Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

SC025745 Unique reference number 20 October 2009 Inspection date Monica Hargreaves Inspector Random Type of Inspection

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 7 Inspection Report: SC025745

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is owned and managed by a charitable organisation and provides a short breaks service for up to five young people of either sex, who are aged from five to 17 years and who have autistic spectrum disorder and/or challenging behaviour.

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Brief description of the service

The house is close to a small shopping centre and there are a range of local amenities within a short distance. There are five bedrooms, a lounge, sensory room and computer room. There are sufficient bathroom and toilet facilities for all the young people who use the service. The house has been adapted to provide a safe environment for the young people who stay there. It has a large enclosed garden with suitable toys and equipment.

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Brief description of the service

The home currently provides a service to 24 young people at different times.

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Summary

This unannounced interim inspection was arranged in order to consider how well the home is meeting young people's needs in relation to staying safe and to review the recommendations made at the previous inspection. All the key standards in Staying Safe were considered, together with some standards in Organisation and Positive Contribution. Because of the limited nature of this inspection, the overall judgement for the service remains as at the last inspection.

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Summary

Young people are cared for safely. Staff are trained, care practices are sound and procedures are robust and effective, so that young people are protected from abuse and bullying and benefit from staying in a home that is kept safe. The care that young people receive is regularly reviewed and there is good management oversight of the work of the home, to ensure that good standards are maintained. The overall quality rating is good. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Three of the recommendations made at the previous inspection are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There is a robust system in place to make sure that the care of every young person who uses this service is reviewed and that their plans are kept up to date. The home's statement of purpose has been reviewed and updated and accurately reflects the work of the service. The manager has produced a development plan that confirms the current operation of the home.

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Improvements since the last inspection

One recommendation has not yet been fully met and is therefore carried forward. Although there is a clear plan in place to make sure that all care staff gain a relevant qualification, there are not yet sufficient qualified staff to fully meet the standard.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. 4 of 7 Inspection Report: SC025745 Highly effective systems and good care practices, ensure that young people are cared for safely when they stay at the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are protected from abuse because staff are trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and have an excellent understanding of the organisation's procedure and of their own responsibilities in relation to protecting children and young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The service has a robust complaints procedure, which is followed in practice and which ensures that parents and others involved with the care of young people, can raise issues about care in the home and can be confident that these will be responded to promptly and investigated thoroughly. There is clear written information about each young person to show how they prefer to communicate. Staff have an excellent understanding of the specific needs of the young people they look after and of how those young people who do not use speech make their views and dissatisfactions known, so that they can respond quickly to any concerns that are identified.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people's rights to privacy and confidentiality are respected. For example, when they deliver personal care to young people, staff practice in a way that ensures their dignity is respected and they make sure that information about young people is stored securely to protect confidentiality. Young people have individual bedrooms where they can be private.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Individual risk assessments, that address issues such as bullying, behaviour and unauthorised absence, enable staff to put in place detailed support plans, to protect and care for each young person according to their specific needs. Staffing levels in the service are very good, which ensures that young people are supervised appropriately. This lessens the risk that they might be able to go missing when they stay at the home. The high ratio of staff to young people is also one of the measures that the home employs to protect young people from bullying, as it means that staff can work closely with individual young people and supervise the group appropriately. There is evidence that bullying is not an issue in the service and that young people are not able to leave the home without the knowledge of staff.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff encourage young people to behave in a socially acceptable way, by recognising and rewarding positive behaviour. They are trained to manage challenging behaviour in the least restrictive way and have a very good understanding of the individual needs of the young people they look after. Detailed behaviour support plans, that are specific to the needs of the young person, promote consistency within the team and ensure that young people are cared for safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Health and safety matters are managed very well, so that young people benefit from being looked after in a home that is kept safe. All of the electrical, gas and fire equipment is checked regularly and risk assessments on the environment identify possible hazards and show how these are controlled. There is an emergency evacuation plan and staff and young people take part in regular evacuation drills, so that young people practice leaving the home safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The organisation's staff recruitment and selection procedures are robust. Checks that are undertaken on all prospective staff include a detailed application form, enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check and two positive references. These effective systems mean that all staff are vetted and assessed as suitable to work with children and young people before they take up their post. The home itself is kept appropriately secure and the identity of all visitors is checked, to prevent unauthorised individuals gaining access to young people in the service. 5 of 7 Inspection Report: SC025745

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Only one standard in this outcome area was considered, in order to review a recommendation made at the previous inspection and therefore the judgement for this outcome area remains as at the last inspection.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The service has an effective system in place to make sure that every young person's care is reviewed at regular intervals. This enables all those involved with the care of young people to be part of decisions that are made about the young person's stay at the home and enables staff to be certain that the information that is held about young people is kept up to date and relevant to their ongoing needs.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. A limited number of standards were assessed in order to review the recommendations made at the last inspection and therefore the overall judgement for this outcome area remains as at the last inspection.

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Organisation

Clear written information about the service is given to parents and placing social workers and there is a separate guide that is available for young people, which is produced in a format that is relevant to their needs. There is evidence from this inspection that the home is working to its statement of purpose.

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Organisation

Staff are trained to understand and meet the diverse and complex needs of the young people they look after. They are also expected to have, or to gain, a qualification that is relevant to their work. Although there is a schedule in place to make sure that all staff are qualified, there are not yet sufficient staff who have a relevant qualification to meet the standard.

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Organisation

The work of the service and the care that is given to young people is regularly monitored, by the home's manager and by an independent person who visits regularly. This ensures that good standards are maintained. The manager has produced a written development plan for the service, which identifies the work that the team will undertake and which confirms the continuation of the home's current operation.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Childrens Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that a minimum ratio of 80% of all care staff have a qualification at National Vocational Qualification level 3, or equivalent. (NMS 29.5) 7 of 7 Inspection Report: SC025745

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