Action for Children Scotland - Stoneside Project Care Home Service

Action for Children Scotland - Stoneside Project Care Home Service 18 Stoneside Drive Glasgow G43 1JF Inspected by: (Care Commission Officer) Type of inspection: Annabell Nicolson Announced Inspection completed on: 24 December 28 1/16

Service Number Service name CS27164443 Action for Children Scotland - Stoneside Project Service address 18 Stoneside Drive Glasgow G43 1JF dummy Provider Number Provider Name SP23264 Action for Children Scotland Inspected By dummy Inspection Type Annabell Nicolson Care Commission Officer Announced dummy Inspection Completed Period since last inspection 24 December 28 First inspection dummy Local Office Address Central West Region 4th Floor No 1 Smithhills Street Paisley PA1 1EB Tel: 141 843 423 Fax: 141 843 4289 dummy 2/16

Introduction Stoneside Project has been registered with the Care Commission since 31 March 28 and provides a residential respite service to six children and young people who have learning disabilities and/or related physical disabilities and complex needs. The service is managed by Action for Children Scotland. The property which is a single storey building situated in a quiet residential area in Thornliebank, Glasgow has large grounds and off street parking. Some of the stated aims of the service are to provide opportunities for holistic care planning developed in consultation with the child/young person, their family and other agencies, for parent/carers to develop and sustain skills to manage their son/daughter s behaviour within and outwith the home environment, and for children and young people to maximise their potential in a range of areas including self help skills and confidence building. Based on the findings of this inspection the service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support - 5 - Very Good Quality of Environment - 4 - Good Quality of Staffing - 4 - Good Quality of Management and Leadership - 4 - Good This inspection report and grades represent the Care Commission s assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. Please refer to the care services register on the Care Commission s website (www.carecommission.com) for the most up-to-date grades for this service. Basis of Report This report was written following an announced inspection that took place between 1am and 1.3pm on 13 November 28 and between 9.3am and 6pm on 18 November 28. Before the Inspection The Annual Return The service submitted a completed Annual Return as requested by the Care Commission. The Self-Assessment Form The service submitted a self-assessment form as requested by the Care Commission. Regulation Support Assessment The inspection plan for this service was decided after a Regulation Support Assessment (RSA) was carried out to determine the intensity of inspection necessary. The RSA is an assessment undertaken by the Care Commission Officer (CCO) which considers complaints activity, changes in the provision of the service, nature of notifications made to the Care Commission by the service (such as absence of a manager) and action taken upon requirements. The CCO will also have considered how the service responded to situations and issues as part of the RSA. 3/16

This assessment resulted in this service receiving a low RSA score and so a low intensity inspection was required. The inspection was based on the relevant Inspection Focus Areas and associated National Care Standards, recommendations and requirements from previous inspections and complaints or other regulatory activity. During the inspection process Staff at inspection The inspection was undertaken by one Care Commission Officer. Evidence During the inspection, evidence was gathered from a number of sources including: Supporting evidence from the up to date self assessment Service's aims and objectives Welcome pack Business plan Responses to questionnaires Staff meeting minutes Infection Control policy Health & Safety policy Environmental risk assessments Complaints procedure Staff training records Recruitment and performance management policies Disciplinary procedures Two care plans Discussions with the Manager and three staff. Meeting with one parent. Tour of all the accommodation. Inspection Focus Areas and links to Quality Themes and Statements for 28/9 The inspection focus areas for this inspection were Protecting people, Physical well-being and Notifications to the Scottish Social Services Council. Details of the inspection focus and associated Quality Themes to be used in inspecting each type of care service in 28/9 and supporting inspection guidance, can be found at: http://www.carecommission.com/ Fire Safety Issues The Fire (Scotland) Act 25 introduced new regulatory arrangements in respect of fire safety, on 1 October 26. In terms of those arrangements, responsibility for enforcing the statutory provisions in relation to fire safety now lies with the Fire and Rescue service for the area in which a care service is located. Accordingly, the Care Commission will no longer report on matters of fire safety as part of its regulatory function, but, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, will alert the relevant Fire and Rescue service to their existence in order that it may act as it considers appropriate. Further advice on your responsibilities is available at www.infoscotland.com/firelaw 4/16

Action taken on requirements since last Inspection This is the first inspection undertaken in the service. Comments on Self Assessment The self assessment was fully completed to a good standard and identified strengths and areas for improvement for each of the statements. View of Service Users The young people who were receiving respite at the time of the inspection were unable to offer to comment about their experiences of the service. Staff were aware of their individual needs and the young people appeared comfortable with the staff who were supporting them. View of Carers The Care Commission Officer met with one parent who described the service as great and the support given by staff as amazing. She felt that the standard of the accommodation was good and took account of her child s specific needs. 5/16

Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Overall CCO Theme Grading: 5 - Very Good Statement 1: We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided by the service. Service Strengths The provider had a detailed participation strategy for children and young people. One support worker had been identified as having specific responsibility for taking it forward. The service's own strategy had been developed with the young people and once an appropriate format had been agreed copies of the strategy would be displayed in bedrooms. Participation was a standing item at staff meetings. Two young people had been involved in developing a new young people's questionnaire that sought their views on a range of topics including the accommodation, staff, favourite activities and the support given to keep in touch with family and friends. While a few young people had been able to complete it, others required assistance from parents or staff. Of the responses seen, the majority confirmed that they felt happy staying at Stoneside, they were listened to and were able to try new things. They also felt that they had a chance to meet new friends and were supported to keep in touch with their family. In addition to a suggestions form that young people could complete, a 'comment tree' where young people could put up their suggestions was being painted on one wall. In response to a request from the young people, the service had secured funding to buy a computer. Questionnaires recently issued to parents focussed on their views about support, staffing and management. Their responses indicated that they felt that they had the opportunity to be involved with the service and that it met their family's needs. An open day was arranged for parents but only a few had taken the opportunity to visit the new building. The regular contacts made with parents before and after each respite period and at reviews provided opportunities for them to comment about the service. Areas for Development The service was keen to look at how it could involve young people in a meaningful way in the service and, as a first step, a meal outing was being organised. Attempts in the past to encourage parents to attend meetings had met with little response. Following a similar response to a more recent attempt by the service to meet with parents to talk about a possible agenda for future meetings, staff met with parents who were present at the young Christmas party arranged for the young people in the service. Management reported that the discussion had been very positive and quarterly meetings had been agreed. CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements 6/16

Number of Recommendations Statement 3: We ensure that service user's health and wellbeing needs are met. Service Strengths The service had detailed policies in relation to infection control and medication. Care plans were person centred and provided very detailed information about the individual young person's care and support needs and their personal preferences in relation to daily routines, eating and drinking and activities. Before a young person first received respite, a full assessment that took account of any health care needs was completed. The Intensive Support team that was based in the same building was usually a family's first contact with the service as they provided support to young people and families in their own homes. Parents were closely involved in developing and reviewing personal plans and assisting staff in ensuring that the environment was safe. The majority of staff had completed First Aid training. Contact details for GPs and other health professionals were clearly noted in individual care plans. In the event of a young person requiring medical attention while in respite, the parents and the GP would be contacted and, if required, assistance would be given with transport. NHS 24 would be contacted out of hours. Parents were responsible for ensuring that medical appointments were kept and, if needed, support would be provided by the service. One member of staff had been involved in researching and compiling a healthy eating programme that had nutritional guidance for young people, recipes, and also guidance and recipes in relation to special diets. In addition to the provider's Child Protection policy, the service had a local policy with relevant contact numbers and a copy of the local Area Child Protection Committee guidelines. As part of mandatory training, all staff had attended Child Protection training. In the service's Welcome Pack, there was a list of policies including the Child Protection (Safeguarding) policy that were available to parents on request. Areas for Development The service needed to ensure that parents and young people aware of the Children's Charter and the framework standards for child protection. (see Recommendation 1) Refresher training in Pro-Act Scip that was overdue for a number of staff had been arranged for March 29. Having identified training on mental health, parental substance misuse and offending behaviour as an area for development, management intended to access relevant courses through the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC). While staff maintained regular contact with parents and individual schools, they had some difficulty in obtaining information about some school reviews. CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements 7/16

Number of Recommendations 1 8/16

Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment Overall CCO Theme Grading: 4 - Good Statement 1: We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the environment within the service. Service Strengths The evidence in Statement 1.1 in relation to involvement and consultation is relevant to this Statement. Before moving to the new accommodation, parents and the young people were asked to put together their 'wish list' of what they would like although what could be responded to was dependent on the available budget. The young people were also taken to see the property at different stages in the refurbishment. The initial questionnaire used with the young people asked for their ideas for the internal courtyard and this was later broadened to cover all the service. In response to suggestions from the young people, a barbecue, picnic bench and bird table were obtained for the patio area at the back of the house. A small vegetable patch was also created. Every young person was encouraged to do a piece of artwork that was put up on the walls in the corridors. The young people were encouraged to bring in personal items for their bedroom. Staff tried to ensure that they were able to use the same bedroom at each respite stay. There were a few televisions with an integrated DVD player available if young people wished to have one in their bedroom. Comments in the questionnaires from parents about the building, the garden and the standard of cleanliness were very positive and included "I think the building is great", "the garden is marvellous as it is large enough to run around in", "it's a great place and very clean" and "the building and garden are maintained well". Areas for Development The service should continue to involve carers and young people in assessing and improving the quality of the environment. CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations Statement 3: The environment allows service users to have as positive a quality of life as possible. Service Strengths 9/16

The service's Welcome Pack described the accommodation provided. The six single bedrooms were individually decorated and were located in the same corridor as the wet floor shower room and bathroom. The spacious, well equipped kitchen offered a facility where young people could be supported to be involved in cooking and baking. There was a separate dining room, large lounge, a games room that gave access to the large garden and also an internal courtyard. Housekeeping standards were high. The windows overlooking the internal courtyard had just been replaced. When furnishing the accommodation, account had to be taken of the needs of individual young people in relation to the level of stimulation and, therefore, the extent of homely touches had to be carefully considered. A health and safety audit of the service was undertaken every six months by a member of staff from another service. The result of the last audit in July 28 was noted as excellent with no issues identified for action. Health and safety was a standing item at staff meetings. There was evidence of up to date risk assessments for Moving and Handling, and for the kitchen/storage areas. A number of risk assessments relating to the environment and activities were in place and individual risk assessments in relation to challenging behaviour had been completed for all the young people who used the service. Areas for Development The establishment of an annual maintenance programme and environmental audit led by the young people was highlighted as an area for improvement by the service. Consideration needed to be given to improving the privacy and security of the extensive garden at the rear of the property. CCO Grading 4 - Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 1/16

Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Overall CCO Theme Grading: 4 - Good Statement 1: We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service Strengths The evidence in Statement 1.1 is relevant to this Statement. In the Welcome Pack, there was reference to the staff experience and examples of the training that they attended. The questionnaires sent to parents asked for their views about the attitude of staff and the nature of their communication with them. The majority of responses confirmed that they thought staff were polite, were able to respond to any queries and kept them well informed about their child's respite stays at Stoneside. The recruitment policy referred to visits being made by prospective candidates to services to provide an opportunity for them to meet with staff and young people who could provide comments. Some examples of different ways in which parents and young people could be involved were also detailed. Following discussion with the young people, staff felt that they would have difficulty in speaking to different people. However, one young person agreed to show candidates round the service and this had happened during a recent round of interviews. Areas for Development The service should explore possible ways in which parents could be involved in the recruitment and selection process, and in staff development. CCO Grading 4 - Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations Statement 3: We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice. Service Strengths Staff had access to a range of policies related to training and development, induction and whistle blowing. Induction training was provided for new staff. Staff were able to describe their induction to the service and some of the mandatory courses that they had attended such as Safeguarding, Food Hygiene, Pro-Act Scip, Equality and Diversity and Epilepsy Awareness. Staff were able to access internal training courses and also ones arranged by external 11/16

agencies such as SIRCC. Two staff were undertaking SVQ 3 and another four were completing an HNC in Social Care. There was a formal supervision system for staff, and individual Personal Development Plans were informed by annual appraisals that were up to date. Staff impressed as enthusiastic and keen to ensure that the young people enjoyed their time at Stoneside. They reported good working relations in what they described as a very skilled and experienced team. Areas for Development Staff were in the process of registering with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). The service should continue current practice in providing staff with opportunities to keep up to date with current legislation and best practice. CCO Grading 5 - Very Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 12/16

Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership Overall CCO Theme Grading: 4 - Good Statement 1: We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the management and leadership of the service. Service Strengths The evidence in Statement 1.1 is relevant to this Statement. Questionnaires completed by parents indicated that they were happy with the management of the service and felt that any concerns were taken seriously and responded to quickly. Staff described management as approachable. Areas for Development The service should consider ways in which young people and parents could contribute to the self assessment and grading process. The need to consider how young people's views could influence the future direction of the service was identified as an area for improvement by the service. CCO Grading 4 - Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations Statement 4: We use quality assurance systems and processes which involve service users, carers, staff and stakeholders to assess the quality of service we provide. Service Strengths The outcome of the annual staff survey conducted by the provider was reported on the internal website. A similar survey had been done following the organisation's recent rebranding to gauge how involved staff had felt in the process. Regular staff bulletins provided information about what was happening nationally within the organisation. The provider had the Investors in People Award. Discussion on practice issues was evident in the minutes of staff meetings. Staff interviewed said that they were encouraged to put forward items for the agenda and felt that their views were listened to. Team development days also provided opportunities for them to contribute to the unit development plan. Staff had been involved in completing the self assessment. With the recent introduction of a new IT system, management will be able to monitor the level of support being provided to young people and the progress of individual support plans. Any staff leaving the service were invited to attend an exit interview or complete a 13/16

questionnaire, and any issues were communicated to the Manager by the provider's Human Resources department. The complaints procedure given to parents and young people when they first started using the service was available in different formats to meet young people's specific communication needs. Questionnaires had recently been sent to social workers and education personnel seeking their views about different aspects of the service. The responses received at the time of the inspection were generally positive. The manager was aware of the responsibilities to notify the SSSC of any staff dismissals on the grounds of misconduct. The responsibility to notify the Care Commission of matters of misconduct including theft was also understood. Areas for Development The questionnaires sent to social work and education were to be collated once the service had received all the responses. The development of meetings for parents may provide a means of increasing their involvement in the quality assurance process. CCO Grading 4 - Good Number of Requirements Number of Recommendations 14/16

Regulations / Principles National Care Standards 15/16

Enforcement There has been no enforcement action against this service since the last inspection. Other Information N/A. Requirements There were no requirements identified at this inspection Recommendations 1. Parents and young people should be made aware of the children's charter and the framework standards for child protection. (National Care Standards, Care Homes for Children and Young People: Standard 1.1) Annabell Nicolson Care Commission Officer 16/16