟s ongoing health treatment, including the management of medication on arrival and departure from the home and recording and sharing information about when medication was administered. („Guide to the children‟s home regulations including the quality standards‟, page 36, paragraph 7.20)  The home‟s policies and procedures around the protection of children should reflect any requirements of other relevant legislation. („Guide to the children‟s home regulations including the quality standards‟, page 44, paragraph 9.22)  The location review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home‟s location and strategies for managing these. („Guide to the children‟s home regulations including the quality standards‟, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work proactively with parents and professionals to ensure that the children‟s complex health needs are met. Clear placement plans support the staff to meet these needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A motivated team has built up good, trusting relationships with the children. Staff can understand children‟s individual communication needs. This was evident throughout the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences during their stay. Staff involve the children in a wide variety of activities, both in the home and community. The children are involved in household tasks. During the inspection, children were observed helping staff to cook dinner and helping to pick herbs from the garden. There is a wide variety of games and toys for children of all ages and abilities to play with. A communication talk board is situated outside the playroom, which enables the children to indicate which toys they would like to play with. The well-equipped adapted play area in the garden gives all of Inspection report children‟s home: SC426172 5 the children access to swings and other equipment. This means that children can play outside in a customised, safe environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of routines for children. The staff, in consultation with parents, support the children to develop their independence skills. A parent said that staff support her child to follow the same independence routine that the child has at home. Staff work proactively with parents and seek their views on how the children are cared for during their short breaks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can participate in regular house meetings. The records of these meetings are summarised in picture exchange communication and placed on the children‟s notice board. However, staff do not always ensure that different children attend the meetings, and, at times, plan the meetings to take place when children are tired after returning from school. It is unclear how staff respond to children‟s wishes and feelings that are communicated during these meetings.

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

Children have access to a „talk corner‟ where there are picture exchange communication cards that they can use to indicate to staff how they are feeling. There is accessible information for children on how to make a complaint, and who to tell if they are worried, upset or feeling bullied. There are picture exchange communication systems around the home that children can take to staff. Children are therefore able to communicate any concerns or worries to staff.

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

The staff have undertaken safeguarding training that included the „Prevent‟ duty and understanding radicalisation and county lines. This training helps staff to have an awareness of current safeguarding issues.

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

Comprehensive risk assessments outline the risks, concerns and strategies to reduce risk and keep children safe. These assessments are regularly audited and amended when necessary to provide accurate guidance to staff to keep children safe.

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

There has been one safeguarding incident since the last inspection. This was well recorded with details of actions taken and follow-up work with professionals and parents. However, the incident was not unpicked sufficiently with staff to enable them to understand the possible impact. The „Working together to safeguard children‟ policy that staff refer to is out of date. Staff now discuss safeguarding scenarios monthly to help embed good practice.

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

Medication is administered and stored correctly, and all staff have completed medication training. However, although staff check and record all oral and ointment medication, they do not check and record equipment expiry dates such as feeding buttons. This led to the safeguarding incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children‟s home: SC426172 6 The manager has a clear vision for the service. She is passionate about ensuring that children have the best possible experiences during their stay. Staff spoken to said that the manager is supportive and listens to and implements their ideas to improve the service further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met the requirements from the last full inspection. She understands the strengths of the home and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and parents commented that the manager often facilitates extra nights for children to accommodate family emergencies. One parent said that her child is due to move into adult care, but there is nothing available. The manager has been able to secure some additional nights at this service to support the child through a longer transition period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager undertakes weekly and monthly monitoring checks that are sent to head office and entered on a database. A report is then produced that enables the manager to look at trends and patterns at the service, and to identify areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and supportive supervision that includes personal development. However, agency and voluntary staff are not supervised regularly. These staff do not receive the level of supervision and oversight that they should.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff have achieved or are in the process of achieving a relevant level 3 qualification. However, one member of staff has not completed this within the relevant timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not sought information from external agencies to inform the location risk assessment and has not included the risks to children if they go missing from the home. The impact is somewhat lessened by high supervision levels and looking at scenarios with staff to consider what to do if a child goes missing.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC426172 7 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: SC426172 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Action for Children, 3 The Boulevard, Ascot Road, Watford WD18 8AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shelagh Frankcom

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Inspectors

Trish Palmer: social care inspector Natalie Burton: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC426172 9 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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