Children's home run by Milton Keynes City Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 1 SC052599 Registered provider: Milton Keynes Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides short-break stays for up to 10 children between 5 and 19 years of age who have a learning disability and/or physical disability. The home is owned and managed by a local authority. The home’s statement of purpose states that many of those using the service have additional needs, including sensory impairment, physical impairment, specific health needs, communication difficulties, autism spectrum disorder and challenging behaviour.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 31 March 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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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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: SC052599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/08/2017 Full Good 15/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/06/2016 Full Good 21/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(b)) 04/02/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) In particular, ensure that pre-admission impact risk assessments consider the likely impact on both the children already living at the home and the child being admitted.

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Recommendations

 Children should be supported to express themselves as individuals and should be given an appropriate degree of freedom and choice in relation to day to day arrangements for their care, depending on their individual needs and the setting in which they are cared for. This is in relation to both activities and personal items such as clothing, technology and leisure items. Children’s reasonable preferences in relation to day to day arrangements should be met with consideration given to safeguarding, particularly in relation to the use of technology. Where a child’s preferences are unreasonable or cannot be met for safeguarding reasons, staff should discuss this with the child to help them understand why. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.21) In particular, the registered person should ensure that the staff consistently: – record any reason for restricting a child’s access to facilities and items

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Recommendations

– agree such restrictions with significant people in children’s lives – detail such restrictions in a child’s care plan – ensure that this practice does not have a negative impact on another child’s Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 4 freedom unnecessarily – ensure that any restrictions are regularly reviewed.

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that children’s bedrooms are reasonably personalised, especially for the children who stay regularly at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children look forward to their stays at the home. One child said, ‘Staff are kind and help you with whatever you want.’ Relationships with families and professionals are positive, all describing how the home is a welcoming environment, a place where the children spend time with their friends and enjoy the many experiences on offer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

An ‘achievement tree’ is in a focal position in the home; this celebrates children’s successes and personal goals. Staff have longstanding and trusting relationships with children. Through these relationships and high-quality care, children develop their skills and try new things. This helps the children to improve their social interactions and have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff role-model appropriate boundaries and teach the children what is safe and acceptable. Children become more confident to participate in the community than when they first came to the home. There is careful consideration of activities to ensure that the children can make the most of these occasions. As a result, the children gain greater independence and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with the children and their parents to ensure that the care planning is child-centred. Staff show a good understanding of the children’s individual needs, likes and dislikes. This provides the children with stability and security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create opportunities for the children to take part in day-to-day decisions and to voice their views. Staff operate a postbox system and support the children to name feelings and express their views on visual cue postcards. Staff review all the cards and provide a response to each card received. Consequently, children see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 5

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

Staff respond to the children in a reliable, attuned and nurturing manner. Children appear comfortable and relaxed in the presence of staff and each other. Staff understand that some children communicate their feelings through their behaviour. This enables the staff to pick up on the smallest of signals and to understand what the children are communicating. As a result, children have a sense of being known and understood and safety.

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

Staff show a good understanding of how to keep children safe when using internet- enabled technology. Staff are vigilant and look for potential signs of bullying online or in the home. Staff use restorative ways of working with children to increase a sense of personal responsibility. This approach has helped some children to develop a greater tolerance of others.

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

Staff are aware of the children’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and the additional risks because of each child’s disability. When the children become distressed or anxious, staff use their knowledge to help de-escalate situations. Use of physical interventions is rare and no child has gone missing from the home. Guidance about what staff should do if a child goes missing relates to the needs of children who have a disability. This provides the staff with helpful direction about what to do if this should occur.

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

Children’s individual goals link to their overall care and education, health and care plans. Staff visit the children’s schools, liaise with parents and regularly review the children’s plans and progress. This helps to ensure consistency of care between the settings, and ensure that plans are up to date and relevant. Clear systems exist to support staff to communicate concerns when necessary. Staff spoken to were confident in their safeguarding responsibilities. As a result, risks for the children are reduced.

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

There is strong recognition of the children’s cultural and religious needs. For one child, the staff say grace before meals, as is the child’s custom at home. The care and attention of staff, in holding the children at the heart of practice, help them to build a positive sense of their own identity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been seconded to another children’s home in the local authority. She retains close oversight of the running of the home and is based at the home on a weekly basis. An interim manager has been appointed, she was previously the home’s deputy and therefore knows the children and staff well. These are interim measures during current leadership changes and have provided children and staff with consistency during this transition.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A serious deficit was found relating to fire safety actions in the home that had not been Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 6 undertaken. Fire safety issues were identified by a fire professional, commissioned by the local authority in April 2018. The recommendations had not been implemented at the time of this inspection. The report was not made available to the home until October 2018. The registered manager had not taken effective action in obtaining the report following the fire assessment. While this work was necessary, it did not put children or staff at immediate risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and the registered manager have been ineffective in prioritising and making the improvements which were recommended in the fire risk assessment as urgent actions. This work has now been completed. However, it is of concern that leadership monitoring arrangements had not identified this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are no written records or assessments which detail whether the staff can meet a new child’s needs before their arrival at the home. In addition, there are no risk assessments that consider the impact that a new child will have on the existing group of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The environment is clean and tidy. There are pictures of the children and bright collages on the walls in the communal areas. However, some areas retain an institutionalised feel. Bedrooms are not personalised. In one bedroom, photos on the wall were of a child who no longer attends the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Wardrobes, toy cupboards, and DVD and television cabinets are regularly locked. While this may be appropriate for some children’s safety, no assessments for this restrictive practice have been recorded, or agreed, for each child. This prevents choice and decreases opportunities for the children to learn how to take care of themselves. Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 7

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Milton Keynes Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Saxon Court, 502 Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3HS

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Inspectors

Anne-Marie Davies, social care inspector Peter Jackson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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