Children's Home run by Wandsworth Borough Council in Wandsworth

Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 1 SC065478 Registered provider: Wandsworth Borough 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 local authority operates this children’s home. The home provides short breaks and full-time care for up to 13 children who have a physical and/or a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 2007. She has a suitable qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 September to 1 October 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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/05/2018 Full Good 30/08/2017 Full Good 06/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 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 give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation—

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Requirement Due date

any change in the identity of the responsible individual. (Regulation 49 (e)(iii)) 31/12/2019

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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 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

Specifically, staff should make sure that all furniture is stable, that electrical sockets are covered and that plastic gloves are stored out of children’s reach. 31/12/2019

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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 31/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 4 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 basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, paragraph 4.16, page 22)  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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 11.4, page 56)  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the

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Recommendations

needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.9, page 15)

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy their short breaks and appear relaxed and happy in the home. They experience a variety of play activities in the home, including creative play and trips out. Children enjoy nutritious meals, prepared by the cook, which meet their dietary and cultural needs. Children learn some skills to make them more independent, particularly managing some aspects of their personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Those children living long-term in the home said that they feel safe and settled and that they like the staff, although understandably some would prefer to live with their families. Children enjoy making friends and being around those children who stay for short breaks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents feel welcomed by the staff when visiting. One parent described the home as ‘like a family’ and a ‘very good place’ for their child. Children who are not able to see their families receive emotional support from staff. Effective use of signing and individualised communication booklets on key rings help make sure children can communicate their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well supported. Staff match children when arranging their stays, to protect those with more delicate health needs. The care of children with autism spectrum disorder is arranged so that they can experience a low arousal environment to suit their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child staying long-term in the home has not received any formal education since they moved into the home. Staff support the child’s learning and have helped them make considerable progress in developing language skills. As a result, this child is now able to express themselves.

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

The home benefits from an on-site social worker who works effectively with those children and families using the service. A professional from the child and adolescent mental health services described having good working relationships with the staff whom they said ‘support strategies and interventions’ to help the children.

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

Staff training includes how to safeguard children. The home follows a process of safe recruitment for new staff. However, an agency supplying a member of staff to the home had obtained only one reference. The registered manager is seeking another reference.

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

The building is kept secure. No children have gone missing from the home or while out on activities.

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

The registered manager made one referral to the designated officer during this inspection year. The designated officer found that the home’s managers engaged fully with the process, appropriately reported the concern and put the necessary safeguarding measures in place. Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 6 Arrangements for fire safety are reasonable and include personal emergency evacuation plans for children who need extra help from staff in an emergency. However, there is conflicting information in records about the frequency of fire safety checks.

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

The building requires improvement. The garden would benefit from more facilities for wheelchair users and for those children who need sensory experiences. The local authority wishes to improve the environment. Plans are in place for redecoration and an upgrade to the building, furnishings and equipment, following the current building works.

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

Although staff do check the building before children stay, some aspects presented risk, such as a wardrobe which was unstable and unprotected electrical sockets. Staff acted to deal with these safety issues during the inspection. People living in nearby properties are able to see into some bedrooms, which may compromise children’s privacy. Facilities such as the soft play room and sensory room need improvement.

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

Although managers try to secure services for children, such as education and therapeutic support, this has not always been successful. Consequently, there has been drift in implementing one child’s care plan and insufficient progress in their education and understanding of their life story.

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

Arrangements were not clearly agreed when another local authority placed a child in the home. Managers did not pursue someone independent to advocate on the child’s behalf to secure what they need.

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

The responsible individual left the service and a new person took over the role. However, Ofsted was not notified of this change to the leadership of the home.

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

The registered manager is very well regarded by staff as a ‘firm but fair’ leader. The registered manager is proud of the improvement made this year to children’s care planning folders, so that information is clear for staff. The registered manager has met the requirement and recommendations made at the last inspection. This has helped to develop the service.

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

Staff get good supervision and support. General and specific training to meet individual children’s needs is provided. This supports children who have complex health needs to use the service. However, one member of staff has not achieved the level 3 qualification within timescales.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 7 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: SC065478 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Wandsworth

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road, London SW17 0LA

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Inspectors:

Jacqueline Graves, social care regulatory inspector Barnaby Dowell, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC065478 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 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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