Children's Home run by MacIntyre Care in Hertfordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2510323 1 Registered provider: MacIntyre Care

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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, which is run by a private organisation, looks after children aged 11 to 18 who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since March 2018 and is registered with Ofsted.

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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: this is the home’s first inspection

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2510323 2

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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—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are updated and accurate. 01/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 01/10/2019

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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

there is any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40)(4)(e)) 01/10/2019

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Recommendations

 The principle of listening to the child and taking their views, wishes and feelings into account when planning and undertaking their care applies to all children, including children with disabilities, special educational needs or other complex needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.5)  Staff should encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that children know how to complain.  The children’s guide should help children to understand what the day-to-day routines Inspection report children’s home: 2510323 3 of the home are. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should only accept placements for children when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and when they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, and that information regarding the child is recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’,

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that children’s records are updated.  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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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have only recently moved into the home. They have begun to build good, trusting relationships with the staff, who understand their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have started to make progress. Social workers, education staff and parents said that they have started to see positive changes for children since the children have lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child said that they like living at the home and that the staff are kind and funny. The child was able to name staff with whom they enjoy spending time. Children enjoy a wide variety of activities at the home and in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have begun to develop good working relationships with education providers. One provider said that the manager has gone above and beyond expectations to ensure that good practice is shared to support the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into the home are managed well. A parent said that their child was able to transition at his own pace, over several months. The move has been so successful that the child is really happy and settled. However, the manager does not undertake impact risk assessments to ensure that children are compatible with each other. Lack of clear decision-making on placements and full consideration of children’s needs has the potential to affect the children who already live at the home and those moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have been involved in buying items for the home and personalising their bedrooms. Given that some children are non-verbal or have limited verbal Inspection report children’s home: 2510323 4 communication, it is important that staff demonstrate how they gain children’s views and wishes and act on them. Currently, there is little evidence of how they do this.

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

Staff provide routine and structures that help children to feel safe and secure. The staff reinforce positive behaviours. This helps children to understand what is acceptable. Incidents are infrequent and low level. Staff respond quickly and effectively to children when they become heightened. The staff consistently reflect on incidents with the children to help the children understand what has happened and to help them to learn to manage their feelings.

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

Staff have, or are in the process of undertaking, safeguarding training and training in the ‘Prevent’ duty. Staff have a good understanding of who to report concerns to. Parents said that they are confident that staff understand their children’s individual vulnerabilities and keep them safe.

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

Children’s placement plans are comprehensive and child-friendly. Children are encouraged and supported to have input into their plans, which gives the plans a personal feel. However, staff need to ensure that plans are kept updated.

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

Children have individual risk assessments. However, staff have not updated these after incidents have occurred. Therefore, the risk assessments do not consistently provide clarity for staff. This is somewhat mitigated because the high level of staffing enables the staff to keep children safe.

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

There is no information at the home for children to help them to understand how they can complain or who they can speak to outside the home. This could prevent children from raising a concern about their care.

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

The manager has sought views from external agencies and incorporated these into the location risk assessment. Although the manager has identified some risks, the assessment lacks information on the risks to children should they go missing and the strategies and actions to reduce risks. This does not provide wholly effective guidance for the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working between the manager and external professionals is effective. As a result, information is shared that enables consistent care for children. Parents and professionals said that the manager is committed to the children and goes above and beyond expectations to support the children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are firmly at the centre of practice at the home. The manager has developed a positive ethos and culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager confidently raises issues with external professionals if she feels that their Inspection report children’s home: 2510323 5 actions or proposed actions are not in the best interest of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have undertaken the organisation’s mandatory training or are in the process of doing so. Some staff have a relevant level 3 qualification, and others will begin to work towards a relevant qualification once they have completed their probation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses the recommendations from the independent person’s report to develop practice and improve the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not sent notifications to Ofsted within the required timescale. Lack of timely notifications prevents Ofsted from having an accurate view of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s guide is not child-friendly and does not explain the routines of the home to children. Lack of accessible information does not equip children well to understand routines and expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not receive regular supervision to enable them to work effectively with children and develop their practice.

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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: 2510323 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 602 South Seventh Street, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK9 2JA

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Inspectors

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2510323 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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