Children's Home run by Wandsworth Borough Council in Wandsworth

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 1 SC065478 Registered provider: Wandsworth Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short breaks for disabled children. This can include children with autistic spectrum disorders, physical and profound disabilities, learning disabilities and complex health needs. The home provides short breaks and full-time care for up to 13 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since May 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspection was led by the responsible individual.

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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 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: 30 September 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2019 Full Good 30/05/2018 Full Good 30/08/2017 Full Good 06/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other. Staff are patient, caring and understanding of children’s individual needs. As a result, children experience positive short breaks and residential experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to contribute their thoughts and ideas in children’s meetings. A range of themes are explored, from anti-bullying and safe relationships to how to tie shoelaces. These diverse opportunities enable children to express their opinions and to have the confidence that their views are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children come up with new ideas for different types of activities. Some of the children’s favourite activities include bowling and karaoke. However, the outside equipment is not fully accessible for children who use a wheelchair. This creates a barrier for children who are wheelchair users in having equal access to play equipment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have good links with schools. As children have returned to school with the lifting of restrictions, staff have made sure that children continue to have good access to appropriate education to promote their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can personalise their bedrooms and bring personal items from home, such as bedding, pictures of family members and any favourite items. Staff attempt to give children on short breaks the same bedroom for each of their visits. Children have their own photo and a pictorial description of their visit on their bedroom door as a visual aid. This welcomes children and prepares them for their stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have prioritised children’s welfare throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, a group of staff moved into the home for a number of weeks to create a ‘bubble’ for children deemed clinically vulnerable. This action protected the most vulnerable children from the risk of COVID-19.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff said that the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges. For example, there have been staff shortages and a reduction in access to health, educational and leisure services for children. Despite this, staff have responded well to challenges by offering community support when the respite part of the home had to close. This ongoing support provided families with a vital lifeline to help them get through the challenges of lockdown.

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

Staff are strong advocates for children. As national restrictions have lifted, staff have ensured that each child has the right level of access to appropriate services to help to improve their physical and emotional well-being. Staff consult with children’s social workers, health professionals and family networks about children’s complex Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 4 needs. As a result of these good relationships with key partners, children are once again thriving physically, emotionally and socially.

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

Children’s complex needs and vulnerabilities are well understood by staff. The diligence of supervision throughout the day means that there are no incidents of children going missing from care.

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

Records of physical interventions show that when physical restraint is necessary this is proportionate. Following an incident, staff benefit from debriefs that help them to reflect on their practice. Children are also offered debriefs. However, these sessions do not take full account of children’s preferred methods of communication.

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

Arrangements for the safe administration of medicines are effective. Medication is only accepted into the home if it is prescribed, labelled and in the original packaging.

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

Staff read and sign a communication book to ensure that key messages and updates about children are shared. The paperwork has recently been streamlined for ease of use. However, the shift handover sheet does not specify the staff roles on each shift. This causes unnecessary delay in tracking information when required.

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

There is good oversight for fire safety to ensure that children are kept safe. However, regular night-time fire drills have not taken place during the pandemic. This has the potential to hinder the staff in remaining up to date on how to prepare for an emergency.

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good

Leaders and managers work well with families and professionals. This approach is central to practice in the home and ensures that the staff deliver the aims and objectives contained in the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

Staff feel well supported and enjoy their work.

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good

Despite the many strengths of the service, the effectiveness of leaders and managers requires further improvement to be good.

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good

Inconsistency in practice between permanent and agency staff has not been quickly addressed. For example, last year the home had to be more reliant than previously on the use of agency staff to support the service, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders and managers were not quick enough to ensure that agency staff followed safeguarding practices in the home. For example, on one occasion, a child was able to watch a video that included sexually explicit content, despite being supervised by an agency staff member.

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good

Specialist equipment has been purchased to support children’s needs. However, managers have failed to secure sufficient information and appropriate consent on Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 5 how some equipment should be used. When this was raised during the inspection, leaders and managers took immediate action to stop using the equipment until a full review could be carried out with families and professionals.

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good

Leaders and managers do not always give enough focus to preparing children for their moves to adulthood. This creates a missed opportunity to secure a team around a child approach at the time of transition.

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good

Managers and staff create detailed care plans for children based on information from the referral, and from professionals and family networks. However, these care plans are often left in a communal area, which has the potential to compromise children’s confidentiality.

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good

Some key documents are missing important information. For example, the location risk assessment does not fully outline services available to children, such as local leisure amenities. The workforce development plan does not contain all necessary information. The admissions and discharge book does not capture the legal status and religious preferences of some of the children.

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good

The premises are undergoing a refurbishment programme. However, not enough consideration has been given to the risks of free-standing wardrobes. As a result, there is a potential that insecure furniture could create a risk to a child’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 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 enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to having a variety of accessible outdoor equipment for children with a range of physical abilities. 1 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 1 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 7 This refers to ensuring that there is a clear and focused transition plan for children in the months prior to their transition to adult services.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

These Regulations do not prevent a child from being deprived of liberty where that deprivation is authorised in accordance with a court order. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to ensuring that appropriate agreements are in place prior to the use of equipment that could be used as a form of restraint. 1 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to ensuring that temporary staff are aware of and follow safeguarding procedures and policies. 1 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that monitoring processes are fully effective, and information is consistent with practice and corresponding documents. This includes daily logs, the admission and discharge book, care plans and the location risk assessment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure all children’s case records (regulation 36) are kept up to date and stored securely while children remain in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there are clear lines of accountability in the team. Shift planners should detail the name and roles of each person on shift. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should encourage children to add their views and comments in an individualised manner to records of restraint (regulation 7(2)(b)(iii)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with appropriate furniture. This includes ensuring the children will be safe around the items. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)

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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 for children’s home: SC065478 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Wandsworth Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: London Borough of Wandsworth, Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road, London SW17 0LA

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Inspector

Tolulope Sawyerr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 10 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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