Children's home run by Buckinghamshire Council

Inspection report for children's home: 2611447 1 Registered provider: Buckinghamshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned and operated by the local authority.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted in June 2021. The manager registered on 2 July 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 18 January 2022

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2611447 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2611447 3

p.2

outstanding

The home has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Staff are dynamic, positive and friendly. They create an environment in which children feel safe and relaxed and can flourish. Children create happy memories and have a strong sense of belonging. They have excellent relationships with staff and are well cared for. As a result, children have made exceptional progress in their lives.

p.3

outstanding

Children have busy lives outside school. They attend clubs and gym sessions and spend time with their friends and families. Children engage in wide-ranging activities that give them positive childhood experiences. Staff help children to take appropriate risks. For example, one child attended a residential school trip for the first time, as a result of effective risk management.

p.3

outstanding

Staff provide child-centred care. Staff create the space and time to have meaningful conversations with children. Staff talk to children about their feelings, emotions and worries, using bright and colourful resources to engage children in conversations and learning. Staff help children to make decisions about activities and meal choices, and children are well supported to develop their independence skills.

p.3

outstanding

All the children are in mainstream education. Those who previously found attending school challenging are now in full-time education. The staff coach and support the children to achieve good educational outcomes at school. A healthcare professional told the inspector that the help one child received has turned their life around. The child’s self-esteem has developed, and the child is incredibly proud of his achievements.

p.3

outstanding

Care plans are rich in information and clearly presented. The care plans lay out the children’s day-to-day routines, wider support networks and their progress and development. Staff help children to understand their cultural heritage. One child has explored their family’s heritage and cooks meals relevant to their culture. This is captured beautifully in a document for the child. Staff have a deep understanding of children’s individual needs.

p.3

outstanding

Staff track children’s progress extremely well. Regular reviews give children, social workers and families clear records of the progress made. Staff design these with the children’s future in mind, so children can look back on their achievements.

p.3

outstanding

The arrangements with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are excellent. Children have prompt access to mental health services and are assessed as a priority. CAMHS therapists work in the home, building relationships with Inspection report for children's home: 2611447 4 children. Research-informed practice in the therapeutic model of care is well embedded, and staff receive specialist training and support. Children who have experienced complex trauma have made considerable progress as a result.

p.3

outstanding

Staff have an extensive understanding and knowledge of the risks to children in and out of the home. Risk assessments are clear and provide staff with guidance to keep children safe. Online safety risks are well managed and communicated to children. Staff are proactive in teaching children about risks associated with online gaming. Staff help children to identify risks for themselves from an early age, for example, exploring personal safety with children when in the community and regularly reviewing children’s feelings of personal safety.

p.4

outstanding

Children are highly engaged in the rules and boundaries set by staff. Children listen to advice given by staff and keep in touch with staff when they are away from the home. Physical intervention is not used. Staff use consequences to educate and encourage children to give back to those in need of help in the community.

p.4

outstanding

The manager and deputy managers are dedicated to the well-being of the children. They fully explore each child’s life history before they were in care. On one occasion, they identified services that had not done enough to support a child. They escalated their concerns and this resulted in an historic police investigation being reopened.

p.4

outstanding

Staff have positive relationships and work closely with health professionals. This is extremely effective in supporting staff to explore sexual health, sleep and body image with children. Staff take children to regular health appointments. Children are becoming healthier as a result.

p.4

outstanding

Generally, the manager seeks advice from the local authority designated officer (LADO) when needed. There has been one missed opportunity to have a discussion with the LADO following a medication error. However, this has had no impact on the safety of the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is experienced, driven and dynamic in her approach. She has a clear vision for the home. This is communicated strongly across the home and disseminated to staff. The manager has extremely high ambitions for the children and high expectations of the staff.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is an excellent role model to staff and children. She has superb oversight of the quality of care. Her monitoring is extremely detailed, and analytical audits and reviews feed into improving the quality of care and development of the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff are energetic and diverse and bring a varied skill set to the care of the children. Staff are empowered by the manager and have lead roles, all designed to improve the quality of care in the home. Staff are committed to the children and work well as a team. Inspection report for children's home: 2611447 5 Staff are well supported. New staff have high-quality induction and regular probation reviews. They are well prepared to work in the home. The manager provides staff with regular high-quality supervision and coaching. When there are practice issues, these are investigated promptly and robustly. Investigations result in clear learning for all staff. The records of these are extremely clear.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are excellent systems in place to analyse and highlight training needs for the staff. The manager has a clear training plan for staff. As a result, staff are extremely well trained to carry out their roles. The manager is committed to their development, creating a culture of learning in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s complaints are taken seriously. They are investigated and responded to quickly. Children can give feedback about the complaints process. The manager has strong oversight of the children’s views and conversations. This means children are genuinely listened to and their views are acted on. Inspection report for children's home: 2611447 6

p.5

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: 2611447 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Buckinghamshire Council

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Buckinghamshire Council, Chief Executive, Walton Street Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury HP20 1UA

p.7

Inspector

Mark Dawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2611447 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.

p.7

Inspector

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8