Children's home run by Action for Children in Watford

Inspection report children‟s home: SC020675 1 SC020675 Registered provider: Action for Children

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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 service is owned and operated by a private company and provides long-term care and shared care for up to four children. The home provides care and support for children who have learning and/or multiple disabilities. The current manager successfully registered with Ofsted in September 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 Good

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Good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Good

Date of last inspection: 3 December 2018

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC020675 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2018 Interim Not judged 19/12/2017 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC020675 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

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children‟s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)) 28/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 28/06/2019

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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. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards,‟ page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home‟s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process: Children‟s homes regulation amendments 2014: Advice for children‟s homes providers on new duties under regulations that came in to effect in January and April 2014. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the Inspection report children‟s home: SC020675 4 quality standards‟, page 65, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time. The registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home‟s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions

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Recommendations

required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in all areas of their development. This is because staff provide care that reflects the children‟s individual needs and celebrates their achievements. Children‟s day-to-day experiences are positive. Staff focus on children‟s abilities and enable them to develop their identities and fulfil their potential. Staff ensure that internal support plans take account of children‟s circumstances, vulnerabilities and behaviours. However, case files for some children do not include all necessary information, such as an up-to-date local authority care plan. This means that plans for some children may not incorporate the longer-term aims and objectives of the placing authorities. Relationships between children and staff are positive. Staff are passionate advocates for children. They use their verbal and non-verbal communication skills to seek children‟s views and wishes, and communicate these to others. Staff help children to recognise

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

their progress, and encourage them to continue to develop new skills. This means that children grow in confidence and self-esteem. Staff work with specialist health agencies to meet children‟s complex health needs. They understand how children‟s feelings regarding their physical health and disabilities may influence their emotional well-being, and work with them to celebrate their diversity. As a result, children receive good-quality tailored healthcare that supports their development. Children have suitable education placements that meet their bespoke learning needs. Staff understand children‟s learning styles and communicate this knowledge to allocated teachers. This integrated approach means that children benefit from tailored learning opportunities. Staff work with children‟s families and placing authorities to facilitate regular family visits and social occasions. These help children to maintain these important relationships and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

ensure that they are not isolated from their families. Children enjoy a wide and varied range of social, leisure and educational activities. Staff Inspection report children‟s home: SC020675 5 encourage them to try new things and to make the most of opportunities and resources in the local community. This helps children to develop new hobbies and interests, grow in confidence and develop their social skills.

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

Children are safe and protected from harm. Since the last inspection, the organisation has reviewed impact risk assessments regarding the compatibility of children to live together. This means that, when new children are admitted to the home, staff now consider all factors that may impact on the suitability of the placement. The registered manager oversees the completion of individual risk assessments for children. These documents direct staff on how to consistently respond to children‟s behaviours. This means that incidents of challenging behaviour, including physical aggression, continue to reduce. Staff use personalised incentives and rewards to encourage children to take responsibility for their actions. This approach motivates children to behave well. Staff only use physical restraint to prevent children from harming themselves or others. When restraint is necessary, staff ensure that they complete debrief sessions with children

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

after each incident. This means that children have the opportunity to express their views about what happened and reflect on their behaviours. Managers have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection thresholds and referral processes. Staff understand their own responsibilities for protecting children and the additional factors they need to consider that reflect children‟s disabilities and communication needs. They are alert to any changes in children‟s behaviours or reactions that may indicate abuse or harm. This good practice promotes children‟s safety. Senior managers do not consistently apply safer recruitment procedures. When staff are employed through an agency, managers do not ensure that they have access to full employment histories for these staff. Furthermore, for one permanent member of staff, managers did not seek all relevant employment references. Although this shortfall is not

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

widespread, it means that managers cannot confirm that all staff working with children are suitable to do so. The registered manager regularly reviews the location of the home. However, this risk assessment does not include local factors, such as busy roads, that may impact on children‟s safety when they are away from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has the skills and experience necessary to continue to develop this service. She has high aspirations for children and her vision for the home focuses on meeting children‟s individual and collective needs. Children make good progress because this aim is central to daily routines in the home. Staff receive good-quality formal supervision. Managers use these meetings to help staff to reflect on and review their own practice. The majority of staff hold suitable level Inspection report children‟s home: SC020675 6 qualifications for their role. Training programmes mirror children‟s individual and often complex needs. This means that children work with staff who have the specific skills, knowledge and qualifications to meet their needs. The registered manager collects information about children‟s progress. However, she does not identify links between the quality of care provided by the service and outcomes

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

for children. For example, her recent monitoring report refers to improvements in children‟s communication skills but does not evaluate how staff practice supports these achievements. Consequently, managers do not always have a clear overview of the strengths of the service or areas for improvement. Children live in a well-maintained home. Managers and staff undertake health and safety checks and quickly address any concerns. Children‟s bedrooms are decorated to reflect their personal choices. Nevertheless, vast corridor areas are bare and this detracts from the homeliness of the environment. Partnership working arrangements between the registered manager and external agencies are mostly good. Social workers said that managers and staff „always put children‟s needs first‟ and are „committed to supporting children‟. The registered manager is confident in challenging other professionals when their actions or inactions

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

fall short of acceptable standards. When necessary, she escalates her concerns to more senior managers. This means that meeting children‟s needs remains the priority for the service.

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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: SC020675 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Action for Children, 3 The Boulevard Ascot Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 8AG

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Inspector

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC020675 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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