Archived: LDD Outreach and Sitting Service

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. Parents we spoke with were very complimentary of the care and support their children received. On parent said 'they're absolutely fantastic'. Staff were able to describe how they met the needs of children and young people who use the service. One member of staff said 'Our priority is the care of the children.'

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. The provider acted in accordance with legal requirements when considering young people's capacity to consent. The provider had suitable arrangements in place to ensure parents documented their consent for personal care to be provided to their children. We saw signed consent forms in care records and parents we spoke with told us they had given their consent at the initial assessment.

Staff received appropriate professional development. We spoke with three members of staff. They told us they felt well supported by managers and they had enough training to enable them to meet the needs of the children and young people they supported. One member of staff said of managers and colleagues 'we are a very close knit supportive team'.

People who use the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about the care and treatment provided and these were acted on. Families were invited to give feedback about the service and make suggestions about things they might like to change. The provider had processes in place which regularly identified, assessed and managed the risks related to the health, welfare and safety of people who use the service and others.

Before children received any care or treatment the parents were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. However, the provider did not take the necessary steps to assess people's capacity to make their own decisions where they were over 16 years old.

Parents told us they felt their children's needs were being met and the staff cared for their children in the way they should. One parent told us staff were 'very caring', and another 'they are nice people, very patient and understanding'. However, although the majority of the people who use the service had an initial assessment, most did not have detailed plans to explain how care should be delivered in a safe and appropriate way to meet individual needs.

Parents told us they had confidence in the staff keeping their children safe and they would tell the manager or another staff member if they had any concerns. Staff were well trained in safeguarding and knew how to report any concerns to the appropriate person or outside organisation.

We saw the provider had appropriate systems in place to deal with comments and complaints. Parents told us they were aware of the complaints system but none of them had ever needed to use it.