Children's home run by MacIntyre Care

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457423 1 SC457423 Registered provider: MacIntyre Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for five children with severe learning difficulties, social and/or communication difficulties, and/or autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 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 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: SC457423 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/06/2021 Full Good 08/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/02/2019 Full Good 01/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC457423 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in this calm and structured home. Three children have moved out and three children have moved in to the home since the last inspection. Four children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child has a good placement plan, which details their individual needs and their preferred methods of communication. The children enjoy spending dedicated time with staff, who understand their communication styles. Staff recognise each child’s progress. They praise children verbally and award certificates to celebrate their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three of the children are achieving high levels of attendance at the provider’s school. One of the children receives a bespoke full-time education provision at the home. Communication between the staff and education professionals is of a high standard. Collaborative working supports better learning outcomes for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the children to learn a range of age-appropriate independence skills. These include general housekeeping tasks, daily personal hygiene, and learning how to cook. Children’s confidence grows as they learn these valuable life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a good range of fun activities both at and out of the home. A summer house and a sunken trampoline have been installed in the garden. The children have regular trips out, including to do activities such as swimming, bowling, the cinema, theme parks and playing rugby at a local club. These activities increase children’s social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are very well planned. The manager and staff initially visit the child, and the child then visits the home for dinner or has an overnight stay. Children are asked how they would like their bedrooms decorated, and this is completed before they move in. When children are moving out, staff use social stories with the child to help them prepare for their move. These endings are celebrated with a meal and the child leaves with a memory book of their time spent at the home.

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

Staff provide nurturing care to the children. Good relationships between staff and children are evident. Children are happy. They like their daily routines and enjoy spending quality time with staff.

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

Staff complete safeguarding training, including safeguarding children with disabilities. They understand that children with communication needs have increased vulnerabilities. Professionals and parents spoken with say that staff act on any concerns and safeguard the children well. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457423 4 Physical interventions are rare and only used to prevent injury to the child or others. Staff are skilled at using techniques that distract, and any interventions are minimal. These incidents are well recorded. They include the views of the child and staff receive debriefs.

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

There have been two safeguarding incidents. These were managed well. All staff spoken with have a good understanding of the safeguarding procedures and the whistle-blowing policy. Any concerns are reported promptly and appropriately.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from home. The children’s vulnerabilities mean that they do not always recognise dangers, and staff closely monitor their movements to ensure their safety. The children are supported by high levels of staffing at the home and in the community. The manager ensures that they have the correct staffing levels to meet each child’s needs.

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

Children have personal evacuation plans, and staff hold regular fire drills. However, there have been delays in children being shown the actions to take to evacuate the house. There are three children who did not take part in an evacuation for several weeks after moving in to the home. This does not prepare children in the event of a fire.

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

The records kept of visitors are incomplete. Visitors are not consistently being asked to sign out and the reasons for the visit are not recorded. A new visitor’s book that is compliant with regulations was purchased during this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is dedicated and knowledgeable. She holds a relevant level 5 qualification and has been in post since November 2020. Staff say that they feel valued and describe the manager as ‘very approachable’ and ‘always supportive’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good relationships with professionals and parents have been maintained. Professionals commented on the high level of communication and partnership working. A parent said, ‘They look after my child very well. They report any incidents to me and if there are any problems, we work together to fix them. The manager and staff are more than perfect in everything they do.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular and meaningful training. This equips them with the knowledge required to work with the children effectively. Staff either hold or are undertaking the level 3 qualification. Children benefit from being cared for by well- trained staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monthly staff meetings are well attended and effective. They focus on children’s experiences and recognise any changes in their individual presentation. These help to ensure that staff are working in a consistent manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive a comprehensive induction to help to develop their skills. Staff receive annual appraisals to support their continued professional development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457423 5 However, there have been periods when staff have not had supervision regularly enough and in accordance with the provider’s policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work in line with the ethos of the home as detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. This is to ensure that children are supported to reach their full potential. At the last inspection, a requirement was set due to the statement of purpose not detailing staff experience and qualifications. The manager has regularly reviewed and updated the statement of purpose. It now includes all the required information. However, the updated versions have not been submitted to Ofsted as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met one of the requirements and the two recommendations raised at the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457423 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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 6 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that new children are made aware of the evacuation procedure. 6 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 6 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)(b)) 6 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC457423 7 In particular, ensure that all visitors to the home give the reasons for the visit and sign out before leaving.

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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: SC457423 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: MacIntyre Care, 602 South Seventh Street, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK9 2JA

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Inspector

Lynne Drage, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457423 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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