Children's home run by London Borough of Croydon in Croydon

Inspection report for children’s home: SC041887 1 SC041887 Registered provider: London Borough of Croydon Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The local authority owns this short-breaks service. The home provides short-break accommodation for up to seven children who have significant learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 35 children were using the service.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 2003, and the manager registered in March 2007.

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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: SC041887 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Good 23/11/2021 Full Good 20/05/2019 Full Good 12/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC041887 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show care, compassion and warmth towards the children and enable them to build positive relationships with other children when they visit. This helps children to settle into the home and enjoy the fun activities offered. Parents’ feedback is overwhelmingly positive about the care provided to their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s visits are well planned. Children mostly stay with the same group of children, and this supports the friendships they have made. Detailed planning ensures that children enjoy each other’s company. Parents say that children like coming to the home, and some see it as a ‘sleepover’ to socialise and meet their friends in a safe space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. Some of the children have complex medical conditions that require daily medication. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of the children’s individual needs, guided by detailed individual care plans. Parents and professionals contribute to these plans and feel confident that the children are well cared for and that their health needs are supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities that are specific to their interests and talents. They benefit from having good routines and structure when they visit the home. Children are supported to choose their activities when they visit. These include indoor games, such as computer games, a sensory room, a ball pool and a large garden with lots of swings and games. This gives children opportunities to have new experiences in the home with other children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s physical environment is warm and comfortable for children. All children’s bedrooms are themed, adapted and decorated to meet their needs. The home appears homely with new decorations, flooring, carpets and furniture. Leaders and managers have a plan to install a new kitchen.

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

Children are safeguarded effectively. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. They work well with parents and external professionals. The stable and consistent home environment, together with the warmth and confidence of the staff, makes the children feel safe and secure.

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

Children are given individualised support in line with their needs and wishes. Staff use appropriate methods of communication, such as visual aids and social stories, to help children to share their views and feelings. This empowers children to raise any concerns or worries they may have and gives them confidence that their opinions matter. Inspection report for children’s home: SC041887 4 Children benefit from high staffing levels, and there are clear behaviour support plans to support their needs. Staff support children to understand boundaries and routines. This is done in a child-friendly way, using the child’s preferred method of communication. Incidents are managed well by staff, who use de-escalation techniques to support children. This means that even children with the most significant needs have positive experiences when they visit.

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

Known and potential risks to the children are well understood by managers and staff. Risk assessments are clear and detailed. They are informed by the children’s parents and professional networks to ensure that staff take the appropriate action when required. Parents and social workers say that children feel safe and that the staff protect them.

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

Staff only use physical restraint when it is necessary to safeguard children and others. Children receive appropriate support following incidents of restraint to enable them to reflect on their emotions. Incidents of restraint and the method of restraint used are clearly recorded. However, restraint records lack sufficient and prompt management oversight. Consequently, managers do not have effective oversight of staff practice for all events that have an impact on children’s welfare and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led and managed by a committed and experienced registered manager. The manager and staff know the children well and hold high aspirations for them. 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 and education staff. They also work closely with families. Working collaboratively enables the team around the child to strive towards helping children in a more coordinated and effective way. Parents are very positive about the care provided to their children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. They access training in core areas, which include safeguarding, medication, first aid and health and safety. They undertake more targeted training, including autism spectrum awareness. Staff say that these courses have been beneficial and helped them to understand the needs of children who access the services.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Team meetings are weekly and demonstrate that staff are able to reflect on practice and the needs of children. Staff benefit from regular supervision, covering a broad agenda. Supervision sessions are reflective, offer staff support and guidance and consider the needs and progress of children. This gives staff an opportunity to talk about their practice and to have their learning and development reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight, monitoring and reviewing systems need to be strengthened. For example, the quality of care review does not include feedback from children, staff and parents or carers. This limits the effectiveness of management oversight of the care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: SC041887 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

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

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that restraint records demonstrate prompt management oversight and appropriate review of staff practice. 30 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b) (5)) 30 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC041887 6 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they include feedback from children, parents and professionals to inform the quality of care review.

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Information about this inspection

Inspector has 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: SC041887 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: P2P Team, PO Box 1967, Bernard Wetherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon, Surrey CR90 9FL

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Inspector

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC041887 8 regulates and inspects 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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