Children's home run by The Little Flower

Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 1 SC462631 Registered provider:

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides residential and respite care and accommodation for up to three children or young people who have physical and/or learning disabilities. A private company runs the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2013.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/08/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/10/2016 Full Good 03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 3

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff recruitment files contain written evidence, when applicable, of candidates’ leave to remain and permission to work in the UK.  Mechanical restraint may be needed to limit self-injurious behaviour, such as for the small numbers of children who have severe cognitive impairments, where measures such as arm splints or cushioned helmets may be required to safeguard children from the hazardous consequences of their behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.46) In particular, leaders and managers must record professional advice in relation to any particular type of restraint used to safeguard young people, and it must be

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Recommendations

included in young people’s care plans.  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1. The plan should be updated to include any new training completed by staff while working at the home and used to record ongoing training. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) In particular, records must be kept when staff training is refreshed.  Records must be kept of the administration of all medication. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) In particular, staff must consistently follow the home’s counter-signature policy when administering young people’s medication.  Progress can be measured and evidenced in various ways. The child’s personal circumstances, individual needs and educational history are relevant in

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Recommendations

considering what might constitute progress. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.2) In particular, staff should continually review young people’s targets and clearly record their progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress from their starting points during their stay in the home. Partnership working with schools and parents, staff set ‘age- and’ ability-based skills targets for young people. Young people’s successes include improved social skills, increased participation in structured activities and learning to make choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the young people very well. Their knowledge of young people’s health, social and emotional needs, combined with diets, routines, activity preferences and communication styles, helps to ensure that all of the young people’s needs are met during their stay in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The dedicated staff team works skilfully to ensure that the young people enjoy their time in the home. Young people safely participate in a wealth of exciting activities during their stay in the home. Favourites include music making, messy play, pampering sessions and cultural celebrations, alongside community activities, which all enhance young people’s day-to-day experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The three-bedded semi-detached bungalow provides clean, comfortable and suitably adapted accommodation that supports young people with physical disabilities. The lounge is the hub of the home, with books, arts and crafts, musical instruments and photographs all adding to the homely feel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many of the young people who use the service are non-verbal. Staff’s use of alternative communication styles is effective and ensures that all of the young people have a voice in the home. Eye gaze, pointing and picture exchange systems enable young people to express their wishes and feelings, which ensures that the staff’s care and support are dynamic and responsive to young people’s changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager successfully encourages young people’s family and friends to participate in birthday parties, leaving parties, and Christmas celebrations in the home. Parents’ compliments include, ‘There should be more homes like this’, and, ‘a happy, positive, home-away-from-home experience’.

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

The registered manager and staff team consider each young person’s needs in meticulous detail prior to their first stay in the home. The staff’s observations of young people at school, combined with parental discussions, enhance the referral information. The helps staff to understand young people’s particular needs.

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

The home provides a safe physical environment for young people during their stay. Young people do not go missing from the home. Staff complete thorough community activity risk assessments and provide young people with high levels of supervision. As a result, young people are kept safe without limiting their experiences. Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 5 Young people’s care plans and risk assessments are detailed and kept up to date. Careful details, such as a young person’s choice of side to sleep on or preferred sitting position when eating and drinking, help provide care that is bespoke for each young person.

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

The registered manager ensures that all statutory certificates for fire and health and safety checks are both current and reviewed in line with regulations. Every young person has a personal emergency evacuation plan and they participate in the home’s regular fire drills. This ensures that young people and staff are familiar with the procedures should an emergency occur.

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

All staff are subject to robust recruitment procedures. However, during the inspection, one staff file did not contain the necessary documentation verifying their leave to remain in the UK. The registered manager said she had seen the documentation during interview but agreed it should also be evidenced on the staff member’s record.

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

Each young person has a pharmacist-designed ‘medical profile’. This helps staff understand the importance, impact and relevance of each young person’s medication routines. There have not been any medication errors since the last inspection. However, the home’s counter-signature protocol is not consistently practised.

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

Physical restraint is rarely used in the home. There has not been any physical restraint since the last inspection. However, where young people require additional forms of planned physical restraint, such as adapted equipment to help keep themselves safe, there is no professional recommendation or formal consent form on the young people’s files.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-focused and prioritises the needs of the young people in the home. She spends time with them, is aspirational and wants young people to enjoy and achieve to the best of their abilities. A member of staff said that the registered manager ‘always goes the extra mile’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s evaluation of the home’s strengths and areas for further improvement is underpinned by her monthly auditing of the home. She makes very good use of the independent visitor’s reports and regular feedback surveys from professionals and parents. This helps to inform the home’s development plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager shares her knowledge widely. Student placements and volunteers contribute to the home’s learning philosophy, while they also benefit from the registered manager’s comprehensive support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is suitably qualified and trained. Staff receive a range of core and specialist skills training to meet the complex needs of the young people who stay in the home. However, refresher training dates are not correctly recorded. This runs the risk Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 6 that staff are not up to date with current knowledge.

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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: SC462631 7

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Cheridah Caesar-Mejias

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Cheridah Caesar-Mejias

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Inspector

Victoria Jones, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC462631 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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