Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Cambridgeshire

SC370910 Unique reference number 27 July 2009 Inspection date Rosemary Chapman Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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4 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: SC370910

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Brief description of the service

This children’s home, owned by a private company, is registered for three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, aged between 11 and 17 years. The home is domestic in style and set within a small housing estate.

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Brief description of the service

The home is a large detached house, providing spacious and comfortable communal facilities and three single bedrooms. There is an attractive wooded garden area to the front and rear of the property. Young people can easily access shops and community facilities in the vicinity and a nearby city by public transport or transport provided by the home.

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Summary

This was a full unannounced inspection which looked at the key standards under the Every Child Matters outcome areas and organisation.

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Summary

Outcomes for young people are good. Young people are supported to be healthy through the provision of a good diet and advice in relation to healthy eating and other health promotion and lifestyle choices. Health care needs are assessed and staff are trained in the safe administration of medicine and first aid, although not all staff have the latter.

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Summary

Young people are kept safe from abuse and bullying. Staff are guided through policies, procedures and training to provide appropriate responses to any issues. They respect young people's privacy and respond positively to any complaints. Young people are encouraged to behave well through positive reinforcement and rewards and there is a limited use of sanctions and restraint.

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Summary

Individual needs, including educational needs, are comprehensively assessed and plans implemented through key working sessions and regular reviews. Young people are encouraged to have a say in all aspects of their life and are supported to be independent. Contact with family and friends is facilitated and supported.

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Summary

The home is well managed, enough staff are on duty to care for the young people and although some of the staff team are very new, they are always on duty with more senior and experienced staff. There is a programme of training to support staff in caring for young people and good monitoring arrangements by the manager and the company to ensure good outcomes 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

At the previous inspection there was one recommendation which pertained to ensuring there are regular checks of the fire alarms, fire equipment and emergency lighting. There are now weekly, documented checks of the smoke detectors (as the home does not have a fire alarm system) and fire fighting equipment and monthly checks of the emergency lighting which have recently been implemented. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC370910

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are enabled to be healthy through the provision of a nutritious and varied diet. The home has a three week menu but within that, young people can exercise choice and express their wishes, they shop for food with staff and are encouraged to help with meal preparation. Young people are encouraged to eat together with staff to promote social interaction. Staff advise young people about healthy eating; one young person commented: 'my key worker helps me a lot to eat my five a day'. Staff also broaden young people's experience of food by holding regular 'culture nights'. Young people have prepared displays of recipes and pictures of meals from a variety of countries to support this. There is a supply of fruit readily available in the kitchen, which is always accessible to young people during waking hours, and other less healthy snacks are available on request.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people's health needs are identified and met appropriately. They have comprehensive health care plans which look at all aspects of their physical and emotional wellbeing, routine appointments are carried out and monitored with local dentists, doctors and opticians and more specialist services are accessed where necessary. Health promotion, including smoking cessation, alcohol and drug awareness and sexual health are addressed in key working sessions and also through specialist resources. Young people said: 'staff look after you when you are poorly'.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are suitable arrangements in place for the storage, administration, recording and disposal of medication to ensure young people's health needs are met and their welfare is safeguarded. Staff receive regular training in medication awareness and appropriate policies and procedures are in place to guide their practice. The manager undertakes a twice weekly audit of medication and there is a weekly check of the first aid box to ensure it is properly equipped. The majority of the core staff have first aid training and medical advice is always sought.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Young people's privacy is respected and information is confidentially handled. Young people have a key to their own room and staff do not enter without permission, unless there is a very good reason to do so. Robust procedures are in place to authorise room searches and any restrictions are recorded on young people's files with clear details of who has authorised it, which protect young people's rights.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people know how to complain and their complaints are dealt with swiftly and taken seriously. Young people are given information about advocacy services and have a variety of contact details of organisations they can contact if they are unhappy about any aspect of their care. The manager makes the complaints procedure more accessible to young people by providing child friendly responses which are less formal and more meaningful and understandable to the young person.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are safeguarded from abuse and protected from bullying through comprehensive policies and procedures in which staff receive regular training. The procedures are readily accessible and staff have contact information and a useful flow chart on the office wall to make it as clear as possible. There is a strong anti-bullying ethos, potential bullying is risk assessed and managed and staff swiftly address any issues. Young people confirmed that they felt safe in the home and there was no bullying. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC370910 Young people who go missing without authority are protected through written guidance. Staff have clear written guidelines which address how quickly they need to alert the police and how they are to respond to the young person. The home has a protocol with the local police, and there is also regular informal contact which reinforces this and promotes good working relationships. Young people are welcomed back and have a meeting with a member of staff to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are assisted to develop socially acceptable behaviour, staff are guided in their responses by very detailed, written positive handling plans with an emphasis on de-escalation techniques and training in Team Teach. This is clearly successful as the physical intervention log has only one entry which relates to guiding rather than restraint. Any sanctions given are appropriate to the behaviour, such as a car ban for misbehaving in the car or financial reparation for damage. There is a well developed ethos of rewarding positive behaviour and the consequence log has a number of entries for positive behaviour with rewards. Young people comment on any consequences logged and the manager monitors and evaluates the record regularly. Young people said they felt that sanctions were fair.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home provides young people with physical safety and security. There are regular maintenance checks on electrical and gas appliances to ensure their safe operation and these are serviced at appropriate intervals. Fire drills and fire training take place regularly and there are weekly checks of the smoke detectors and extinguishers. The emergency lighting checks have been more ad-hoc but a new system has been implemented to address this.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are protected from potential abusers through robust checking procedures on new staff. Although the main staff files are stored at head office, the manager has evidence of Criminal Records Bureau checks and references in the staff files which are maintained at the home. Visitors are asked for proof of identity and sign the visitors book.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Young people receive support to meet their individual needs which are assessed and recorded in their placement plans. Any particular needs, such as those which pertain to religion or culture, are documented, as are their specific likes, dislikes and interests. Young people are encouraged to get along together as a group through their young people's meetings, eating together and socialising together on Sunday night, but they are also supported in individual activities such as, going to the youth club or shopping. Young people clearly enjoy individual time with staff but also have other people, independent of the home, to talk to, these include independent visitors, family members and other professionals such as, teachers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people's educational needs are met; their files contain their personal education plan to enable the home to work consistently with the young person in accordance with the plan. Staff support the young people to attend school regularly, ensure they have the right equipment, support them with any school work, liaise and communicate with significant staff at school and attend reviews and parents evenings. All written communications from school, including reports, are maintained on the child's file to provide a record of their attainment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people engage in a variety of activities, such as swimming, cinema, days out and the youth club. They are encouraged to make friends locally and these friends can visit the home. The home has a number of board games and DVDs to encourage young people to interact 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC370910 together in a positive way and there is a large garden which young people can access to play outdoors. Young people are also engaged in growing flowers, fruit and vegetables, and their craftwork is displayed within the home, which builds their self-esteem through the recognition and valuing of their achievements.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Young people's needs are comprehensively assessed in written placement plans which are underpinned by detailed daily living plans and action plans which outline how these needs are being met. Young people are involved in this and sign their plans. Placement plans are reviewed and updated regularly and a monthly written report is sent to placing social workers to inform them of the young person's progress. This is also monitored through the diary of events which gives a clear record of what is happening in the young person's life. Risk is appropriately assessed to support the implementation of the placement plan. Each young person has a key worker and regular sessions to discuss any issues. The manager liaises regularly with social workers and parents, as appropriate, to inform them of the young person's progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people's needs are reviewed regularly and the young person is encouraged to contribute to any review, both in writing and by attending in person. Review reports are maintained in the young person's file.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are supported to maintain constructive contact with their family and friends; the home plays an active part in facilitating and supervising direct contact with the families of the young people and facilitates and monitors indirect contact in accordance with the wishes of the placing authority. Clear contact plans are in the file and restrictions are clearly recorded and give good guidance to staff on how to manage these.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people move into and leave the home in a planned and sensitive manner. The manager is clear that she takes the needs of all young people into account before agreeing to a new placement and involves the current young people in this. Young people are encouraged to visit the home before making a decision and receive a welcome book which gives good information about the home and its routines and expectations. Young people, can bring in their own possessions and this includes small pets. Currently young people have hamsters and fish which they care for.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are encouraged to influence the way the home is run and make decisions about their own lives. This is done through key working sessions, young people's meetings, contributions to their reviews and informal discussions. Young people are clearly confident in voicing their opinions to the manager and other staff. The views of families and social workers are sought to inform how the home operates and a recent letter from a social worker expressed great praise in how the home had cared for a young person and significantly improved the outcomes.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. Young people are supported to prepare for adulthood; young people, whatever their age, are encouraged to assist with household tasks such as shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry. When they become older, the home has an independence programme to use with young people, 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC370910 which addresses all areas of life skills which are needed to be independent. Staff work with placing authorities to implement the pathway plan and provide support to young people when they move into the community.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people live in a pleasant environment; the accommodation is homely, domestic, comfortable, clean and well maintained. The living area is spacious and furnished with comfortable seating and has a television and space to play board and electronic games, or listen to music. The kitchen has a dining area, again with comfortable seating so young people can sit and engage with each other or staff. Young people have their own room which they personalise and they have a say in how the home is decorated. A cordless telephone is available for use by the young people in private. The garden is well maintained and spacious, with appropriate play equipment.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The Statement of Purpose, updated and approved in June 2009, and Children's Guide give good information in an appropriate format to anyone who is considering using the service, enabling them to know exactly what to expect. The underpinning policies and procedures reflect the aims and objectives of the service.

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Organisation

Young people are cared for by sufficient numbers of competent staff to meet their needs. There is a deputy manager who deputises in the absence of the registered manager and shift leaders are always senior, experienced members of staff. The home has recently recruited four new members of staff, which has left the home without its 80% ratio of staff with the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level three but these staff are undertaking their Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) induction and are registered to start their NVQ as soon as this is possible. In the meantime, they are always on shift with a qualified senior staff member. Shift patterns allow for a handover period to enable good communication to take place and staff to care consistently for the young people.

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Organisation

There are good monitoring arrangements in place to ensure the home is operating well and meeting the needs of the young people. The visits undertaken under regulation 33 are very thorough, are written using a standard format which covers key National Minimum Standards and highlight any areas which require action. The manager undertakes monthly monitoring of all the relevant records and also writes a report highlighting any actions identified. The home does not currently have a written development plan however.

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Organisation

Children's records contain appropriate information to give a good account of their time in the home and are stored securely and confidentially. Files are well organised and well maintained.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Young people's differing needs are assessed thoroughly and identify any specific aspects relating to equality and diversity issues. The home takes a proactive approach in introducing young people to a variety of cultures through its themed nights and staff are undertaking training in equality and diversity to inform their practice. 8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC370910

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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 all staff are trained in first aid (National Minimum Standards 13.5) • ensure there is a written development plan for the home (National Minimum Standards 33.5). 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC370910

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