Children's home run by The Children’s Trust

Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 1 SC062079 Registered provider: The Children’s Trust

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This service provides residential care for children who have an acquired brain injury, multiple disabilities and complex health needs. The service is registered as a children’s home to provide care for up to 66 children across several separate houses. The types of residential care provided include long-stay care as well as short-break services. The home also provides rehabilitation services for children who have recently been diagnosed with an acquired brain injury. There is a non-maintained school on site, registered with the Department for Education, which some of the children attend. The home is also registered with the Care Quality Commission because it provides nursing care. There were 49 children staying in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted on 1 May 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Only the social care provision was inspected at this inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 19 September 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: SC062079 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2023 Full Good 18/05/2022 Full Good 24/08/2021 Full Good 21/01/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide genuine, nurturing care to children and look after them in a way that is thoughtful and kind. This helps children feel secure and well cared for. Staff talk with passion and enthusiasm about how much they enjoy spending time with children, and this contributes to a culture where the needs of children are always central to care practice. Children’s successes are celebrated and displayed for everyone to see. One member of staff said, ‘The children are the centre of everything. They are our little superstars.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The therapeutic and health team provides guidance and support to ensure that practice is well informed, and this makes a positive difference to children’s lives. This helps children, many of whom have complex health conditions, have a better quality of life. For example, one child, who has a significant respiratory condition that left her vulnerable to frequent infections, has not needed antibiotics or hospital admission for the last 12 months. This is due to innovative care and strong advocacy for the child, which enabled them to obtain a groundbreaking new technology that has helped to transform her health and well-being. This has enabled staff to support her to vocalise more and engage more meaningfully with the world around her, including attending school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met through well-informed assessments. There are good systems in place to review and respond to any health concerns and monitor agreed treatment. A range of highly specialised healthcare professionals are involved to support residential staff to provide well-informed care. Staff undertaking delegated healthcare tasks are well trained and assessed to ensure that they are competent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many children come to the home for relatively short periods for assessment and rehabilitation following traumatic brain injuries. Parents can stay with their children in the home and learn how to adjust to their child’s condition and how to care for them. The way that the provider engages with and supports parents is a particular strength. Staff are able to teach parents how to intervene to care for their children in relation to their health and care needs. This enables many children who may otherwise have had to stay in residential care to live at home with their families. Staff work closely with parents to learn from each other in terms of how children are responding to care plans. This helps parents stay involved and helps children experience consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use the children’s preferred methods of communication to help them make choices and engage socially with others. For many children, engaging in education was difficult before coming to live in the home. All children now access education and enjoy learning at the school on site.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents speak highly of the care and support provided to their children. One parent commented, ‘I trust the staff here. The staff interact with him. They know his little ways.’ Social workers are very positive about the service. One commented, ‘Staff have made Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 4 efforts above and beyond what could be expected to support [name of child]’s social relationships. He is extremely trusting of his staff. The connections with key staff really contribute to his well-being and happiness.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a safe and supportive environment. Children have access to all areas of their home and to the beautiful grounds, which provide areas for them to play and rest. Most houses are decorated to a high standard, and photos capture children making memories and having fun. However, not all houses are presented to the same standard, and some houses need new decor to make them feel more homely. Similarly, some aspects of the outside area require attention. For example, the small garden next to one of the houses is unkempt, with play equipment on the floor. In all houses, children can personalise their bedrooms and have special things that take pride of place in their rooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are thoughtful in their planning of activities in the community, giving opportunities for favoured activities that promote children’s sense of achievement, confidence and self- worth. For example, children enjoy football matches, speedboat rides, clothes shopping and visits to nail salons. The home offers a range of in-house activities and therapies to promote good health and stimulation and assist children’s recoveries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children, alongside their families, are actively involved in their care planning, giving them a sense of ownership in their lives. One family member said, ‘I’m on a high when I come here. Staff are so supportive. I feel like I belong and have a sense of purpose.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into and out of the home, managers ensure that their moves are planned meticulously.

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

Staff understand children’s individual vulnerabilities and associated risks. They are supported by qualified healthcare professionals and clinicians, enabling them to access expert advice and intervention if they are worried about children’s health or well-being.

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

Due to their complex health needs, children are vulnerable. For this reason, children have high levels of supervision and one-to-one staffing at all times. Healthcare plans are clear in relation to the individual needs of children and tell staff how to manage and monitor health conditions. However, although healthcare plans outline the levels of supervision that each child needs, they are not always explicit as to exactly what staff should look out for when completing their regular checks and observations. The impact of this is reduced as staff are clear about what is expected of them and what children need.

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

Children have an identified member of staff who is always with them. Managers have good oversight of records and practice; they spot when any gaps arise and investigate thoroughly to identify any systemic issues or patterns and to make sure that children are safe. Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 5 Staff have close and caring relationships with children. They promote positive behaviours and manage challenging behaviour well. They do not use any consequences or physical interventions. A social worker commented, ‘[Name of child] can really present unexpected challenges when so inclined. These are always handled professionally, appropriately and safely.’

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

Leaders and managers respond well to any safeguarding concerns. They share information appropriately with the relevant safeguarding agencies and take prompt action to implement any learning to strengthen practice in response to concerns.

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

Health and safety monitoring is meticulous and fastidious. All checks are completed as required with strong management scrutiny. Regular health and safety walks and action plans ensure that the children’s homes are safe. There are excellent individualised plans in line with children’s needs for emergency evacuations and danger.

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

Staff understand the organisation’s safeguarding policies and practice. They know how to raise concerns and who to contact for immediate advice or support. Staff report concerns and any worries. These are monitored and assessed by managers and safeguarding leads. Prompt action is taken when necessary to reduce risk of harm and improve practice.

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

Recruitment is thorough, and rigorous systems are in place, including a dedicated recruitment team to do checks on any staff from overseas. Agency checks are very thorough and managers ensure that all agency staff have a thorough induction before they are put in a direct care role with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a highly effective and competent manager. She is a qualified and experienced healthcare professional, which makes her well placed to oversee the level of complexity in relation to the care practice needed for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good strategic oversight, and monitoring systems are excellent. It was noticeable that the shortfalls in practice identified at this inspection had already been identified by the manager, and clear plans were in place to address them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager intervenes effectively to ensure that children are safe and well cared for. She manages a large, multi-disciplinary team and makes good use of the staff resources to delegate effectively without losing sight of the day-to-day practice issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff induction training is comprehensive and allows staff to develop at their own pace. This is particularly strong for staff training in delegated healthcare tasks throughout the induction period for staff to either have refreshers or practice experience and to have their practice monitored and appraised by supervisors and other qualified people. Staff practice is reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that they remain competent. Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 6 Agency staff have a suitable induction that covers the practical aspects of working for the service and also the needs of the children that they will be supporting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are very positive about their roles, with some having worked in the home for several years. Staff work well as a team and feel that they all support each other extremely well. However, not all staff receive regular supervision. This means that there are missed opportunities for staff to consistently reflect on practice and explore their professional development. This is a missed opportunity to further enhance care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers listen to feedback and are responsive. As a result, there are very few formal complaints. When these do arise, managers respond appropriately to address any concerns that are raised. Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 7

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s plans are explicit in relation to the expectations of staff in relation to the supervision and support that children need. 3 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff receive formal supervision at the frequency outlined in the provider’s policy. Records of these meetings should demonstrate that staff have been supported to reflect on their practice and learning and development. 3 February 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the environment is nurturing, supportive and meets the needs of the children. It will, in most cases, be a homely, domestic environment. The children’s home must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 8

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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: SC062079 9

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Children’s Trust

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Bethan Eaton-Haskins

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Inspectors

Lee Kirwin, Social Care Inspector Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Hannah Cox, Social Care Inspector Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC062079 10 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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