Children's home run by Milton Keynes City Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 1 SC052599 Registered provider: Milton Keynes Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 10 children between five and 19 years of age. According to the home’s statement of purpose, the home provides residential short breaks and day care for children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a manager since 30 June 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

Date of last inspection: 30 January 2019

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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: SC052599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2019 Full Good 31/08/2017 Full Good 15/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Longstanding and dedicated staff provide child-centred care to the children. As a result, the children experience nurturing and stable relationships with the staff who know and understand them well. This provides the children with a sense of belonging and acceptance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is careful consideration and planning of activities to ensure that the children make the most of their time at the home. Staff base this on their knowledge of the children needs and on tried and tested activities. Some of this is innovative, such as participation in an interactive drama workshop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Christmas and summer tea parties form part of the home’s culture. These parties open up the home and provide fun activities for all the children and their families to enjoy. The home benefits from a resident disc jockey, caterer and disco equipment. Staff know how to host a good party. They are planned with flexibility, for the children to access at their own level and pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Close links with schools and families ensure that good communication is maintained. Professionals and families comment on the open communication between themselves and the staff. This provides the children with continuity across these environments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Individual targets for each child link to their education, health and care plan (EHCP). These are set out clearly and are regularly reviewed. Staff celebrate each small step of the children’s success. This helps the children to grow and they become more independent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Compassionate staff deliver care with dignity and respect. Children appear happy, and staff are attentive to their needs. Staff offer the children choices and encourage them to take part in day-to-day decisions. Consequently, the children develop confidence.

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

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding. They are confident about what action to take if they have a concern about a child. Safeguarding training is tailored to the needs of the children. As a result, the staff are alert to the extra vulnerabilities and risks for children with disabilities.

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

Children enjoy spending time with their friends when they stay at the home. Staff provide the children with routine, play time, personal space and enjoyable mealtimes. As a result, the children are comfortable and relaxed in the presence of staff and each other.

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

A well-established, accessible and effective picture postcard communication system Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 4 is used at the home. This system helps the children to express their wishes and to make complaints. Recent examples include requests for new books and staying up later. Managers review each postcard and respond back to the children. Subsequently, the children learn that they have the right to have opinions and that these opinions matter.

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

Child-centred plans and assessments reflect the children’s individual needs. Staff update plans following changes in the children’s behaviour or circumstances. This helps to ensure that staff practice is current and responsive to the changing needs of the children.

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

Praise and encouragement underpin the staff practice, creating a positive atmosphere at the home. When the children become distressed or worried, staff use their knowledge of the children to look beyond their behaviour to understand what they are communicating. This is effective, particularly with the children who communicate non-verbally.

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good

There has been no registered manager at the home since June 2019. Leaders have failed to keep the statement of purpose up to date. It does not accurately reflect the purpose of and service currently provided by the home. The responsible individual is a visible presence in the home. However, there is no accountable person in day-to- day charge of the running of the home.

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good

The home is generally well furnished, with specialised equipment, books and toys available for the children. Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to make the home less institutionalised and homelier. However, more work is needed to further improve the overall standard of the environment. Some of which are relatively small, for example removing the non-smoking sign at the entrance area and replacing a boarded up window on a fire door.

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good

Staff benefit from the home’s training programme, which covers a good range of relevant topics. Mandatory and specialist training are provided through a mix of face-to-face and online formats. Consequently, staff develop competence to meet the specific needs of the children.

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good

Leaders and the staff hold high aspirations for the children and celebrate their achievements. Through regular reviews and monitoring, the staff identify progress towards targets and what else needs to be done to support the children to achieve.

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good

The home is appreciated by professionals and families, who speak highly about the support and care the children receive. A value-led culture permeates throughout the home. Staff interact and respond to the children with kindness and care. Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 5

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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 provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy Regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 30/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(a)(b)) 01/03/2020

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the 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’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC052599 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Milton Keynes Council, Saxon Court, 502 Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3HS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Elizabeth Roberts

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Inspector

Anne-Marie Davies, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC052599 7 to 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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