Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 1 SC458141 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County 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 local authority home provides care for up to seven children aged between 10 and 18 years who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. There were six children living at the home at the time of the inspection. All six children were spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 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 good

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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: SC458141 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/10/2024 Full Good 15/08/2023 Full Good 05/09/2022 Full Good 24/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in ways which matter the most to them. One child has been creatively supported to manage having their haircut in a barber’s shop for the first time. The child has also been able to attend important medical and dental appointments with support. Staff are helping the child to understand oral hygiene and make changes to their daily routine to ensure oral health. These are life skills for the child that will continue to have an impact on their life as they grow into adulthood. Another child has been helped to develop their ability to manage and understand changes and endings. This has contributed to the child being able to enjoy more frequent caravan holidays as they are less distressed by the ending of these breaks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to be involved in the day-to-day running of the home. Communication aids for children are accessible to them, and staff understand children’s different communication needs. The manager recognises that disabled children may have limited opportunities to make choices. They ensure that staff support children to make choices as much as possible through the use of communication aids and objects of reference.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social stories are regularly used to support children to understand their care, things that have happened or things that staff are worried about. Children have individual name stamps to enable them to sign their own documents and label their artwork. This is inclusive for children and shows a thoughtfulness about how to include the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved into the home in a way that did not leave much time for planning. Managers ensured that they had all the information that they needed to develop care plans and risk assessments for the child before they moved in. The child was given a personalised welcome booklet which they were described as having chosen to carry around with them at school to enable them to keep looking at the pictures. Staff visited the child at school on the two days before the child moved. The child’s social worker described the child running up with a smile on their face to these now-familiar staff on the day they moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are welcoming and personalised and children’s toys and belongings are seen around the home and communal areas. There are numerous photos of children on the walls, and children’s artwork is on display around the home. There are visual aids around the home that support children’s independence, such as pictures on their clothes drawers and the kitchen cupboards to show children their contents, and oral and handwashing picture guides above children’s sinks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spoke knowledgably about children and showed pride in the children’s achievements. Staff spoke positively about the children and described the things that each individual child liked to do. One member of staff said that ‘The progress of children is the engine that keeps staff going during difficult times.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 4

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

There have been reports raised by school, parents and the home themselves in relation to marks on children. When marks have been noted, managers have acted promptly to gather further information, and have worked transparently with Ofsted, schools, parents and the local authority. The manager reviews all records to ensure that there are adequate explanations given for any marks on children and seeks further information where necessary. The manager further guided staff in team meetings to ensure that they were aware of safeguarding procedures and the importance of clear, descriptive recording. At the time of the inspection, parents and professionals said that they did not have any safeguarding concerns for children.

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

For one child, there are significant concerns around self-injurious behaviour in the form of headbanging. The home worked closely with mental health services for disabled children. Together, they developed strategies to support the child and to make the child safer during incidents. The home is creative in ensuring that the child’s bedroom continues to be a safe space and introduced a soft bench area in the window seat to ensure that when holds are needed, the child is safe, comfortable and unable to harm themselves as far as reasonably possible.

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

Staff worked consistently with the child, introducing a new bedtime routine. This resulted in a decline in incidents, a decline in the child being held for their safety, and an overall more settled bedtime routine for the child. While there are still incidents of extreme headbanging, these are more controlled and less frequent. The manager has ensured that the home environment is as safe as possible for this child, with non-intrusive pillows around the home for staff to access easily should they be needed.

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

Staff have the knowledge and skills to care for children with complex needs. Staff received training and guidance from one child’s epilepsy nurse to ensure that staff knew how to care for the child’s specific health needs. When the child received a head injury due to falling during a seizure, staff advocated for the child to ensure that their protective helmet was adjusted to keep them safe.

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

Staff challenge and prompt professionals when needed to ensure that children receive the best possible care. This has resulted in improvements in children’s health and communication needs being met. One child received an electronic communication aid, and other children had further access to healthcare and changes in medication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager. They are supported by a committed deputy manager who knows the children well. Leaders and managers have a good knowledge of the children and can talk confidently about their needs and day-to-day experiences. The manager is child focused. The manager’s plan for improvements in the service directly relates to children’s overall experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 5 Staff attend regular team meetings and one-to-one sessions with the home’s therapist. Team meetings are focused on children, and staff have open discussions and work together to formulate children’s routines and plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they are supported by managers to deliver the best possible care to children. All staff spoke about a transparent culture and a feeling of confidence that they would be listened to by the manager if they raised any concerns. There is a high level of staffing in the home. There is always another member of staff working in addition to children’s assessed staffing levels. As a result, children are supported by staff who can fully focus on engaging with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents are consistently positive about the care offered to children. Parents said that their children are happy in the home and that staff and managers communicate well with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals said that they are happy with the care of children, and that they do not have any concerns for children’s safety or well-being. One school said that communication with the home is good, and that the child always appears happy to be living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records in the home, including records of restraint, do not show when the manager has initially reviewed these. Several records are signed and reviewed significantly out of time frames.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has plans in place to improve the service. However, the manager did not submit their quality of care review to Ofsted within the required time frame, submitting this several months after the report was finalised. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 6 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 7 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (4)(a)) 6 August 2025

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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: SC458141 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Farnham House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage SG1 2ST

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Inspector

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 9 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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Inspector

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