Children's home run by Surrey County Council

Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 1 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 local authority home, registered for two young people, is part of a jointly commissioned and funded, multi-agency service that provides therapeutic support for young people who have complex mental health, education and social care needs that cannot be met by one agency alone. The residential element of this service offers support to young people in mental health crisis but who do not require a psychiatric admission. The beds are available to young people for up to seven days at a time, and the service also aims to enable partner agencies to better respond to young people‟s mental health needs out of hours. A suitably qualified and experienced registered manager is in post and has been registered with Ofsted since 28 June 2018.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 February 2018

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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: 1230411 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 20/07/2017 Full Good 01/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/09/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 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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needs are met

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— (c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans; and (d) seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children‟s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (c)(d)) 31/12/2018

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13: The leadership and management standard

2. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (c)(d)) 31/12/2018

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32: Fitness of workers

4. For 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— (a) the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Child Care (England); or (b) a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (5) The relevant date is— (a) in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in the home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years 31/12/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 4 after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in the home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a))

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40: Notification of a serious event

(4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— (a) a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; (c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; (d) a child protection enquiry involving a child— (i) is instigated; or (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 31/12/2018

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45: Review of quality of care

(1) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. (2) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— (a) the quality of care provided for children; (b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (3) After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). (4) The registered person must—

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45: Review of quality of care

(a) supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and (b) make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. (5) The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for 31/12/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 5 ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5))

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44: Independent person: visits and reports

(4) The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether— (a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. (5) The independent person‟s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)(5)) 31/12/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. The registered person should ensure that skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the home‟s workforce plan. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  Any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint (Regulation 35 (3)(c)). Children should be encouraged to add their views and

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Recommendations

comments to the record of restraint. Children should be offered the opportunity to access an advocacy support to help them with this. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 50, paragraph 9.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with

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Recommendations

relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 6 experienced professional. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are exceptionally well supported by this agency. The service provides a highly responsive and flexible approach and young people who have used this service report that it has changed their lives for the better. One young person said, „I came here dejected and tired of life but being here has given me glimpses of another world, the other side of my depression, which has re-energised me to regain confidence in myself.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop trusting relationships with young people, and this forms the foundation on which young people are able to begin to come to terms with some of their emotions. As a result, young people‟s confidence and self-worth grow, and they learn to become more resilient and to develop ways of coping with their difficult feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people keep in contact with their families and other people important to them because staff help to support this to happen. Young people and their families significantly influence the work carried out with them. Staff are sensitive to working with young people in a manner that enables them to fully engage, thus ensuring that they achieve the best possible outcomes. One parent said that she felt, „Relaxed in the knowledge that our child was safe, secure and looked after. Without this support, our family would have not survived.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers have developed highly effective relationships with a range of professionals. As a result, they are able to efficiently mobilise a range of services to support young people and their families upon leaving the service, thus significantly reducing the possibility of any future admissions to care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals demonstrate confidence in the staff‟s and manager‟s ability to engage with, and effect positive changes for, young people. One healthcare professional said, „The staff really understand the young people‟s needs and are able to support them through their periods of crisis, creating a sound foundation for future progress.‟

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improvement to be good

There has been one safeguarding incident since the previous inspection. The manager did not appropriately challenge the actions of the relevant authority. However, in this instance, the manager‟s action did not have any adverse impact. The failure to follow safeguarding procedures correctly could have hindered the responses of other agencies.

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improvement to be good

In some cases, the manager has not notified the regulator of significant events or has not done so in a timely fashion, as required by regulation. This could hinder the regulator‟s ability to monitor the service. Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 7 Comprehensive risk assessments, combined with an excellent understanding of the young people‟s risk factors, along with clear strategies for managing these ensure that staff proactively manage and work towards eliminating the risks to the young people. As a result, young people become safer and their engagement in risk-taking behaviours is reduced.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical interventions only as a last resort when de-escalation strategies are proving ineffective. The manager does not ensure that young people are provided with the opportunity to reflect upon their experiences with the support of a person who is independent of the physical intervention.

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improvement to be good

The organisation‟s recruitment procedures ensure that only suitably vetted people are employed to work with young people.

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improvement to be good

The arrangements for the health and safety of the staff and young people are well considered.

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improvement to be good

Young people are relaxed and safe with staff. Young people have clear routines and boundaries in their lives. As a result, some young people‟s anxieties have decreased.

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

The manager is passionate and committed and leads by example, creating a culture which is inspirational for staff and aspirational for young people.

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

There are good professional relationships between the home and its partner agencies. Managers and staff use their strong understanding of other professionals‟ roles and responsibilities effectively to ensure that young people‟s needs are met. When necessary, the manager has advocated on young people‟s behalf to ensure that their rights are respected and that they receive the necessary support for them to fulfil their potential.

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

Staff report that they feel very supported by their manager and receive regular supervision, although this does not always provide them with the opportunity to reflect upon their practice. Communication within the team is excellent and this is supported by consistency of approach in working with young people.

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

The provider has experienced difficulties in recruiting to vacant positions in the service. This has resulted in the manager undertaking tasks which would normally be delegated to other staff members. While this has reduced her ability to effectively carry out certain aspects of her role, it has not had a negative impact on the experiences of young people.

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

The independent visitor‟s reports lack analysis and evaluation of the standard of care provided. The manager has identified this shortfall and has taken steps to address the quality of the independent monitoring of the service. The manager has not submitted a Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 8 quality monitoring report to the regulator since the last inspection.

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

The manager has not ensured that staff undertake and complete the necessary qualifications in line with regulatory requirements. As a result, there are a number of staff who do not have the necessary qualifications to fulfil their roles.

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

The safeguarding training provided omits learning about some key areas of risk. While this has not adversely impacted upon young people, staff‟s lack of knowledge and understanding of key areas of safeguarding places young people at unnecessary risk.

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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: 1230411 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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Inspector(s)

Jacqueline Georghiou: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1230411 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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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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