Children's home run by Milton Keynes City Council

Inspection report for children's home: SC052599 1 SC052599 Registered provider: Milton Keynes Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to 10 children between five and 19 years of age. According to the home’s statement of purpose, the home provides residential short breaks and day care for children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 1 August 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 22 January 2020 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

Date of last inspection: 22 January 2020

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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: SC052599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2020 Full Good 30/01/2019 Full Good 31/08/2017 Full Good 15/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC052599 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. The care provided by the staff is individualised and tailored to each child’s specific needs. Pre-planning and care plans are detailed with clear targets identified for the children. Due to the high level of care provided by staff, the children consistently make progress in this setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build positive relationships with the staff. Children enjoy and look forward to their short stays. When children have struggled with staying at the home, staff have worked collaboratively with professionals and families to make this a more positive experience. One parent said that her child has settled ‘really well’ and she knows that her child is ‘happy’ there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Close links between the staff with schools and families ensure that good communication is maintained. One education professional said that, ’Children want to go there and are happy.’ Staff regularly attend professionals meetings and actively advocate on behalf of the children. This provides the children with continuity in terms of their support and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Ensuring that children’s views are heard and understood is embedded in staff practice. Children’s views are constantly received, reviewed and acted on. Staff are proactive in how they communicate with the children dependent on the children’s needs. Children are given choices and treated with dignity and respect. Consequently, children develop confidence and trust in the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate children’s achievements. Events such as the ‘Triumph Awards’ are proudly on display throughout the home. Staff are full of pride regarding children’s successes. This promotes positive experiences for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well prepared for their futures. Children who have moved onto adult services are provided with exceptional support by the staff. One parent said that staff were ‘brilliant’ in supporting her child and she would not hesitate in recommending the provider to other families.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks faced by the children in their care. Risk assessments are regularly updated and monitored by managers. Where there is a gap in knowledge, training is sourced before a child uses the service. High-quality care to meet children’s individual needs is a priority for this home.

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

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding. There have been no episodes of missing from care or safeguarding incidents. The provider has developed good links with the local authority designated officers who recently attended a team meeting. All professionals and parents spoken to report no Inspection report for children's home: SC052599 4 concerns about safeguarding practice. The staff have worked hard to keep the children safe in this home.

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

Staff respond effectively when the children find things difficult to cope with. There have been two incidents of restraint since the monitoring visit. These were well recorded and proportionate, with swift management oversight. Staff are adaptable to the changing needs of children, which ensures that care practice is not static. Consequently, the staff’s use of such techniques is rare.

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

Clear planning and regular reviewing of practice by leaders have ensured that there has been a good level of support for the children and staff throughout the COVID-19 restrictions. Despite challenges, leaders and managers have prioritised the safeguarding of the children. While this has meant cancellations for some children’s stays, it has enabled the provider to promote safer care for the children who have stayed. The home has remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to provide a good and safe service to children.

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

Overall, staff ensure that health and safety is prioritised in this home. Safety audits are generally maintained with no serious incidents identified. However, fire drills have consistently been actioned just outside of the home’s prescribed timescales. This compromises the ability of leaders to be confident that everyone is well versed in exiting the premises safely in the event of an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a new but highly effective registered manager in post, who is ably supported by an experienced deputy manager. The leadership team has the highest expectations for the children. Staff feel well supported by the management team and morale is high. This leads to a positive and relaxed feel within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers maintain good links with other agencies and the children’s families. All feedback received from professionals and parents is positive. One professional described the registered manager as ‘transparent’ and very good at ‘collaborative working’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The most recent quality of care review about the home, sent into Ofsted, did not include explicit feedback from the children. Feedback from parents, staff and relevant professionals was also lacking. Without this detailed feedback, the review process remains hindered on how the report is used as a tool for continuous improvement. This shortfall was raised at the previous inspection and the requirement is, therefore, repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A workforce development plan is now in place. However, this targets broader organisational development and is not specific to the workforce of this individual home. The recommendation made at the last inspection is, therefore, repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the home has undergone extensive redecoration. While this is not finished, the layout of the home is much improved. An example of this is Inspection report for children's home: SC052599 5 the children’s photos on display in large stylish frames on entering the home’s foyer. Rooms have been repainted, new flooring has been laid down and soft furnishings provide a homely feel. This previous recommendation has been met. Inspection report for children's home: SC052599 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 complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 29 July 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan that is in place is individualised for each registered provision separately. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food, hygiene etc). In particular, ensure that fire drills are conducted in accordance with the prescribed timescales. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: SC052599 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 for children's home: SC052599 8

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Registered provider: Milton Keynes Council

Registered provider address: Milton Keynes Council, Saxon Court, 502 Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3HS

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Inspector

Skye Frain, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC052599 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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