Children's home run by Action for Children Services Ltd

Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 1 Registered provider: Action for Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a short-break service for children run by a national charity. All children have a learning disability and additional complex needs in relation to either emotional or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 1 February 2019.

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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: 6 February 2019

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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: 1271380 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 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 children‟s views, wishes and feelings standard

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to– ensure that staff– help each child to express views, wishes and feelings. (Regulation 7 (2)(a)(ii)) 23/08/19

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that– helps children aspire to their full potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to– ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that mandatory induction training provides staff with the core skills to prepare them for their role, and must include first aid; and that no more than half the staff on duty at the home at any one time, day or night, are from an external agency. 23/08/19

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must– notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(b)) 23/08/19 Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 4

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Recommendations

 The specific responsibilities of the home towards supporting the health and well- being of each child should be agreed with the placing authority and recorded in the child‟s placement plan. It is the joint responsibility of the registered person and the placing authority that this is agreed at the time of placement. („Guide to the children‟s home regulations and quality standards‟ page 34, paragraph 7.7) This is with specific reference to both children‟s assessments being completed and the shared-care arrangements to meet the children‟s health needs.  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home‟s staff; each child‟s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. („Guide to

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Recommendations

the children‟s home regulations and quality standards‟ page 54, paragraph 10.23) This is with specific reference to feedback forming part of regulation 45, the review of care process. Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed to their short breaks by warm and friendly staff who know them extremely well. The team works hard to ensure that children receive consistent and supportive care during their stays. Close links with schools and families ensure that excellent communication is maintained, enabling a consistent approach across these environments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The calm and relaxed atmosphere enables children to feel at ease and enjoy the company of staff. Themed events, such as national epilepsy day and national popcorn day, and a visit from a magician broaden children‟s experiences in a fun and educational way. Meals cater for children‟s individual dietary and cultural needs. Celebrations of events, such as the Chinese New Year, add to children‟s understanding of different cultures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The activities offered are informed by the children‟s wishes, as well as providing new experiences. Children enjoy outings, which include swimming, trampolining and day trips further afield. Community events, such as a pop-up disco and a kite festival, enable children to enjoy their interest in music.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Strong links with the child and adolescent mental health services help staff to understand and develop strategies to respond to the children‟s complex and diverse needs. Medication and healthcare tasks are well managed. A personal trainer has been brought in to assist a child with a weight-loss programme. The programme incorporates exercise and healthy eating, with improvements to the child‟s health and well-being. For children on shared-care packages, health plans specifically record which elements of healthcare the staff will support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Personal goals help children to develop independence skills. One child is learning to prepare healthy meals. Other children are making progress in self-care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The spacious environment provides an extensive, open living space for children. The lack of soft furnishings and pictures does not create a homely feel. Children‟s bedrooms are not personalised in a way that reflects their interests or promotes individuality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of the available resources presents some limitations. Therefore, opportunities to enhance the children‟s development through sensory experiences and play are missed.

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

Specialist safeguarding training has strengthened the skills of staff. They are confident in their ability to recognise both subtle and more obvious signs of abuse and know how to report and escalate concerns. Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 6 Impact assessments consider the needs mix of the children and the suitability of new admissions. Children and their families benefit from gradual introductions to the service. This reduces their anxiety and helps to prepare them as they gradually build up to overnight visits. Plans to move children on are well managed to ensure that these transitions do not cause unnecessary stress or upset to children and their families. Children are supported to undertake visits to the new home and to spend quality time with new staff. Social stories and photographs assist the children with this process of change.

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

The focus on understanding behaviour has led to a decrease in restraints, with incidents of restraint being rare. The „all about me‟ and behaviour support plans are clear and beneficial in providing early intervention. Subsequently, children‟s behaviour is managed well, with highly effective diversion strategies.

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

Staff know the children well and understand their risks. A consistent approach is maintained, which ensures that children are appropriately safeguarded. However, risk assessments do not always record the history and the likelihood of the behaviours occurring or how this information has informed the assessment of risk. This does not detract from the skills of staff, who follow the behaviour support plans closely in responding to risk. High ratios of staff ensure that children receive quality attention and high levels of supervision.

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

Staff are skilled in interpreting and understanding children‟s body language and communication methods. However, the opportunities to extend and develop the way in which children communicate their complaints and their experiences are not yet embedded. A visiting advocate has been commissioned to provide children with independent support to promote their voice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since January 2019, having been seconded from another home within the organisation. Interviews have taken place to recruit a new manager. This will enable a period of transition between the managers through to September 2019. Leaders and managers have clear plans to address the shortfalls in the management of the home to improve the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they are well supported. Supervision has improved in quality and frequency, with a positive impact on staff development. Staff now have renewed confidence in the approachability and strength of leaders and managers. Team morale has improved significantly, with a unified approach to supporting the ongoing development of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Induction processes are good. New staff are supported to develop a solid foundation to build their knowledge and skills. However, first aid, communication and skills to work with children who have autism spectrum disorder are not currently included. A plan is Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 7 underway to deliver overdue appraisals. Staff meetings now include training workshops to help staff to embed and develop their childcare skills. The new approach has been successful in providing a consistent approach and improving care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment to fill vacant posts is ongoing. There has been high use of agency staff to cover vacancies, staff sickness and annual leave. This has led to occasions when more than half the staff on duty had been provided by an external agency. There is a core group of experienced staff, and this has helped to maintain consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management monitoring has improved and influences the home‟s development plan. However, there continues to be some omissions from paperwork. External scrutiny from the independent visitor provides adequate challenge in addressing shortfalls. Leaders and managers demonstrate a commitment to developing systems that are more robust, to ensure that improvements are sustained in the long term.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The Statement of Purpose has been regularly reviewed, but it has not been made available to Ofsted. Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 8

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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 difference 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: 1271380 9

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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

Joe Davys, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1271380 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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