Children's Home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Oldham

SC356817 Unique reference number 19 August 2009 Inspection date Sarah Oldham Inspector Key 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 8 Inspection Report: SC356817

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with learning disabilities, of either gender, between the ages of eight years old up to 17 years old. It is a detached house on a residential estate. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor and a lounge, dining room and kitchen on the ground floor. The staff office is also on the ground floor. There are enclosed gardens to the front and the rear of the home.

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Summary

This unannounced inspection of the home was to assess the home's ability to meet all the key standards of the Children's Home Regulations 2001.

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Summary

The home provides a safe and supportive environment for young people. The individual needs of young people are identified within individual placement plans. This ensures that all young people receive a consistent level of support that meets their current care needs. Staff at the home ensure that the young people living at the home have opportunities to develop and have a positive experience of living there. The staff liaise closely with parents/carers and professionals to ensure that information regarding care and support is provided.

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Summary

The home promotes equality and diversity by ensuring that information for young people is in an accessible format to enable them to have an understanding of what to expect from the home and to enable them to contribute to how the home functions.

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Summary

All new staff have received induction training that includes child protection and safeguarding. There is a training and development plan in place for all staff to ensure that they have updated training to provide them with the necessary skills to care for and support the young people living at the home. Training also includes positive handling and physical intervention plans for young people to support them to develop appropriate behaviours. However, some of the records maintained do not clearly reflect these plans and this may impact on the care and support provided to young people.

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Summary

Supervision for staff is in place but needs to take place on a consistent basis to ensure that staff continue to receive appropriate support to undertake their roles effectively. Staffing levels at the home meets the current care needs of the young people but the home is in the process of recruiting further staff to ensure that the care provided is flexible and responsive to individual needs at all times.

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Summary

The manager of the home monitors how the home functions in accordance with the statement of purpose and the Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and monthly monitoring is undertaken by an external senior manager of the company. The overall quality rating is satisfactory. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection, two recommendations were made in relation to ensuring that 80 per cent of staff have completed their National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People and ensuring that fire drills are recorded. 4 of 8 Inspection Report: SC356817 The home has registered staff to undertake the training and although this has yet to be completed by all staff the process is ongoing. The home now ensures that fire drills are completed and this is clearly recorded within the fire maintenance record book. Young people are aware of what to do in the event of a fire.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. All young people at the home are involved in the planning of menus. The home ensures that young people have nutritionally balanced diets taking into account individual choice. Young people say that the food at the home 'is really nice'. Young people are supported to prepare drinks and snacks. The kitchen is maintained in good order and staff have completed food hygiene training.

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Helping children to be healthy

The young people benefit from being cared for by staff who promote health and well-being. Staff are good at monitoring the health of the young people. The young people’s care plans clearly set out their health care needs and how they will be met. There are good arrangements in place to ensure that all primary health care needs are met and specialist provisions, such as the child and adolescent mental health services, are arranged as required.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home has a medication policy and procedure that identified how staff at the home will support young people with their medication and there are appropriate storage facilities for medication. However, some medication had not been administered over a period of five days, even though it was prescribed. The medication administration record sheet did not clearly identify the reason why the medication was not administered and this may impact on the overall health and well-being of a young person.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The privacy of young people is protected. They all have their own individual bedrooms and can access private bathrooms. Staff are very good at ensuring dignity and respect when assisting the young people with personal care. Staff understand the confidential nature of personal information and case records.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are policies and procedures in place relating to the protection of children from abuse. Staff have completed safeguarding training and are confident about reporting any concerns. They understand issues of confidentiality in relation to safeguarding. Other procedures are in place to address issues regarding bullying and young people say that they are able to discuss any concerns they may have with staff members. Information about how to make a complaint is available in a written and pictorial format, to ensure that young people with communication difficulties are provided with this information. Procedures are in place in the event of a child or young person being absent without authority. Individual risk assessments also include this information. However, records maintained did not clearly reflect the circumstances leading up to young people going missing and whether they had been seen by an independent person

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has a behaviour management policy and procedure in place and each young person has a specific plan to enable staff to support positive behaviour. Staff have received training regarding positive handling. However, records inspected did not accurately reflect the level of 5 of 8 Inspection Report: SC356817 physical interventions that had taken place and were not in accordance with the agreed positive handling plan. This does not ensure that the positive behaviour plans are being effectively implemented for the young people at all times. In addition, this had not been identified as part of the monitoring undertaken by the manager or by the independent visitor report.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The premises are safely maintained with safety checks of equipment and appliances being carried out at regular intervals. There is an environmental risk assessment in place. These measures ensure that the young people are provided with a safe environment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Recruitment practices and procedures ensure that all staff recruited have an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure prior to commencing work at the home. A recruitment procedure is followed, including an application form, interview and references being requested prior to an offer of employment being made. Recruitment files inspected were compliant with the Children's Homes Regulations 2001. Visitors to the home are requested to sign in the visitors book and identification requested to enable staff to be aware of who is in the home and the welfare of the young people is safeguarded.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Support for individual young people is documented within their placement plans and a key worker is allocated to provide additional support. The staff know the young people well and are knowledgeable of their individual needs and the implications that this has for their ongoing support and care. The role of the key worker is being further developed to ensure that support is provided effectively to the young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home has good links with schools to ensure that the educational needs of the young people are promoted and met. Where there are any issues of young people being excluded from school, appropriate support is provided to support them within the home.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There are a range of activities that the young people can take part in, both within the home and within the local community, including trips to local cinemas and theatres, as well as community parks and leisure facilities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Toys and activity equipment at the home are age appropriate and they are suitable for children and young people with complex needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. All young people have a placement plan. These have been developed following consultation with placing authorities, parents and guardians, health care professionals, independent advocates and discussion with the young people. The placement plan identifies the individual needs of the young person and how they will be met within the home. All staff working with the young people have a good knowledge of the plans and their role in the implementation of these.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Contact details and arrangements are in place for all young people. These are known to staff to enable appropriate support to facilitate contact.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The home gains the views of the young people in a number of ways. Weekly meetings are held to enable the young people, as a group, to share their views. Individual key worker sessions 6 of 8 Inspection Report: SC356817 also enable the views of the young people to be taken into account and the home states that good links are maintained with guardians to ensure any views or concerns are addressed.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. The home is a detached house within a residential area. Each young person has their own bedroom that they are encouraged and supported to personalise. The main living area consists of a lounge, dining room and activities room. This enables young people to have the opportunity to have sufficient space if they want to have some privacy or to join in with the other young people. The décor and furnishings to the home are of a high standard and staff maintain the cleanliness of the home, to ensure that young people benefit from a comfortable home.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Staff are aware of the importance of promoting individual pathway plans for young people when planning and supporting young people to move onto adulthood. There is a good awareness of equality and diversity considerations that is integral to the planning for adulthood. This is good practice. Young people have pocket money and savings recorded, although they do not always sign to confirm that they have received their pocket money. The home also records finances within a number of books and sheets and this may result in some minor errors being made when completing different formats.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The statement of purpose reflects the services that the home provides. This is kept under review and updated to include information about current staffing. This document is made available to placing authorities, parents and other interested parties. All staff are aware of the document and information provided within it. The children's guide is in a format that is suitable for the young people for whom the home provides care and support to.

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Organisation

Staffing levels at the home are appropriate to meet the needs of the young people, although due to holidays and some sickness, the staffing has required additional support from other staff working within the company. The home is in the process of recruiting additional staff to provide a responsive and flexible level of staffing at all times. A comprehensive induction programme is in place for all new staff and covers basic training, including child protection and safeguarding, team teach, first aid and roles and responsibilities. Staff supervision is planned on a monthly basis. However, records inspected did not demonstrate that this took place within a timescale, with a number of supervisions being postponed or missed. This may impact on the young people if staff do not have the necessary support and supervision to ensure that they are providing consistent level of care.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is satisfactory. The home provides care and support to young people with complex needs and has developed some guidance for the young people in formats that is accessible to them, including menu plans, the children's guide and the complaints procedure.

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Organisation

Individual files for young people are maintained in a good order and are systematically arranged to contain the information required. 7 of 8 Inspection Report: SC356817 The manager of the home undertakes monitoring and completes monthly reports to ensure that the services provided meet the young people's needs within a safe environment. Monthly external visits from a senior manager of the company are also undertaken and a report is completed, identifying any areas that are required to be addressed.

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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

31 August 2009 ensure an accurate and up to date record of physical intervention is maintained (Regulation 17 (4)) 17 August 2009 ensure that any medication prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed, to the child for whom it is prescribed (Regualtion 21 (2)(b))

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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 a minimum of 80 per cent of all care staff have completed the National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in Caring of Children and Young People (NMS 29.5) • ensure that the absent without authority documentation is completed to include the circumstances of all incidents of absconding and the events leading up to this (NMS 19.6) • ensure that any measures of physical intervention are in accordance with the individual needs of the child and in accordance with their agreed behaviour management plan (NMS 22.5) • ensure that wherever possible children sign the records for their pocket money (NMS 11.8) • ensure that all staff receive at least one and a half hours of one to one supervision from a senior member of staff each month (NMS 28.2) 8 of 8 Inspection Report: SC356817

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