Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Inspection report children’s home: SC458141 1 SC458141 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County 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 local authority operated home provides care for up to seven children, aged between 10 and 18, who have been assessed as unable to live in the family home and require a period of positive residential care. The manager has been registered since 2012.

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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: SC458141 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/05/2018 Full Good 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/09/2016 Full Good 11/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC458141 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children continue to make good progress. Parents spoken with during the inspection said that they have seen a difference in their children’s behaviours and social interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built good trusting relationships with children. Staff manage children’s health and personal needs in a way that makes children feel comfortable and safe. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s individual communication needs. This was evident throughout the inspection. Staff use Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) to show children the activities that are available so that they can make choices about what they want to do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide variety of activities at the home and in the community. One child has made a vegetable patch, together with a member of staff, and has begun to plant vegetables. Staff uses local resources, such as a woodland walk, to provide children with stimulating sensory experiences. Children go swimming. Another child goes to a special Lego club for children with disabilities to help the child with his social skills and relationship building. The activities are tailored to children’s individual needs and abilities to ensure that they benefit from a range of opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with local schools to ensure that children attend the school that meets their needs most effectively. A social worker said that their child has improved considerably in their education since they have lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a shortage of staff, and agency staff are being used. Two of these staff are on a block contract to provide some continuity. The local authority is in the process of recruiting staff. However, the use of agency staff has an impact on children’s ability to build and maintain relationships with staff who look after them and attend to their personal care.

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

Staff have undertaken training in safeguarding, the ‘Prevent’ duty and safeguarding disabled children. Staff spoken with during the inspection had a good understanding of safeguarding and who to report concerns to.

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

Staff challenge unwanted behaviour. They use link sessions using PECS to help children to understand what acceptable behaviour is.

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

Staff provide routines and structure that help the children to feel safe and secure. Staff use social stories to help children understand things that may be changing for them and to explain upcoming appointments and events. Consequently, children are helped to understand situations that are out of their daily routine.

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

Staff regularly update and review the comprehensive risk assessments and behaviour Inspection report children’s home: SC458141 4 management plans. However, the most current behaviour plans and risk assessments were not in all children’s files. Staff write daily records that give good insight into the children’s day. However, not all records are completed. Some do not contain dates or information about which staff are responsible for the children during the shift. Children’s files are difficult to navigate, with out-of-date and current information stored together. This has the potential to cause confusion, given the number of temporary staff working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working between the staff and other professionals is very positive. It enables all those involved with the children’s care to make sure that the children’s needs are met. Social workers, other professionals and parents said that the manager is committed to the children and works hard to support their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring systems mean that the manager understands the strengths of the home and areas for development, which enables her to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager confidently raises issues with other professionals if she feels that actions or proposed actions are not in the best interests of the child or there is a failure to offer a child the service that they need. As a result, children receive the care that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are up to date with the organisation’s mandatory training. All eligible staff have achieved or are undertaking a relevant level 3 qualification. The established permanent staff receive regular and supportive supervision that includes personal development. However, agency and new staff are not supervised regularly and within the organisation’s supervision guidelines. This means that they do not receive the level of supervision and oversight that they should.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not sought information from external agencies to inform the location risk assessment and has not included the risks to children if they go missing from the home. The impact is somewhat lessened by high supervision levels of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met two out of the three requirements set at the last inspection. One requirement, relating to staff supervision, and the recommendation in respect of children’s records are restated. Inspection report children’s home: SC458141 5

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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 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—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments and behaviour plans are updated, that the content is shared with the staff and that risk- reduction measures are acted on. 17/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to agency staff and new members of staff. 25/07/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)  Ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Inspection report children’s home: SC458141 6 In particular, ensure that the staff fully complete entries in records.  The location review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: SC458141 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Apsley One, Brindley Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 9BF

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC458141 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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