Children's home run by Action for Children in Watford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 1 SC432331 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

A children’s charity operates this home. The home provides residential short breaks for up to eight disabled children at any one time. The conditions of registration allow for one child to live at the home permanently.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since July 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2022 Full Good 08/07/2021 Full Good 24/07/2019 Full Good 27/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, three children were staying overnight for their short break. The home has planned nights when it is closed in agreement with the local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers meaningfully plan children’s stays. This makes certain that when children visit they have positive experiences with other children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled in using a variety of communication methods. Children can easily access a wide range of resources to let others know how they feel. One parent said: ‘They have really helped him to communicate more. He was quiet before and now he laughs and talks.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff plan activities that they know children will enjoy. Children have been go- karting, travelled on canal boats, visited discovery centres, attended theatre shows and watched local bands play. Staff organised an outdoor festival for children, families, professionals and the local community. In addition to this, staff plan sensory activities that help children to explore touch, sight, hearing and smells. Staff encourage children to interact with their environment and the community and build confidence while having fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. Each child has an individualised target. Staff are consistent in supporting children to achieve and they record in detail how each child is progressing. One child has learned to feed themselves with a spoon. One child has learned to use words in context. One child has started to use the right side of their body more. Staff help children to feel proud and build self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled at helping children explore their identity, make choices and understand difference. Activities are offered which help children explore how they view themselves. Difference is celebrated through art and meaningful displays. Children are helped to attend cultural events. Staff include children in making choices about their experiences, no matter how small. This helps children feel a sense of belonging and increased well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well resourced with specialist equipment, a modern sensory room, a ball pit and a large garden. However, there have been ongoing problems with the heating. While the registered manager has made attempts to adjust the temperature, the issue remains unresolved.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to report any safeguarding concerns without delay. All staff have attended safeguarding training. Professionals hold the Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 4 staff and manager in high regard. One social worker said: ‘The staff are proactive. They contact me, share information, ask questions, they want to be involved.’

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities well. This is because risk assessments are detailed and consider a wide range of factors, including children being non-verbal, being reliant on adults for all their care and requiring medical support. The staff’s awareness of the children’s needs has enabled them to ensure that resources are readily available to meet those needs.

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

Staff understand that children communicate through their behaviour. Staff respond to this communication with consistent and respectful care. Individual plans help staff understand what a child may be experiencing. Staff use their tone of voice, body language, facial expressions, the environment and awareness of children’s sensory needs to help communicate with the children. As a result, incidents are managed well and have remained infrequent since the last inspection.

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

Staff only use physical interventions as a last resort and to keep children and staff safe. However, the records made by staff do not describe the measures used, and it is unclear who carried out the intervention. Staff are not always provided with a debrief following incidents. Furthermore, children are presumed unable to comment about the intervention. This means children are not fully supported after an incident and opportunities for staff to reflect and consider alternative approaches are missed.

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

Children who require additional monitoring for medical reasons are observed by staff through video and audio monitoring. This approach is risk-assessed. However, insufficient consideration has been given to the impact this has on children’s privacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified and experienced. She is child-centred and advocates for children in her care. A deputy manager and responsible individual support the manager. Managers know the children and staff well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff are recruited safely. Children are involved in choosing staff who support them. Inductions include a detailed training programme and regular guidance from managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive structured and supportive supervision which focuses on the children and staff’s well-being. Managers understand the importance of staff feeling supported to ensure that children receive positive experiences. Staff also receive regular appraisals. Staff said they felt supported by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children experience a nurturing environment from a long-standing team of staff who are invested in them. Staff greet children with enthusiasm, care and respect. Children were seen to smile, laugh, vocalise happily and stretch their arms out towards staff when they arrived. One parent said: ‘The staff are our extended family.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 5 The manager regularly reviews and tracks the quality of care children receive. The manager has effective monitoring systems in place which help her to identify emerging themes and shortfalls. As a result, paperwork has been reduced, meaning staff can spend more time with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children who have complex health needs are cared for by trained and experienced staff. The registered manager signs staff off as competent to work with children. This ensures that children are cared for by staff who can meet their needs. Staff receive additional training to ensure that they are competent to carry out all delegated health tasks. The registered manager oversees and signs off individual staff as trained, competent and safe to work with the most vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has met the one requirement and three recommendations from the previous inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(i)) 1 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(c)(iii)(iv)) 22 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 7 This particularly relates to the review of monitoring by audio and video of children with complex health needs and their right to privacy.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of children. In particular, ensure that the issues with the heating are resolved. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC432331 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Mandy Start, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC432331 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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