Children's Home run by Action for Children Services Ltd in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC424103 1 SC424103 Registered provider: Action for Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a short-breaks service run by a national charitable organisation. The home accommodates up to eight children and young people who have learning disabilities. The children‟s needs range from moderate to severe learning disabilities with associated physical, health and sensory impairment and/or complex multiple needs. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 20 November 2012.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 14 to 15 November 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 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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC424103 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/08/2017 Full Good 14/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/07/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC424103 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 01/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 01/01/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC424103 4 The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child.

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children‟s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (2)(c)) 01/01/2019

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home‟s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child‟s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  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 progress in targets in operation and to 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

Staff welcome children into the home when they arrive and this helps them to settle quickly into their routines. The staff plan activities around the children‟s choices. The careful matching helps children to enjoy each other‟s company and to participate in activities together. A child visiting for tea, in preparation for an overnight stay, already knew the other children staying here. Children enjoy their stays. One child‟s face lit up when he spoke about his time here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While children can make daily choices, and these are acted upon, not all children are given the opportunity to have an input into the running of the home or to have one-to- one meetings with staff to give their views. Staff do not consistently communicate with Inspection report children‟s home: SC424103 5 children in the most effective ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress and their achievements are celebrated. The use of an achievement tree displayed in a communal room shows children that they are valued. However, not all progress outcomes are filled in regularly by all staff, missing the opportunity to review children‟s targets and to ensure that these remain realistic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff equip children to learn basic skills and to increase their independence. Children are prepared for when they move out of the home. One child said, „I am leaving when I am 18 because I am grown up.‟ Staff make themselves available for staff in the subsequent placement to consult with them and to advise should any difficulties arise.

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

The safeguarding of children is embedded into practice. The manager discussed safeguarding scenarios in team meetings and as a result made practical changes. This has enhanced the staff‟s ability to keep children safe.

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

High staff ratios mean that all children receive the level of attention and support that they need. They do not go missing from the home. Staff know what to do if this were to happen. Staff carry identity cards and children‟s missing profiles with them when they go out into the community. These cards include all the basic information about the child. The children‟s missing profiles are readily accessible to be referred to if the child did go missing.

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

Staff rarely use physical interventions. They manage the children by using strategies recorded in children‟s care plans. However, incidents are not clearly recorded to explain the circumstances and actions taken. Staff do not consistently record their evaluation of incidents or consult children to obtain their views. This undermines the ability for the manager to learn from these interventions.

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

Risk assessments are individualised to the child and they complement the generic policies. Staff have clear guidance to follow. They care for the children safely inside and outside of the home. Children‟s access to the community is well planned. Consequently, children enjoy a range of activities, such as trips to the theatre in London and a family activity day at an animal park.

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

Processes for administering medication are stringent. The staff ensure that they check all medications that come into the home and this process is witnessed by another staff member. The administration of medications is similarly rigorous.

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

Good fire safety measures are in place. All children take part in fire drills to ensure that they are aware of how to respond in case of a fire. Inspection report children‟s home: SC424103 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong leader. The staff spoken to report feeling well supported. This is a stable staff group. Many of the staff have worked at the home for many years. The children benefit from staff working with them who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has initiated questionnaires to obtain children‟s views about the service. She undertakes regular audits of records and makes good use of external professionals‟ feedback. However, she has not addressed shortfalls relating to the recording of incidents. Children‟s views are not consistently sought after such incidents. The manager recognises this shortfall and is working with the staff team to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision arrangements are regular and meaningful. Children‟s care plan reviews, staffing issues and areas of improvement are the focus of supervisions and team meetings. The identified training needs of staff are addressed and this ensures that the staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the children‟s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are encouraged to make positive changes to the service, for example one staff member is supported to improve the communication with children by designing photographs of activities and meals to enable children to make choices more easily.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children‟s records are stored in locked offices to ensure that they are not accessible to visitors to the home. However, some children‟s information, which should have been kept in a locked cabinet, was left out in communal areas. This risks the records being viewed by unauthorised persons.

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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: SC424103 7

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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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Inspector

Suzy Lemmy: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC424103 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 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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