Children's home run by Peterborough City Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC058778 1 SC058778 Registered provider: Peterborough City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority-run home provides short breaks for up to five children and long- term care for a further three children. The home provides specialist care for children with physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2007.

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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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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: 4 February 2020

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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: SC058778 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2020 Full Good 30/01/2019 Full Good 07/08/2017 Full Good 20/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC058778 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children all attend education placements that meet their specific needs. Most children attend the school that is situated on the same site as the home. Staff help children to work towards their education targets. The manager works closely with schools. Consequently, children have good education outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with children. They know the children well and understand and meet their individual needs. Staff understand how to communicate with children with complex needs and, whenever possible, give children choices. Staff are nurturing and provide good care. Children feel well cared for and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with the children’s parents, providing practical and emotional support. Parents feel supported and said that communication from the staff is good. One parent said that the respite has been a ‘lifeline for the whole family’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager understands that families and children need to feel reassured before accessing respite care. As part of the admission process, before visiting the home, children and their families are provided with a child-friendly DVD tour of the home. A voiceover explains what they can expect from the service and the facilities that the home provides. This helps prepare children and their families for children’s stays and makes information accessible to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and homely and benefits from a variety of communal rooms. There is a designated sensory room, to help children calm, and a separate arts and crafts room. Children’s bedrooms are colour themed and welcoming. Children benefit from a large garden, with specialist play equipment for them to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions from the home are well planned and key workers accompany children to visit their new respite provision. Staff work with new provisions to ensure that children’s needs are understood. Staff help children to understand the transition through social stories and key work. When children move out of the home, they are given DVDs and photographs of their time at the home. Gradual transitions give the children time to adjust to change. Children benefit from continuous care when they move out.

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

Children are safeguarded. The manager has ensured that the staff have the appropriate safeguarding training and that they understand safeguarding procedures. The staff are confident and well equipped to manage safeguarding incidents. Inspection report children’s home: SC058778 4 The manager has ensured that risk assessments for children are individualised. Regularly reviewed risk assessments give staff clear information about identified risks and how to safely manage them. Detailed risk assessments that are easy to understand help staff to keep children safe.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. There are high staff levels and children are constantly supervised. The manager and staff recognise how vulnerable the children are. The manager has ensured that there are clear protocols for staff to follow in the event of a child going missing. Being proactive means that staff are well prepared and have the guidance to help keep children safe.

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

Behaviour support plans give staff good guidance on proactive strategies and de- escalation techniques to help children manage difficult emotions. However, one child’s plan does not specifically detail what physical intervention holds should be used. On one occasion, staff used a physical intervention that they are not trained to use. Lack of sufficient staff guidance could result in a child being injured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She has managed the home for over 17 years. The manager has high aspirations for children and is very nurturing. She models this positive practice and staff have the same nurturing approach. Staff benefit from the manager’s experience and they meet the needs of the children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager challenges other professionals when appropriate and advocates for children when necessary. She ensured that a child had an independent advocate to support the child to access services that they needed. This advocacy means that vulnerable children are given a voice and that children’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have regular and effective supervision. Staff are given good guidance and feel supported by the manager. The local authority has developed a new supervision template to be used at the home that will allow for more reflective discussions and monitors short- and long-term targets. Staff benefit from professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built professional relationships with social workers, who speak highly of the home. Three social workers said that the manager and staff go above and beyond expectations to ensure that children are happy and safe. Having good relationships with social workers ensures effective partnership working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective and understands the importance of making improvements to the home’s recording. Her monitoring identified that one of the children’s records needed to be clearer. She promptly created a template to ensure that future recording is more detailed and accurate. Inspection report children’s home: SC058778 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s individual behaviour management plans define the physical intervention hold to use and that staff are trained in the particular technique. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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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: SC058778 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Peterborough City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough PE1 1PJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Wendi Ogle-Welbourn

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Inspector

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC058778 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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