Children's Home run by Action for Children Services Ltd in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 1 SC424089 Registered provider: Action for Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a short-break service for children with learning disabilities, sensory impairment and physical disabilities. The home can accommodate up to 14 children. However, the needs of children mean that the occupancy rarely reaches this level.

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Information about this children’s home

A national children’s charity runs the home. It comprises two units. One is specifically for children who may have challenging behaviours associated with their disability, and the other is for children who require some degree of nursing care.

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Information about this children’s home

The home currently has two registered managers. One has been registered since October 2016 and the other registered in December 2020.

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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 10 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 2 Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2019 Full Good 20/08/2018 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Good 21/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A significant strength in this home is the stable and committed staff team. Staff know the children well and, as a result, the quality of care to all children is of a good standard. Children make good progress. Due to the support provided by staff, this progress is continuous and marked.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from an environment that is warm and welcoming. They are treated as individuals who, with support, can make choices about their life. Children have contributed to the decor of the home, including their individual space. Each child’s bedroom reflects their character and taste. This means that children are invested in the home and look forward to staying.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have good relationships with those involved in the children’s lives. Parents and professionals speak positively about their communication with the home. For example, one parent said that they like how they are informed immediately when there is an issue with their child’s care. Parents feel welcomed and confident in the care that their children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the health needs of the children. They receive training that is specific to the complex needs of the children. This means that care is individualised, and children make good progress in their health. Staff promptly share any health concerns with medical professionals, parents and social workers, which ensures that actions are responsive and effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the education of all children and ensure that there is good communication with their schools. This means that there is a consistent approach when working with children to achieve their targets. Staff attend meetings at schools, and one social worker stated that he is impressed with the contribution that staff make at these meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value children’s views and wishes, and children have a range of opportunities to express them, for example during regular circle time and house meetings. This means that children can say what activities they would like to do, which places they would like to visit, and even who they would like to support them while staying at the home. This gives the children a sense of being valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A consistent staff team means that children’s day-to-day experiences are positive as staff know them well. Children are involved in a range of activities, including arts and crafts, puzzles and gardening. One child is the home’s children’s advocate and was supported to develop questions for staff interviews. This allows him to be invested in the continued growth and development of the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 5 Generally, staff provide good day-to-day care and help children to stay clean and well presented. However, one child was given a wet wipe wash rather than a bath as toiletries had not been provided by the parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to children receiving positive moves into and from the home. The process of introduction to the home is done at the child’s pace, which allows them to feel ready to stay. A good process is in place for children moving on and they are supported to develop independence skills. When children leave the home, they are provided with a memory book which contains a snapshot of their time there and the progress that they have made. This helps them feel valued and gives everyone a chance to celebrate their time in the home.

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

Staff prioritise children’s safety. Children do not go missing; however, there is a procedure in place to manage this. Staff have received training specific to the needs of the children. They help a child who has self-harming behaviours and confidently use a range of strategies to support him. As a result, he is able to continue to receive regular stays at the home because the risks relating to self-harm are managed well.

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

Medication is well managed. Detailed records and a stringent procedure for dispensing medication are in place. Staff learn from medication errors, which are few. Staff receive training in this area and are tested to ensure that they demonstrate competency before being involved in administering medication.

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

Staff are well trained to manage a range of behaviours. Strategies are in place to ensure that each child is supported by staff who know them well. Clear and consistent boundaries contribute to a feeling of well-being and security for children. For example, the support of a child has resulted in him learning about people’s personal space and respecting this. This helps him to integrate better with the group and learn an essential life skill.

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

Staff safeguard children well. They receive regular training in this area. Staff know the safeguarding procedures of the home, and this is a standing item in team meetings and during staff supervision. Information is readily available to staff, including any updates about potential risks to children in the local area.

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

Staff identify risks to individual children, and measures are in place to ensure that children’s safety is promoted. However, some risk assessments do not identify the level of the risk, which means that new staff will not have the best information to support a child. In addition, the impact of a new child joining the home is not recorded consistently in written risk assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are two registered managers at this home, one of whom is on extended leave. The current manager is energetic and has high expectations of children and staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 6 She promotes high standards of individualised care to all children who use the home by ensuring that staff are suitably qualified to care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the progress children are making. A process is in place to review progress, and leaders and managers take action to effect positive change. For example, they work with a range of professionals and parents to ensure that targets are appropriate and achievable for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide staff with regular and effective supervision. Staff say that they receive helpful supervision, particularly in relation to addressing their learning and development needs. They report feeling helped and supported with their learning and say that the manager is committed to their ongoing development. Managers nurture the skills and knowledge that staff need in order to provide good standards of care. New staff receive a clear and detailed induction that prepares them for work effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know and understand the home’s strengths and weaknesses and take effective action to address any shortfalls. For example, where staff practice falls short of expected standards, managers use performance monitoring measures to ensure that improvements are made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good relationships with a range of professionals who are involved in the child’s care. This ensures that children receive the best possible all-round support. For example, when difficulties with transport to and from school were identified, managers met with the transport service to resolve this. This helped to reduce any anxieties that the children had in relation to their journey to and from school.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes equality, diversity and inclusion effectively. A diversity board on entering the building shows a range of activities that the children have been involved in. This includes cultural days, recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, and issues that have arisen as a result of children’s learning from the Black Lives Matter agenda. Parents spoke positively about these days and how they were also involved, which made them feel part of the home. Leaders and managers are proud of the diverse staff team that supports children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide a range of activities that enable children to express their views and therefore impact on the development of the home. Some children are supported to use an app to express their views and to make choices about their lives. A child who indicated they did not wish to use the app was offered an alternative method by staff. This shows that staff respect children’s wishes and ensure that they feel listened to. Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 7

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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.

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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 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that: children’s risk assessments are completed and all areas rated so that all staff understand the level of risk; impact risk assessments are completed for all children who start at the home so that any potential risks to other children are fully understood. 31 October 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that each child’s day-to-day health and well- being needs are met. Staff should work to make the home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. In particular, staff must ensure that children receive care that provides appropriate cleansing and bathing. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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: SC424089 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Action for Children, 3 The Boulevard, Ascot Road, Watford WD18 8AG

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Children’s home details

Registered managers: Charlotte Rogers and Cinnamon Short

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Inspector

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC424089 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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