Children's home run by Surrey County Council

Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 1 SC405933 Registered provider: Surrey County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority and provides care for children who have a range of disabilities, including those on the autistic spectrum. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 11 February 2014.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2017 Full Good 15/02/2017 Full Good 01/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/02/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children‘s home a statement (―the statement of purpose‖) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (3) The registered person must— (b) notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(b)) 30/11/2018

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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. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (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; and (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‘s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they record an assessment of the impact a child may have on other children before they accept the placement. The assessment must also include any perceived risk that the child may pose to other children and details of the actions to be taken to minimise the risks.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that all risk assessments are quickly reviewed following significant events.

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Requirement Due date

In addition to ensuring that the premises are safe from avoidable hazards, the registered person must ensure that there is suitable guidance for staff to follow which meets the requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. 30/11/2018 Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 4

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Recommendations

 In addition to the requirements of this standard, the registered person has specific responsibilities under regulation 34 to prepare and implement policies setting out: arrangements for the safeguarding of children from abuse or neglect; clear procedures for referring child protection concerns to the placing authority or local authority where the home is situated if appropriate; and specific procedures to prevent children going missing and take action if they do. The policy on protection of children from abuse and neglect should include arrangements in relation to dealing with allegations involving staff in the home, e-safety and to counter risks of self-harm and suicide. All policies should be reviewed regularly and revised where appropriate. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 44, paragraph 9.19) In particular, the registered person should review the missing person‘s policy,

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Recommendations

with a view to ensuring that it meets the needs of children who have a disability.  Children should be supported to express themselves as individuals and should be given an appropriate degree of freedom and choice in relation to day-to-day arrangements for their care, depending on their individual needs and the setting in which they are cared for. This is in relation to both activities and personal items such as clothing, technology and leisure items. Children‘s reasonable preferences in relation to day-to-day arrangements should be met with consideration given to safeguarding, particularly in relation to the use of technology. Where a child‘s preferences are unreasonable or cannot be met for safeguarding reasons, staff should discuss this with the child to help them understand why. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 17, paragraph 3.21) In particular, the registered person should ensure that the staff consistently:

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Recommendations

- record any reason for restricting a child‘s access to facilities and items - agree such restrictions with significant people in children‘s lives - clearly detail restrictions in a child‘s care plan - ensure that this practice does not negatively impact on another child‘s freedom unnecessarily - ensure that any restrictions are regularly reviewed. The registered person should also review whether they are taking every opportunity possible to support children to: - express their views and choices - develop their self-help skills - increase their independence.  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 5 20). The plan should: - detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and

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Recommendations

qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home‘s Statement of Purpose; - detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); - detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; and - detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4) (b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home‘s manager. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, the registered person should review whether the organisation has appropriate records of any period of time that an applicant worked in another country.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff, who are attuned to children‘s needs. One parent said that her child helps to pack his bags every time he comes and another parent said that the only word her child speaks is the name of the home. These small but important indications demonstrate how much children enjoy coming here and the affection that children, and their parents, have for the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff prepare children well to come and stay here. Children reach a time that they feel ready to stay overnight at a pace which works for them, and their family. Written assessments which detail whether the staff and services can meet a child‘s needs prior to their arrival are available, and the information is used to develop the child‘s care plan. However, no written assessment is made of how the child may affect others in the home or be affected by them. Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 6 Children‘s health and education needs are met well. Meals and menus reflect children‘s dietary needs and physical activity is promoted. Children‘s educational goals are reflected in their care plan, links with children‘s educational placements are good and the staff re- evaluate children‘s care, for example following educational reviews and visits to schools.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know how to manage, administer and record medication appropriately. After a medication error, a detailed review of practice was completed. The review resulted in several helpful changes. It was positive to note that parents and professionals were involved in the investigation and decisions made and were satisfied with the outcome.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The culture and practice in the home create some opportunities for children to voice their views but these opportunities are not maximised. The staff are good at recognising the signals that children have which indicate their feelings, wishes and needs. However, meal options, for example, are not provided in a variety of formats each day that mirror children‘s communication practice. The use of children‘s communication aids to assist them in putting forward their views is inconsistent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is clean and tidy but lacks homely, personalised touches in some areas. Bedrooms are not personalised, especially where a child stays regularly. Sometimes, there are two beds in a child‘s room because they need a specialised bed, and bathrooms contain additional aids regardless of whether the child using this room needs them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents can see how staff support has helped their child to develop their self-help skills and to manage their emotions better. However, the dining room has limited space, especially for children who use mobility aids, and the kitchen is not adapted for children who have a physical disability. These are missed opportunities to help develop independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans are simple and relevant. The manager is in the process of implementing a new target setting plan. The new plan breaks down goals into manageable steps which can more easily be measured and reviewed.

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

Children feel safe and comfortable here. The managers contact safeguarding agencies appropriately and work in cooperation with social workers and parents. Staff have good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. One parent commented that she felt that her child was in ‗safe hands‘. The managers have arranged a broad range of relevant safeguarding training, which staff value and which extends their knowledge appropriately.

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

Good behaviour is promoted well, and children respond to the consistency and stability which the staff provide. Children are encouraged to take age-appropriate risks, especially when they are moving towards adulthood. An ‗achievement tree‘ is in place which celebrates children‘s successes. The staff help children to develop coping mechanisms well and they change their support strategies if a child is struggling.

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

Risk assessments and support plans are in place, but these are of variable quality. Following incidents, the assessments are not quickly reviewed to check if guidance needs to Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 7 change. Staff do not always sign, and date, documents. Details of the actions that staff should take sometimes lack clarity.

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

Locking some facilities is essential for children‘s safety and this is done well. However, some areas such as wardrobes and the DVD cupboard are regularly locked. No assessments for this restrictive practice are recorded and agreed for each child. This prevents children‘s choice and decreases opportunities for them to learn how to take care of themselves.

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

Staff rarely use physical intervention and no child has gone missing from the home. Guidance about what staff should do if a child goes missing does not specifically relate to the needs of children who have a disability. While this has not impacted on children‘s welfare, it does not provide staff with helpful direction about what to do if this should occur.

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

Leaders and managers generally recruit staff safely. In one recruitment file, there was no evidence that intelligence from Interpol or national embassies had been sought for a member of staff from another country.

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

Health and safety practice is variable. The staff regularly record fire checks and refrigerator and freezer temperatures. Staff do not adequately check the environment for safety hazards, such as trailing wires and tears to padding used in children‘s beds, or ensure that visitors know their fire evacuation procedures. In-house guidance about what to do if an incident occurs involving a hazardous substance was not available. Immediate action was taken to correct this during the time of inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate and dedicated to developing the service to meet children‘s, and their families‘, needs. She regularly attends training, which expands her knowledge and skills. The responsible individual is very visible and involved in all aspects of the home. The registered manager and parents value her support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff work very well with professionals. One social worker was very positive about how a member of staff provided information at a meeting which helped to make decisions about a child‘s support in other settings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is regular, contains good detail of the topics covered and provides space for reflection and learning. There are plans for the responsible individual to undertake a full audit of supervision practice in the near future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are developing a nurturing and reflective culture where learning is encouraged. They identify and meet additional training needs well. A variety of learning opportunities, such as buddying, development opportunities and focused team meeting items, help to embed training well. Staff now usually obtain the necessary qualification in the appropriate timescale. Reasons why one person has not achieved this were clear. Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 8 The workforce development plan does not include all the necessary information. It does not provide a rounded picture of the very good training opportunities that staff have or provide a clear plan for future training needs which managers can monitor effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and reviewing mechanisms have improved. Leaders and managers are taking a planned approach to improving these systems. This allows them to embed changes effectively and involve relevant people in decisions that they make. This helps the children, their families, staff and professionals to consider that their opinions are valued, and that they can influence change. This excellent practice has enabled a group of parents and children to successfully move, from a service which closed, to this home. One parent said: ‗I did not want my child to come here but now we both love it.‘

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose does not contain all the necessary information, it is not sent to Ofsted when changes are made and it needs to be more personalised to the children who the staff care for. The six-monthly report lacks analysis and evaluation and therefore does not fully support leaders and managers to identify good practice and areas for improvement. They plan to rectify this in time for the next report.

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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: SC405933 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Surrey County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7QQ

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Inspectors

Ruth Coler: social care inspector Anne-Marie Davies: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC405933 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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