Children's Home run by Gloucestershire County Council in Gloucestershire

Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 1 SC415400 Registered provider: Gloucestershire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority. It provides short-break care for a maximum of six children aged up to 18 years with learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2020.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 23 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

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2019 Full Good 04/06/2018 Full Good 03/10/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who visit this home for short-breaks make significant progress with the support and commitment of the staff team. Parents told the inspector that their children’s communication skills have developed since they started visiting. Staff have worked hard to help one child to develop the confidence to share his thoughts about the activities he would like to do. This was an area of difficulty for the child, who would often say ‘yes’ rather than express his views. Staff have also worked hard with another child, whose needs are very complex, to ensure that she has the opportunity to make choices and that her preferences are heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the home and children’s families are very strong. Parents told the inspector that they appreciate the pre-visit call to ensure that the home has the most up-to-date information about their child prior to their stay. Staff work with parents to ensure that their child’s arrival to the home and departure from the home are smooth and child focused. For example, staff collect some children from local schools at the start of their stay to reduce the number of adults needed and/or parents having to make long journeys for their child to use the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a staff team that works effectively to provide the best possible experience for the children during their stay. One child told the inspector that he likes staying at the home and spoke positively about the relationships he has with staff and the activities he likes to do. Another child scored the home ’10 out of 10’. Staff provide children with experiences in the local community where possible. They organise trips for children, such as to local attractions and the pantomime.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are warm and friendly in their manner. However, the home environment has a practical/clinical feel. For example, the lounge areas and children’s bedrooms lack the decoration needed to be welcoming and relaxing spaces for children. The inspector found empty bookshelves, strip lighting and plain walls, which detracts from the ethos of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the facilities in this home provide children with experiences which they would not otherwise have. For example, there is a new bath which is enjoyed by lots of the children as it gives them a multisensory experience with lights, bubbles and music. However, the en-suite showers are ill thought out for the needs of the children using them, and do not promote children’s independence.

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

Staff take extra care to ensure that children’s needs are well understood and that they are kept safe during their short break visit. Staff routinely visit the children in different settings to help them to gain new perspectives and develop their understanding of the children’s needs. Staff share their observations and knowledge with others to the benefit of the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 4 Staff are strong advocates for the children. They take a proactive approach in meeting the needs of the children in their care. For example, staff have worked hard to ensure that a child has a wheelchair that meets her needs and have made referrals to other services when appropriate.

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

Staff work effectively in partnership with multiple professionals. Social workers and nurses told the inspector that they enjoy working with the staff team and value the difference the staff make to children’s lives. One professional said that they wish the children could have more short breaks at the home.

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

Staff work alongside parents and professionals to help children to achieve their goals. Staff understand the role they play in helping children to achieve and reach their potential. Staff promote independence at every opportunity. For example, one child is supported to go shopping, select what he would like to eat and cook his meal. Other children are learning how to look after themselves and run a bath. Children are encouraged to develop skills appropriate to their needs.

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

There are few incidents in this home. Staff work hard to understand the vulnerability and risks for the children and mitigate against these. Staff act promptly when concerns are identified. For example, unusual bruising to one child was raised quickly and efficiently.

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

When incidents occur, the details are recorded promptly with timely management oversight. However, the debrief with staff is not always recorded fully and does not capture what could have been done differently. Children are not routinely consulted on their views and feelings in a timely manner after an incident. Staff do not utilise the tools they have effectively to ask children about how they are feeling.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads the home to be child centred and this is the basis for the decisions made within the home. Staff feel they have the support of the manager to make decisions that are in the children’s best interests, even when this falls outside of the home’s core responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff told the inspector that they feel well supported in their role and that managers are approachable. Several staff told the inspector that they love working at the home with the children and alongside like-minded colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is provided regularly to all staff. However, supervision sessions are not comprehensively recorded. Details of the discussions and reflective conversations are often missing or broadly summarised, and some responses are repeated in the monthly recordings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive mandatory training in a timely manner and feel well trained to fulfil their roles. Staff receive specific training on safeguarding children with disabilities. Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 5 However, other training is too generic, and does not focus on the needs of the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team in the home. The arrangements in place in respect of safer recruitment are good. Reference checks are carried out and gaps in employment are explored. Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 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

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions are accurately recorded and staff receive training that is relevant to the specific needs of the children they provide care for. 31 January 2022

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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

the date, time and location of 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

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 22 December Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 7 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that debriefs with staff are fully recorded and that children’s views are sought and recorded using their preferred method of communication.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Homes will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the children’s bedrooms and lounge areas are decorated to create a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression and that the en-suite facilities promote children’s independence. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC415400 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shire Hall, Westgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2TG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Amanda Henderson

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Inspector

Katie Ratcliffe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC415400 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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