Children's home run by Bracknell Forest Borough Council in Bracknell Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 1 SC037986 Registered provider: Bracknell Forest Borough 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 for children with sensory impairment, learning disabilities and physical disabilities. The home currently provides short breaks for 27 children. During this inspection, three children were accessing the service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 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: 17 January 2024

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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: SC037986 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2024 Full Good 31/01/2023 Full Good 09/03/2022 Full Good 30/09/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from care that is kind, warm and caring. When children come to stay, they are warmly welcomed by staff who provide attentive support, attuned to each child’s individual needs and wishes. Children show through their behaviour that they are happy in the home and feel settled and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supporting children’s individual communication needs is a strength of the home. There is an incredible range of communication tools available that are set up in an inviting and educational way. Staff help children to express their feelings and actively support them to get involved in every aspect of their day. Staff know children well and they are committed to continuously learning more about them and help them learn new communication skills. This means that children can contribute their ideas, their voices are heard, and they have their rights promoted and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to enjoy a wide range of activities, both inside and outside the home. Children’s preferences are explored by staff, who enable them to say what they like and how much they like to participate. Children are helped to get involved and try new things that will stimulate their interest and widen their experience of the world. For example, they are offered truly imaginative experiences in the home, such as the re- creation of the Hogwarts Great Hall for a Harry Potter theme day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers are focused on enabling children to progress and they aspire for children to have improved life experiences. For example, one child was helped to find new equipment which enabled them have time out of their wheelchair and walk. The manager has introduced new initiatives to further promote children independence towards both fun and practical development goals. For example, children are helped to develop social skills by enjoying group activities, such as dance and meals out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers go above and beyond to extend support to children’s families. Parents are happy with the quality of care provided to their child and feel confident that children are helped and nurtured. Parents highly value the skills of the staff team and give overwhelmingly positive feedback. For example, some parents said the staff are ‘amazing’, and their children ‘adore’ going to stay in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully presented, and great care has been taken to plan the indoor and outdoor space. Children benefit from personalised bedrooms, spacious playrooms and areas where they can relax with specialised sensory equipment. The manager has worked hard to adapt the environment, which provides children with further access to activities such as cooking and playing safely in the garden. This means that children can relax and have fun when they come to stay. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of each child’s needs and risks. Care plans are clear and child centred. Information is easy to understand, so staff are aware of how to care for children and how to work with them. This ensures that children continue to receive consistent and individualised care.

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

Incident records are detailed and include a comprehensive evaluation of what happened. This helps staff identify each child’s potential triggers and clearly guides them on how to adapt their support. Staff are skilled at responding to signs that children are becoming distressed and use a sensitive approach to help them calm. This means that children have their needs met quickly and are less likely to become upset. When incidents happen, careful consideration is given to helping children talk about what happened and recover positively.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about how to keep children safe, and what physical interventions to use if children are at risk of harm. Physical interventions are rare. When these are used, clear records detail the incident and the actions that the staff have taken. Staff and children have the opportunity for a full debrief following the incident. This means that all involved are supported and have time to reflect and learn.

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

Managers keep records of incidents and safeguarding concerns. They take prompt action to reduce risks for children. However, there is not always evidence of liaison with professionals following incidents where children may have been harmed. This means it is not clear if there has been sufficient independent oversight and assessment by the appropriate professionals. For example, one child was seen to have a bruise on their arm that was not thoroughly investigated.

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

Some children who stay at the home have complex physical and health needs. The manager works closely with health professionals to agree medical protocols and risk assessments. Care plans provide guidance for staff on how to deliver specialist care and health monitoring. Staff have the appropriate training and are confident in how to respond to children needs. However, on one occasion a child with complex moving and handling support needs did not have a robust risk assessment plan in place when their needs changed, and they were waiting for new equipment. This means that staff did not have the information they needed to support the child and avoid risk. There were no incidents for the child during this time.

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

Safer recruitment processes have improved to ensure internal staff are suitably vetted. The manager has a rigorous recruitment process to ensure that the staff employed are of high quality and high potential. This has proven to be successful as there have been no significant practice concerns or staff investigations. However, there are still shortfalls in ensuring that agency staff have verified employment references for their previous roles in care. This means that there may be a risk of unsuitable people working in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly dedicated and aspiring for all the children and staff in the home. They are forward thinking and have been instrumental in leading developments on communication systems, facilities for children and training for staff. The manager is insightful and reflective about the challenges of managing a short-break service. They are ambitious for the service to benefit as many children as possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that services offered are flexible and adapted to give children the best possible opportunities to settle in and have a stable base from which to progress and develop. Children have regular nights planned with the same group of children. This means that children have a consistent routine that fosters opportunities to develop relationships with other children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds the staff team in high regard. They are proud of the staff for their hard work, investment and personal contributions to the service, which have been central to its success. In turn, staff feel well supported by each other and the manager, who has a strong presence in the home. There is a culture of communication and positively working together to provide the children with personalised care. No staff have left since the last inspection, and this means there is a stable and cohesive team of people who know the children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social care professionals speak positively about the care provided by staff and the progress that children have made. For example, professionals reported that children are well supported to participate in new activities that they do not experience at home. One child went to a pantomime for the first time, which was a huge step forward for them. Another professional said that the service is ‘improving lives’ and a ‘lifesaver’ for many families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of internal monitoring systems to continually develop the service. They are actively involved in working with the wider professional network to develop innovative and child-centred communication tools. These tools benefit disabled children who access health and social care services. However, there is a shortfall with external monitoring by the independent visitor, where there is a conflict of interest in their role. This has been recognised by managers, who have already devised a plan to review and improve the arrangements. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; 12 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 7 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that unexplained injuries are reported to the appropriate professionals, and that the resulting action taken and outcomes are clearly evidenced in records.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that safety plans in relation to moving and handling provide clear and up- to-date guidance.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that if a person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, there is verification so far as reasonably practicable of the reason why the employment ended. 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person must appoint the independent person and is ultimately responsible for making sure that an appointment does not give rise to a conflict of interest that would, or would appear to, compromise the ability of that person to reach a rigorous and impartial judgement of the quality of that home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.6)

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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: SC037986 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bracknell Forest Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell RG12 1JD

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Inspector

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037986 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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