Children's home run by The National Autistic Society

Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 1 SC485659 Registered provider: National Autistic Society

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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 home provides both long-term care and short breaks for autistic children. The home is operated by a national charity.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children‘s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 12 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 31/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 01/11/2020

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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‖); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time 01/11/2020 Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 4 basis. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‘s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that managers monitor the quality of staff records. This relates to records of restraint and key-work discussions and observations. 01/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 01/11/2020

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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— 01/11/2020 Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 5 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‘s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, redecorate the stairwell and ensure that the kitchens have fire blankets. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‘s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, further develop the sensory room; redecorate the computer room; and provide play equipment in the garden area. 01/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‘s safety.

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Requirement Due date

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).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and 01/11/2020 Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 6 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 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—

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Requirement Due date

assess 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‘s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‘s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 01/11/2020

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improvement to be good

Children and young people receive care that meet their individual needs. However, the significant shortfalls in leadership and management have resulted in the overall judgement of requires improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home‘s premises require further development. This is to provide children and young people with a more nurturing environment. For example, the home‘s sensory room contains low-quality play and sensory equipment; the computer room Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 7 requires redecoration; the stairwell leading to the sensory room is bare; and the kitchens do not have fire blankets. The garden area is not well equipped for creative play activities.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people settle in well following their arrival at the centre. Staff devise relevant placement plans that are in accordance with local authority care plans. This is to ensure that placement objectives are understood and that identified needs are well met.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people enjoy very good relationships with the staff team. A child said, ‗I like the staff, they watch me play my drums.‘ Staff complete pictorial social story books with children and young people for them to keep as a reminder of their experiences and achievements.

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improvement to be good

Staff work creatively with children and young people to ascertain their wishes and feelings. Staff are skilled in using alternative methods of communication to understand children and young people‘s preferences. Children and young people are routinely given choices. They are provided with information about how to make complaints in formats that they are familiar with. The home has received no complaints since the last full inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people attend school or college. As a result, their learning outcomes are good. Children and young people have set targets that they are working towards. Typically, these goals focus on socialisation and communication development, and the completion of personal care tasks.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people develop practical living skills with the support and supervision of staff, for example money management, food shopping and meal preparation. This helps to prepare them for adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people enjoy a very good range of recreational and play activities. These activities take place both within the home and, very regularly, within the local community. Sometimes trips are further afield, for example day trips to Brighton. One young person is happy to work on his drumming skills, using the home‘s newly built music room.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people live healthy lifestyles. They are registered with primary healthcare services and attend medical appointments. Children and young people regularly participate in physical exercise, such as swimming.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people readily access specialist services, which helps with their general development. These include speech and language and occupational therapists. Communication between the staff team and healthcare professionals is effective. This ensures that children and young people‘s health needs are expertly met.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people‘s identity needs are well catered for by the home. Staff support children and young people to listen to spiritual music and attend their chosen places of worship if they so wish. Muslim children are provided with halal meals. Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 8 Older young people are enabled to have time on their own in their bedrooms when they request this.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children and young people to keep in touch with their families and friends as outlined in their care plans. They are welcome to have visitors at the home. On the day of the inspection, a mother was visiting her child at the home. The mother said, ‗I feel far more relaxed now. It was not a nice place two years ago. As soon as the new manager took over, there was huge improvements. My child is settled and comfortable. There‘s more activities and better staff.‘

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improvement to be good

The home‘s recruitment practice fails to confirm that staff are suitable to work with vulnerable children and young people. Managers were unable to evidence that all updated Disclosure and Barring Service checks had been obtained, and could not confirm the staff‘s qualifications.

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improvement to be good

Staff training in safeguarding is ineffective. Staff have access to detailed adult and child protection policies. However, not all staff have a good understanding of the action that they must take in the event of a child or young person making an allegation against a senior member of staff. Most of the staff‘s safeguarding learning has been through online training. There is a need for more effective training.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a very good understanding of the impact that children and young people‘s disabilities have on their behaviour. All staff receive training in de-escalation techniques, and the staff team generally manages children and young people‘s challenging behaviour well. There have been a number of incidents which have included the use of restraint by staff. In these instances, staff have taken appropriate action to protect children, young people and others.

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improvement to be good

Records of the staff‘s use of restraint are not always clear or complete, and they do not consistently confirm that debriefing discussions are taking place.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people‘s risk assessments identify known and anticipated risks. Staff keep these documents up to date. Risk assessments include strategies that help reduce risks. Behaviour management plans provide staff with good guidance on triggers for children and young people‘s behaviours, and techniques that help to reduce challenging or risky behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been a number of allegations made against staff. Managers deal with these appropriately and in accordance with child and adult protection procedures. The staff‘s communication with safeguarding professionals such as designated officers is appropriate. Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 9 There has been just one incident of one child going missing from the home since the last inspection. Staff took effective action to ensure the safe return of this child. Records of the incident are clear, and the staff‘s communication with the police, parents and the placing authority was good.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people are protected and helped to keep themselves safe. For example, staff use social stories to help children and young people understand the dangers posed by use of the internet. Staff also help children and young people to travel safely while out in the community, which increases their awareness of road safety and the risks posed by strangers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home. These primarily relate to weaknesses in the support provided for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant gaps in the frequency that staff receive supervision. There is no formal system in place for the supervision of the registered manager. This is contrary to the home‘s supervision policies and does not support the registered manager‘s learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff training and development opportunities are poor. Training for staff is largely accessed through online resources. The quality of training is not sufficiently wide- ranging, given the varied complex issues that children and young people present with. Some staff are yet to enrol on or complete required NVQ training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff appraisals do not happen. This means that managers miss opportunities to gain insight into the staff‘s development needs. This does not help staff to develop relevant knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some records are poorly maintained. In one case file seen, many records of one-to-one discussions and observations were missing, and restraint records were incomplete.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not always notify Ofsted of all serious allegations made against staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team is led by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. Stakeholders acknowledged the positive difference the registered manager has made since being appointed. A parent said of the registered manager, ‗He is doing really well. He‘s supportive and understanding. My [child] is safe here.‘

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home‘s staffing levels are appropriate to meet the needs of children. Senior staff are enrolled on level 5 management courses. This is to enhance their managerial skills so that they can further support the work of the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff work well with other professionals. This helps them to coordinate and conduct their work thoroughly. Staff and leaders are passionate about the work that they do with Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 10 children and young people, which means that the children and young people have exciting experiences. A staff member said, ‗I‘m a happy, happy key worker, working with a delightful child. He‘s lovely.‘

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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: SC485659 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: National Autistic Society

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: National Autistic Society, 391–393 City Road, London EC1V 1NG

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC485659 12 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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