Children's Home run by Wandsworth Borough Council in Wandsworth

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 1 SC065478 Registered provider: Wandsworth Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides full-time care or short breaks for up to 13 children with physical and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in November 2005.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection of a serious incident that occurred at the setting since the last inspection and that it is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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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

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection : none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/01/2022 Full Good 30/09/2019 Full Good 30/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. Staff understand children’s starting points and their individual needs and interests. Leaders and managers track children’s progress and create personal targets to help children achieve and develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a strong voice at this home. Their views and wishes are listened to on all aspects of their lives. Children are actively encouraged to help prepare their care plans, as well as setting their goals and targets. Staff celebrate successes, no matter how small.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain positive relationships with their family. They work closely with children and their family to ensure that the time they spend together is enjoyable. This helps children to maintain important family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is fully equipped to meet the needs of the children. The soft playroom, sensory room, art room and a games room ensure that children have access to a variety of activities, which they enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers have redecorated the home to ensure that children live in a warm and homely environment. Each child personalises their bedroom to reflect their individuality. Staff clearly value the importance of creating a safe and well- maintained environment that has children at the centre.

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

Safeguarding practice has improved since the last inspection. Leaders, managers and staff follow children’s care plans and make safe decisions about the care provided. Staff have a clear and detailed understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They work closely with other agencies to ensure that appropriate actions are taken to keep children safe.

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

Staff have a good understanding of whistle-blowing policies and procedures. They have completed training on safeguarding and restraint. Allegations or suspicion of harm are dealt with immediately and shared with the relevant agencies. This enhances children’s safety in the home.

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

The use of physical intervention has significantly reduced. These incidents are now promptly and thoroughly reviewed to ensure that the measures used are proportionate and safe. Children’s views are sought and explored, and safety plans are amended if needed. This has resulted in a significant reduction of incidents and provides children with positive experiences of their care.

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

Children benefit from high staffing levels. Staff follow clear behaviour support plans, which help them to manage incidents and behaviour effectively. Staff expertly Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 4 communicate to children the boundaries and expectations. As a result, incidents are well managed by staff, who use de-escalation techniques to support children.

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

Children regularly spend time with staff to help them understand their care and safety plans, as well as explore a range of useful topics. Staff skilfully use pictures, gestures and verbal prompts to support communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led and managed by a committed and experienced registered manager. Leaders and managers have worked hard to address the concerns identified at the last inspection and acted to ensure that all requirements are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff know the children well and have high aspirations for them. They set and review individual achievable goals for each child in their care. Feedback from professionals and parents about the leaders and staff is very positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work well with other professionals, including social workers, education staff and families. They visit schools to share strategies on working with children. Strong joint working with a team of relevant professionals ensures that children receive well-coordinated care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access training in safeguarding, medication, and health and safety. Additionally, they receive targeted training, such as epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder awareness. However, some shortfalls were found in the manager’s oversight of some staff training. Additionally, the workforce plan did not clearly set out the arrangements for new staff’s induction and probation assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff better understand their roles and responsibilities. Team meeting records demonstrate that staff are reflecting on their practice and the needs of children. Staff benefit from regular professional supervision that covers a broad agenda. These supervision sessions are reflective, offer staff support and guidance, and consider the needs and progress of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular annual appraisals and performance reviews. However, appraisals do not include any feedback from children or external professionals, which is a missed opportunity for the manager to fully assess practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 5

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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 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, leaders and managers must ensure that there are effective monitoring systems in place to review the quality of staff training. 28 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Key-work session records should consistently reflect children’s care plans and the creative attempts staff have taken to engage children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan clearly sets out the procedures for staff’s induction and probation review. It should include any new training and qualifications completed by staff, including the registered manager, as well as identifying any gaps in training and professional development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 6  The registered person should ensure that staff performance appraisals consider

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Recommendations

the views of children and professionals who have worked with the staff member. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.5)

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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: SC065478 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wandsworth Borough Council, The Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street, London SW18 2PU

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Inspectors

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065478 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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