Children's home run by Central Bedfordshire Council in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report children's home: SC391503 1 SC391503 Registered provider: Central Bedfordshire Council

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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 home is run by the local authority and provides short breaks or long-term stays for up to four children with physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2022.

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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: 21 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: SC391503 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2023 Full Good 06/12/2022 Full Good 06/07/2021 Full Good 18/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC391503 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, 15 children were accessing respite care on a rotational basis, and one child was living at the home. Five children contributed to the inspection. Children have fulfilling experiences that are supported by the established and committed staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide good-quality individualised care to meet children’s needs. The relationships between staff and children are strong. Staff act as positive role models. They respond to children with respect and warmth. This gives children a sense of stability, which supports their emotional and social development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s short breaks or long-term care are managed well. Managers and staff work closely with parents and social workers to build an understanding of children’s needs. Children receive personalised introductions that are based on their preferences. Detailed compatibility assessments support safer friendships between the children who stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children with their education and learning. Staff maintain consistent and familiar routines to support children’s good school attendance. Staff maintain effective levels of communication with school staff to ensure any gaps in children’s learning are reduced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress with their independence and self-care skills. Staff help the children to develop these skills through individualised approaches that are tailored to children’s developmental stages. This ensures children make progress that is significant for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with health professionals to meet children’s complex health needs. One child has significantly improved their overall health because of the support that has been provided by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of exciting activities. Recent outings to trampoline parks, leisure centres and the cinema meet children’s interests. Children have participated in charity events. This varied range of experiences improves children’s sense of community and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly review placement plans. Children’s health, daily routines and preferences are well considered. However, for some children, guidance for staff around developing children’s communication skills is limited. The lack of informed guidance means that these children make variable progress in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well equipped to meet children’s recreational and leisure interests. Themed bedrooms are creative and reflect children’s preferences. Individual spaces meet children’s sensory needs. However, a notice board in the dining room contains personal Inspection report children's home: SC391503 4 information about children’s care. This is visible to other children and visitors and therefore does not protect children’s privacy.

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

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and have good knowledge of children’s additional vulnerabilities. The staff understand the whistle-blowing procedures. When safeguarding concerns have emerged, managers have addressed these effectively.

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

Staff compile detailed risk assessments for children. These are followed by staff and consider children’s individual needs and abilities. These ensure that all children can navigate new experiences which are safe and positive.

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

Staff use proactive behaviour management strategies to successfully reduce situations that can increase children’s anxiety. Staff generally manage incidents without the need for physical intervention. When staff use physical restraint, it is proportionate. Managers ensure that individual incidents are reviewed, and learning is identified when needed.

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

Staff provide familiar and consistent routines that help children to feel secure. Parents have trust in the staff and are confident that staff advocate for children’s best interests, safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified. She has strong child-centred values and effectively leads a culture of high aspiration for children. This positive culture is reflected by the staff’s practice. Three deputy managers support the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff value the wide range of support that managers provide. There are high staff retention levels at the home which have provided good continuity of care to children. Staff receive regular supervision sessions, annual appraisals and attend well-planned team meetings. This ensures a unified approach to children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the support provided to children. Internal management monitoring and review systems are comprehensive. Records are clear and improvement areas are promptly identified and actioned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers and educational professionals provided positive feedback about the effectiveness of collaborative working with staff and managers. Managers ensure there is a proactive partnership with parents who described children’s support and experiences as ‘fantastic’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff take advantage of a range of training to meet the individual needs of children. Staff are trained in delegated health tasks. However, important training in supporting alternative communication systems for children has not been provided for staff. This is despite a high number of children requiring the use of communication aids to express Inspection report children's home: SC391503 5 their views. In addition, some of the staff have not attended sensory integration awareness training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, managers and staff advocate well for children. However, one child’s behaviour support plan is out of date and needs to be reviewed by the specialist behaviour team in the local authority. The manager has requested this review on several occasions but has not escalated the delay. Inspection report children's home: SC391503 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should as far as possible maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression at the home. In particular, ensure that children’s confidential information about their care is kept private. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children’s plans provide detailed guidance for staff in how to develop and support children's individual communication skills. ('Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 22, paragraph 4.6)  The registered person should escalate concerns when there is a delay in response and action from specialist behaviour support professionals. This is regarding the review of one child's behaviour support plan. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 52, paragraph 10.3)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are offered training around

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Recommendations

alternative communication methods and sensory integration approaches with children. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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 children's home: SC391503 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford SG17 5TQ

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Inspector

Mark Anderton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC391503 8 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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