John Greenwood Shipman Centre

Inspection report children's home: SC465257 1 SC465257 Registered provider: Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is an eight-bedded short-break service for children and young people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and associated healthcare needs. The service is managed by a healthcare foundation trust. It is also registered with the Care Quality Commission because staff carry out some healthcare tasks.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 16 and 17 December 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: 17 September 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: SC465257 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2019 Full Good 09/07/2018 Full Good 12/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC465257 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and well looked after by a dedicated team of staff. Some relationships between children and staff are particularly strong. These strong relationships mean that a very high standard of care is provided. One of the children who struggles with being touched allowed staff to cut his hair. This is a significant achievement for this child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are effective advocates for children. One of the children spends his time at school in a specialised chair. Staff have challenged this decision. They are keen to ensure that wherever possible children’s independence is promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This service is flexible in meeting both the carers and their children’s needs for a short break. When children live at this setting for an extended period, staff have successfully made sure any impact on other children’s short breaks is minimal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has significant difficulties with sharing their space. At this setting, children benefit from two separate lounges, a soft playroom and a large outside area. This means their need for space is met, and anxieties are reduced. However, the building would benefit from updating, including minor repairs and better standard of outdoor play equipment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s communication methods. However, children are sometimes spoken over when they could be included in conversations. Specific communication tools are not always used with children in line with their care plans. Using these tools would mean children are more involved in choices and decision- making.

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

The safeguarding knowledge of staff is good. This ensures that their practice keeps children safe and protected. Staff know how to raise concerns to a manager.

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

The monitoring and recording by staff of safeguarding incidents is thorough. They regularly complete body maps. These identify new or existing concerns. Concerns are then shared with carers and professionals, including schools. This sharing of information keeps vulnerable children safe.

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

Risks for children are identified in their plans. These are thorough and detailed. When there are incidents, risk assessments are quickly updated. This means that staff learn from incidents and can measure any changes in frequency.

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

Children are supported by a high ratio of staffing. This means that their needs can be met quickly and individually. When children display anxious behaviour, staff try the least restrictive method to ensure that children’s needs are met safely. Inspection report children's home: SC465257 4 Health and safety records are not always reviewed regularly. This includes children’s plans for fire evacuation. However, managers acted quickly to ensure these plans were updated with the correct information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers know the importance of a well-planned introduction to this setting for the child and their family. Trust is built up gradually with initial short visits. Children eventually stay overnight. This gradual introduction has proved successful. Children settle quickly and enjoy their short break. Families say they are confident that their child will be kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff receive good-quality and regular supervision. Children’s needs are considered in these meetings. This means that staff are monitored by a manager on a regular basis and supported to provide good-quality care to the children. Staff say that managers always make time for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff can access a wide range of training. Due to COVID-19, there has been a blend of online and face-to-face training. Staff therefore have regular opportunities to learn new skills and develop their existing knowledge. Children are looked after by a motivated and skilled team of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers do not have an effective system for monitoring all records. This means it is not clear whether essential records such as restraints and incidents are all reviewed in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the manager has arranged for an independent person to visit the home once a month, the quality of these visits remains poor. They have not sought the views of children, carers and professionals on a regular basis. Seeking the views of children with complex communication needs is important to ensure that they continue to be safeguarded in all settings they access. Inspection report children's home: SC465257 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers having an effective overview of all records. 10 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced. 10 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC465257 6 The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to obtaining the views of children, parents and carers and professionals, and giving an opinion on whether children are safeguarded.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. These must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s homes is a nurturing and supportive environment 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 the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person to ensure that each child is provided with support

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Recommendations

(appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participates fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. This may include the use of and support to use communication aids, equipment and/or any necessary language support. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6) Inspection report children's home: SC465257 7

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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 address: Sudborough House, St Marys Hospital, 77 London Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15 7PW

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC465257 8 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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