Children's Home, Residential special school run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC415138 1 SC415138 Registered provider: Staffordshire 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 resource centre, which is managed by a local authority, provides short-break care for up to six young people who have learning and/or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC415138 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2019 Full Outstanding 27/10/2016 Full Outstanding 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/11/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC415138 3

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Recommendations

 Regulation 5 sets out overarching requirements that run across all of the Quality Standards. To meet the aspirations embodied in the Quality Standards, children’s homes need to connect with and be part of the wider support system for each child in their care. No children’s home will be able to meet, on its own, all of a child’s needs. It is crucial that the home works in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child, but particularly the child’s local authority and statutory social worker. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children really enjoy their short breaks in this warm, spacious and welcoming environment. They enjoy choosing their favourite bedroom on arrival. Children have access to a sensory room, soft play area and large gardens. Staff work hard to maintain and continually develop the environment. This exceptional setting helps children to feel at home and make progress in a range of areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A highly committed and passionate staff team provides children with excellent care. Staff know children well and treat each child as an individual. For example, staff worked alongside a child’s family to address his high levels of anxiety and distress. A clear transition plan supported the child to settle at his own pace. Staff used a variety of communication aids and visual prompts. For example, they recognised that the use of a specific suitcase would help the child to understand that his short-breaks stay was imminent. This highly individualised and well-planned care helped the child to settle and make exceptional progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The registered manager and staff continue to develop and evolve opportunities for children to participate in their care. A new ‘positive environment’ strategy has resulted in the introduction of new and innovative methods to increase children’s participation. Children now play a role in daily handovers to staff. Regular children’s meetings provide them with opportunities to make decisions about new equipment and activities. Staff have also developed a new child-friendly and fun voting system to help children make choices about their care. This innovative approach ensures that children feel involved and take ownership of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s healthcare and education needs are met. For example, staff visit schools to gather key information about children’s progress. Teachers and staff jointly agree behaviour management strategies and targets, which support children’s learning. Inspection report children’s home: SC415138 4 Children’s complex health needs are well known and managed. Comprehensive health plans capture key information and provide staff with clear guidance. Staff work closely with families to ensure that children’s health information is updated. This excellent collaborative working enhances positive outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy a range of activities and experiences. These include trips to local parks, bowling, arts and crafts and using the sensory room. Staff plan activities based on children’s favourite themes. This ensures that children’s experiences remain exciting and varied. Staff support children to build independence skills, such as preparing drinks and improving their personal hygiene. Some children take part in a children’s ‘university’ project. This innovative and enriching experience supports children to achieve their targets. They attend lavish graduation ceremonies alongside their families and take great pride in their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff continue to develop new ways for families to feel part of the service. For example, the introduction of coffee mornings provides parents with valuable opportunities to express their views. Staff use this feedback to improve children’s care and strengthen their relationships with parents. For example, staff plan to provide parents with specialist behaviour management training. This collaborative approach makes parents feel valued and helps children to make progress. A parent told the inspector, ‘I’ve seen a massive difference in him [child]. He is more independent and gets to try new experiences. The service is vital for parents; it’s a lifeline for us.’

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

The safety and well-being of children are central to staff practice. Risk assessments are clear and updated, and provide staff with clear guidance to keep children safe. The registered manager ensures that staffing ratios are appropriate for each child. This ensures that children are safe both in the home and when spending time in the community.

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

Staff know children well and understand the triggers that may unsettle them. They use their intuition to recognise when children may be anxious or distressed. Staff intervene early and offer children guidance and reassurance. They use a range of individualised approaches to help children settle. For example, one child uses a specific blanket to help him feel calm. Staff also use a range of communication aids to help children express their feelings and emotions. This robust and well-thought-out approach keeps children settled and safe.

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

The registered manager has continued to develop and enhance risk management procedures. The registered manager and leaders reflect on and implement learning from incidents that happen. For example, during one incident a child wandered off from staff. Fortunately the child was located quickly and did not come to harm. Staff now complete risk assessments on all off-site locations, and specific off-site activity risks are written into staff daily plans. Procedures for the supervision of children during off-site activities have also been improved. Inspection report children’s home: SC415138 5 Regular health and safety checks, routine servicing of equipment and robust risk assessments ensure that the home is safe for children. An experienced staff member oversees all aspects of health and safety. She works closely with colleagues in the local authority to plan staff training, and carry out regular health and safety audits. The

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

registered manager has also developed procedures for the recording of incidents. This additional scrutiny helps her to identify patterns and trends. As a result, children’s vulnerability to risk reduces.

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

Staff work creatively with children to help them understand how to keep safe. They provide a range of informative group forums which focus on community safety and anti- bullying. The registered manager has further enhanced systems for rewarding children’s positive behaviour and setting their targets. As a result, children’s targets are continually reviewed to ensure that they are in line with children’s needs. In addition, parents now play a key role, together with children and staff, in setting their child’s targets.

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

Specialist training equips staff with the knowledge and skills required to safely manage children’s complex care needs. For example, training focuses on epilepsy, administering medication and specialist feeding procedures. Staff gather key health information from a range of agencies and work closely with families to update and review children’s health plans. This coordinated approach means that staff practice is responsive to children’s needs.

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

The registered manager has developed staff recruitment procedures. For example, social workers are part of recruitment panels. This additional scrutiny helps to identify candidates with the appropriate experiences and skills. In addition, robust vetting of potential employees helps to protects children from unsafe adults working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has significant experience and skills. She is passionate about children in her care. Her innovative and committed ethos means that the service continues to develop and evolve. For example, the registered manager and staff generate a range of creative ideas to improve the quality of care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A highly skilled and experienced staff team provides children with exceptional care. Some new staff have joined the service since the last inspection. This has strengthened staff resources and brought fresh impetus and new ideas. Staff are passionate about children in their care. They continue to find new ways to enhance their practice. For example, staff spend time researching and introducing new communications tools to help children express their views. As a result, the quality of children’s care continues to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel well supported by managers and their peers. They benefit from a healthy learning environment that equips them with the required knowledge and skills. The quality of staff supervision is exceptional and symptomatic of a service that strives for continual improvement. Staff provide children with consistent care. They share information effectively and continually reflect on their practice. This creates a culture of Inspection report children’s home: SC415138 6 high aspiration and positivity. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘I really love it here; it is so supportive. We always keep pushing forward and improving. We genuinely care about children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager uses a range of effective monitoring systems. She closely scrutinises all aspects of care to identify strengths and areas of development. The registered manager works closely with senior leaders and agencies to identify wider patterns and trends. She understands the increasing complexity of children’s needs and competing demands on the service. As a result, the registered manager works hard to improve partnership working and communication sharing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

During the inspection, some social workers expressed frustration about delays in admitting children and poor information sharing by staff. The registered manager has plans to address these concerns. For example, social workers will attend drop-in sessions at the service to improve working relationships with staff. Furthermore, this will help social workers to understand the context of admission decisions and current demands on the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff use information from a variety of sources to create detailed and highly individualised children’s care plans. The registered manager and staff are strong advocates for children and challenge any shortfalls in their care. Overall, feedback from professionals and family members is highly complimentary. This is symptomatic of the strong working relationships between staff and key stakeholders.

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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: SC415138 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Staffordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wedgwood Buildings, Tipping Street, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 2DH

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Inspector

Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC415138 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 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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