Children's home run by Action for Children Services Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 1 Registered provider: Action for Children

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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 children’s home is operated by a charity. It is registered for up to four children, aged up to 18, who have a sensory impairment and/or a learning and/or physical disability. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted on 5 September 2019.

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 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 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve and uses 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 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

and that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and

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Requirement Due date

is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(vii) and (3)(c)(I)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the child has reliable access to a car when required, that staff have the necessary mandatory and specialist training for their role and that staff are only supervised by staff with the relevant qualifications and experience. 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the child is regularly provided with a variety of activities within the community. 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on an understanding about acceptable behaviour. 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to ensuring that behaviour management plans and risk management plans have clear strategies in place to minimise the risks and help the child. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that promotes children’s 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must have good oversight of all incidents and paperwork within the home to make improvements and ensure that there are enough staff to care for other children when they move in. 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises is kept under review and, if necessary, revised.

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Requirement Due date

The manager must ensure that any visual monitors used for the child are necessary for the safety of the child, included in a risk management plan and are regularly reviewed by all necessary parties. 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)) 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 5 In particular, the manager must ensure that gaps in employment, reasons for leaving and staff qualifications are checked and verified. The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to ensuring that internal and statutory care plans are kept up to date and that the child’s documents are dated and signed. 31/03/2020

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Recommendations

 To establish whether an existing qualification is equivalent to either the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare and/or the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, the registered person should check whether the existing qualification has appeared in previous children’s homes legislation or National Minimum Standards. In addition, the registered person should also establish whether the units completed in the candidate’s original qualification have content which corresponds with the units of the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare and/or the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. They should consider the relevance of the units of any original qualifications to the care of children as described in the home’s Statement of Purpose. The registered person should keep a record of the information they have considered to establish ‘equivalence’. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.1–1.4)

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improvement to be good

This is the first inspection of this home since it was registered on 5 September 2019. Improvement is needed to the quality of care and oversight provided within the home. Managers have not ensured that statutory and internal care plans are updated for the child living at this home. Some records were duplicated and repetitive. For example, the internal care plan did not include the child’s basic details or needs, and signatures and dates for associated documents were missing. If necessary information is not included and aims and objectives are not clear, this could affect the quality of care the child receives and their potential progress. Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 6 The child has enjoyed some activities, including trampolining, walking and visiting the zoo. However, provision of regular activities in the community are limited; lack of an allocated vehicle for the home also impedes this. This could affect the child’s social

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improvement to be good

development and access to opportunities equal to those of other children. Managers have worked closely with parents and teachers to ensure that the child uses a Picture Exchange Communication System. This helps to reduce anxiety, and encourages choice and understanding. Staff have been creative in capturing the views of the child and have used visual aids to encourage their participation.

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improvement to be good

The child’s behaviour management plan is not completed to a good enough standard. Managers do not ensure that actions and strategies are clearly set to enable staff to consistently respond to the needs of the child. Consequently, the child may not make progress with or learn from their behaviours if staff lack guidance. The child’s risk management plan does not state how staff are to keep the child safe when out in the community or when they become physically aggressive. This could place the child at risk. Managers and staff have not included within the plan the use of a visual monitor in the child’s bedroom to allow for review and careful oversight. Managers have not ensured that recruitment records are robust enough. This inspection highlighted gaps in the verification of employment history and reasons for leaving. Staff qualifications are not routinely verified and recorded. The child is potentially at risk if

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improvement to be good

staff are not properly checked and lack the necessary skills for the role.

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

The registered manager is dedicated to improving the quality of care provided within the home. Staff speak highly about the support and guidance they receive from the registered manager. She is assisted by an experienced and passionate team leader. The manager has not ensured that robust monitoring and review systems are in place to oversee patterns and trends in the care provided for the child. For example, incident recordings are not always completed to a high enough standard, with information missing. The manager has not reviewed these records. Two staff use their vehicles for work purposes, yet records of driving licence details and the safety of staff vehicles have not been examined by the manager. The manager has not ensured that documents on the child’s file are completed to a good standard. Since registration of this home, four staff have left. Plans are underway to recruit more staff. Enough staff will need to be in place before new children can move in, to ensure

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

that children’s needs can be met. It was highlighted during the inspection that the manager has not checked that staff qualifications are equivalent to the level 3 diploma for residential childcare. Consequently, staff could lack the skills and knowledge required to care for a child with complex needs. Staff training records are well organised. However, gaps were identified in mandatory training for some staff, including in food safety, fire safety, medication training and safeguarding. Staff have not received training or information about safeguarding Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 7 disabled children. Staff have not accessed training about the Prevent duty or the risks associated with the exploitation of children. Therefore, staff lack the necessary skills and training to ensure that they can safeguard children. Managers have ensured that staff receive regular supervision. Records are completed to

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

a good standard with clear actions for follow-up. However, the inspector was told during this inspection that senior managers have plans in place for assistant residential support workers to be supervised by residential support workers who lack the appropriate qualifications or experience. This could seriously affect the quality of care provided within the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 8

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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: 2537149 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Action for Children, 3 The Boulevard Ascot Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 8AG

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Inspector

Anna Gravelle, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2537149 10 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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