Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Oldham

SC066072 Unique reference number 1 July 2009 Inspection date Helen Walker Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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20 February 2009 Date of last 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 9 Inspection Report: SC066072

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Brief description of the service

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people of either gender, aged from 11 years old to 17 years old. The property is a detached house, situated in a rural area overlooking local towns.

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Brief description of the service

On the ground floor of the home the accommodation consists of a lounge, kitchen, dining room, utility room and education room. The education room is registered with Ofsted as an independent school. On the first floor are young people's bedrooms and bathroom. Staff bedrooms are also on this floor with one used as the staff office.

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Brief description of the service

Externally to the front of the house are a grassed garden and a tarmac area for car parking. To the side of the house is a garden with a paved patio. The rural location of this property means access to nearby towns is by car or public transport.

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Brief description of the service

One young person lives in the home. They were present and took part in the inspection process.

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Summary

At this full, unannounced inspection, all the key national minimum standards were considered. The actions and recommendations made at the previous inspection were followed up and details of these are outlined in improvements section of this report.

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Summary

The home provides a caring and supportive environment for young people. They learn skills that will help them when they leave care, including encouragement to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Summary

Staff have a good understanding about keeping young people safe from harm and they know how to respond, in the event of any allegation or serious concern about a young person's safety.

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Summary

Education is extremely well promoted and young people's diverse interests are actively encouraged by staff. Young people value education and talk openly about their aspirations and of staff and teacher commitment to support them to learn.

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Summary

Actions and recommendations have been made for the home to obtain young people's current statutory care and placement plans, so that staff are aware of their formal responsibilities to the young person. And that all sanctions are monitored by the manager for effectiveness.

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Summary

The manager has been asked to ensure that staff meetings include discussion about caring for and managing the young people. They have also been asked to exercise effective leadership by spending an appropriate amount of time in the home, relevant to their role as registered manager. Some staff have yet to obtain an appropriate childcare qualification relevant to their work, although an ongoing programme of training in relation to this is in place. 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

At the last inspection, the provider was required to ensure young people's access was not restricted in relation to leaving the home and the use of the kitchen. Systems are now in place 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC066072 for young people to freely leave the home at any time, without the need for a door key or reference to staff. Young people now have unrestricted access to the kitchen.

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Improvements since the last inspection

An action required that young people's records contain the date and reason for any visit made to them, whilst living in this home. Records now include this information, to confirm appropriate as well as statutory welfare visits take place.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider was also asked to have pathway plans in place for young people of leaving care age. At this time there are no young people eligible to have these plans. The manager is fully aware of the need for these plans to be in place and endeavours to obtain them from the placing authority.

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Improvements since the last inspection

An action made for records to show the effectiveness and consequences of the use of sanction is still outstanding. Also a recommendation made in respect of staff qualifications, has yet to be achieved. However, the home has an ongoing programme of training in place, to enable staff to obtain the appropriate National Vocational Qualification at level 3.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Young people have choices in respect of foods they wish to eat in the home and they take an active role in the planning, shopping and preparation of meals. Young people said staff encourage them to eat healthily. There is fresh food available and young people's likes and dislikes are taken account of. For example, young people said they prefer fresh fruits, such as raspberries and strawberries, which are bought for them.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people learn skills, to prepare them for independent living and this includes good advice from staff, about eating a balanced and varied diet. Young people enjoy cooking and baking cakes. Cultural nights in the home provide young people with opportunities to gain an understanding about cultures and foods associated with different countries. For example, the home recently had an American night.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff have a very good understanding of the young people's health needs and these are positively promoted. Young people are registered with the usual primary health care services, for their routine health needs to be met. Strong links exist with health professionals to provide very good support and guidance for young people. Key worker sessions also incorporate promotion of health.

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Helping children to be healthy

More specialist advice is available to the young people, for example, the Looked After Children's nurse (LAC) visits the home. The services of a clinical psychologist employed by the home provide young people with access to therapeutic support.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff emphasise the need for young people to maintain a healthy way of life. Activities, such as horse riding and walking, helps young people to gain the physical health benefits associated with these pastimes.

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Helping children to be healthy

Guidance is in place for the safe storage, administration and disposal of medicines. Staff are qualified to administer first aid treatment as needed. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC066072

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Young people's privacy and confidentiality is very well respected in the home. Young people have individual bedrooms and said if they want to, they can lock their bedroom doors. Young people, in accordance with their placement plans, have access to a telephone in the home. Staff are fully aware of keeping confidentiality and all records in the home are stored securely. Viewing of records is monitored, to ensure these are seen only by those with the authority to do so.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has a complaints system in place and young people are made fully aware of this. No complaints have been made by the young people but opportunities exist for them to discuss any matter they are unhappy with. This includes contact with staff, their key and co-key workers and with other professionals, in health and education. Young people said they feel able to talk to staff and prefer to write things down rather than discuss them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff take all reasonable steps to keep young people safe from harm and know how to respond in the event of any allegation or serious concern about a young person's safety. Safeguarding training helps staff to protect and promote the welfare of young people. Procedures in the home support staff to take the appropriate action if a young person is missing from the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people receive care from staff who are trained and understand the need to encourage good behaviour. This includes techniques to manage challenging behaviour and the appropriate use of physical intervention. Although sanctions are in place for inappropriate behaviour and monitored by the manager, these are not consistently reviewed to demonstrate they are effective disciplinary measures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people confirm there is no bullying in the home. Key-work sessions give the young people the opportunity to talk through and gain a better understanding about dealing appropriately with any situations of bullying.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Systems are in place, to enable young people to be cared for in a safe and well maintained physical environment. Appropriate checks are carried out in respect of fire safety and the use of electrical equipment and gas appliances in the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Thorough recruitment and employment procedures are in place, to ensure staff are suitable to work with young people. Young people take an active part in the recruitment process and have a say about the people employed in this home.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Young people have excellent levels of personal support from staff, including a designated key and co-key worker. More specialist support from health and education professionals is available, including therapeutic input. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about the young people's individual needs and they provide them with opportunities for discussion about a broad range of issues, including religion and health matters. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC066072 Young people acknowledge the high level of support and care they receive. Opportunities exist for them to participate in activities they enjoy, including horse riding, creative writing and reading.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Education is seen as an important part of young people's lives and is especially well-promoted by staff. The routine and ethos of the home is for young people to receive formal education and wherever possible, to attend educational establishments of their choice. At this time young people have education in the home but with plans in place to attend school. Young people value education and benefit from enthusiastic teachers who fully support learning and ambition.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Personal education plans are drawn up with the relevant professionals and show the home's awareness of young people's educational achievements and needs. Young people talk openly about their aspirations and of staff commitment to their learning. For example, young people visit art exhibitions, participate in creative writing competitions and attend theatre productions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home has facilities to support the young people's education, such as quiet areas for study, reading books and a computer with internet connection.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Young people have individual placement plans to identify their assessed needs and to show how these are to be met in the home. Opportunities exist for young people to have input into their placement plans through discussion with staff and more formally, the statutory review process. LAC documents from the placing authority are not current and therefore not specific to this placement. This means staff do not have documentation to inform them of their formal responsibilities to the young person.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The home has well-established systems, to review young people's care and placement plans. Key and co-key workers take an active role and encourage young people to attend their review meetings.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are enabled to make choices about contact with family and friends. Contact is actively promoted and done so in line with placement plans for each young person. This enables young people to continue to have positive links with those that are important to them outside of the home. Practical support is given for contact to take place, such as the provision of transport, use of the home's telephone and private space, to see visitors in the home. Young people said they look forward to visiting family and friends.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Good systems enable young people to move into and leave the home in a planned way. Wherever possible, planned placements occur and involve a visit by the young person to the home, to meet other young people and staff. Staff try to ensure young people are adequately prepared for leaving the home through a planned ending to the placement.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people have opportunities to give their opinions about issues that affect their daily life and future. These include key worker sessions and residents meetings. Young people said they are listened to and they have a say, about aspects of the running of the home. For example, they have choices in activities, the food menus and decoration for their bedrooms. This level of consultation, along with other systems in the home, helps to improve young people's quality of life. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC066072

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. Staff actively encourage young people to learn skills to help them, as they move towards independence. Advice is given about education, as well as support on practical matters relating to leaving care. Although young people are not of an age to have a formal leaving care plan, opportunities in the home allow young people to undertake household tasks and to gain an understanding about looking after themselves. Young people particularly like baking and enjoy making cakes, which are shared in the home.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people enjoy accommodation that is decorated and furnished to a good standard. Although some parts of the home continue to look dated, there has been redecoration and refurbishment of some rooms. Further refurbishment is planned to update the home.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people's bedrooms contain furniture appropriate to their needs and communal rooms provide a modern and comfortable environment. The home has facilities to support young people's privacy, this includes the availability of rooms, in which to see their family, friends and social workers.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The statement of purpose reflects what the home offers and was reviewed this year to amend staffing details. Young people are given written information and have discussion with staff about the routines and care to be given during their stay at the home.

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Organisation

Good staffing levels means young people have appropriate supervision and care. To provide consistency of care three members of staff transferred to the home from a young person's previous placement. This helps to ensure continuity of care from staff who already know the young people.

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Organisation

Young people benefit from being looked after by an enthusiastic and very caring staff team who have a range of experience and a very good understanding of the young people. To increase staff competency and skills, further training is provided, for example, 'cultural awareness' and 'caring for children who self-harm'. Staff consider they have really informative training, to assist them in their work with young people.

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Organisation

Some of the staff have yet to obtain a relevant childcare qualification, to help them in their understanding of caring for the young people. However, there is an ongoing programme of training for staff, to enable them to obtain the appropriate National Vocational Qualification at level 3.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The staff group provides positive role models to young people in relation to values and attitudes in life. Young people are treated as individuals and their assessed needs are well considered. Staff take the opportunity to improve the life chances of young people, particularly through the promotion of education and health.

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Organisation

There are arrangements to monitor the performance of the home against the statement of purpose. This includes the Regulation 33 monthly visitor report and the manager's Regulation 34 records. The Registered Manager of this home is also manager of another children's home 8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC066072 owned by the same company. Experienced staff and a deputy manager support the manager in her work so that the home runs effectively.

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Organisation

However, the manager spends less than a day a week in this home. This does not reflect their management position in the home or afford them a comprehensive overview of how the home is running. Staff meetings take place but do not always discuss the management of the current child group, to ensure care practices are reviewed and appropriate to the meet the needs of the young people.

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Organisation

Records relating to young people's individual history and progress are well ordered. These are informative but incomplete, as they do not contain the placing authority's current LAC documentation.

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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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Due date Action Standard

15 July 2009 ensure that the young people's Looked After Child documents from their placing authority are complete and available as specified in Schedule 3 (Regulation 28.1) 6 July 2009 ensure records show the effectiveness and consequences of the use of any sanction or physical restraint (Regulation 17.4).

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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 staff meetings include discussion of the home's work in caring for and managing children, together with a review of the home's practices (NMS 28.10) • ensure the registered manager exercises effective leadership of the home's staff and operation (NMS 34.6) • ensure a minimum of 80% of care staff have the appropriate NVQ level 3 care award or equivalent qualification (NMS 29.5). 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC066072

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