Children's home run by Buckinghamshire Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 1 Registered provider: Buckinghamshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted on 2 June 2021 to provide care for up to four children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children who have children with EBD (social and emotional difficulties). The home is owned and operated by the local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 2 July 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 outstanding

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are happy and settled living in the home. The registered manager has given careful thought and consideration to the children living in residential care for the first time. The staff lovingly lay out welcome packages and cards in the children’s bedrooms and spend quality time with them when they first arrive. The children say that they enjoy living in the home and feel cared for by the adults who support them. As a result, the children are thriving and making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective processes ensure that children have good experiences of coming to the home. The staff have all the relevant and necessary information to support the children when they arrive for the first time. This means that the children are welcomed by staff who already know and understand a great deal about them. The staff team creates individualised care plans and meaningful incentives to help the children get involved and feel included with their care. This helps the children feel a sense of belonging and permanency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff listen to the children and help them to make positive contributions in the home. The staff support the children to prepare and cook meals for one another. The children spoke proudly of cooking and taking responsibility for clearing the table away after meals. This enables the children to develop self-reliance as well as making them active participants in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children speak highly of the activities they do with the staff. For some children, these are first-time experiences, such as learning how to swim and ride a bike safely on the road. The staff also support the children to attend weekly clubs, such as football and kick-boxing classes. One child is actively participating in the coaching and development of younger children at their football academy. These enriching activities have had a significant positive impact on the children’s emotional well- being and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to enjoy safe and meaningful time with their families. The staff work in partnership with parents, carers and allocated social workers to ensure that family time is positive and in the interests of the children. This approach is helping the children maintain relationships with their siblings and previous carers. This collaborative work promotes home-life stability for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff positively promote and help create childhood memories for the children. When a child was worried that Santa wouldn’t visit them in their new home, the staff supported the child to write to him with their new address. The same child then lost a tooth and asked the staff if the tooth fairy would visit. The staff team wanted to do something memorable for the child, while being mindful of the child’s previous experiences. This reflective practice helps the children to be at the centre of all decisions, and as a result, the children are having safe and positive experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 4 The staff support the children to attend school on a full-time basis. Attendance is embedded and accepted as part of the routine of living in the home. The registered manager is a clear advocate for keeping children in their educational settings. This means that the children make very good progress, especially when considering their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

starting points. A class teacher said: ‘The home has made such a difference to the child’s life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The culture in the home is open and the staff actively encourage the children to discuss their feelings and responses. This helps the children to develop insight into how they are managing their own emotions and what strategies can be developed to help them progress. One child is using the strategies they have learned in the home to help other children in the local authority living in other children’s and foster homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has been nominated for a team award by several external professionals. Professionals are very positive about the progress the children are making in the home. They say that they are impressed with the professionalism and commitment of the staff and the trusting relationships they form with the children. A professional said: ‘The capacity that the staff have to read [child] and their trust in their emotional availability has meant that they are thriving there.’

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

The staff demonstrate a good understanding of the risks and vulnerabilities of the children in their care. The staff also recognise and understand their roles in safeguarding the children and can readily identify key external agencies that work together to keep children safe.

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

The staff complete regular checks of the premises, and all the health and safety checks are completed and recorded diligently by the staff.

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

The staff have created a traffic light system to support the children to understand their risk-taking behaviours when they first move into the home. This helps the children to see and understand how their actions may cause them, and others, harm. Key workers review this regularly and use direct one-to-one sessions to educate and support the children in reducing some of their undesirable behaviours. This enables children to make clear progress and further contributes to the children’s well-being and security.

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

The staff support the children to understand and identify their own emotions. They do this by using a range of social and behavioural strategies. The strategies are agreed by the children and reviewed regularly by key workers. One child uses cue cards, while another writes their worries down on paper and hands them to a member of staff. This approach is helping the children to develop skills and strategies in managing their own conflicts and difficult feelings. Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 5 Medication arrangements are effective. All staff are trained in the safe handling of medication and their competency is regularly assessed There have been no medication errors since the home opened.

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

The registered manager ensures that staff are safely recruited and have the skills to care for the children. These diligent processes and professional curiosity reduce the risks of unsuitable adults being recruited.

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

The children’s bedroom doors have alarms which alert staff to the door being opened. All appropriate permissions and risk assessments are in place. However, the use of these alarms has not been reviewed for the children since they moved in. This means that the children have not been given the opportunity to demonstrate that they have made progress in some of their historical risk-taking behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is highly visible and organised and has a dynamic vision for excellence. Her methodical approach to care planning for the children ensures that information is streamlined, synced and directional for the staff team. She demonstrates an unquestionable commitment and passion to provide the highest possible standards of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager’s monitoring systems are excellent and demonstrate that she has clear managerial oversight of the home. She is reflective, focused and highly driven to deliver a person-centred approach to care. The staff say that she is child- focused and brings out the best in everybody.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a clear vision of empowering members of staff and supporting them to improve on their skills in all areas. This vision is clearly evidenced in the home’s workforce development plan. Children are supported by a skilled workforce who keep their training updated and refreshed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a clear advocate for the children and understands the benefits of working collaboratively and with a multi-agency approach. She challenges the professional network effectively when she feels more is needed to meet the children’s identified needs. This demonstrates the registered manager’s ambition and skill in promoting equal opportunities for the children and in championing their rights.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic to create a network of professionals around her. Her commitment has provided the home with positive responses and support from local services and agencies. Furthermore, the manager has used this information to inform daily planning and risk management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The skilled managers offer brilliant support in the home and provide regular and reflective supervision to the staff. This means that the staff have been able to reflect Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 6 on and review their experiences, performance and professional development. The staff say that they feel supported, valued and part of the team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the children’s home are homely, domestic and not institutional in appearance. This specifically refers to reviewing the use of bedroom door alarms and whether these remain necessary. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including 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 for children’s home: 2611447 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Buckinghamshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Walton Street Offices, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP20 1UA

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2611447 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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