Children's home run by Children Assisted in a Real Environment Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 1 Registered provider: Children Assisted in a Real Environment (Care) Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A limited company runs this children’s home for up to six young people who have disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder, including young people who have complex needs and/or display challenging behaviours. The home provides short and long-term care and accommodation, as well as short breaks. The registered manager has been managing this home since its registration on 26 July 2017.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 September to 1 October 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/07/2018 Full Good 20/03/2018 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39(3)(5)) 01/01/2020

p.3

Recommendations

 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’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Specifically, the registered person should record a more comprehensive risk assessment of any hazards in the garden.  Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The 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 homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus

p.3

Recommendations

on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4) Specifically, the registered person should demonstrate how they take into account the feedback that they receive from the young people, their parents, Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 4 professionals and staff when reviewing the service, and also review in more detail the staff workforce development plan.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have positive experiences while staying in this home. They improve in many areas of their lives and become more independent. One mother said that her son has completely changes. He now helps with the household chores and reminds others how to be polite and how to make healthy choices. Another mother said that the staff helped her daughter to be healthy and happy.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive individualised support of high quality from skilled and caring staff. This helps the young people to develop close relationships with staff members. Young people have a sense of safety, connection and belonging.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide personal care that is sensitive to the young people’s need for privacy and enables them to improve their self-care skills. Young people’s needs are met in ways which are respectful of different aspects of their identity. These include visiting specialist hairdressers, having meals from specific ethnic cuisines and attending church on Sundays.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment is spacious, comfortable and maintained to a high standard. It includes a sensory room and a playroom, which are equipped to enrich young people’s sensory experiences. Young people enjoy dancing and delight in staff reading books to them and creatively enacting stories.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use every opportunity to enable young people to understand what is happening around them. Young people’s ability to express themselves, communicate their views and make safer choices has also improved considerably.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A wide range of recreational group activities helps young people to have fun together and develop friendships. This also helps them to develop their social skills further. Visits to museums, country parks and the seaside enrich young people’s learning opportunities.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are model students. Their school attendance is 100%. They receive awards for their good effort, educational progress and attainments.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Active lifestyles, nutritious food and an orderly environment have improved young people’s health. This includes reductions in obesity and anxiety levels. The arrangements for young people to have their specific health needs met are comprehensive and include a robust medication policy. Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 5

p.4

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

Staff have created a positive and safe environment for the young people. Young people appear comfortable and relaxed in their environment, and move freely and confidently around the home. One mother said that she is at peace knowing that her son is really safe.

p.5

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

Good relationships between the young people and staff underpin the young people’s good behaviour. Young people trust staff members and are willing to follow instructions from them. The home’s routines, clear expectations and firm boundaries contribute further to the young people’s sense of order, safety and security.

p.5

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

The effective management of risk helps to ensure young people’s safety. Staff are vigilant in identifying risks to young people’s safety, and take proactive steps to minimise these risks. Detailed individual risk management plans and behaviour management plans contribute to the consistency of staff support. Staff creatively use body maps to talk to young people about their right not to be harmed or touched inappropriately.

p.5

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

Staff manage incidents well. They use physical interventions only when it is absolutely necessary to protect young people or others around them. The level of any physical intervention is always in accordance with the level of risk, and is always at the minimum level required to secure the safety of everyone involved.

p.5

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

Regular health and safety checks ensure that the home’s physical environment remains safe. The fire risk assessments and the risk assessment of the premises are reviewed annually to ensure that the control measures remain effective. However, the written risk assessment of the hazards in the garden does not include the risk of falling almost two feet from the elevated area of the garden. Nevertheless, there have been no accidents or near misses, as the young people receive at least one-to-one support at all times when they are in the garden.

p.5

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

Staff are aware of the risks in the locality and plan their activities accordingly. The home receives monthly updates on the local crime statistics and staff have also spoken to the local police about the risks. However, some parts of the initial locality risk assessment have been lost and an annual review is in progress.

p.5

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

Relevant policies are in place and are followed in practice, which has a positive impact on young people’s safety. Regular quizzes on safeguarding test the staff’s knowledge and keep them alert to safeguarding issues. Staff know their reporting responsibilities well.

p.5

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

The home has good links with the designated officer of the host local authority who is responsible for dealing with allegations against professionals. The designated officer commented positively on how effectively they worked with the home to safeguard young people when there were safeguarding concerns. Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 6

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a qualified and experienced professional who has set high expectations for the quality of care that staff provide for the young people. The registered manager leads by example and has an in-depth knowledge of the young people and their progress. Staff members share the leaders’ vision for the service and show high commitment to improving the young people’s lives.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently. Leaders and managers always make decisions which are in the best interests of the young people. The registered manager advocates well for the young people and, when it is necessary, challenges other professionals to do the same.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff have a comprehensive induction into their duties and responsibilities. All staff receive regular training, supervision and reviews of their performance. Some staff said that the registered manager is the best manager that they have ever had.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to developing the team’s skills and provides training at team meetings. Periods of professional reflection are built into shift plans, so that they occur on a daily basis. This contributes to the consistency within the team and the development of more effective care practices in the home.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager completes six-monthly quality of care reviews of the home. However, the last report did not include an analysis of the responses that were received from the staff, parents and professionals who are external to the home. This is a missed opportunity to assess how different stakeholders contribute to the home’s development plan.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s social workers spoke highly of their working relationships with the home, as well as the quality of care and its impact on the young people. Social workers receive monthly updates on their young people’s progress and outcomes. Leaders, managers and staff make a clear contribution to the multi-professional meetings and young people’s care plans.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has responded appropriately to an issue that was raised by a health professional. However, this was not recorded as a complaint. Not maintaining a log of complaints undermines the monitoring of the service by the home’s leaders and managers, and by Ofsted.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s parents were full of praise for the home’s manager and staff. One mother said: ‘This is a proper home. Staff treat everyone with respect and care. They treat children as individual people not just as disabled.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 7

p.6

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.

p.7

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: 1257022 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children Assisted in a Real Environment (Care) Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 144 Old Oak Road, London W3 7HF

p.8

Inspector

Seka Graovac: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1257022 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9