Children's Home run by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 1 SC465287 Registered provider: Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This short-breaks service provides care for children with learning and physical disabilities and who have associated health and/or personal care needs. The home is operated by a healthcare foundation trust.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2021

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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: SC465287 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2021 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Good 19/02/2019 Full Good 17/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy their visits to this home. Parents say that their children are excited to go for their stay. Children often return tired from all the activities they have been involved in. They enjoy activities such as messy play, a disco, arts and crafts and trips out. Children have warm and nurturing relationships with staff, who know them very well. Staff support children competently and sensitively. This means that children settle quickly when they arrive at the home and go on to enjoy their stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and external professionals are very happy with the service provided at the home. Parents are confident that their children are safe. Staff, parents and schools work collaboratively to provide a consistent approach to children’s care, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by qualified nurses and staff who have an appropriate qualification in children’s residential care. This ensures that children’s complex health needs are well managed and they remain healthy. When children’s health deteriorates, staff take quick and effective action. This means that children return to good health quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend school. Children are ready and waiting for their transport to arrive to take them to school and they receive a warm welcome when they return. One child who stays at the home has seizures during prolonged journeys. Therefore, two staff members from the home accompany them to and from school. This means that staff can support and reassure the child throughout the journey. This extra resource enables the child to continue to access school and the short-break provision. This is commendable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress from their starting points, particularly with their health and independent living skills. For example, a child has made significant progress with their night-time routine, which enables them to sleep better. This means that the child is more receptive to learning when attending school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are plans to extend the building and make it more accessible for children who use a wheelchair. However, these plans are still in the early stages. Staff continue to manage the space as best they can. A requirement made at the previous inspection has been restated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Bedrooms are themed and children choose the room they want to be in. Bedrooms are personalised for children each time they stay. New equipment has been purchased, which makes children’s experience of being at this home more enjoyable. For example, children have lights in a new bath that change colour. They also have new play equipment in the garden. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 4 Giving children a voice is important to staff, who capture children’s views in many ways. For example, children’s views have been carefully sought about the decor in the home. Staff are skilled at understanding what each child wants or needs. For example, staff have recorded that a child chose to go to different members of staff by putting his arms out to them and smiling. They have also recorded the type of crisps and juice a child requested by eye-pointing.

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

Staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. They understand whistle-blowing procedures and know what to do when a child is at risk of harm.

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

Staff have good relationships with children. They have a good understanding of children’s likes and dislikes. This means that unwanted behaviour is rare. Furthermore, the mix of children is carefully considered for each stay so that children spend time with their friends.

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

Staffing levels are high, which helps to keep children safe. The manager ensures that the right number of staff support each child to enable them to meet children’s individual needs effectively. For example, there are always two members of staff involved when children are hoisted. Children are safer because of good planning of resources.

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

Risk management is well planned and helps children to develop life skills while keeping them safe. For example, a plan was formulated to support a child to reduce their anxiety around their short break. A regular day in the week was offered, and the child has their dinner on arrival. This has reduced the difficulty the child has with transition and improved their emotional well-being. Consequently, the child appears more settled and happier during their stay.

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good

Three children have been admitted to the home outside of the home’s conditions of registration. Although this has been done in the best interests of each child, there is an impact on children as the short-breaks service is not set up to provide long-term care. Discussions have taken place to find a solution for children with complex disabilities who require emergency care. However, a solution has not yet been found and this unacceptable situation is likely to continue.

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good

The statement of purpose currently says that the age range for children receiving short breaks can be from birth upwards. This is unrealistic and is likely to be unsafe. However, children under the age of four have never been admitted into the home and the age range is usually higher.

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good

Documentation relating to an investigation into a medication error could be improved. Learning from this incident has not been recorded. The registered manager is considering how to improve the safeguards for the medication Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 5 administration system. However, on one occasion, current safeguards have not been effective.

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good

Vetting procedures are not yet good enough to protect children from unsuitable adults. For one member of staff, references are not appropriate because they are not from an appropriate person from her previous employer.

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good

The home is a safe place. However, an unsafe fire door has not been repaired. Identified hazards should be addressed quickly, especially when they relate to fire safety.

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good

The registered manager is very experienced, qualified and child centred. She has worked hard to support improvement. Many improvements to the service have been made. For example, staff have better ways of supporting children to give their views and opinions. Staff are also getting better at evidencing how children communicate and what they are expressing.

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good

The manager is a strong advocate for children and has supported children to get the healthcare equipment they require. For example, she has helped a family to source a suitable wheelchair which supports their young person’s mobility and safety. She has also regularly communicated with external professionals to support a child with respiratory health difficulties. The child is now receiving treatment for sleep apnoea via ventilation. This ensures that the child sleeps better and is better able to engage during the day.

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good

There is an established team of staff who care deeply about the children in the home. They have access to good training opportunities which ensure that they maintain the skills and knowledge they require to meet children’s health and safety requirements.

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good

Staff are very well supported by each other and the manager. Staff have received good training to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to meet the complex healthcare and behavioural needs of the children who access this service. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 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

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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the lack of space for children using a wheelchair, lack of storage space, poor parking provision, a lack of a quiet area for children and no separate facilities for staff and children. The garden is not designed for children who use wheelchairs or have mobility issues. 30 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, 30 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 7 if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have a reference from their previous employer. If this is not possible, all reasonable steps must be taken to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual and be recorded on the individual’s file.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the age range in the statement of purpose is appropriate for the children who use the service. 30 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Nothing in paragraph (5) or regulation 46 (review of premises) requires or authorises the registered person to contravene or not comply with—

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Requirement Due date

any other provision of these regulations; or

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Requirement Due date

any conditions in relation to the registration of the registered person under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000. (Regulation 16 (5) (6)(a)(b)) 30 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 8 This specifically relates to ensuring that children are not admitted to the home outside of the short-break condition on the home’s registration.

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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

This specifically relates to ensuring that a broken door closer on a fire door is repaired. 30 March 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should lead a team which provides high-quality care for all children living in the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Therefore, they should ensure that investigations into poor practice are thorough and learning from the investigation is clearly recorded and implemented. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: SC465287 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sudborough House, St Mary’s Hospital, 77 London Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15 7PW

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC465287 10 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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