Children's Home run by Devon County Council in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 1 Registered provider: Devon County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a local authority and offers care to one child with complex needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2019.

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 9 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 3

p.2

improvement to be good

The home was due to close for refurbishment at the end of 2021 after a young person moved on to a home for adults. However, one half of the premises has been sectioned off and now creates a home especially for one child. She moved in in January 2022.

p.3

improvement to be good

Moves in and out of the home are managed very well. Good consideration is given to ensuring that children and young people feel comfortable in their new environments. Social stories are used to assist the process. In the case of the young person who recently moved out of the home, the staff team worked alongside staff from the adult home to smooth the transition. Great care was taken over an enduring period and the registered manager continues to make herself available to the new home for advice and information if required.

p.3

improvement to be good

Before the current child moved in, she was able to visit the home and so were her family. She brought her own bed with her and has personalised her bedroom, making it cosy and comfortable. The child likes living at the home and she gets along with the staff team, but she wishes that the staff team was ‘more consistent’.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child is involved in a good range of educational activities that she enjoys; some of these have a therapeutic basis. The child is beginning to develop some skills for adulthood, such as travelling independently on public transport.

p.3

improvement to be good

A good range of strategies are in place to help the child to understand her own emotional responses. The child showed the inspectors how she uses picture exchange systems to remind her of important daily routines and a traffic light system to indicate how she is feeling. She has a box of favourite items that she can use to self-soothe if she is feeling upset.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff shortages have a negative impact on the child’s progress. Although it is early days, the team has struggled to deal consistently with some of the child’s behaviours when she is upset.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some serious and dangerous incidents have occurred. Immediate action has been taken by managers to prohibit activities that pose a risk. For example, serious incidents have taken place in the car. As a result, the car is not used to transport the child, and complex arrangements are made daily for the child to use public transport to get her to her education setting. The home’s staff will not transport the child in the car now, but others do. Information about risk is not always shared with those Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 4 who need to know. In addition, the approach to resolving these matters is too tardy and has a negative impact on the child.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child has good support from her family and from a range of professionals. However, joint working to pursue more positive outcomes needs to improve. For example, the child has a detailed behaviour support plan in place. This has been created by the child and her learning disability nurse. The plan is reviewed regularly, but it needs to include information about incidents that have occurred to ensure that the plan captures all relevant aspects. Incident records are not routinely shared with the nurse to support this process. In addition, instability in the staff team results in staff not always following the plan.

p.4

improvement to be good

Incidents are clearly and comprehensively recorded. However, some serious incidents have not been notified to Ofsted as required. Incidents of restraint are recorded transparently. Restraint has been used, but only as a last resort and under very difficult circumstances.

p.4

improvement to be good

A large amount of medication is held at the home. The child recently had a medication review. The review took account of the views of relevant people involved in the child’s care. Some practice around the storage and disposal of medication would benefit from review and professional advice. This includes the storage of large amounts of medication and the disposal of half tablets.

p.4

improvement to be good

Safe recruitment checks under Schedule 2 of the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ have been undertaken for permanent and temporary staff. For some agency staff, verification of references has not occurred.

p.4

good

Managers are realistic about the home’s current performance; they understand that improvements are required.

p.4

good

Staffing shortages have a negative impact on the child’s development and progress. The approach to care is hindered by the use of agency and temporary staff. There is a lack of creative practice to manage incidents, and approaches set out in plans are not always followed. Managers have recently recruited new staff for the home and are optimistic about the prospect of developing a team around the child.

p.4

good

The team was observed to work with the child in a calm, kind and sensitive manner. However, staff morale is currently low. A lack of stability in the team affects the staff’s ability to do their job well. In addition, some staff have been injured because of incidents that have occurred. Leaders and managers are working towards creating a more stable, long-term staff team.

p.4

good

Managers ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings are integral to the day-to-day operation of the home. The child is consulted continuously by the team, and her Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 5 views considered. The child has a good level of autonomy in her home. For example, she answers incoming calls to the home, and is involved in menu planning, cooking and sometimes food shopping.

p.4

good

Staff supervision takes place frequently and enables staff to talk with managers about their work and, recently, their specific worries about providing the child with the right support.

p.5

good

More needs to be done to train staff to understand the child’s particular needs and to drive a consistent approach to her care. With limited staff to draw on, this is currently problematic; however, this is crucial to the ongoing stability of the child’s placement at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and benefit from, relationships based on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 1 May 2022

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s work force provides continuity for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(c)(e)) 1 May 2022

p.6

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. 1 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 7 (Regulation 31 (1))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.7

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.7

Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

p.7

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.7

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)) 1 May 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 1 May 2022

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that systems to store and dispose of medication are safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

p.7

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: 2529648 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Devon County Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Devon County Council, Chief Executive’s Directorate, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QD

p.8

Inspectors

Michelle Oxley, Social Care Inspector Paula Lahey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 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.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9