Children's home run by Milton Keynes City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC052599 1 SC052599 Registered provider: Milton Keynes 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

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides short breaks for up to 10 children with learning disabilities and physical disabilities. They have 33 children who currently access the service for short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 4 children using the service for short breaks during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2021.

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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 outstanding

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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: SC052599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/04/2023 Full Good 22/02/2023 Full Inadequate 10/01/2022 Full Good 22/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC052599 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a well-managed, competent and experienced staff team that cares for them well. Children have fun, make friends and learn important social skills to help them to make progress. Parents and social workers speak highly of the staff and cite many examples of how the short-break experience is making a positive difference to children and their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planning for children coming into the service is meticulous and well paced in accordance with the needs of the children and their families. Parents reported that the introduction process had helped significantly reduce their anxieties about allowing their children to be cared for outside of the family home. One parent said, ‘They really took the time to understand my views and my child’s needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well matched to ensure that their needs are compatible as a group on each stay. This means that they get to stay in a familiar group and build friendships. This helps children to settle and feel comfortable in their surroundings. Staff know the children well and are alert to any dynamics within the group. They intervene promptly to ensure that children get the support that they need. As a result, the short-break experience is calm and well planned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents give a consistent message about the benefits of the short-break service for their children and their family life. One parent described how her child was unable to cope in previous settings, but has settled here well and ‘is really coming out of themselves’. The parent described the service as ‘a godsend’. Another parent described how her child used to be withdrawn but is now more outgoing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, extensive renovation and redecoration have taken place. This gives the setting a more homely feel and is more of a ‘home from home’ for children. The environment is clean and well maintained, and further work is planned to do more to personalise the children’s bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of activities in the short-break service and in the local community. Activities are well planned and designed to take into account the views and interests of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although children make good progress in relation to learning independence and self-care skills, staff do not always demonstrate a clear focus on how they are helping each child to take small steps to achieve their goals and targets. Inspection report for children’s home: SC052599 4

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

Staff prioritise the safety and well-being of children. Some of the children are particularly vulnerable due to complex health needs. Staff are well trained by healthcare professionals to meet these needs and their competency is assessed regularly.

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

Staff are very experienced and have clear healthcare plans and risk assessments to clearly identify each child’s needs and safety plans. As a result, there have been no concerns arising from care practice in respect of the safety or well-being of children.

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

There have been no significant safeguarding concerns since the last inspection. Staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe, and social workers and parents report excellent partnership work. They feel informed, consulted and involved in decisions relating to children’s care and well-being.

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

Staff manage behaviour incidents well. They know the children well, which means they can often anticipate situations and intervene to avoid situations where children may be anxious or distressed. Staff are resilient and work through challenges to support children to develop healthy relationships and coping skills. Children feel reassured and benefit from good routines and consistent, nurturing care.

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

Physical interventions are seldom used. When they are, these are generally low-level interventions to divert children from harmful situations. On occasion, children are prescribed medication that can be used to help them when they are in crisis. There is no evidence to indicate that these medications are not used as prescribed, but recording does not clearly identify the circumstances in which they were given. This reduces the ability for managers to have effective oversight.

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

Staff are trained to administer medications and there are good monitoring systems in place to ensure safe practice. There are very few errors. However, when they do occur, managers take appropriate steps to ensure learning to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

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

The reassurance that parents get from the care provided and the sense of partnership work helps parents to fully benefit from the respite experience. They report feeling better about their children using the service, as they have no worries about the care provided by staff. A social work manager commented that, ‘Partnership work is brilliant. The door is always open, and they are always happy for us to visit.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and deputy manager are highly competent and work seamlessly as an effective team. Both are qualified social workers, and both have the level 5 management qualification required for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the service and a strong value base, which focuses firmly on providing high-quality care for the children. They have clear Inspection report for children’s home: SC052599 5 development plans in place and have taken steps to transform the home to make it a much better place for children to stay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have responded to address the requirements set at the previous inspection. As a result, they have improved recording systems to ensure that the way children’s vulnerabilities are assessed is much improved. They have also worked with the staff to improve the way records are written, so that the language used is positive and keeps the child’s voice and experience at the heart of care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers lead by example. They are present and hands-on in a way that enables them to stay in touch with the lived experiences of children and the challenges that staff face. Staff appreciate this. One member of staff commented that, ‘Our managers are highly professional and approachable, always providing the support and guidance needed to ensure we can offer the best possible care. They foster a positive working environment where both staff and children feel safe and supported.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers advocate strongly for children to ensure that their needs remain at the heart of decision-making. They are widely respected by the professional network, and social workers consistently cited the professionalism and excellent partnership work practice from managers and staff. One social worker said, ‘I can put all my trust in [names of the registered manager and deputy manager], they are very responsive, open and honest and will always consider the impact of referrals on other children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and deputy are very experienced and knowledgeable in relation to understanding the needs of children with special educational needs and complex health needs. They make good use of links with specialist health professionals such as the complex health team and pharmacist, to help ensure that delegated healthcare tasks are carried out to high standards and that medication is administered safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have keen oversight of staff training and ensure that all training remains current and relevant. They ensure that the training provided is responsive to the changing needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are effective systems in place to ensure that staff receive annual appraisals and regular supervision. Managers create an inclusive culture where staff feel heard, supported and involved in decision-making and service development. As a result, staff morale is high, and staff retention is excellent. Inspection report for children’s home: SC052599 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to make sure that their use is fair and that the above principles as set out in paragraph 9.35 are respected. This specifically refers to the use of medication prescribed ‘as and when’ to help children to reduce their anxiety. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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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: SC052599 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Milton Keynes Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Milton Keynes Council, Saxon Court, 502 Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3HS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Courtis

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Inspector

Lee Kirwin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC052599 8 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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