We carried out a review of the data available to us about Disabled Children Community Support Team on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Disabled Children Community Support Team, you can give feedback on this service.
¿The Disabled Children's Community Support team is registered to provide personal care to children up to the age of 18 years with a learning disability, Autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability or complex health needs. The support is provided to children in Derby city, in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service were supporting 14 children and young people between the age of 4–17 years old.
People’s experience of using this service:
¿Children and young people benefitted from an outstanding caring service. Children, young people and adults were protected from potential abuse and avoidable harm by staff who were exceptionally well trained in safeguarding. Relatives felt their family members were safe with the support they received from staff. Staff went above and beyond their roles to ensure children and young people were protected from risks, by ensuring they followed risk assessments and reported any issues with equipment immediately to the relevant agencies.
¿There were enough numbers of staff to meet children and young people’s needs, who received support from a consistent staff team. Relatives were highly complementary about the staff.
¿The providers recruitment procedures were robust. Recruitment checks were undertaken, to determine the suitability of new staff to protect children and young people that used the service.
¿Staff had the skills, knowledge and an excellent understanding of children and young people’s individual needs and how they wished to be supported. Staff training was delivered around children and young people’s individual needs, which ensured they could be supported effectively by competent staff.
¿Care plans and risk assessments were individualised, providing guidance for staff in supporting children and young people safely.
¿Staff had received training in infection control and were provided with the necessary personal protective equipment to use when carrying out care and support tasks. Relatives confirmed staff used gloves and aprons whilst supporting their family member.
¿Staff were aware of the importance of seeking consent and demonstrated an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
¿The service worked closely with other professionals and organisations. Health and social care professionals were extremely complimentary about the care and support staff provided; working in partnership to meet children and young people’s needs.
¿Children and young people were cared for by staff who were extremely kind and caring, maintaining their privacy and dignity. Staff encouraged children and young people to be as independent as possible, where they were safe to do so.
¿The provider’s complaints policy and procedure were accessible to people who used the service and their representatives. People knew how to make a complaint and felt their concerns would be listened to and addressed.
¿The provider monitored the quality of the service provided to children and young people, to drive improvement. Relatives were asked for their views about the service.
Rating at last inspection:
¿At our last inspection, the service was rated 'Good'. Our last report was published on 25 May 2016.
Why we inspected:
¿This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating from the previous inspection. The service has been rated as 'Good' overall following this inspection.
Follow up:
¿We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The Disabled Children's Community Support team is registered to provide personal care to children up to the age of 18 years with a learning disability, Autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability or complex health needs. The support is provided to children in Derby city, in their own homes. The Disabled Children's Community Support Team support parents to wash and dress their child or get them ready for school or bed. The service is provided during school term time and helps reduce pressure on families. At the time of the inspection the service were supporting 17 children.
There was 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.
Children and their families using the service were protected from abuse because the provider had taken steps to minimise the risk of abuse. Staff understood their responsibility in protecting children from the risk of harm. Sufficient staff were available to meet the needs of the children that the service were currently supporting.
Children using the service were protected from abuse because the provider had taken steps to minimise the risk of abuse. Staff understood their responsibility in protecting children from the risk of harm. Sufficient staff were available to meet each child’s needs.
Risk assessments and support plans had been developed with the involvement of parents of the children receiving a service. Staff had the relevant information on how to minimise identified risks to ensure children were supported in a safe way.
The providers recruitment procedures were robust, which ensured suitable staff were employed to work with children who used the service. Staff told us they had received training and an induction that had helped them to understand and support children better.
Parents supported their child with their dietary needs. Parents also supported their children to maintain good health and to access health care services as required. Staff told us that if they had any concerns regarding a child’s health care needs they would raise this with the family as well as their manager.
Parents told us that staff treated their children in a caring way and respected their privacy and supported them to maintain their dignity. Care was provided in a way that meet each child’s individual needs and preferences.
The provider’s complaints policy and procedure were accessible to parents of children who used the service. Parents knew how to make a complaint and felt confident that action would be taken to resolve an issue effectively.
People felt the service was well managed and that they were involved in decisions related to the planning of the care their children received. The leadership and management of the service and its governance systems were robust, which ensured consistency in the care being provided. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the manager and provider to drive improvement. Staff told us that they felt supported by the registered manager.
People we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the way staff assisted their child. One person told us 'Staff have a really good connection with my child' and another told us that their child expressed pleasure through laughing and smiling when staff arrived to assist. They confirmed that the service was reliable and consistent and one told us 'This service really helps me' and another said 'I have only positive things to say about it'.
We found staff had appropriate guidance to enable them to administer medication safely and they told us they had enough training and support to enable them to do their job. We found there were enough staff to meet assessed needs and staff were flexible in their approach to work and were able to cover any periods of sickness or leave.
One relative described the service as 'flexible and helpful' and another told us 'it has been working well' and that they were 'very happy' with it. They confirmed the service was reliable and that staff were punctual and stayed for the allocated time. One person said 'they do a great job'.
Relatives felt their children were in safe hands. One told us 'I'm confident in their abilities and knowledge of my children' and confirmed they thought their children were safe.