Archived: Community Enablement Team

The Community Enablement Team is a service for people with learning disabilities including Autistic Spectrum conditions. It offers an enabling approach to help people to improve their quality of life by increasing their independence and confidence. Since the previous inspection in 2013 the service had moved away from traditional support services to an enablement service and there was no one at the service being supported with the regulated activity of personal care on the day of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff had received training in how to keep people safe. All the staff we spoke with demonstrated they understood how to ensure people were safeguarded against abuse and they knew the procedure to follow to report any incidents.

Risks were managed at the service and there were systems and processes in place to ensure environmental risks were minimised. The service used a positive risk approach which balanced the necessary levels of protection with preserving reasonable levels of choice and control for the person.

The service practised safe recruitment to ensure staff were recruited with the right experience and behaviours for their role. Staff completed an induction and training to ensure they had the skills to meet the needs of the people supported. Staff were supported to continually develop by obtaining nationally recognised qualifications and through ongoing supervision and appraisal.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff had a good understanding of the principles of the Act and how to support people if they lacked capacity.

Staff were passionate about enablement and maximising people’s independence to live fulfilled lives. People using the service spoke highly of the staff at the service and their attitude and approach in encouraging independence.

Support plans were detailed and person centred and people were supported by staff who knew them well and whom they trusted. This enabled staff to enhance people’s well-being and life skills.

People were involved in their support planning and reviews and staff engaged with people using the service, which was key to achieving the desired outcomes.

Complaints were handled appropriately and the service had a complaints policy in place. The service kept a record of compliments received and used these to motivate and encourage staff.

The service was well-led by a management team who was passionate about the service they provided. We found there was a positive culture within the service. There were clear values and a shared vision to develop the service.

Staff spoke highly of the registered manager and the management team and the support they provided.

Quality audits had been undertaken and there were good systems in place to monitor the effectiveness of the service provided.

We looked at two staff personnel records and found that they contained information regarding the person's employment. For example application forms, references and disclosure and barring service checks. The manager told us they had obtained copies from a central location within the local authority. They also told us that this information was held electronically by the service.