Children's home run by London Borough of Croydon in Croydon

Inspection report children’s home: SC041887 1 SC041887 Registered provider: London Borough of Croydon

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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 local authority owns this short-breaks service. The home provides short-break accommodation for up to seven young people who have severe learning disabilities. The home can also provide emergency short-term care. In addition, the home provides a day-care service. The duration and frequency of short breaks that young people receive varies, based on their assessed needs. At the time of the inspection the home was supporting 45 young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted in March 2004.

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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: SC041887 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/06/2018 Full Good 10/10/2017 Full Good 30/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC041887 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy their short breaks at this home. Many have been coming here since early childhood and enjoy close relationships with staff. One parent said, ‘He loves going there; I don’t know what I would do without them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Evening routines and activities are fun and engaging. Staff use their initiative and skills to offer several choices, including making play dough, painting or using the computer suite. Activities help the young people to develop their social skills and build self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Behaviour management is effective. Staff use patience and perseverance to understand the young people’s complex needs. For example, when one young person struggled to go to bed and staff understood that he felt uncomfortable walking on the bedroom floor, they provided a blanket for him to walk on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively with schools. They attend key review meetings and share behaviour management techniques. This helps to ensure consistency and enables staff to monitor progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Outcomes for the young people are positive. All of the young people successfully move on to adult support services. Where possible, staff continue to offer support and guidance.

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

The home enjoys positive benefits as a result of being a local authority resource. Staff have access to the authority’s case recording system, allowing them to quickly share and record key information on the young people. This promotes a good safeguarding culture based on strong multi-agency working.

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

Young people benefit from the high staffing numbers. Staff offer close support to help the young people develop independence skills. This includes helping them to enjoy mealtimes and attending to their personal care.

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

Staff advocate strongly for young people. Recently staff encouraged the allocated social worker to commission an assessment of a young person. He is now receiving the specialist support he needs.

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

Partnership work with parents is a major strength of the home. Parents attend restraint training and other sessions on important topics such as accessing benefits. Staff work with parents to consider solutions to challenging behaviours, such as a review of medication. Inspection report children’s home: SC041887 4 Admissions are thoroughly assessed and incorporate visits to schools and the family home. Young people enjoy an extended induction which includes teatime visits. They move towards an initial overnight stay at their own pace and when they are ready.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management of the home is very stable. The home continues to benefit from having a long-standing registered manager who has worked in the home for 30 years. She receives excellent support from a deputy manager and four shift leaders, all of whom have completed the required management qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are ambitious for the home. They have obtained extra finances to provide new computers and garden equipment, which improves the home’s facilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is good. Staff feel valued and turnover is extremely low. At present, agency members of staff do not receive supervision, which limits assessment of their performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent monitoring has improved. However, the last two assessments occurred when the home was not being used by the young people, which limited their effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of case recording is variable. Some files are not up to date and others do not fully evidence the good progress achieved by the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The vast majority of staff receive effective training and hold the required qualification in care. However, one member of staff has failed to gain the necessary qualification within the required timescale. She plans to complete the course in August 2019. Inspection report children’s home: SC041887 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to ensure that all agency staff who work regularly in the home receive supervision. 21/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(b)) 21/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’). (Regulation 32(4)(a)) 21/07/2019

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Recommendations

 Ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC041887 6

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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: SC041887 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London borough of Croydon

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Inspector

Barnaby Dowell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC041887 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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