Children's Home run by Isle of Wight Council in Isle of Wight

Inspection report for children's home: SC395944 1 SC395944 Registered provider: Isle of Wight Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by the local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to 10 children with learning disabilities. It provides both short breaks and long- stay placements.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager position has been vacant since April 2022

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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: SC395944 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/03/2022 Full Good 30/10/2019 Full Good 14/11/2018 Full Good 15/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC395944 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from individualised care from a core staff team. The staff are knowledgeable in the children’s individual care and support needs, and they talk fondly about the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff monitor children’s progress against their targets through individual daily records. This information identifies trends and patterns over the month through detailed reports that are shared with parents and social workers. Monthly monitoring provides valuable data and insight into children’s progress, alongside any behavioural patterns, to inform changes to care plans as needed. This means that children’s care is constantly evolving to meet their changing and developing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote positive relationships with children’s key family members. Staff ensure that children maintain the routines they are used to and find comforting, such as daily phone calls with family members or making sure children see their family in places they enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children on short breaks benefit from a communication book. This enables children to comment on their experiences in the home, and it enables families and education staff to share important information. This gives the children a consistent approach to their care and support needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled at using specific communication tools for each child and are intuitive in recognising children’s communication through behaviour. A family member shared with the inspector that staff had identified a change in their child’s behaviour with other children when visiting. Joint work with the family, child and staff team identified another group of children with similar interests and needs. The child is now more settled and progressing well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who require specific aids and equipment to keep them safe or help with independence are generally fully assessed by a suitably trained professional, such as an occupational therapist. Oversight from an occupational therapist is not in place for two items that are used to increase a child’s safety. This is not a widespread issue. Lifting equipment, such as hoists, and profiling beds are appropriately serviced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise their limitations and use the support of specialists where needed. For example, a sensory barber visits the home to help children become desensitised to the experience of having a haircut. The barber provides staff with specific plans that the staff follow. One child’s hair is much healthier and more manageable as a result. Inspection report for children's home: SC395944 4 Children’s experiences and memories are beautifully captured in memory books. Colourful artwork, photos and celebrations of achievements are written down for adults to go through with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children’s plans are clear and provide staff with relevant information to meet their needs. Routines are recorded in an easy-to-follow manner to ensure that consistent care is provided. For one child, there is a discrepancy between two plans regarding how to support a child to manage their behaviour. Additionally, staff do not always follow the guidance for wearing personal protective equipment provided to protect them, meaning that there may be unnecessary breakaway responses being used. At the time of the inspection, this had not impacted on children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Due to a shortfall in suitably qualified staff, children’s short breaks are sometimes cancelled. This means that children do not always get the social opportunities from their visit, and families do not get their planned break. There have been some concerns over the use of agency staff to cover gaps in the rota. A recent recruitment drive has led to increased stability within the team.

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

Children are rarely held. Management oversight of physical interventions includes an evaluation of the incident, the quality of records and establishing any further training staff may require. Trends and patterns are clearly identified and inform practice to reduce further incidents.

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

Managers and senior staff are trained to safely receive, store, dispense and administer medication. When specific training is required to meet complex health needs, such as managing epilepsy or supporting children with complex health needs to eat, this is provided by the community health team.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed, with close management oversight. For example, when using agency staff, leaders and managers ensure they have photographic evidence of the member of staff before they arrive at the home.

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

The quality of the physical environment is improving. The home has maintenance staff available. However, there are continued delays in renovating two bathrooms that are unsightly and have broken showers and bath panels. Issues that were noted at the last inspection as a recommendation have not been addressed. This impacts the children’s ability to safely access these areas of the home without close staff supervision. However, children have access to other bathrooms that are well maintained.

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

The short-breaks setting has been fully decorated in all communal areas, and plans are in place to continue this throughout the rest of the building and in children’s bedrooms.

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

The home has various gardens for children to explore, with a sensory cafe and a South-Pole themed soft-play area that includes an igloo and a large number of Inspection report for children's home: SC395944 5 sensory toys. Some outdoor play equipment, including bicycles, climbing frames and swings, has not been safety checked recently. Children are not using this equipment in the winter months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recently appointed home manager is currently in the process of applying to be registered with Ofsted. He has a wealth of experience, having worked in the service for several years. They, alongside the highly experienced and committed deputy manager, are striving to consistently improve the service provided. Leaders and managers are aware of the areas of the service that need improvement, and plans are already underway to make positive changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive an induction that includes access to training and the opportunity to work alongside established staff to familiarise themselves with the children. Several staff members have not had specific training on safeguarding children with disabilities, although staff are aware of the specific risks the children may face. Managers recognise that they require greater oversight in this area and that this should be covered as part of the induction process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide staff with quality, reflective supervision. However, for some staff, this has not happened for up to three months, which is not in line with the organisation’s identified timescales. Plans are in place to provide monthly supervision to all staff going forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff talk positively about their work at the home. Many staff have worked alongside managers for several years. They say that managers are supportive and approachable. New staff talk about a positive environment that they are excited to be part of.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers find the reports by the recently appointed independent person a useful tool for reflection on the current service provided and how to develop it further. However, the current and previous independent visitors rarely visit when the children are at home or evidence that they have spent suitable time with them to seek their views to monitor the quality of care being provided. Inspection report for children's home: SC395944 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the use of safety equipment is agreed with an occupation therapist 28 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that maintenance is completed around the home and grounds in a timely manner and that bathrooms, in particular, are refurbished with the utmost urgency. 28 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and 28 April 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC395944 7 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure staff have the training they require to understand the specific safeguarding risks for the children they care for and that they have practice-related supervision in line with the home’s guidance.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the independent visitor visits when the children are at home. 28 April 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure staff follow children’s plans, including the use of protective equipment as stated in behaviour support plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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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: SC395944 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1UD

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Inspectors

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Tony Waite, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC395944 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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