Children's home run by Action for Children in Watford

Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 1 SC438751 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

The home provides short breaks for up to eight children who have diagnosed learning difficulties and/or complex health needs. A charitable organisation operates this setting. The suitably qualified and experienced manager has managed this setting for three and a half years.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: 21 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/12/2018 Full Good 22/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who–

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to–

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 02/12/2019

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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)) 16/09/2019

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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–

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 02/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to–

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)) 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)) 02/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21(a)) 16/09/2019

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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

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Requirement Due date

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,

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Requirement Due date

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 16/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 5 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

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Requirement Due date

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)) 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 1 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, 1 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 works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b), (5)(a)(b), (6)(a)(b)) 02/12/2019

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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

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 04/09/2019

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 6  Regulation 5(a) requires the registered person to seek to involve the placing authority that places a looked-after child in the home, which in practice means working primarily with their statutory social worker. Not all children in homes are looked-after – for these children too, a close working relationship is essential with those with parental responsibility for them, usually their parents or other carers. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.5)  Children should be encouraged to develop positive relationships with others both in and outside the home as set out in the positive relationships standard. However, staff should be alert to the possibility that children may be at risk from such relationships including with other children at the home, staff, family members, friends and others outside the home, and they therefore should take

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Recommendations

appropriate steps to protect a child when there are concerns for a child’s safety. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.13)  Staff should be 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 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 7

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in help and protection and leadership and management mean that, despite the positive support that the children receive from the staff, the service has been judged overall as requires improvement to become good.

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improvement to be good

The building is spacious. A number of areas of the home have recently been redecorated. However, the conservatory roof blinds are full of dead flies, some of the furniture is broken and pieces of carpet are missing. Bare rooms do not provide a cosy and inviting environment for the children to stay at. The conservatory cannot be maintained at an acceptable temperature, becoming very hot in summer and cold in winter, which limits the children’s use of this area.

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improvement to be good

The home delivers individualised care that meets the children’s particular and complex needs. However, information is missing from some children’s case files. For those children who live at the home outside of short-break arrangements, there is not always a copy available of the child’s school report, personal education plan or assessment of their special educational needs. This limits staff’s ability to work effectively in partnership with the school to best promote children’s learning and development.

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improvement to be good

The staff assess the children’s needs and plan the child’s first stay thoroughly. The children are gradually prepared for their stay through a series of introductory visits. Consequently, the children settle quickly and families have confidence that their child is well cared for and enjoys their stay. One parent said, ‘Recently my child has started to pack his bag to indicate that he wants to go. He is always happy to run in.’

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improvement to be good

The staff offer a range of well-planned activities designed to stretch the children and expose them to new experiences, such as boat trips and making pizzas. In doing so, the staff promote the children’s independence and build their confidence. The children love how the staff praise and celebrate their achievements.

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improvement to be good

The stable and settled staff are thoughtful in their day-to-day interactions with the children. The children trust and value the relationships that they have with the caring staff. The children really enjoy their short breaks.

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improvement to be good

The staff constantly supervise the children. However, this supervision is not always purposeful and effective. For example, one child sprayed a cleaning spray, which had been left unattended on a desk, in their eyes. The inspectors observed another child constantly putting small pen lids and other potential choking hazards in their mouth, unchallenged by staff despite being under their constant observation. There was no strategic approach to preventing this child’s access to such items. Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 8 Risk assessment and management plans do not always provide consistently clear guidance for staff. The risk assessment for one child was not updated to reflect the increased risk of assault on other children.

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improvement to be good

The systems to ensure safe administration of medication and delivery of complex care arrangements are not consistently implemented effectively. Shift-planning arrangements for the allocation of complex care tasks are not robust. Staff are not always aware who is trained and competent to undertake these tasks. Consequently, on one occasion a member of staff who was not competent to carry out a complex care task attempted to do so. This placed the child at potential risk of harm. When the staff make medication errors, they are supported to develop their confidence and skill by observing a skilled staff member. Both these staff sign the records of medication administration, therefore it is not clear which staff member undertook which role.

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improvement to be good

The manager was unable to evidence that she consistently follows safe recruitment procedures. Neither of the two staff recruitment files viewed during the inspection contained all the information required by regulation. There is not enough professional curiosity about and scrutiny of potential staff. Therefore, important information about the suitability of new employees may be missed.

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improvement to be good

There are no curtains, and the privacy glass has been significantly damaged. Therefore, one bedroom can easily be seen into from the road. This is particularly relevant since some of the children who use this room often remove their clothes without reference to their surroundings.

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improvement to be good

A small number of young adults receive short breaks at the same time as children. These young adults have complex needs and are unlikely to present a risk to the children. However, there is no documented consideration or risk assessment of any potential risk factors of adults sharing accommodation with children. It is unclear, therefore, whether all possible risks have been considered.

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improvement to be good

Staff have received suitable training in safeguarding children with disabilities. They are not hesitant to challenge other staff, and act appropriately when they have concerns about children’s welfare. The children feel safe and demonstrate this through their affectionate interactions with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and the senior leadership team aim to provide a child-centred service. However, internal and external quality assurance systems are not consistently robust, and the manager has not ensured systemic and rigorous oversight. The manager has confidence in the staff team. However, this confidence has led to over-optimism and a lack of thorough critical challenge. The independent visitor does not obtain the feedback of other professionals and parents sufficiently regularly as part of their visits. This reduces the effectiveness of the information provided to the manager as a quality- monitoring tool. Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 9 Records are not maintained with enough attention to detail. Records of the checks on particular children during the night do not always correlate to those checks specified as being required in the child’s care plan. Important information from the child’s placing

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

authority is missing from some children’s case files and some restraint records are, on occasion, undated or contain unclear information. Recruitment and training records that were described by the manager as ‘reliable’ are not.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although there appears to be some recent improvement, the service has not always communicated well with parents and other professionals, in particular about what the children do on their short breaks and when the children are scheduled to attend. This has, on occasion, led to confusion and distress for the children, who really look forward to coming.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager manages complaints in an effective and transparent manner. This gives parents confidence that any concerns will be addressed. Feedback from the children is positively welcomed and is very sensitively responded to. Consequently, despite some concerns about communication, there is much positive feedback about the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff benefit from wide-ranging and useful training. This training helps them to gain the proficiencies and confidence needed. However, the home has provided care and support to children who display self-harming behaviours and those who enjoy accessing the internet, yet staff have not received training in safeguarding children in those areas. Many of the children use Makaton or augmentative communication systems, but training in alternative communication systems has yet to be provided for most staff. This was raised at the last inspection. Five staff have yet to achieve the required level 3 diploma in residential childcare, despite working in a children’s home for more than two years.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervision and appraisal systems are effective. The staff are well supported by each other and the manager. The staff enjoy working at the home, and staff changes are low. The staff are patient and resilient in dealing with the complex demands placed on them. Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 10

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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: SC438751 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Joanna Heller, social care inspector Nigel Parkes, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC438751 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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