Children's home run by Action for Children Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2537149 1 Registered provider: Action for Children

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is operated by a charity. It is registered to care for up to four children at a time. Some children may have physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: 16 November 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: 2537149 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/11/2023 Full Good 08/12/2022 Full Good 27/10/2021 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2537149 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were three children present during the inspection. The lead inspector saw all of the children and spent time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak about children with warmth, enthusiasm and pride. Children have positive relationships with staff, who are ambitious for them. Children seek staff out if they want to play or if they need help, knowing that staff are reliable and trustworthy. Children have a good understanding of their routines, and they benefit from the predictability offered by staff. Children are happy and content living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to make progress that is meaningful to their development and supports their transition to adulthood. For example, they teach children independence skills such as cooking, using cutlery and getting a drink. One parent highlighted that their child’s social skills and tolerance towards others had significantly improved. Staff have supported another child to develop emotional literacy, enabling them to express their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate strong collaborative working with external professionals and parents to ensure that children’s health and education needs are met. For one child, staff have worked closely with mental health professionals and clinical specialists to devise care plans that are proving to be effective. Staff have worked with another child’s school to expand the child’s use and knowledge of vocabulary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that family and friendships are important to the children and help them to feel loved and valued. They make concerted efforts to ensure that parents spend time with their children, even when requests are made with little notice. When possible, they involve parents in activities, which allows children to make special memories with them. Two children have developed a strong bond with each other, and staff help them to manage their friendship.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are mindful of children’s individual communication needs, and they take these into account during their interactions. Staff use varied communication methods to help children share their views, wishes and feelings. They show children that they have understood their needs by providing verbal reassurance and by taking specific action.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs, behaviours and vulnerabilities. They share their knowledge with other professionals to ensure that children have the right support, readily available, in other environments. They challenge professionals when their strategies are detrimental towards children, while escalating their concerns to the local authority. Inspection report for children’s home: 2537149 4 Staff understand that the children’s behaviour is a form of communication, and they monitor any signs of distress or discomfort. In most instances, staff respond positively when children demonstrate that they feel stressed, upset or angry. Staff give children space, offer reassurance and use firm boundaries to reiterate expectations. However, some staff are less confident and skilled than others, which means that children sometimes experience inconsistent care.

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

Children have not experienced any physical restraint since the last inspection. Nevertheless, staff capture children’s views and feelings after behaviour incidents, seeking to understand any triggers. Where possible, they help children to reflect and learn from incidents. Consequences are very rare, but on the odd occasion they are used, staff liaise with parents beforehand, seeking their input and keeping them updated.

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

Two incidents have highlighted issues with supervision levels and staff complacency. However, managers and leaders took appropriate action to address the shortfalls and to draw out learning for individuals and the entire staff team. Managers and leaders appropriately escalate competency concerns if they put children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals and parents speak positively about the home, in particular the care and commitment staff show towards children. They like that the home keeps them informed and involves them in decisions, as well as helping children to make noticeable progress. One parent said their child is ‘happy, settled and enjoys life’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and team leaders have shown tenacity in challenging other professionals when their behaviour and decisions fall short of expectations, for example raising concerns about physical restraint used in an education setting. One professional described the staff as ‘fierce advocates’ for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since April 2024 and has applied to registered with Ofsted. She is committed to improving the care children receive by upskilling the staff team. For example, several medication errors were made since the last inspection. Consequently, team leaders attended advanced medication training. They have worked closely with the staff, helping them to improve their understanding and competency in administering medication to the children. Since completing this training, there have been no medication errors, demonstrating its effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager, who they describe as ‘approachable’. This feeling extends to agency staff, who are invited to team meetings and training, as well as benefiting from regular supervision. However, managers and leaders are not taking appropriate steps to assure themselves that agency staff are safely recruited. They intend to take action to address this moving forward. Inspection report for children’s home: 2537149 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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that their recruitment checks for agency staff are safer recruitment compliant. When appropriate, they should seek additional information from the recruitment agency to assure themselves of candidates’ suitability. 3 February

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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: 2537149 6

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant (Natalie Tester – proposed)

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Inspectors

Tara Webb, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Karen Hallam, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2537149 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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