Children's home run by CareTech Community Services Limited in Hertsmere

Inspection report for children’s home: SC376211 1 SC376211 Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited 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 six children who have learning disabilities. The home forms part of a large private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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: SC376211 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2022 Full Good 20/10/2021 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Good 28/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC376211 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the last year, two children have moved into the home and two children have moved out. At the time of this inspection, six children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully considers the needs of children before agreeing for them to move into the home. Moves into the home are well planned and new children receive information about the home and have the opportunity to visit and meet staff when possible. This helps children to settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to keep in touch with their families and staff recognise the importance of these relationships. Staff regularly communicate with children’s families and families feel well informed about their child’s care and progress. One child has been supported to return to live with their family, in line with their care plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Staff have an excellent understanding of children’s needs and use a range of communication methods to engage with them. Children are happy and relaxed with staff and regard them as their family. Observations of their interactions show that each child’s individual personality is understood and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to and are consulted. They are able to choose how to decorate their bedrooms and contribute to planning activities. Staff ensure that activities are inclusive and accessible. Children recently took part in a baking competition where they designed and baked a cake representing a local landmark, for which they won a prize. One child who used to get distressed when swimming is now enjoying the activity because of the approach that staff use to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager supports children to engage in education. Children attend school regularly and make good progress from their starting points. One child who previously had poor attendance now attends every day and is happy at school. Feedback from school staff is positive and they recognise the progress that children make when living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to stay healthy. Health plans are individual to children and clearly identify their needs and care routines. One child, who has personal care needs, said that they felt well supported by staff. Children are supported to attend all their appointments and staff are proactive in seeking support for children’s health when needed. Children enjoy a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. Specialist equipment is well maintained and serviced regularly. Children receive the support they need to lead a healthy lifestyle where all their health needs are met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC376211 4

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

Effective plans are in place to help staff understand children’s needs. Risk assessments are reviewed and updated regularly to reflect changes, and this helps staff to keep children safe. When incidents occur, staff manage these well.

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

Children are supported to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe through discussion with staff, using their individual method of communication. On one occasion, discussions took place with a child following an incident, however, these were not recorded. This means that staff are not always evidencing the support they are providing to children.

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

There has been one occasion when a child has gone missing. When this happens, staff know how to respond. Risk assessments were updated following this incident and additional safety measures were put in place. This reduces the risk of reoccurrence.

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

There has been one allegation since the last inspection. When allegations are made, the manager notifies all relevant parties quickly. The manager works well with other professionals and internal investigations are carried out. The safety of all children is considered and appropriate action is taken to safeguard them while investigations are ongoing.

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

Two staff have joined the team since the last inspection. The manager has effective safer recruitment systems in place to mitigate the risk of unsuitable people being employed.

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

Medication is generally managed well, however, on one occasion a child missed their medication when out in the community and this was not recorded correctly. The manager needs to ensure that all staff are administering and recording medication correctly to avoid errors which could impact on children’s health conditions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and qualified manager. There is a stable staff team, many of whom have worked there for several years. Staff enjoy working at the home and feel valued by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a clear vision for the home that is well understood by staff. The home’s statement of purpose is kept under review and helps people outside the home to understand what care and support is available for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and their performance is appraised yearly. Staff value supervision discussions and use them to reflect on their practice. Managers use creative ways to assess and test staff’s knowledge, including a regular quiz to test safeguarding knowledge. This helps managers to be confident that staff have the required knowledge for the role. Inspection report for children’s home: SC376211 5 Staff attend mandatory training and training specific to the children’s needs. However, the system used to monitor training is not effective and training expectations are unclear. The manager has not taken action to identify and address shortfalls. Observations of staff practice suggest that staff possess the skills and knowledge needed to care for the children, however, there is not always evidence of formal training to underpin this. A workforce development plan is in place but requires updating to reflect recent staff changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: SC376211 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, The 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

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

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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)(c)(h)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff training is kept up to date, in line with the workforce development plan and the specific needs of children who live in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered manager must ensure that monitoring systems identify gaps in records. 29 June 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that systems are in place to administer medication when children are away from the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) Inspection report for children’s home: SC376211 7

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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: SC376211 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: CareTech Community Services Limited, 5th Floor Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC376211 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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