Children's Home, Residential special school run by Wandsworth Borough Council in Wandsworth

Inspection report children’s home: SC470513 1 SC470513 Registered provider: Wandsworth Borough Council

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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 is a local authority-run service which provides care and accommodation for up to 56 children who have autistic spectrum disorders and associated conditions. The registered children’s home is on the same site as the organisation’s school; it accommodates children for 38 and 52 weeks of the year.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified manager in post who has been registered with Ofsted since September 2016.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 29 November 2017

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC470513 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2017 Full Good 23/01/2017 Full Outstanding 13/07/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC470513 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 health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, staff should seek outcomes of medical appointments and procedures in a timely manner. 22/02/2019

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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 staff 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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. *(Regulation 12 (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)) 18/01/2019

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 22/02/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC470513 4 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 22/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular the registered person must ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. *(Regulation 23 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, they should ensure the blanket permission from the general practitioner to covertly administer medication is acceptable within NICE guidance and is required for each individual child. 18/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

A small number of children have been affected by the inappropriate behaviour of some staff. This behaviour has not always been identified or promptly addressed by senior leaders. Despite this, many children benefit from warm, caring relationships with committed staff who know and anticipate children’s needs well. They steadily progress and learn new skills, such as how to tolerate others, in addition to life skills that include making their own meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children access a range of activities in school and in the community and have enjoyed holidays in the UK and abroad. One child struggled with taking transport, but with support managed to travel on the Eurostar and on aeroplanes. Inspection report children’s home: SC470513 5 Children’s transitions into the home and on to their next placements are well planned. Children are helped to stay in touch with their families, with staff facilitating contact even when families live hundreds of miles away.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s medical needs are mainly well met. However, concerns were noted regarding blanket permission by the local GP to covertly administer medication, and there several months’ delay in following up the results of specialist appointments. Staff feel that they are not given enough training in the administration of medication.

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

Children have not been consistently kept safe. There have been incidents of children being humiliated, both verbally and physically, by different members of staff in different homes on the site. Some of the instances have been identified and reported, leading to staff becoming the subject of formal disciplinary processes. However, other instances of alleged physical, verbal and racist abuse have neither been investigated nor referred to the designated person in the local authority. Many safeguarding records contain insufficient information, and do not contain the rationale for decisions or the outcomes of allegations made. Insular practice is therefore a concern.

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

Despite this, children’s actions and demeanours demonstrate that they feel comfortable in their homes. During the inspection, they were also seen to approach staff when they were worried or upset. Staff are attuned to children’s emotions and often re-direct them to other activities.

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

Behaviour management is a strength in the home, and monitoring and analysis of incidents and use of restrictive practice is integrated into children’s plans. There is a focus on reducing the amount of restrictive practice used, including medical intervention, with targets for all children on how this will work best for them.

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

Children have, on occasion, gone missing from the home and have been found in the community. Responses have been swift and robust, with staff working well with the police. Missing from care profiles are clear and staff have quick access to photos to distribute should a child go missing. Plans identify why the child may choose to run away from staff and where they are likely to go to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to consistently promote a culture that values and safeguards all children. Incidents of poor behaviour from staff have occurred that have not always been recognised or appropriately dealt with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is not fully staffed, but continuous recruitment is boosting staff numbers. High levels of sick leave are having a negative effect on the service because senior managers are unable to fulfil their functions properly as they are regularly covering staff shifts. Inspection report children’s home: SC470513 6 There is also a lack of minibus drivers, which restricts access to some activities for children. Staff on shift are trying their utmost to ensure that children have a positive experience and can still access activities in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management team understands what the home does well. However, their scrutiny of the home has not identified obvious weaknesses. This includes scrutiny by the independent visitor in line with regulation 44.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders advocate for children and have challenged a placing authority about a decision they considered was not in a child’s best interest. The home was tenacious in successfully advocating for the correct placement for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The response to stopping neighbour complaints has been extremely considerate and effective and includes sound proofing and acoustic fencing, without creating an institutional feel to the home.

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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: SC470513 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Wandsworth

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road, London SW17 0LA

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Inspectors

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Sarah Olliver, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470513 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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