Children's Home run by Barnardo’s in Oxfordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 1 SC013143 Registered provider: Barnardo’s Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home cares for up to six children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment. The service is operated by a national charitable organisation.

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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 1 October 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 requires improvement to be 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: 19 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/06/2019 Full Good 08/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good emotional and social progress. This is achieved through effective multi-agency working between external professionals, the manager and the staff team. Children access mental healthcare support and attend medical appointments, as required. This help and support ensure children’s individual, emotional and behavioural needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One parent described staff as important to their child’s life and adds that ‘they are so patient and caring, hence my child has made so much progress’. This view was echoed by professionals, with social workers acknowledging that children continue to make progress despite the low staff retention.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in their education. Their attendance has continued being high regardless of the restrictions and effects of COVID-19. One child spoke positively about going to school, and he described how staff help him to complete homework. Staff celebrate academic achievements with the children. This approach supports children to attend education provisions and progress their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make choices that relate to their daily lives. Staff and children take time to reflect on events and discuss their feels and thoughts. An independent advocate visits the children regularly. Children feel valued and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children use the complaint procedures confidently. Different types of communication are available to support children to complain. Staff promote a restorative approach to help resolve any issues raised by children. Therefore, children feel safe to express any concerns or worries, and they know that staff listen to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in activities in the home and in the community. Children enjoy activities, such as swimming, playing football and regular country walks, to promote healthy lifestyles. These provide opportunities for children to socialise and to build positive relationships with each other and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Improvements have been made to the home since the previous inspection. Communal areas have been decorated to a good standard, including soft furnishings which make these spaces feel homely and welcoming. Each child has a personalised bedroom that reflects their unique interests and personality. However, in one bedroom, the mattress smelt unpleasant, and the plastic mattresses in the other bedrooms detract from an otherwise homely décor. Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 4

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

The safeguarding of children is embedded into practice. Staff discuss children’s safety in their daily shift plans and in handovers. This approach ensures staff consider children’s safety and welfare in their day-to-day care.

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

Children do not usually go missing. Staff know the actions to take if this happens because there is clear guidance to refer to. When out in the community, staff stay in proximity of children and ensure that they always monitor children’s whereabouts. This ensures children’s safety when in the local area.

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

Staff rarely use physical interventions because they successfully use de-escalation techniques. However, some restraint incidents are not clearly recorded. The circumstances leading to such an incident and the actions taken afterwards are not consistently detailed. In addition, leaders and managers do not always have oversight of the completed reports. The lack of details in some reports and the lack of consistent management oversight risk poor practice occurring.

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

Risk assessments are individualised, and they provide clear guidance for staff to follow. This includes an assessment of some children’s specific health needs and how staff would respond to a medical emergency. Consequently, children integrate safely into the community and have a sense of belonging.

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

The manager matches the needs of a new child and the needs of the existing children, when a new child is being considered for the home. This effective matching process means that children have settled well in their new home and have developed positive relationships with their peers.

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good

There is a new manager in post. She has applied for registration with Ofsted and her application is in progress.

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good

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have introduced new systems aimed at improving the quality of the service. Staff have not received regular supervision or team meetings. As a result, there has been limited opportunity for staff to formally reflect on these changes and to provide their own ideas and views on the new systems. This has negatively affected staff morale.

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good

The staff team continues to have vacant posts, which was also identified at the previous inspection. Leaders and managers are reviewing their recruitment strategy to address these vacancies. Agency staff provide cover to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained. Some of the agency staff work regularly in the home. However, the use of agency staff has meant that children experience a number of different adults caring for them. This negatively affects the process of maintaining consistency and of children building trusting relationships with staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 5 Staff receive relevant training which ensures they have the skills to meet the individual needs of the children. Staff spoke positively of the training and how it supports them to provide good care. However, similar training opportunities are not provided to regular agency staff. This risks inconsistent practice across the staff

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good

On one occasion, leaders and managers did not notify Ofsted of a serious event. The actions taken as a result of the incident were appropriate. However, the failure to report it meant that Ofsted could not review the safeguarding practice in the home to ensure children’s safety and welfare.

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good

The manager is building positive relationships with external professionals, with a focus on ensuring that children are supported and are safe. She attends meetings with social workers and contacts the mental health services to discuss the needs of children, as necessary. This multi-agency approach promotes children’s progress.

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good

Leaders and managers know the strengths and the weaknesses of the home. These are captured within the six-monthly report of the quality of care produced by senior leaders. This review outlines areas for improvement. Staff are aware of the recommendations from the report, and they work together with the manager to action these. Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 6

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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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; 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)(a)(ii)(iv)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 September Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 7 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s home is a homely and domestic environment. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations; 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) This recommendation was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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: SC013143 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barnardo’s, Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Ilford IG6 1QG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Kukielka

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Inspector

Alphie Khumalo, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC013143 9 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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