“children's homes in Buckinghamshire”

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to care for eight children and young people in two linked cottages. The home is situated on the same site as a school. Both services are provided by a national voluntary organisation. The school provides education for those in the residential setting, as well as for day pupils. The home offers residential care for children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

The children’s home’s strengths

 The young people have developed positive, trusting relationships with the staff.  All young people attend education regularly, and some go on to earn college qualifications.  The young people engage in purposeful activities, on-site and in the community.  Safe and organised contact arrangements with significant others are in place for the young people.  All risk assessments for the young people offer quality guidance to the staff.  There is an established relationship with the police that allows them to respond sensitively to any behaviour of young people that is beyond staff control.  Recruitment of new staff is done safely, involving a detailed process of verifying information.  The home is undergoing improvements to the interior to make it more welcoming for the young people.  The new manager is experienced, competent and places the young people first while making positive changes.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Inadequate

This is the first time that the manager has worked in a children’s home. She has numerous years of experience in management and has worked extremely hard on improving the service. She has brought stability to the home while improving staff morale. The staff speak very highly of the changes that have been implemented in improving the service for the young people. A long-standing staff member said, ‘she is well organised and fair, and places the safety and needs of the children and young people first.’

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 There has been no registered manager in place for over six months.  The staff’s efforts to obtain outstanding information and documentation for young people are poor resulting in them having lack of awareness of the care plans  Managers do not effectively challenge decisions that may not be in the young people’s best interests.  Young people do not have keys for the locks on their bedroom doors; this limits their access to privacy.  Young people do not have access to an independent visitor.  The training records for the staff reflect gaps in important areas, such as autism, fire safety and radicalisation.  Monthly reporting by the independent visitor is not robust, and fails to point out key areas for improvement.  Supervision records for the staff do not reflect their views and opinions.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Requires improvement

The young people have made reasonable progress whilst residing in the home. One young person has been admitted to the home since the last inspection, while others have resided in the home for almost two years. The staff are meeting the individual needs of the young people. One young person is being supported well in his upcoming transition to semi-independent living. Some young people exhibit improvements in their overall development and behaviours.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Inadequate

The statement of purpose has recently been updated to reflect the changes to the staff team and all other changes made to the service. It comprehensively sets out the ethos of the home that is currently being met by the staff. Children’s guides are available for all the young people.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Recommendations

 Ensure any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Requires improvement

The majority of the young people attend the educational provision attached to the home. They benefit from the daily communication held between the home and school staff in the handover meetings, promoting consistency in their care. Young people who have historically had poor engagement in education have gone on to obtain a qualification from college.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Requires improvement

All young people have their own bedrooms, but they are not able to access their bedrooms without a member of staff unlocking their door. No keys have been provided for the young people, which restricts their access to their personal area.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person works with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and helps the child to prepare for leaving, both practically and emotionally. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Requires improvement

The absence of a manager and the lack of consistent leadership has affected stability within the home for a short period. This was corrected when a new manager was appointed three months ago. The quality of care provided to the young people has improved in several areas. The young people continue to be safe and have good relationships with the staff.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Recommendations

 Ensure staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. This refers to training for radicalisation and first aid. The registered person should ensure the skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the workforce plan. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Requires improvement

A wide selection of group and individual activities are available to the young people on-site and in the community. On-site, young people can explore the 22 acres, complete with a farm, football pitch and skate park. There has been an increase in the positive interaction of the young people with each other. They are developing social skills and a sense of belonging.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Requires improvement

Some young people have maintained and improved their relationships with their parents and significant others, even when they reside a considerable distance from home. A young person recently travelled by plane to have contact with a parent who lives out of the country. The staff assessed the arrangements and supported the young person to develop the confidence for his journey. This is an example of staff providing the young people with opportunities to undertake age-appropriate risks.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Inadequate

The strengths and areas for improvement identified during the inspection were well received by the manager. She understands the needs of the young people and understands the challenges of improving the service for them. Two noticeable changes are the incorporation of research into staff practice and the improvements to the interior decoration of the home.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

Buckinghamshire · HP19 9QF

Good

The staff are competent in their abilities to safeguard the young people. The welfare of the young people is essential in all staff practice. Young people are supported to keep themselves safe from harm while learning the implications of their actions.