Children's home run by Action for Children Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 1271380 1 Registered provider: Action For Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a short-break service for children that is run by a national charity. All children have a learning disability and additional complex social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 26 November 2020.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection was carried out on 14 March 2023. The home was judged inadequate. Following the full inspection, the provider was issued with a notice suspending the registration of this home. A monitoring visit was carried out on 19 April 2023, where some improvements had been made. A further monitoring visit was carried out on 23 May 2023, and the suspension notice was lifted following this. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271380 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2023 Full Inadequate 08/02/2022 Full Good 16/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1271380 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently reopened. Children were supported to return to the service sensitively. Home visits were arranged, and staff ensured that children were involved through careful planning and individual social stories. Families were consulted on their views and all paperwork was shared and amended, for example plans detailing personal care routines and responses to behaviours. This ensured consistent care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a high standard. Staff are thoughtful in their planning of activities, ensuring that favoured activities are available when children stay. For example, during the summer holidays, an outdoor cinema and hot tub have been hired for children to enjoy. One professional said, ‘[The child] enjoys the freedom, space and activities.’ Children’s memories are beautifully captured and displayed. This helps children to feel positive about themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to and are given opportunities to choose meals and activities through regular meetings and feedback forms. Children also have access to an advocate every month, giving children an independent person to talk to. Children who stay for one or two nights a week are working towards achieving set targets. Staff know these and monitor children’s progress through daily running logbooks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s methods of communication are known by staff, who use these effectively. These include now and next boards and picture exchange communication systems. There is a strong commitment to ensuring that children can make choices about how they are cared for and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with trusted staff who understand their needs. Staff intervene quickly and redirect children using distraction techniques if needed. The inspector observed one child being sensitively supported when anxious. This meant that the child was able to engage with planned activities in the community. Staff complete well-being forms with children following incidents to understand what can be done differently in the future.

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

Children are protected from harm through robust incident management. Staff are transparent in their actions and ensure that learning is known and shared with other staff. There are effective discussions within team meetings regarding children’s behaviours, their past experiences and known risks. This helps to strengthen staff understanding and ensures that children experience a consistent response.

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

Staff are skilled in keeping children safe and are committed to providing an environment where children can thrive physically, emotionally and socially. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 1271380 4 understand the organisation’s safeguarding policies and practice, and staff know how to raise concerns and who to contact for immediate advice or support.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that equipment is maintained and safe. Checks of fire safety equipment and regular drills are held so that children know what to do in the event of a fire. Consequently, the home is safe for children.

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

Generally, medicines are now managed safely. Past incidents have led to changes in practice. There is a now a robust process for managing and administering medication. However, one child (who requires a PRN medication) did not have a clear protocol, and it was not clear for another child where medication was given (for example, if given at school).

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager was not present at the time of the inspection. Interim management arrangements have been in place since the last full inspection. Leaders and managers have a comprehensive development plan, which has improved the care and overall experiences for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have implemented systems to monitor children’s care, which have improved their oversight. However, there are some shortfalls in some children’s written care planning documents. For example, behaviour plans and some incident reports are not always detailed enough, and body maps for children following injuries are not always clear. This omission does not currently impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good management support through effective supervision, which provides them with space to reflect on their own individual practice. Team days and meetings have also enhanced staff knowledge and skills. In return, staff respect and value leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from receiving high-quality training that enables them to meet the children’s needs well. Leaders and managers have identified areas where staff require additional support, providing staff with additional workshops in areas of medication, communication aids and safeguarding. Staff reflect on their learning and can request additional support to enhance their skills further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is very positive regarding communication and partnership working. This demonstrates a culture of openness, which keeps children’s needs at the heart of decision-making. One professional said, ‘The home regularly communicates with me, they attend review meetings and update all professionals about [the child].’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1271380 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication and injuries. They should also ensure that body maps are detailed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should make best use of information from internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. In particular, ensure that children’s records are accurate, with clear detail. This is in relation to incident reporting, behaviour plans and medication charts. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 1271380 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action For Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Action for Children, 3 The Boulevard, Ascot Road, Watford WD18 8AG

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Inspectors

Hannah Cox, Social Care Inspector Stephen Challis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1271380 7 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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