Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 1 SC033127 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire 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 local authority has registered this home to provide care and accommodation for up to 11 children and young people who have learning and physical disabilities. The home is split into three smaller homes. The Bungalow provides long-term care for children and young people. Rainbow and Starlight both provide short-break services. Starlight supports children and young people who have additional complex health needs. At this current time, children looked after are receiving long-term care in each of the homes. The registered manager has been in post since 2010.

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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

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2018 Full Good 05/03/2018 Full Outstanding 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/09/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 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—

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Requirement Due date

use 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—

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6(1)(b)(2)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that:  the children and young people are given choices throughout all aspects of their care  plans are created to enable the children and young people to progress and achieve their full potential  the use of sanctions is justified through each child and young person’s plan. The use of any sanctions should consistently be reviewed to ascertain the effectiveness. 20/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, risk assessments should be completed within each child and young person’s file, and these should provide the staff 20/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 4 with clear guidance on how to maintain the safety and protection of all. In addition, after a significant incident, the child or young person’s risk assessment should be reviewed. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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. (Regulation 13(2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the staff need to review the use of institutionalised language, and the impact that this has on the children and young people. In addition, the staff need to complete training that supports them in their role, including training in autism spectrum disorder. 20/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i)(c)) 20/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 20/03/2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 5 employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  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

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Recommendations

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) This is with particular reference to improving the standard of the bathroom in the Bungalow, and ensuring that all blind cords are securely fitted. Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 6

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improvement to be good

There has been an increase in the numbers of children and young people living in the home, and this has reduced the number of bedrooms available to those accessing the short-breaks service. However, the provider has increased the number of days that they provide short breaks to mitigate any adverse impact on children with disabilities and their families.

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improvement to be good

The health needs of all the children and young people are met. The staff regularly receive bespoke training to help them meet the complex healthcare needs of individual children and young people. Children and young people living in the home are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician, and they receive regular and routine healthcare. One child’s vision has improved because they are now wearing glasses.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people attend school and are supported by the staff with their morning routines. This ensures that they are prepared for the day ahead. The staff helped one young person to change her college provision, and this has helped her to sustain her commitment to education.

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improvement to be good

Some children and young people’s views of the world have widened as they gain new experiences, including going abroad on holiday. Children have photo albums that capture these memories for them. However, some children and young people spend much of their free time in the home, while others enjoy a range of activities. Staff are not routinely planning social or community youth-based activities to support the reintegration of the children and young people into hobbies and interests that they were previously involved in.

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improvement to be good

Not all the children and young people have goals set that are specific to their capabilities. This does not support them to achieve their full potential. In some cases, the staff’s practice is derived from clear individualised plans and care strategies, and this has a positive impact on the children and young people. For example, a solo-bed annexe has been created for one young person. This type of provision enables children to live in a space that they can tolerate, and thus supports them to make significant progress. This particular child is developing his ability to talk, and, as a result, his sister has heard him say her name for the very first time.

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improvement to be good

The staff know the children and young people well and most are regularly consulted about their care. However, some practice noted during the inspection showed that one child, who has limited communication, was not consulted before a decision was made for them by a member of staff.

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improvement to be good

The home is undergoing a programme of maintenance and improvement. New sensory equipment has been purchased with a view to bringing further enjoyment to those Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 7 children and young people who use the sensory room. Although there has been investment in the maintenance and decoration of the home, there are areas that still require attention, including the bathroom in the home that provides long-term care, and blind cords around the home. The blind cords are not securely fitted and could pose a risk to the children and young people. This risk is mitigated by the high levels of supervision that the staff provide to the children and young people.

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improvement to be good

The staff understand the vulnerabilities of all of the children and young people well. High staffing levels ensure that the children and young people are supported and supervised when in the home and out in the community. This reduces the risk of the children and young people going missing from home, but does not always prepare young people with their preparation for adulthood. The manager did identify plans to support one young person with independence during the inspection, but they are not always forward- looking or proactive.

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improvement to be good

The staff provide the children and young people with high levels of physical support, inclusive of personal care. Clear procedures mean that the staff record and report any marks or bruises on the children and young people. This practice enables further investigation and protection for all children and young people.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are not always reviewed after significant incidents. However, staff have a good understanding of the individual children and young people’s presenting behaviours and respond to these accordingly. Appropriate use of physical interventions keeps the children and young people safe. Serious incidents are followed up with staff debriefs to enhance reflection, but there is no written record of these conversations.

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improvement to be good

The staff use sanctions to help the children and young people to recognise the impact of their behaviours, but there is no written evaluation of the effectiveness of these to inform staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Careful consideration is given to the matching of the children and young people prior to them coming into the home. One parent spoke positively about their experience and that of their child in preparation for coming into the home and being welcomed by staff. However, the planning undertaken to support the children and young people coming to the home is not evident in the records.

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

The manager is well qualified and has a wealth of experience, but recent changes at the home relating to an increase in children and young people living here longer-term has impacted on the management oversight. Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 8 The staff are supported to develop their knowledge and skills by completing a range of training. Partnership working with the nurse educator means that the staff are highly skilled in meeting the complex medical needs and life-limiting conditions of the children and young people. However, not all staff have completed training related to autism spectrum disorder. Neither are all staff aware of their use of institutionalised language in the presence of the children and young people in their care.

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

Staff benefit from supervision and support from appropriately experienced and trained staff. However, formal supervisions are not regularly taking place and supervision records are not appropriately capturing the staff’s learning and development. This is a missed opportunity for the manager and senior staff to review practice, particularly for the newly appointed staff members.

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

The local authority care plans and records are recorded on a shared electronic system, but the manager is not always accessing these records to inform her care of the children and young people. This is mitigated by the fact that the manager and staff have a good understanding of each child and young person and their behaviours and plans. The staff keep records of children and young people’s progress and outcomes, but some records are not routinely signed and kept updated. This raises concerns about the manager’s monitoring and accountability of the team.

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

Good and regular communication with parents and professionals enables them to develop trusting relationships with the manager and staff. Feedback from parents and professionals is positive and identifies that they are happy with the standard of care that their children and young people receive. One parent said, ‘The demeanour of the staff and how they meet [child’s name] complex needs give us as parents the confidence and reassurance to leave our child.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 9

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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: SC033127 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North East Lincolnshire Council, Civic Offices, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 8LN

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Inspectors

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Deb Duffy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033127 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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