Children's home run by Cornwall Council in Cornwall

Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 1 SC361789 Registered provider: Cornwall Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a local authority. It is situated near a school for children who have additional needs and a children’s home that offers short breaks.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/11/2018 Full Inadequate 15/11/2017 Full Good 16/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 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 ensure that staff—

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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 meet the needs of each child. (Regulation (6)(a)(b)(2)(b)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

 Improve the sensory room available for young people.  Continue to improve the home environment so that it can be as homely as possible. 04/10/2019

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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 04/10/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 4 quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

 Ensure that placement plans include young people’s short- and long-term aims. Demonstrate the progress young people are making clearly.  Develop a system to ensure that parents and other relevant people receive regular, timely and necessary feedback.  Build upon relationships between the school and home so that young people receive informed and consistent care.  Ensure that record keeping is clear and that staff can access important information easily.  Review all significant incidents to develop a better understanding of the needs of young people.  Embed management quality assurance, oversight and monitoring systems.  Clarify timescales for required actions.

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Requirement Due date

The behaviour management policies and records standard states the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

Within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

(iv) a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

(v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

(vi) the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

(vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular: 04/10/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 5  Any use of physical intervention or restrictive practice must be clearly recorded and reviewed for its appropriateness.  Records must provide clear qualitative detail to ensure that they are purposeful.  This information must be used to inform care planning effectively.

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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 homes 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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

 Ensure that all relevant assessments are in place when a child is be deemed to lack capacity. 04/10/2019

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improvement to be good

The lounge areas are furnished to a good standard and provide inviting spaces for young people to relax in. Young people’s bedrooms are personalised and welcoming. One young person’s bedroom has limited decoration and furnishing. This is the young person’s choice. However, his bedding was seen to be dirty and of poor quality. Overall, the property lacks a homely feel.

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improvement to be good

The sensory area is basic and in need of improvement. This room is used by young people on a regular basis.

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improvement to be good

All young people enjoy trips and activities in the community but spend limited time with their peer groups outside of education and home.

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improvement to be good

One young person has made significant emotional progress. She no longer needs to wear protective gloves and is a visibly happier child. Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 6 Staff speak fondly of the young people they care for. There is a core team of dedicated staff who are committed to meeting the needs of young people. Young people were seen to be happy and relaxed in their care.

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improvement to be good

One young person is demonstrating some destructive behaviours. Staff do not always feel able to manage these behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Not all relevant assessments are completed in a timely manner to establish whether a young person lacks capacity.

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improvement to be good

Incident reports and records completed after physical interventions lack important detail. This means that important learning opportunities are missed.

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improvement to be good

There is a good process in place for the administering of medication to young people. This reduces the risk of medication errors.

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improvement to be good

Communication with other agencies is not always robust. This has had a significant negative impact on one young person.

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improvement to be good

Expert therapeutic advice is carefully considered and is used to inform care planning.

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

Management oversight of practice lacks rigour. Care planning documents are not always reviewed by the registered manager prior to them being disseminated to the staff team. This means that up-to-date information is not always shared effectively.

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

The registered manager has not developed a good system for ensuring that parents are fully involved in care planning.

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

The progress young people make is not clearly recorded. Goal-setting for young people is minimal. There is also a lack of recognition of the young people’s s achievements.

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

Management auditing systems are not effective. Actions are identified to develop the home but these are not always completed in a timely manner.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 7 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: SC361789 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cornwall Council, Accounts Payable, PO Box 727, Truro TR1 9GP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Tony Phillips-Jones

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Inspector

Polly Soper: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC361789 9 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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