Children's home run by Essex County Council in Chelmsford

Inspection report children’s home: SC068929 1 SC068929 Registered provider: Essex County Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority-run home provides short breaks and respite care for up to eight children and young people. The aim of the short-break service is to provide support for families to help them to keep their child in the family environment. The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 27 July 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

From their individual starting points, most of the children make and sustain positive progress across most aspects of their lives. A team manager said, ‘The team is invaluable. Communication is brilliant. The staff are a very valued resource to social work teams and parents alike.’ An education professional said, ‘There is no other service like it. Without it, families would be in crisis.’ Staff have a good depth of knowledge about the children in their care and provide an individualised response to each child’s needs. Children experience security because of the established relationships that they have with staff, consistent boundaries and long-term stays.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Consultation with the children occurs through daily interaction and play with the staff, Inspection report children’s home: SC068929 2 using each child’s specific communication medium. This support helps the children to express their views about their care and the things that are important to them. Children actively take part in regular activities at the home and in the community.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Well-structured routines and support plans help children to learn to manage their behaviour and to communicate what they are feeling and thinking in a range of different ways. The staff have a good understanding of children’s strengths and needs, and how to support their progress. The staff are vigilant and careful in their care of children. They continually reassess what children are doing in order to understand them better and help them further.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home environment is well presented. There are visible displays that help children to understand their environment. Managers and staff have developed various communication techniques to help children communicate and engage in making everyday decisions. During the inspection, children spoken to said that they are happy staying at this home. The children were observed to be having fun, especially with the singing and dance-along game.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s educational needs form an important part of their time staying at the home. The children benefit from the maintenance of good routines and the provision of educational activities. The staff fully participate in reviews of services and other multi- agency meetings. All of the children attend an education provision, which helps to support them into adult life.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager ensures that the health of the children is promoted positively and that the staff have a good oversight of children’s healthcare needs, including their emotional well-being.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice. They are fully aware of their responsibility to protect the children from abuse and they can confidently describe reporting procedures. The staff are fully aware of the roles of external agencies and reported with confidence their organisation’s whistle-blowing policy. This knowledge helps to ensure that any safeguarding concerns are reported and dealt with promptly.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff de-escalate challenging behaviour successfully. Physical restraint is only used when necessary to protect the children or staff from harm. Sanctions are proportionate and fair. There have been no incidents of children going missing from care since the last inspection. All of the staff are trained in the use of restraint and conflict management. Incidents of restraint, and sanctions, are recorded well. However, the debriefing sessions with the staff and the children have not been reviewed or recorded in full. This has not had an impact on the safety and well-being of the children, but it limits the ability to reflect fully on practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The organisation and management of the home are totally child focused. This is achieved by the willingness of staff to work flexibly and with a team-centred approach. The staff all buy into the ethos, culture and working practices that they have helped to create at the home over the years. Children’s needs are put first, and staff are prepared Inspection report children’s home: SC068929 3 to work hard so that those needs can be met.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager offers good support to the staff and is dedicated to caring for children with complex needs. Regular team meetings ensure that children are discussed in detail and that they remain the focus of activities. A new member of staff said, ‘I am really happy working here. It is brilliant. I was scared when I first started and a bit overwhelmed, but with the support from the management and the staff team, I now absolutely love my job.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Various independent visitors come to the home and produce monthly monitoring reports. The information contained in the reports gives a good overview of the home, the staff and the children who stay there. However, independent visitors often do not speak with professionals and pass this forward for the next visitor. Some visitors have not spoken to the children because the children are non-verbal. Some of the independent visitors are known to staff working at the home due to their role in the local authority. The provider has not addressed the conflicts of interest that have arisen as a result, and the visitors’ reports have not documented this conflict.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has met the two requirements raised at the last inspection to good effect.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2018 Full Good 16/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/11/2016 Full Outstanding

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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 ensure that— 31/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC068929 4 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

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)(b)(i)(c)) Subject to paragraph (4) and (5) of regulation 43, the registered provider may not appoint the following as an independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is a local authority, a person who is employed by that local authority in connection with the carrying on of the local authority’s social services functions (as defined by section 1a of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970(a)) relating to children. (Regulation 43 (3)(a)) 31/12/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the independent person they appoint has the skills and understanding necessary to: relate to children in a home’s care; and assess all relevant information. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out Inspection report children’s home: SC068929 5 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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Chelmsford CM1 1QH

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Osagioduwa Igbinovia

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Inspector

Cathy Russell: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068929 6 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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Inspector

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