Children's home run by Buckinghamshire Council

Inspection report children’s home: 2517299 1 Registered provider: Buckinghamshire County 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or mental health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 4 May 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 September 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2517299 2

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Recommendations

 Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: o detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and

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Recommendations

qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose; o detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); o detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; o detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

With specific reference to including details of the induction process, arrangements for supervision and process to improve and develop the performance of staff.  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) In particular, ensure that sufficient consideration is given to assessing the risks associated with children coming to live at the home in relation to the risks associated

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Recommendations

with children already living at the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2517299 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since it opened. Children are happy, settled and have begun to make progress. They feel safe and valued by staff who understand, and are supportive to, their needs. Children are encouraged to discuss and explore their feelings. Staff provide the children with self-soothe boxes and other calming strategies to help them develop ways to express and regulate their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular meetings provide opportunities for the children to have their say on a range of matters which influence their day-to-day experiences. For example, they are involved in choosing activities, menus and new equipment for the garden. These meetings also offer the children the chance to reflect on their behaviour and dynamics that can occur within the group. Children know how to raise a complaint and make good use of their ‘grumbles book’ to make their views known. The manager takes children’s views seriously and actively responds to any issues that are raised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of education. As a result, children engage positively in their education with good levels of attendance. Staff from the home link closely with school staff to ensure that there is a high level of communication. Children are offered support and encouragement to study at home. As a result, children are making steady progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop positive relationships with the children’s families. The manager advocates on behalf of the children’s views, wishes and feelings. This enables plans to be reviewed and developed in line with children’s wishes and has led to an increase in the children enjoying regular time with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a family home which feels calm and inviting. Personal touches, such as a vase with fresh flowers, and a picture containing the staff’s individual hopes for the home, together with the attractive decor, enhance the ambiance of the home. Photographs of the children capture them looking happy and enjoying new experiences. The garden provides ample space where the children can engage in sports, whether this is through boxing practice, playing swing ball or bouncing on the trampoline.

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

Staff provide a safe and nurturing environment for children. Staff are warm and friendly, treating each child as an individual. Strong boundaries, routines and structures assist the children to gain a sense of safety and security. Children are responsive to staff and realise that staff not only care for them, but care about them. One child expressed that the highlight of living in the home was their close relationships with staff, saying they ‘couldn’t do it’ without the level of support they provide.

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

The registered manager and the staff value the support provided through the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Staff are given the opportunity to reflect on Inspection report children’s home: 2517299 4 children’s behaviour and agree approaches to protect the children through regular consultation meetings. The quality of this support is helping the team to increase their resilience, enabling them to care effectively for the children. Where children are at risk of self-harm, the registered manager creates specific safety plans using the expertise available through CAMHS. This includes focused work with the children, directed by CAMHS, and access to therapy when the children feel ready to engage.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with the children going out without permission. There have been some low-level incidents of the children leaving the home without consent. Staff are committed in their efforts to follow, locate and safely return the children, notifying the police and relevant professionals in line with procedures and the children’s individual risk assessments. Return interviews are undertaken by an independent service, whose staff have established positive relationships with the children. Risk assessments are reviewed and updated following each incident, identifying strategies to minimise risk of reoccurrence. This includes focused one-to-one sessions engagement in activities and increasing the level of support to help the children settle at bedtime. This has led to a recent reduction in incidents of absence.

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

The home has developed a clear format to assess referrals to match their needs in line with the home’s statement of purpose. While these assessments measure risks associated with the planned admission, they do not capture how they have fully considered the impact of the child’s behaviour on those children already living in the home.

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

There is a strong focus on praise and reward. Children are able to work towards daily targets. This helps them to develop essential life skills, such as learning how to cook and care for their home. Where sanctions are given to address behaviour, such as going out without permission, these have not been restorative in nature. This limits the scope for children to learn from actions. The manager has identified this as an area for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well run by the registered manager. She has experience of working in children’s care settings in a management role and holds suitable qualifications. She knows the children very well and is ambitious for them. She leads by example and is respected by children and staff alike. Staff share her vision and her commitment to improve the experiences and outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective and insightful. She understands the strengths and development needs of the home, working closely with leaders and managers and the independent visitor to drive improvements and shape the future of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The members of the newly formed team are highly motivated, work well together and report good team morale. The staff recognise their strengths and weaknesses as individuals and use this knowledge to support each other to perform as an effective team. The workforce development plan incorporates staff training but does not include the plans for inducting staff, future training, arrangements for supervision and the measures used to Inspection report children’s home: 2517299 5 monitor performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The majority of the team members have achieved a level 3 diploma or are nearing completion of this qualification. The team has undertaken a high level of training as part of their induction, prior to and since the home opened. The current focus of the manager and clinical lead is to integrate and embed this learning into care practice, using the team consultation as a forum for staff to reflect and develop their skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a clear ethos, in line with the statement of purpose. Leaders and managers and the staff team are dedicated in delivering this shared philosophy. The manager is forming strong partnerships with the professional network. Professionals spoken to during the inspection reported good levels of communication and positive working relationships between them, the manager and the staff team. This maximises effective use of resources to meet the children’s needs.

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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: 2517299 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Buckinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP20 1UY

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Inspector

Joe Davys, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2517299 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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