Children's home run by Cornwall Council

Inspection report for children's home: 2633410 1 Registered provider: Cornwall Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered in May 2021 and provides care for up to three children with disabilities. At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. The home is owned and operated by the local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

The qualified manager is registered with Ofsted.

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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

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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: 28 February 2023

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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: 2633410 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 01/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2633410 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences in this home and are making good progress. Feedback from social workers and parents confirm that the support given to children has helped them to make improvements with their sleep patterns and communication in particular.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers provide children with good quality opportunities that mirror those found in a positive family home. For example, children are encouraged to eat together at the table with carers, to develop their independence and communication skills and to try a variety of foods.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in various activities and outings. All the children enjoy regular swimming sessions and during the summer enjoyed days out to the beach or local attractions. Carers understand children’s communication needs well and encourage them to use their preferred way to communicate. However, during the inspection it was not clear to inspectors how staff had determined that a child communicated that they wanted the television turned on before staff did so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers know the children and their needs well and provide the right support. However, this depth of knowledge is not reflected clearly in children’s written plans and records. Carers routinely have planned handover meetings and discuss the children’s needs regularly, which ensures consistency of care for the children. Records of these discussions are maintained. Some language used in the records is institutional and printed versions of the records are not always up to date.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well presented, with a large garden area where the children enjoy playing. There is a homely feel throughout, with photos of the children in communal areas and in some children’s bedrooms. There are children’s toys throughout the home and a state-of-the-art sensory room which is used regularly.

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

Carers understand the additional vulnerabilities for children with disabilities and work hard to keep them safe. Carers support children’s complex needs positively and rarely use restraint. Physical intervention has been used once since the last inspection. However, the record of this incident lacks comprehensive detail and there is no record that carers had a conversation with the child afterwards.

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

When incidents happen, carers respond appropriately; strategies to help children are used in line with their care plans. Due to the complex nature of the children’s needs, children sometimes display self-injurious behaviours and may hurt themselves as a result. Carers are aware of the triggers that may upset children and take appropriate action to avoid the trigger and deescalate situations. In one significant incident, a Inspection report for children's home: 2633410 4 child sustained an injury and did not receive immediate medical attention. The manager thoroughly investigated this delay and learning was taken from it.

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

Typically, medication is managed safely. One medication error that has occurred was reported by carers quickly and investigated thoroughly. There was no impact on the child and the learning from this was followed up with individuals and with the team.

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

Carers liaise closely with school staff and social workers regarding the children’s time at school and appropriately challenge when responses to children at school have not been in line with responses used in the home. On two recent occasions, the manager has requested meetings at school to see the physical environment and understand the experience the children have at school. Consequently, children are now experiencing more consistent care at school and at school.

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good

The manager is child-focused and has a good understanding of the children’s particular needs and what care they require. Carers speak positively about the leaders and managers and say they feel well supported. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the team and of their development needs.

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good

In general, practice issues are followed up thoroughly. A medication error was investigated carefully, with learning identified for individuals and the team as a whole. However, the monitoring of incidents requires improvement. The recording of incidents and the injuries children may sustain is not consistent. There are gaps in management oversight in terms of reviewing these incidents and in understanding whether there are any trends and patterns. The manager accepts this is a shortfall and an area for development.

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good

Training has been tailored to meet the needs of specific children. Supervision takes place and records show a good mix of discussion of staff’s well-being and children’s needs. The manager was able to demonstrate that carers receive supervision regularly, however the document used to record this was not available.

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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— 5 March 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2633410 5 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that all records kept in the home are comprehensive, clear, up to date and helpful to the child and understanding their experiences in the home.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff consistently take actions to enable children to express their views and make meaningful choices about their care, and to provide feedback on incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)  The registered person should ensure that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2).

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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: 2633410 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Accounts Payable, PO Box 727, Truro TR1 9GP

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Inspectors

Nickie Doney, Social Care Inspector Janet Jauregui, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2633410 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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