Children's Home run by Bromley Healthcare Community Interest Company in Bromley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC474543 1 SC474543 Registered provider: Bromley Healthcare Community Interest Company Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a healthcare organisation and provides short breaks for up to 12 children at a time, aged between five and 18 years. In its statement of purpose, the provider states that care is provided for children who have a variety of needs, including complex health needs, autism spectrum disorder, physical and/or learning disabilities, and/or challenging behaviour.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in October 2006. The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC474543 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2021 Full Good 14/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/12/2018 Full Good 01/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC474543 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s visits to this short-break home are well planned. To ensure that children are well prepared for their stay, staff collaborate with social workers, parents and the children. Children’s stays are tailored to their specific needs, and staff work hard to ensure that it is a positive experience. As a result, children enjoy spending time at this home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a warm, nurturing environment for children. Staff are skilled at quickly establishing rapport with children, demonstrating that positive relationships exist between them. Warm interactions between children and staff were observed during the inspection. When children arrived for their short breaks, they were laughing, and their faces were filled with joy.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s needs are thoroughly assessed before the start of their short breaks. Staff understand the processes for assessing and introducing new children to the home. A senior member of the management team completes and coordinates all assessment work, including home visits and inviting children for tea with staff at the home. Careful planning and transitions ensure that children are successfully introduced to the home. The manager ensures that new children are fully supported to familiarise themselves with the home’s routines and staff. This helps to reduce any concerns or anxieties that the children may have about staying away from their family. Staff use social stories to help children understand the day-to-day care arrangements, which helps them to settle and feel more at ease and secure during their short-break visits.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children come for a short break, they have good opportunities to try a variety of activities. Indoor activities include arts and crafts, computer time, an interactive projector system, a sensory room and a trampoline, as well as simply watching television or relaxing. However, activities outside the home are limited.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who attend for short breaks are encouraged to develop their independence in accordance with their specific needs. Individual goals and targets are in place to allow children to learn and develop important skills, such as using cutlery. Their progress is a source of genuine joy and excitement for both staff and children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents’ feedback is mixed. The majority of parents report that staff are caring and kind. However, some parents have experienced unplanned cancellations of their children’s short breaks due to insufficient staff caused by staff sickness. Leaders and managers are addressing this through an ongoing recruitment drive to increase staffing levels at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC474543 4

p.3

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

Staff are skilled in identifying problems quickly by using their keen observational abilities and strong knowledge of the children. They make sure that specialised care is provided when needed. Behaviour management in this home is highly effective.

p.4

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

Staff are aware of how crucial continuous support is in reducing children’s anxiety. Through encouragement, praise and rewards, children safely learn to control their own behaviour. Social workers’ and parents’ feedback confirms this. This has helped staff to decrease the likelihood of serious incidents in the home.

p.4

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

Risk assessments and care plans are very detailed. The children are given the opportunity to take assessed risks while being closely supervised. For example, staff enable children to increase their self-care skills, such as using the toilet.

p.4

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

Staff are skilled at handling children’s complex health needs. Staff members are successful advocates for children’s healthcare needs and are persistent in following up on issues such as worrying changes in children’s behaviour.

p.4

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

Staff have access to their own personal on-call doctor and collaborate closely with paediatric specialists. However, there are some shortcomings in the administration and use of medication that have led to medication errors. These deficiencies are acknowledged by leaders and managers, who have taken steps to correct them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The short-breaks service is led by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The deputy manager has also applied to register with Ofsted, and she will share the role of the current manager on a job-share basis.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide clear direction and support to staff, making them feel valued and heard. One member of staff said, ‘We are like a family that makes sure children are safe and cared for.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedicated, stable and diverse staff team is a key strength. Members of the team come from a variety of backgrounds, including qualified nurses, children’s residential workers, youth workers and experienced managers. This highly skilled and knowledgeable team enables children to receive a wide range of specialised assistance. Furthermore, collaboration with other services, such as occupational health professionals, doctors, paediatricians and the larger national health service, improves children’s safety and life chances.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular professional supervision, which allows them to discuss their work, reflect on their practice and continue to learn and develop. Staff interviewed were extremely enthusiastic about their work and proud of the children’s accomplishments and positive outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC474543 5 Managers support staff to develop their professional skills and qualifications. Staff access both internal and external training that is relevant to the needs of the children they care for. Many staff take up this opportunity. However, the home’s training matrix is not up to date. As a result, it is unclear what training staff have undertaken in recent months. In addition, not all staff have completed training in Makaton, despite some children using this as a means of communication. Inspection report for children’s home: SC474543 6

p.4

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 15 April 2023

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. In particular, the provider must ensure that all staff training is consistently recorded and staff undertake training in Makaton. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

p.6

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: SC474543 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bromley Healthcare Community Interest Company

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Central Court, 1 Knoll Rise, Orpington, Kent BR6 0JA

p.7

Inspectors

Maud Pipim-Addo, Social Care Inspector Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC474543 8 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. 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=. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or

p.7

Inspectors

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

Inspectors

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

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8