Children's Home run by Isle of Wight Council in Isle of Wight

Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 1 SC395944 Registered provider: Isle of Wight Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by the local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to 10 children with learning disabilities. It provides both short breaks and long- stay placements.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, six children were living in the home and two children were staying for short breaks.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2023 Full Good 17/03/2022 Full Good 30/10/2019 Full Good 14/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop secure and trusting relationships with the staff caring for them. Staff are attentive and nurturing in their approach to meeting children’s individual needs. They interact warmly with the children, who are relaxed in the home. This helps children to feel safe and make good progress. One family member said, ‘[Name of child] has lived their best life, the home is a brilliant place, with brilliant staff, and I can’t thank them enough for all they have done.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy the welcoming home environment. It is child-centred and provides space for children to live comfortably with each other or separately if they wish. There are areas in the home that help to enrich children’s experiences and meet their needs, such as sensory wall art, a soft playroom, large outside areas and trampolines. Improvements to enhance this further have been identified by the registered manager, with some areas of the home being redecorated during the inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress, and this is beautifully captured through the ‘Rainbow awards’ proudly displayed in the hallways and in monthly journey reports. This gives children a sense of pride. One social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has come on lots with his communication and with other aspects of their development such as teeth brushing, hair brushing, and haircuts, which is all down to the staff’s perseverance.’ Attendance at school has also improved for one child since living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to take part in a range of fun activities, both inside and outside the home. Children are helped to understand what to expect from their time in the home through a detailed, child-friendly booklet. Children’s care plans are child-centred and specific to their individual needs. The routines in the home create stability and consistency. Therefore, the children know what to expect each day, from morning/after-school routines and eating a home-cooked dinner every evening to having well-planned and supported bedtime routines.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are new to the home are welcomed sensitively, with careful and considered planning. This is aided by the registered manager’s expectation that social workers provide detailed child and family information. Consequently, when children move in, the staff have the skills that they need to meet their needs alongside those of the other children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children use communication aids to have their voices heard and to make choices. Staff say that they value the range of training opportunities open to them, and there has been improvement in communication training to ensure that staff have the skills to communicate effectively with children. Generally, staff’s practice is good. However, on some occasions, some staff do not use these tools consistently. This has the potential to impact on children’s ability to share their views, wishes and feelings. Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 4

p.3

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

Children receive the help and support that they need to manage their behaviours safely. Children’s individual vulnerabilities and associated risks are known and understood by staff, who are kept informed of changes through daily handovers and regular team meetings.

p.4

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

The use of physical intervention to manage children’s behaviour is kept to a minimum, and there is a strong emphasis on de-escalation. As a result, staff are skilled in keeping children safe and committed to providing an environment where children can thrive. The manager’s oversight is generally good. However, reports are not always sufficiently detailed, and the manager’s evaluation is not always inquisitive enough. There has been no negative impact on children, but this could hinder the identification of learning following incidents.

p.4

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

Staff recognise how they fit into wider safeguarding networks. They can identify all external agencies that play a role in supporting the safety and well-being of children. Staff understand how to raise concerns to ensure that good safeguarding practice is followed.

p.4

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

There is a strong process for recording and administering medication. A clear recording system has helped to streamline the procedures for preparing and administering medication, and it adds a layer of quality assurance to the process. However, the most recent, updated version of records of emergency medication procedures and enteral feeding plans for one child had not been received. Staff know the child well, which has reduced the impact of this shortfall.

p.4

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

Generally, staff recruitment processes are effective. However, one staff recruitment file did not clearly demonstrate that gaps in employment had been explored fully. In addition, some interviews do not always focus strongly enough on safeguarding.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The development plan highlights areas for change and improvement, demonstrating a passionate commitment to ensuring high standards of care for children. The independent person provides a good level of external scrutiny and makes helpful suggestions regarding practice development.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported in their roles. This can partly be attributed to an overall improvement in the frequency of their supervision sessions and to new staff completing a thorough induction. Regular team meetings are held that enable staff to reflect on their practice and identify their professional development needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a real sense of teamwork and strong working relationships between staff, who acknowledge difficulties and support each other. There have been some difficulties relating to the recruitment of staff; however, the registered manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 5 ensures that children are provided with a stable team. One member of staff said, ‘We’re like a little family, I love it here, and I wouldn’t change anything.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite the challenges in relation to maintaining a full complement of staff, leaders and managers have taken action to ensure that there are sufficient staff on duty to meet the children’s needs. When sufficiency of staff has become a concern, changes to admissions and occupancy rates in the short-break area of the home have been made to maintain safe care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff work in partnership with most parents and other professionals effectively. Feedback from social workers and team managers is positive. One explained, ‘There is a continued strong relationship, based on good communication and open discussion, children at the home are safeguarded and well cared for.’ However, on some occasions, the quality of communication from staff has been inconsistent and has not met the expectations of others. Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

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)(c)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff use their training in communication to consistently communicate with children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff complete incident reports in detail, and that there is a clear system of governance to be inquisitive and evaluative. 3 May 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that satisfactory explanations of gaps in employment are obtained. 3 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should keep case records up to date. This is in relation to children’s placement plans and risk assessments in relation to enteral feeding and emergency medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should have a key role in seeking to develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant persons, which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children in the local community. (Regulation 5 – engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard (Regulation 14). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

p.7

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: SC395944 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Isle of Wight Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1UD

p.8

Inspector

Hannah Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC395944 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9