We inspected this service on 18 April 2016 and the inspection was announced. This was to make sure that there would be someone in when we visited.

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.

The parents we spoke with understood the support they received and told us they were satisfied with the way their children were assisted and we saw there was a document to denote agreement to the care and support that people had signed.

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.

People told us they and their children were treated with respect and that they were kept informed and involved in key decisions. One relative described the service as “fine” and another described staff as “polite” and another said staff were “friendly”.

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.