Children's home run by Enabling Futures Ltd

SC426751 Registered provider: Enabling Futures Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and provides care and accommodation for six children who may have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2017.

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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

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2018 Full Good 14/12/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/07/2016 Full Good

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build trusting and secure relationships with staff. Children, irrespective of disability, enjoy a wide range of social, educational and recreational activities, such as trampolining, basketball, football and trips out to the coast. One child is in the process of planning their first trip on an airplane. Educational outcomes are good. Staff work closely with schools. This sharing of information with schools about children’s communication and behaviour strategies encourages a consistent approach. Children usually have excellent attendance. Staff put creative and detailed plans in place to support children to thrive at school. For example, taxis are not used to take children to school. Instead, staff prefer to take the children themselves. This reassures children who might be anxious and supports the development of good relationships with staff. Children, including those who communicate non-verbally, are supported to actively

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

take part in decisions that affect their day-to-day life. They are helped to use the most appropriate communication methods to make their views, wishes and feelings known. This means that children are fully involved in the decisions made about their lives. They grow in confidence and have improved self-esteem as a result. Staff provide good healthcare, working closely with health professionals. Staff have worked hard to improve the sleeping patterns of one child. This means that the child now settles at night much better. Children are treated with dignity and respect. Cultural needs are met well so that children understand their own cultures, become more confident, and can take pride in their heritage and backgrounds.

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

Children feel safe. Staff receive the training that they need to understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Care plans, risk assessments and behaviour support plans detail the strategies that staff must follow to keep children safe. This means that children benefit from a consistent approach from all staff. This consistency reduces children’s anxieties. Staff promote positive behaviour well. There has been a significant decrease in the use of physical intervention. This is because incidents are reviewed and analysed by a manager to identify themes and patterns. It is a strength of this home that children who display challenging behaviours associated with their learning difficulties are given the opportunity to access community-based activities. Staff have a solid understanding of children’s complex needs and confidently use bespoke communication systems to de-escalate and manage behaviours. This approach has

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

ensured that incidents of poor behaviour by children have decreased. Careful vetting of all staff minimises risk to children. The provider has a dedicated team that carries out recruitment checks on new staff. Once employed, new staff undertake a probationary period that includes thorough training and regular meetings with a manager. This ensures that only the right calibre of staff become established members of this team. The manager has completed a good locality risk assessment that is specific to the children’s complex needs. It details important information such as the location of accessible toilets and autism-friendly community amenities. Arrangements for the monitoring and recording of the administration of medication have not been sufficient. Some records are not fully complete. Other records do not provide the correct level of information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and suitably qualified registered manager is in charge of the home. She is supported by a deputy manager who is also well qualified and experienced. They work well together. Managers have developed initiatives to improve communication across the large staff team. One such initiative is an electronic handover system. Managers update this each day with important information for staff. This means that staff are always aware of any new or emerging needs. The home is properly staffed to meet the needs of each child. All children have individually allocated staff members. This high staff ratio means that children receive a consistent approach to their care as well as opportunities to undertake a wide variety of activities. When children need additional staff support, managers organise this well. Consequently, children are kept safe while also being given as much independence as possible. Training and staff development systems are effective. The training programme is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

tailored to meeting the specific needs of the children. For example, managers are currently prioritising training in communication methods, including signing. Leaders and managers work proactively and positively with the local authority. They have built effective working relationships to secure the best outcomes for children. Communication with social workers is good. This means that children’s needs are fully understood and that care plans are regularly reviewed and updated. Managers have been slow in making improvements to the building. For example, planned adaptations to bathrooms have not yet been completed. This creates challenges for some children. The standard of decoration in some areas of the home is not as good as it could be. This detracts from what is an otherwise pleasant and comfortable home.

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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 legislation (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 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Please see regulation 23. Care must be taken to ensure prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any

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Recommendations

medication. These are fundamentally the same arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. Where the home has questions or concerns about a child’s medication, they should approach an expert such as a general medical practitioner, community pharmacist or designated nurse for looked-after children. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Enabling Futures Ltd

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector 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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