Children's Home run by Buckinghamshire Council in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1277453 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

The home is operated by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has submitted his application to register with Ofsted.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1277453 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1277453 3

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, ensure that all risk management strategies used are detailed in the children’s risk assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a warm and nurturing environment where children can settle, grow and develop. Staff provide a good balance between having fun and maintaining appropriate boundaries. Their insight and understanding in regard to the children’s individual needs enable the children to enjoy excellent relationships with them. This provides children with a secure base from which they can safely explore their feelings and begin to make sense of their experiences with staff who they are comfortable with and who know them well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to helping the children succeed in education. When children find school challenging, staff provide additional support and advocate for them. They communicate with school staff, and the virtual school, to review and adapt plans to meet the children’s specific educational needs. For example, a child was supported to return to their previous school due to struggling at a mainstream provision. Children have aspirations for their futures, with one child wanting to become a physiotherapist and another child wishing to pursue a career with the police.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are important to staff. Staff listen to and are responsive to their suggestions, and are respectful of their opinions and views. Children are confident about making a complaint if they have a concern. The manager discusses the outcome with the child to ensure that a satisfactory resolution is reached. This enables the children’s voice to be heard, and to influence change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work positively and proactively with families. Children receive support to rebuild relationships with their family members. This helps to improve relationships and supports children to return to their family’s care when this is part of their care plan. Parents spoke highly about the help their children receive. One parent said that they have regained Inspection report children’s home: 1277453 4 trust in their child, who is now able to make mature decisions in regard to managing their own safety and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use the diversity within the team as a platform to learn from each other, promoting an environment which embraces difference. Children are involved in charitable events, having raised a significant amount of money through running a cake stall to support a specialist cancer charity, which is a cause that is very important to one of the children. This enables the children to experience the value and pleasure of making a difference to people’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a warm and comfy home. The choice of decor, positive messages and photographs of the children create a loving and uplifting atmosphere. Staff spend quality time with the children. They enjoy each other’s company and enjoy getting involved in activities such as playing board games or home-baking.

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

Staff provide children with a safe and supportive space in which to live. New referrals are assessed in consultation with the clinical lead. This process includes consideration of the child’s needs and the likely impact of the child moving in. Risk assessments inform staff on how to manage the children’s safety inside and outside of the home. However, some children’s plans do not include all the safeguarding measures being used by staff to protect the children. This has not had any negative impact on the safety of the children.

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

The child and adolescent mental health service provide child-led consultation to support the staff in responding to the children’s therapeutic needs. Further training is being delivered in the mentalising approach, to support relationship-based practice. This will enhance the team’s knowledge and skills in delivering this model of care.

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

Overall, most children have made good progress and their behaviour is well managed. However, staff faced some significant challenges when one child’s behaviour escalated. They worked closely with professionals, adapting their interventions and safety strategies to support the child. Staff managed this difficult situation well, making some progress in stabilising the child until they moved to a more specialist provision. However, this child’s behaviour did have some impact on the other children living in the home.

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

Staff help children to develop independence skills. Staff support the children at a pace and level that are appropriate to their age and individual needs, to build their confidence. They support the children’s emotional development by helping them to reflect on their behaviour and develop healthy ways of expressing themselves. As a result, children are being helped to successfully move on. Stay-close plans highlight the value which is placed on the relationships children have developed with staff. Inspection report children’s home: 1277453 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has been promoted to a senior management position with oversight of the home, and a new manager has been appointed. The handover has been carefully managed with minimal impact felt by the children and staff. The manager received a comprehensive induction and is fully supported by senior leaders. This has enabled him to settle into his role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a shared vision for the service. They are focused on providing a secure and stable base for children, to enable them to progress. They work in close partnership with a range of professionals and specialist services to safeguard the children and meet their holistic needs. This approach demonstrates leaders’ and managers’ dedication to wanting the very best care and outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide high staffing levels, meaning that children receive excellent levels of support and attention. Staff are given high-quality, purposeful supervision, which supports the well-being of the team. Staff communicated that leaders and managers are great, and are supportive and encouraging. The approach and style of management promote a culture in which staff feel nurtured, therefore extending their capacity to care for the children and meet their complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has comprehensive plans to develop the home. This includes establishing new monitoring systems to review, analyse and evaluate care practice. Actions arising from these audits inform areas for improvement, such as the quality and function of records and enhancing the living environment. Leaders and managers keep up to date with changes in practice and guidance, both locally and nationally, and disseminate this information to inform care practice and advance the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and experienced team of staff. Training is carefully selected to enhance the team’s skills and develop the therapeutic model of care. Advanced training enhances the staff’s knowledge and skills, and supports them to progress in their careers. Staff value these opportunities, using their skills to work collectively to achieve positive outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are confident in their knowledge of the home’s ethos and values, which are intrinsically linked to their actions and practice. Consequently, they deliver well-informed care that is in keeping with the home’s statement of purpose. Inspection report children’s home: 1277453 6

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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: 1277453 7

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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: 1277453 8 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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