Children's home run by Central Bedfordshire Council in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC391464 1 SC391464 Registered provider: Central Bedfordshire 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 a local authority. This service provides care for up to eight children with a learning difficulty who may also have a physical disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The premises are organised into three living areas: short breaks, permanent placements and a self-contained flat.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2016.

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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 for children’s home: SC391464 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/05/2021 Full Good 05/09/2019 Full Good 12/02/2019 Full Good 30/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC391464 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home and six children use the short breaks service. The children require high levels of support and use alternative communication systems.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children moved on to adult services. Another child, who moved to the home for a short period of time, moved to alternative care. The staff work closely with the children and professionals to ensure that moves for children are well planned and meet their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s communication needs well. The children are encouraged to use their preferred communication methods to express how they are feeling. The staff use social stories to help children to understand their routines and activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s care plans are individualised and child centred. The plans include support for children to develop their independence skills, such as personal hygiene, laundry and tidying their bedrooms. The children have made significant progress with their independence skills. As a result, children are developing skills that will help them into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children attend full-time education. One child is starting secondary school in the new school year. This helps the children to increase their learning potential and spend time with their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to spend time with their families. Staff and families work closely together to ensure that children experience positive family time. This helps children to retain their identity and supports their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy fun activities in the community, such as going to the water park, local parks, cathedrals and festivals. The children are going on holiday together during the school summer holidays. This widens the children’s experiences and helps to develop their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are helped to personalise their bedrooms by choosing colours and items that they like. Most of the home is adequately decorated. However, the dining room walls have patches of paint missing and there is flaking paint in one of the bathrooms. This does not encourage children to take pride in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff check any injuries to children and support children following any harm that they have experienced. However, medical intervention is not always recorded, and the manager has not reviewed these injuries. Therefore, learning from incidents is not effective. Inspection report for children’s home: SC391464 4

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

Staff know the children well and understand their vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are detailed and are reviewed regularly. These enable children to enjoy new experiences that are safe.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding procedures and how to whistle-blow. The staff spoke confidently about who to contact in regard to safeguarding concerns about a child. The manager responds to safeguarding concerns promptly and shares information with relevant professionals. The manager communicates effectively with the local authority designated officer in order to share concerns and seek advice. This helps the children and staff to feel listened to.

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

Staff recognise when the children are feeling worried or anxious and use suitable strategies to help them to understand how they are feeling. This helps children to understand their emotions.

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

The children have an independent advocate who knows them well and visits them at the home regularly. This provides the children with someone who understands their needs and ensures that their rights are protected.

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

Staff use light-touch techniques to guide children from harmful situations. Physical interventions are used as a last resort for children who are placing themselves or others at risk. The manager reviews all incidents to reflect on the effectiveness of the intervention and ensures that children’s views are obtained. However, the manager does not always discuss these incidents with staff and this reduces learning and reflection.

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

Staff use rewards and praise to recognise when children show kindness or do something well. Sanctions are rarely used. However, the records of sanctions are not detailed. They fail to include the duration of the sanction and are not reviewed by the manager. As a result, restorative work with children is not always effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and has a level 5 diploma. The manager is supported by two deputy managers who work well together. Managers have high expectations for the children and are instrumental in their care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel supported by managers and benefit from their knowledge and understanding of the children’s needs. The manager is available to staff for support and advice. Supervisions are regular and effective. They provide staff with the opportunity to talk about the needs of the children and any other concerns. This supports the staff’s professional development and emotional well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC391464 5 The manager has embedded a model of care into practice. This helps staff to develop their understanding of the children’s emotional well-being and how they can help the children to feel loved and cared for. The staff participate in a good range of training that meets the individual needs of the children. This includes training to support children’s specific health needs and dietary requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff participate in weekly team meetings. This provides staff with a forum to speak about the needs of the children, share practice experiences and discuss the children’s care plans. These meetings help staff to meet the children’s needs consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have built positive relationships with parents and professionals. Parents are very positive about the quality of care the children receive. One parent said that the managers are ‘absolutely fantastic’ and that there are ‘super people’ working there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring systems provide effective oversight of the children’s safety and well-being. The manager acts swiftly on any recommendations made by the independent person to improve the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose has not been updated or shared with Ofsted. This prevents Ofsted from monitoring the home effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC391464 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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3) (a)(b)) 1 September 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

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii) (b)(i)) 10 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should provide a nurturing, homely environment. In particular, ensure the bathroom and dining room are decorated to a consistently high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, ensure that any injury to a child is recorded in detail and that outcomes and medical assistance are recorded. Ensure that management reviews identify patterns and inform learning. (‘Guide to the Inspection report for children’s home: SC391464 7 Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC391464 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Central Bedfordshire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford, Central Bedfordshire SG17 5TQ

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Inspector

Laraine Edmondson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC391464 9 regulates and inspects 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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