Children's home run by Action for Children in Watford

Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 1 SC020675 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

The home registered in 1998 and is run by a charitable organisation. It offers care for up to four children with physical or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 16 September 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/05/2019 Full Good 03/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2018 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children currently live in the home. A third child has started to receive short breaks during this inspection period. This was planned well with the child and their parents. The child was able to develop trusting relationships with staff before coming to stay at the home. The children were able to spend time together prior to the third child starting their regular overnight stays. Children describe one another as ‘friends’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consult regularly with the children. They seek their views and communicate exceptionally well with them. Children’s methods of communication come as second nature to the whole staff team. Everyone works together to enrich children’s experiences. Children’s wishes are constantly reflected in everything that goes on and this makes children feel that they are the focus in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s varied and complex health needs are supported thoroughly. Staff consult well with other professionals for specialist advice. For example, they speak with paediatric consultants and speech and language therapists weekly, to help support children with their diet and eating difficulties. Staff receive regular advice from a physiotherapist and have bought specialist equipment for one child, advocating regularly for this, which has enabled this child to progress in their independence. This enables children to engage in a range of activities, such as a recent camping trip, where their health needs are no longer acting as a barrier for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy school and all attend 100% of the time. Feedback from professionals reflects the staff’s part in encouraging this. One school professional said, ‘Children arrive excited to be at school and are excited to go home at the end of the day.’ Professionals and family members for one child commented that during the COVID- 19 pandemic national lockdowns the home engaged the children in enjoyable educational activities to keep them motivated. This resulted in the children returning to school ready to learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager identified concerns about the matching of children, which had begun to have a detrimental impact on their experiences. As a result, one child left the home in an unplanned way. Staff did their best to support the child with the move. The registered manager recognised the emotional impact on the staff and gave them good opportunities to reflect. However, the registered manager did not communicate clearly with the local authorities for the children involved regarding the impact of events during that time.

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

Children benefit from care which is personalised and focuses on helping them feel safe. Staff have a strong understanding of what to do when children’s behaviours Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 4 become risky, based on their individual needs. When incidents do happen, staff act promptly to reassure all children in the home.

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

Children receive praise for their achievements and staff spur them on in their progress daily. The registered manager has introduced different ways to give children a voice. Children set their own targets each month, which helps them invest in their own progress. This has resulted in children becoming more settled and reporting that they feel ‘relaxed and happy’.

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

Staff act promptly and respond in a nurturing way when children require support to keep them safe. They know the children exceptionally well. Staff are kind in their approach and do their best to help children become calmer. On the occasions when restraint was required, this was as a last resort and was conducted in a dignified manner and in the best interests of the child. This positive approach to care helps children to develop a sense of security and trust in others. Prior to the new manager coming into post, behavioural incidents were not clearly recorded to allow good monitoring and review. The new registered manager has addressed this.

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

Staff know what to do if any safeguarding concerns arise in the home, including allegations of harm. The registered manager follows statutory processes to notify the required professionals. They follow advice from these professionals and take prompt action to investigate. This results in children being cared for by people who promote their welfare.

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

The manager responds swiftly when there are concerns about children’s safety. Staff are then supported to reflect and adapt the way that they support children, for example if issues of bullying emerge. However, concerns and the actions taken by the team are not always recorded and shared with everyone involved in the care planning for children. For example, one local authority was not aware of the extent of one child’s distress during a difficult time for them, and when a parent raised concerns about their child’s well-being with staff, this was not recorded. This has an impact on the manager’s ability to review the quality of care and to work effectively in partnership with other professionals.

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

Procedures for the recruitment of staff are robust and any gaps in employment are thoroughly considered. The inspector identified some weaknesses around overseas checks for staff. Leaders and managers took action to address these weaknesses during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is ambitious and has high standards for the service. This enthusiasm is infectious within the team. Every staff member spoken to said that they feel that the leadership team is invested in their progress. This has meant that since the arrival of the new registered manager in March 2021, the staff have improved their recording of the children’s wishes and feelings, and children experience care which is enjoyable and instils confidence in them that they can succeed. Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 5 There is a consistent and very experienced staff team. When newer staff members join the team, more experienced staff support them to get to know the children in a gradual way at the children’s pace. This allows children to benefit from consistent care, which minimises anxieties for them, giving them opportunities to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has introduced personal development plans and regular supervisions which are of good quality. Team meetings share new ideas and research. For example, when one child was struggling with social anxiety, the staff team practised new strategies to help the child in their team meeting. They later reviewed these strategies to check how effective they were in helping that child. This ensures that children receive care which is personalised to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training in important areas of the children’s care such as safeguarding, manual handling and epilepsy training. Most staff are trained in restraint. However, there are some pivotal areas of training which are missed, such as exploitation, trauma and attachment. In addition, not all staff have training in social stories or specialist communication methods. These staff are supported by others who have had the training, which lessens the impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers frequently monitor the effectiveness of the care using the quality of care review and the home development plan. Significant events are reviewed weekly. This has led to positive changes in their risk management systems and recording of important work with the children. However, the manager’s reviewing mechanisms have not identified gaps in recording and communications with local authorities. Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 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 standard’’. 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have training in the areas of need for the children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that they make use of their reviewing and monitoring mechanisms to identify gaps in the recording of incidents and use these mechanisms to help them improve the quality of care. 17 December 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant care plans for the children’s care on an ongoing basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3) Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 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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Inspectors

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Nicola Lownds, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report children’s home: SC020675 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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