Congratulations to our residential living care service in Wiltshire for receiving a ‘Good’ rating across all evaluations in their latest Ofsted inspection report.
Buttons provides residential supported living care for children with severe physical or learning disabilities, including autism. Buttons supports up to five children at any one time, and they provide a warm and nurturing environment, as well as a personalised care approach supported by highly-trained teams.
The inspection was unannounced and was completed over two days — Monday 15 January and Tuesday 16 January. During the visit, the inspectors took part in activities, looked at children’s records, and spoke to a wide range of stakeholders, including children, parents, colleagues, social workers and other professionals.
The Ofsted report addressed the overall experiences and progress of the children, how well the children are helped and protected, and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people
The report highlighted the team’s impressive work in supporting the children and young people, and keeping them safe and happy. The inspectors said some children’s communication skills have improved, which has led to them being able to express themselves and their feelings more confidently. They also said the children are building better links with their local community, including attending youth clubs and visiting local facilities more often.
While the inspectors were visiting, the children enjoyed a nature walk where they were seeking natural items which had a texture, a smell, and made a noise. The report stated:
“After finding items on their walk, staff and children talked about them, learning what they were and where they came from. On return from their walk, children and staff enjoyed a disco and happily showed the inspectors their impressive singing and dancing. Staff ensure that children have a lot of fun in this home.”
The inspection found that the colleagues have built very good relationships with the children, and consult meaningfully with them about how to improve the home. For example, a new cinema room has been designed and furnished, as a result of the children’s ideas. There is now also an area for growing vegetables, and the driveway has been replaced with tarmac making it easier for those children who use wheelchairs.
How well children and young people are helped and protected
The report found colleagues are aware of the children’s additional vulnerabilities, and they manage safeguarding matters well through good-quality, comprehensive safeguarding records.
The inspectors praised the team for managing risk positively. The report stated:
“Staff manage risk positively to ensure children experience lots of activities and stay safe. Risk assessments provide clear guidance for staff on what the risks are and how these are to be mitigated.
“Staff have an in-depth knowledge of how children communicate, and recognise the signs of children feeling anxious, unhappy or unwell. Staff act quickly in these times to help children.”
The report highlighted that incident reports are comprehensive, providing a clear picture of each event. It said the manager has good oversight of incidents, reviewing what has happened carefully to identity any patterns or trends, and amend children’s support plans when needed.
The effectiveness of leaders and managers
The inspectors highlighted the significant improvement in the quality of recording and the effectiveness of the manager’s oversight since the previous inspection. They said the improvement was due, in part, to more colleagues being recruited, enabling managers more time to complete management tasks.
The report also found that team morale and support has improved. It stated:
“Staff morale has improved. Some staff now say they ‘love’ working at the home. Staff feel very positive about the past year and speak with pride and emotion when talking about the progress that children have made, and the improvements to the children’s experiences.
“Staff are well supported and trained for their role. They receive regular good-quality reflective supervision and team meetings. Supervisors focus on staff wellbeing and any additional support they may need is provided.”
The inspectors spoke to parents about the care of their children at Buttons and the feedback was very positive. Parents trust the team and they feel communication with them is good, and that colleagues work positively with them to achieve the best outcomes for the children.
Alicia Khusal, Service Manager at Buttons, said:
“I am incredibly proud of all our colleagues, children and young people who were able to show what Buttons is all about. Our whole team rose to the occasion during this inspection to showcase their knowledge, passion and positive relationships with each other. The support we’ve had from the company has helped us to realise our vision in making Buttons a wonderful place to live and to work.
“We know the hard work doesn’t stop here. Our journey is of continual improvement and we will strive to push ourselves to develop our home and ensure we offer a positive, safe experience for all our young people. I have no doubt we will achieve our ultimate aim of having an ‘Outstanding’ rating in the near future.”
To read the full report, please visit the Ofsted website.
To find out more about Buttons, please visit their page on our website.