Children's home run by White Lodge Centre in Runnymede

Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 1 SC013828 Registered provider: White Lodge Centre

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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 children’s home provides short-break care for up to six children who primarily have physical and/or learning disabilities. The home is located on a multi-purpose site and it is operated by a large charitable organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 16 to 17 August 2018 and 25 September 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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: 12 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/04/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/11/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 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 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— that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, regarding recording investigations and the outcomes of these investigations including action taken. 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— take adequate precautions against the risk of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that personal emergency evacuation plans are up to date and records clearly state which staff and children have undertaken fire drills. 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. (Regulation 32 (4))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, apply this to agency workers. 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the designated safeguarding lead is suitably qualified, and the registered manager has relevant supervision. 30/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 4 Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that suitable records are maintained of any persons who reside or work in the home and of all visitors to the home. 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3) This specifically relates to demonstrating the progress that children make in achieving their targets and the need to ensure that these are recorded consistently and regularly reviewed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a positive introduction to the home. Staff visit children in their Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 5 homes and schools to familiarise themselves with the children’s needs prior to their short break stays. The opportunity to have tea visits prior to staying overnight ensures that children are familiar with the staff and environment. A new staff rota ensures that a child’s key worker, who is familiar with the child, is available to help them settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-planned activities and positive relationships with staff enrich the experiences of children while they are staying in the home. Staff enjoy being with the children, who benefit from the time spent here. Parents spoken with were very positive about the service. One parent said, ‘The staff go above and beyond for my child’. Another said, ‘My child is happy when she goes to the centre and is happy when she comes home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s voices are valued by staff, who use the children’s own methods of communication to enable them to make choices. Photographs of activities and food are readily available for the children to show their choice, with staff support. Children’s views are sought at the end of each stay. This helps the staff team to resolve any issues or concerns prior to the child’s next stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s complex health needs are met by trained staff who are competent in managing the children’s specialist aids. Any specialist training, including medication, sleep systems and feeding methods, is provided by a nurse employed by the organisation. Any issues can be swiftly responded to by a competent, trained professional. Close working relationships with external professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapist and speech and language therapists, ensure that there is a consistently good level of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress during their stays. Staff encourage children and provide support for them which helps them to develop their skills. For example, they learn self-care skills, become familiar with using public transport and try cooking with staff. Targets set are broad. However, more measurable targets, which could be reviewed to ensure that they remain achievable and effective, would enhance this process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children when they move on from the home by working closely with parents, professionals and services to provide the necessary information about the child’s needs to achieve a smooth transition. Children are presented with a memory book, which includes photographs, memorabilia and messages from all the staff and their peers, where possible. This is a well-thought-out celebration of the time they have spent here, for the children to treasure.

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

Staff are encouraged to report to managers if they have any safeguarding or care concerns. A member of staff was praised by managers for informing them about a recent concern. She reported to the inspector that she was happy with the way the matter was dealt with. Improvements in the recording of body maps and complaints means that staff provide the necessary information for managers to monitor and review the service adequately. Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 6 The staff’s knowledge of the children is very good. Comprehensive care plans and risk assessments are reviewed to ensure that they have up-to-date knowledge about how to care for the children safely. Detailed activity risk assessments enable staff to protect children adequately during activities away from the home.

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

The staff’s vigilance, awareness and close supervision ensure that children are kept safe within the home and while using the local area. Children are given the opportunity to have time to themselves, if appropriate. Staff are risk aware, not risk averse. Children do not go missing from the home. Staff demonstrated an awareness of the home’s policy and procedures to use, should such an event occur.

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

Physical interventions are rarely used and if they are needed, only agreed methods written into the child’s behaviour management plans are used. All staff are taught in de- escalation methods and can identify at an early stage whether children’s behaviour may be escalating. Good planning, including matching children who are compatible with each other, reduces the risk of serious incidents occurring.

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

The home’s premises are appropriately secure and provides a safe environment for children. A locality risk assessment highlights any known risks in the area and actions taken to minimise these. Closed-circuit television cameras are used to ensure that staff are aware of any visitors or intruders to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is enrolled on the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. He has additional responsibilities for the wider organisation and is therefore supported by the care coordinator on a day-to-day basis. This person takes responsibility for many operational aspects and these arrangements are not sufficiently clear. In practice, the care coordinator makes decisions for which the registered manager is ultimately responsible and accountable. Inspectors were not convinced that adequate measures are in place to ensure that the registered manager maintains a sufficient amount of oversight and monitoring that his role requires. Consequently, the registered manager’s ability to measure strengths and weaknesses and develop the service further are compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

One example of insufficient monitoring relates to the recording of safeguarding investigations. The actions taken, and the responses of professionals, are not clearly set out. Consequently, it was not possible for the inspectors to be sure that all of the necessary actions were taken. Staff consult with the coordinator in relation to safeguarding matters as part of her daily and on-call responsibilities. However, she has not undertaken the designated safeguarding lead training to enable her to fully understand her role and responsibility in relation to keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Insufficient management monitoring has failed to identify gaps in relation to the children’s fire safety personal evacuation plans. For example, all of the measures to use Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 7 for a child who struggles in response to hearing the fire alarm are not recorded. Consequently, staff do not have the necessary guidance to support this child in case of a fire. Records of fire drills do not record the names of the children and staff who have participated. In other ways, fire safety is taken seriously, and measures are taken to reduce any risks if there should be a fire. For example, night staff confidently demonstrated how they would respond in the event of a fire by undertaking a role- playing exercise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some safeguarding processes have improved since the last inspection. Staff demonstrate a more thorough knowledge of safeguarding policy and procedures. There has been a focus on safeguarding training, reinforced at team meetings and during supervisions. Regular testing of the staff’s safeguarding knowledge identifies any gaps in this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has not had practice-related supervisions. In addition, the records of his supervision meetings are brief, with very little evidence of discussion relating to the children’s needs and how he ensures that the staff meet these. The supervisions with staff are better. These meetings are regular and focus on the children and feedback regarding their stays, as well as any changes made to care plans. Staff feel safe to discuss personal issues that affect them, as well as any concerns that they may have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Agency staff, when used, are regular and known to the children. However, they do not all possess the level 3 diploma in residential childcare and there is no formal induction procedure used for these staff. The work experience of these staff is not recorded. Consequently, managers are not aware if the knowledge and experience of agency staff is consistent with the rest of the staff team. Permanent staff are well trained and experienced. They possess the necessary skills to provide the care needed by the children.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 8 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Holloway Hill, Lyne, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0AE

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Inspectors

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Sophie Wood, regulatory inspection manager Teri Peck, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report children’s home: SC013828 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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