Children's Home run by SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd in Bracknell Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481040 1 SC481040 Registered provider: SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides residential care for up to four children. It is operated by a private company which has other similar homes in the area. The company specialises in providing care and therapeutic intervention for boys.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 24 February 2015. As the manager is on maternity leave, the acting manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC481040 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/08/2021 Full Outstanding 03/02/2020 Full Good 31/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC481040 3

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outstanding

The children thrive in this home. All four children continue to make excellent progress because the dedicated and skilled staff provide stability, in a nurturing and homely environment. Trusting relationships have been created because staff listen to children and act on their wishes and ideas. Staff support children to build positive attachments. One child now has friends outside of the home and attends a football club. This is after many years of not having confidence or experience of social interaction.

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outstanding

Children benefit from consistent boundaries, expectations and responses from staff. This supports the model of care and the ethos of the home. Staff promote problem- solving, rather than consequence-based, care, which encourages children to make positive choices. Children are motivated and keen to learn and have made significant progress in relation to their starting points.

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outstanding

Education is an area of strength, with all children attending an age-appropriate provision. Effective and regular contact with schools and colleges ensures that the children receive consistent responses, and there is continuous planning. As a result, all children have ambitions for their future, for example, attending college and completing their qualifications.

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outstanding

The children benefit from an empathetic and diverse staff team. This allows the children to flourish in accepting and embracing their own identity and that of other people, for example, showing that other people’s feelings are important. Acceptance is a theme that runs throughout this home, promoted by staff who are child- focused. As a result, children accept and respect others’ views, and their presentation and opinions.

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outstanding

Older children are learning to be independent. Staff continually encourage children to accomplish their goals and improve their social skills. Support from staff is organised and nurturing, offering stability and routine. This enables children to learn quickly and progress beyond expectations.

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outstanding

Children flourish because of the emotional and physical support of staff. The manager advocates that care planning is at the child’s own pace, to ensure stability and positive outcomes. Managers and staff ensure that they have access to relevant documentation that supports the informed care provided to children.

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outstanding

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481040 4 The dedicated staff team and managers know the children incredibly well. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. Staff have an in- depth knowledge of internal processes and policies. This supports the children’s care planning and provides consistency in being able to safeguard the children.

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outstanding

Risk assessments are comprehensive, constantly updated and individualised to meet the needs of each child. Children can discuss their views in regular key-working sessions with informed and committed staff. For example, when there is a change or update to an assessment, staff will discuss with the child how this will impact on their daily activities or family time.

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outstanding

Episodes of children going missing from this home are exceptionally rare. On the one occasion this did happen, appropriate steps were taken to ensure the immediate and ongoing safety and well-being of the child.

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outstanding

Competent and confident challenge of other professionals is well documented, and the children’s well-being and safety remain the focus for staff and managers. As a result, one child’s level of supervision has reduced. They now attend college independently, supported by staff who understand the comprehensive risks and how to manage these.

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outstanding

Vastly improved and proactive oversight of medication practice by the manager has ensured that all staff have completed training. Practice sessions with staff have supported the learning and embedded this in daily practice.

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outstanding

Health and safety in the home, including fire risk, is managed and recorded effectively to ensure that children live in a safe and well-maintained home. Fire drills have taken place and therefore the requirement from the previous inspection has been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In the absence of the registered manager, the home is led by a very committed and diligent manager. This manager ensures that staff are dedicated to going above and beyond to fulfil their roles in caring for the children. Senior management oversight is comprehensive. The responsible individual knows the home’s strengths and areas for possible improvement. Likewise, they know the children and their progress, collectively and individually, exceedingly well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior managers have high expectations in relation to children’s outcomes and progress. Support to staff is provided through regular practice-related supervision, which is valued by staff. Children learn from motivated and empathetic staff. The nurturing response is modelled by senior leaders, who invest their time in getting to know them and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have received necessary training. Managers are conscious of the continuing need to learn and to support the development and progress of their staff. Leaders Inspection report for children’s home: SC481040 5 and managers remain up to date with current risk influences, such as social media, and encourage staff to embrace the challenges.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are highly effective. Quality assurance processes are well organised and applied flexibly. The oversight provided by a senior manager is excellent. Leaders and managers have a sound knowledge of processes and wider legislation. This supports staff even further in understanding their roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An additional layer of scrutiny is provided by the independent person. Managers and leaders embrace and respond well to any challenge. As a result, the whole staff team is reflective, which has improved practice, and increasingly informs the care of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481040 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged by the staff to see the home’s records as living documents, supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping. Staff should understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. They should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the 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: SC481040 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 599a London Road, Cheam, Sutton SM3 9AG

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Inspector

Jill Sephton-Wright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481040 8 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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