Children's Home run by John-Edwards Care Homes Limited in Swindon

Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 1 SC437171 Registered provider: John-Edwards Care Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children who may have learning and physical disabilities. The home offers long-term care for some children and a short-break service for others. At the time of this visit, three children were living in the home and two children were receiving short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 12 October 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/10/2022 Full Inadequate 20/04/2021 Full Good 12/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 3

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improvement to be good

This home was judged to be inadequate at the full inspection on 12 and 13 October 2022. At the monitoring visit on 24 November 2022, it was assessed that effective action had been taken to meet three of the requirements and the recommendation. Progress has been made in the remaining requirements, but this work is not yet completed.

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improvement to be good

There is an ample number of staff to meet the children’s needs. However, a number of these are temporary staff from an agency. To reduce the number of different adults caring for the children, the manager has created a core team of six agency staff. This is providing more consistency for the children.

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improvement to be good

Children are happy at this home and enjoy their time here. There is a relaxed and happy atmosphere and positive interactions between staff and children. Staff were observed singing with, playing and reading to the children. Due to the number of staff, children receive individual attention and can take part in a range of different activities in the house and out in the community. The home also has a new vehicle, which helps children to take part in community activities.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious, well equipped and furnished. There has been further improvement in the environment since the previous inspection. Redecoration has taken place, and the installation of a new bathroom has been completed. A ‘hi-low’ table has been purchased, which enables children who use wheelchairs to sit at the dining table with the rest of the group. There was a small amount of black mould found on a child’s window frame, which was addressed during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Parents and social workers are very positive about the care their children receive. They are pleased that children are developing their independence skills and their ability to manage their behaviours. Effective support has been provided to develop a child’s tolerance of different materials, including different types of bedding.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans vary in quality. The majority of the plans are clear and current and provide helpful guidance for staff on how to meet the children’s needs. However, two plans lacked information about deprivation of liberty safeguard assessments, and one did not provide clear guidance about the actions staff would be taking to reduce the use of a child’s walking harness. This could lead to inconsistencies in staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Additional safeguarding guidance has been provided to staff since the last inspection. This includes being part of an external multi-agency group to share Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 4 practice and having access to up-to-date safeguarding information. Staff members who were spoken to were aware of the safeguarding procedures and how to manage concerns. There have been no reportable safeguarding incidents since the previous inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children’s behaviour is appropriately managed. Staff know when children are upset or unwell and take appropriate actions to support them. Children are learning to manage their emotions. Some written records that support staff with managing children’s behaviour require improvement as they vary in quality. For example, one child’s plan does not contain information about how to manage an increase in a specific behaviour. These omissions could lead to inconsistent staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always record the events preceding a behavioural incident, or consistently document what actions they took to resolve the incident and support the child. This limits the opportunity for helpful reflection and learning from incidents. There has been no development on how staff will gain meaningful feedback from children after an incident. This was raised as an area for development at the previous inspection. The current system to record restraints does not capture all of the information required by regulation.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practices are followed, which helps to protect children.

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good

The home is being appropriately managed. However, the manager and deputy often cover gaps in the staff rota themselves, thereby limiting their management time. The manager said she had wanted to make more improvements since the full inspection in October 2022. Improvements that have been made need further time to embed in staff practice, especially as there are a number of new staff. Leaders and managers are continuing to take actions to address the remaining staff vacancies.

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good

Feedback and observations during the inspection indicate that staff morale continues to improve. Staff members who were spoken to feel well supported by managers and said they are feeling optimistic about the home and its future. However, feedback received shortly after the inspection indicates that not everyone agrees with this.

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good

Staff are receiving supervision at regular intervals. Records of supervision discussions vary. Some records clearly reflect the discussion that was held, while others contain limited information. This does not support staff in understanding the expectations of their role and how managers are helping them.

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good

There has been one notification of a significant event involving one of the children. The notification was sent to Ofsted seven days after the incident and only in response to guidance from the independent person. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 5

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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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to continuing with the home’s improvement plan and embedding learning from monitoring into staff’s practice. 31 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 6 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s plans are sufficiently detailed about their current and changing needs, including behavioural needs. 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(e)) 28 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 7 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 31 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 8 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In addition, review the current recording model to ensure it meets this regulation.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records of staff supervision sessions are of a consistently good standard and include sufficient details of the discussion held so as to aid in the development of the member of staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: SC437171 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: John-Edwards Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Suffolk Way, Sevenoaks TN13 1YL

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 10 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 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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