Children's home run by Action for Children

Inspection report children’s home: 1266835 1 Registered provider: Action for Children Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

 This home provides short breaks for children between eight and 18 years of age who may have a learning disability and/or complex health needs.  The home provides care for up to five children at any given time. The home is owned and operated by a national organisation.  A new manager has been appointed and he applied to register with Ofsted in January 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Since the previous inspection, a new manager has started working at the home. They have applied to register with Ofsted, and this application is currently going through the fit person process.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children continue to enjoy their short breaks at the home, and staff were observed supporting the children in activities with a great deal of care and attention. Staff care about the children, and the children were seen having fun with the staff. Photographs of Inspection report children’s home: 1266835 2 the activities that the children have taken part in while staying at the home are now being saved to the digital recording system to demonstrate their experiences and progress.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, staff understand the digital recording system better and they are using it more consistently. Paper records are still being transferred to these digital files; this has been a slow process and is ongoing. Forms being used by staff are being updated where required. The manager has been liaising with managers from the provider’s other homes, and is using this liaison to develop recording practices at this home and to meet the requirements of the regulations. Body map forms used to record injuries to children have been reviewed and updated and now allow for better tracking of what has happened after staff identify an injury. The electronic records confirm that staff have appropriately passed information to the child’s social worker, the designated officer and family. The manager has improved the monitoring of records and is signing documents that have been reviewed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are now receiving regular supervision and are supported in their role. Staff recruitment is ongoing. Vacant shifts are all being covered by staff employed by the provider. This has minimised the impact of staff vacancies, and the children are no longer having their short breaks cancelled.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and their families are now better able to let the provider know their views of the care that they receive at the home. The children have asked to be known as ‘VIPs’ and each day have a VIP meeting with staff when they arrive from school or home. The independent visitor speaks with children, families and other agencies about their views of the home, and the manager described building good relationships with the placing local authority and commissioners and attends meetings with them. Since the last inspection, parents have been asked to give feedback on the service that the children receive, and they have been consulted about the use of video monitoring in the home. As a result of this consultation, only five out of 12 families have asked for video monitoring to continue for their children, and the manager is keeping this under review. The consent forms will be taken to the next meeting with the children’s social workers.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team is liaising well with external agencies to help safeguard a child who comes to the home for short breaks. Records evidence staff responding well in response to an incident that occurred outside the home, which resulted in the police attending. All children staying at the home were safeguarded, and staff were able to appropriately assist the incident as required. The manager has agreed a support plan for one child, which is clearly recorded in the child’s records.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff rarely use physical intervention and restraint with children, and only two incidents in which staff have physically intervened have been recorded since the last inspection. However, staff are still not undertaking a debrief with the child after they have been restrained or following physical intervention. This was a requirement made at the last inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 1266835 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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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’)— has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)) 01/04/2019

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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. Inspection report children’s home: 1266835 4 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’.

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant Gregory Bennett

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Inspector

Kerry Fell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1266835 5 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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Inspector

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