Children's Home run by Surrey County Council in Surrey

Assurance visit report: SC040638 1 SC040638

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority. Staff provide care for children who have generally experienced a family breakdown and may have had traumatic experiences within their birth family.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted on 26 April 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 11 December 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Improved effectiveness

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC040638 2

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The care of children

Children benefit from the positive relationships that they have with staff. For instance, one social worker described the relationship between a child and his key worker as ‘amazing’. She said that this has brought him security where previously he had little trust in adults. As a result, he is now able to reflect on his past and is able to talk to staff about his wishes and feelings.

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The care of children

Children are engaging with education that is appropriate to their needs. One child has been supported during the COVID-19 pandemic to find a college course which he is interested in and that can meet his learning needs. Another child, who was not engaged in education prior to coming to the home this year, is now working well with home educators and starting courses this September to widen his educational experiences and learning.

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The care of children

Children are at ease with the staff and enjoy their company. The staff know the children well and support them effectively to make their views known and heard. The staff are persistent when chasing professionals for responses to questions relating to children’s care plans. This assists children to feel listened to and valued by their carers, and to have their views known by others.

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The care of children

Staff work effectively with health professionals in order to ensure that children’s physical and emotional health needs are met well. Where one child is finding getting to sleep difficult, the staff are liaising with relevant professionals and following a plan to support this to improve. The meals being served during the visit were appetising and nutritious. Children are encouraged to develop their cookery skills and stay physically active by engaging in a range of activities.

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The care of children

Staff thoughtfully help children to have positive experiences when they spend time with their families. The staff stay close by in case things go wrong and work in partnership with others to support children to get the most out of their visits.

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The care of children

Children are encouraged to have friends who visit them at the home. If this creates difficulties, staff intervene appropriately and hold to their expectations about children’s behaviour.

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The safety of children

The staff manage safeguarding concerns appropriately. The staff promptly refer concerns to the relevant safeguarding agencies, keep good records of what happens after a referral is made, and record how concerns are resolved. Staff speak confidently about the action that they would take if they had a safeguarding concern. Professionals speak positively in respect of how the staff reduce risks and manage safeguarding concerns.

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The safety of children

Staff struggled over the summer to manage children’s behaviour. Since two children moved from the home, this has improved. Managers have identified that poor Assurance visit report: SC040638 3 matching was at the heart of this issue. They have taken appropriate steps to prevent this from occurring in the future, such as a new and more detailed impact risk assessment form being in place. No child has been admitted to the home since the changes were introduced. It is therefore not possible to assess the impact of the improvements with regard to making the right choices concerning which children come to live here.

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The safety of children

The staff are managing the behaviour of the two children currently living at the home well. The missing persons coordinator for Surrey County Council was very positive about how the staff act promptly to reduce the risk to children who are vulnerable to exploitation. He reported that the staff quickly look for children if they are missing and work well with the safeguarding network as part of the team around the child.

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The safety of children

The staff are alive to risks that children may face when outside of the home, especially in the local community. They have carefully researched a youth club that a child visited to understand its suitability. Managers have also undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the local community which they keep up to date and use with staff to inform practice. This helps all staff to understand the changing risks from the local area.

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The safety of children

Written risk assessments do not reflect the actions that staff say that they are taking to keep children safe. The lack of written guidance with regard to what staff should do to minimise risk may result in the most up-to-date strategies not being followed. Children’s views are valued and used to help to make their care and support plans.

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Leaders and managers

Managers have inspired the staff team and supported them well during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Staff continue to be motivated to provide good care under difficult circumstances. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘I consider [name of home] continue to be committed to [name of child], despite the challenges’.

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Leaders and managers

Interim management arrangements are in place because the home’s registered manager is on secondment, but he is returning shortly. The additional challenges of managing children’s behaviour and the implications presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in general have adversely impacted on the manager’s ability to remain on top of monitoring.

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Leaders and managers

Managers have taken some opportunities to use monitoring to drive improvement, but they have missed others. For example, managers’ reviews of incidents do not result in a clear action to address any practice issues that they find. However, managers have developed a new type of shift plan to point staff to focus on key tasks and issues. Managers have met the three requirements and one recommendation made at the last inspection.

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Leaders and managers

Staff undertake a range of core training in areas such as safeguarding and health and safety but some aspects of practice that are necessary to understand the range of needs of the children in the home are not supported by training. For example, the Assurance visit report: SC040638 4 staff have not all received attachment theory and trauma training, which the home’s statement of purpose states is ‘central to the work we do’.

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Leaders and managers

Managers have found it difficult to meet regularly with staff for supervision during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Nevertheless, the staff say that managers readily make time for them and give helpful advice when they need it. Regular team meetings provide positive opportunities for staff to consider children’s needs, talk about innovative ways of supporting children and develop a united approach to children’s care.

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Leaders and managers

While managers have identified that the quality of staff supervision needs improvement, they have not taken immediate action to improve it. A training request has been submitted, but dates for staff to attend courses are not available. Staff therefore continue to receive supervision that does not fully meet their needs.

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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(1)(2)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that risk assessments contain adequate and up-to-date guidance on how staff should minimise any risk. 31/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they carefully monitor all records for omissions and errors. The 31/10/2020 Assurance visit report: SC040638 5 registered person must also ensure that they take remedial action in response to any shortfalls in practice. The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they regularly assess, identify and plan how to assure staff’s skills and knowledge continually to meet children’s needs. 31/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the quality of supervision is improved. 31/10/2020

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Surrey County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7QQ

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Inspectors

Ruth Coler, Social Care Inspector Paul Thomas, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC040638 6 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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