Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

SC035976 Unique reference number 4 February 2010 Inspection date David Morgan 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: SC035976

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is registered to a local authority and is located in an urban area. The home can accommodate up to four boys or girls aged between 11 and 17 years of age, with emotional and behavioural difficulties; young adults may be accommodated. The home provides medium to long-term care.

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Brief description of the service

The home is a large detached house set back off a street with other residential properties. The children have single bedrooms with bathrooms located nearby. There is a large lounge and a domestic-style kitchen. A sun lounge provides a computer room for young people. There is an ample garden and car parking is at the front. The home is close to local shops and leisure facilities and there is access to public transport.

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Brief description of the service

At the time of this inspection there were four young people in placement all of whom participated in the inspection.

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Summary

This unannounced full inspection found the quality rating to be satisfactory. Direct work with children and young people is sound but shortfalls arise in the attention paid to individual issues, care planning and fire drills. Paperwork is not sufficiently integrated by staff into their daily practices and important targets are not addressed sufficiently. All areas of care were inspected and issues of equality and diversity are addressed adequately. The shortfalls identified are balanced somewhat by the stability provided to children and young people and the mature approach taken by staff, which have clear, positive benefits. The previous recommendation regarding vehicle safety has been addressed. 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

Following the last inspection the safety of children and young people has been improved by checks that ensure staff vehicles are taxed and well maintained.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. The cook ensures that children and young people are offered healthy, nutritious meals that meet their dietary needs. Salad and fruit are routinely available and there is free access to the kitchen at reasonable times. Children and young people take opportunities to plan and prepare meals and make cakes. In addition, they are encouraged to grow vegetables in the garden. Attention is given to providing meals that represent other countries and cultures and further work is planned in this area. Menu records are kept but they do not routinely identify individual children and young people’s shortfalls in nutritional intake, which is an important factor in the current and future health of children and young people.

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Helping children to be healthy

The good health of children and young people is also addressed by satisfactory attention to routine and personal health matters. However, strategies to address certain long-term issues, such as smoking and other matters, are not subject to the usual planning process. This is 4 of 8 Inspection Report: SC035976 unsatisfactory and indicates insufficient understanding by management and staff even though there is good liaison with health professionals. Any medication is stored and recorded appropriately and little is currently required.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The welfare of children and young people is fully promoted by relevant staff training and refresher courses in child protection issues. Such protection is also provided by particularly effective attention to preventing bullying. This has resulted in staff and children and young people obtaining a higher award in an anti-bullying scheme, which is to their credit. The home is also effective in avoiding children and young people being absent without authority. Safeguarding of children and young people is supported by a high standard of selection and vetting of staff although this is inadequately evidenced on site. Young people’s privacy is respected well by staff and information is stored safely. Children and young people are fully aware of how to make formal complaints and they respond constructively to complaints made by other people, such as neighbours, for which they deserve full credit.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are good systems, reasonably well applied, to help children and young people develop socially acceptable behaviour. Financial incentives are linked to placement plan targets, which is good practice; reparation is also used. There is however, insufficient evidence of the manager checking sanctions and some are inappropriate, for example, when they are related to education.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children and young people benefit from satisfactory safety measures that include regular fire drills. However, there is inadequate application of the service’s own fire procedures. Fire drills, for example, are being undertaken without consideration of likely scenarios. Also, the records are inadequately interpreted and acted upon, for example, if children or young people respond slowly. This means that staff and children and young people are at increased risk in the event of a real fire or other emergency.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Individual support is provided when young people need it and is of a satisfactory standard. Individual issues are pursued in general conversations in the home or in key worker sessions. Such issues are usually identified clearly and children and young people have access to a variety of staff at all times. However, it is not appropriate for cultural and religious backgrounds to be omitted from planning as they are critical features of children and young people's identities. Education, on the other hand, is given a high priority and children and young people receive personal, health, social and sex education there. There is a good level of attendance. Achievements have been obtained in various areas and specialist teacher support is available when necessary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children and young people are offered an excellent range of leisure activities and are encouraged to try new ones, such as horse riding. A youth worker visits the home regularly to engage children and young people in community activities too, which is particularly beneficial. Staff also successfully engage children and young people in a wide variety of table-top activities indoors and last summer went with them to Spain on holiday. However, the analysis of the risks posed to and by each child and young people only takes into account the date the issue last occurred; this is unsatisfactory, potentially dangerous and shows a lack of understanding. 5 of 8 Inspection Report: SC035976

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Placement planning is inadequate. Although large quantities of information are recorded, important targets are imprecise and not addressed systematically. It is not satisfactory, for example, for staff to be told to ‘encourage personal hygiene’ or to ‘help X understand positive behaviour’ because such targets are insufficiently specific, measurable and time-based. Certain important issues are not identified in planning documents at all despite staff being familiar with the majority of issues faced by children and young people. Daily and monthly records do not systematically address some of the most important needs of children and young people. The lack of understanding about effective coordination means valuable opportunities are missed and progress is insufficient on, for example, health and other important issues.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

In this context, reviews have less impact despite the review process itself being strong. However, issues such as family contact are regularly checked and shown to operate satisfactorily. Children and young people are also effectively consulted in a good variety of other ways and contribute to the development of the home, for example, in choosing the design of the new kitchen. Participation and success are acknowledged and rewarded. This is an important feature of the home and is based on strong professional relationships between staff and children and young people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children and young people are helped to move into and leave the home in a planned and sensitive manner. For example, pre-admission visits occur whenever possible and written information is provided and followed-up verbally. However, decision-making that shows the needs and likely effect of new children on the group is not recorded; this is an important part of decision-making and of children and young people’s histories. Similarly, the contribution of staff to the discharge of young people is not recorded.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. Children and young people enjoy homely accommodation, decorated, furnished and maintained to a good standard in a suitable location. There is a pleasant atmosphere in the home and it is largely domestic in presentation. Young people receive satisfactory care to help prepare them for adulthood. There is effective support of young people’s independence skills, for example, regarding cooking, finances and laundry. The required documents are in place and there are effective links with appropriate organisations. However, planning is not sufficiently detailed and monitoring of the necessary skills does not occur. In some cases, those independence targets that have been defined in placement plans are not being addressed at all. This indicates insufficient understanding by staff and management.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The promotion of equality and diversity is satisfactory. Activities are arranged regarding different cultures and staff have positive discussions with children and young people about minority groups. Issues of equality are addressed reasonably well but this report highlights areas to develop. 6 of 8 Inspection Report: SC035976 New children and young people are told what services they can expect from the home and receive written information describing it. Children and young people have been involved in compiling the children’s guide and this is good practice. Their progress is recorded in satisfactory individual files. The Statement of Purpose accurately describes the staffing arrangements that are in place. Children and young people are looked after by staff who receive satisfactory support themselves. Personal development, for example, is monitored and there are regular

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Organisation

supervisory meetings although these do not occur at the required intervals in all cases. This is further evidence of shortfalls in the administration of routine issues.

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Organisation

Children and young people receive the care and services they need from a sufficient number of highly trained staff that includes an unusually high proportion of professionally qualified staff and senior staff. This contributes significantly to positive outcomes for children and young people, although staff training records are not sufficiently clear. However, this report highlights shortfalls that belie this level of competence. In particular, there is insufficient understanding of the purpose and value of the documents, which are not being used to the best benefit of children and young people. Insufficiently effective placement planning is of particular concern but fire drills and risk assessments are also flawed and call into question the effectiveness of training.

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Organisation

This inspection shows there is insufficient leadership. For example, regular monitoring occurs but does not identify practical deficiencies; fire drills are undertaken but not sufficiently understood; placement plans do not tell staff how to undertake tasks, and Pathway Plans are in place but are not translated into practice. The shortfalls occur in fundamental issues despite being addressed by policies and procedures, and have been raised by the organisation in previous manager’s meetings. There is also no development plan with which to adequately improve the quality of care and plan the future of the home.

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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 March 2010 ensure by means of drills and practices at suitable intervals that the persons working at the home, and so far as practicable, the children living there, are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire (Regulation 32(1)(e)) 15 March 2010 ensure the home is conducted with due regard to the religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural background of children accommodated there (Regulation 11(2)(b)) 15 March 2010 ensure a written plan for each child sets out how his welfare will be safeguarded and promoted, with regard to risk assessments in an appropriate format (Regulation 12(1)(a)) 7 of 8 Inspection Report: SC035976 15 March 2010 ensure placement plans set out how, on a day to day basis, each child will be cared for, and his welfare safeguarded and promoted by the home (Regulation 12(1)(a)) 19 April 2010 ensure all staff receive appropriate training and appraisal, with regard to equipping them with the skills required to meet the

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Due date Action Standard

needs of the children. (Regulation 27(4)(a))

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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 the record of menus as served demonstrates provision of a suitable and varied diet, with regard to individual nutritional intakes (NMS 10.4) • ensure each child has a written health plan covering any necessary preventative measures, with regard to smoking and other matters (NMS 12.2) • ensure there is a written record of the recruitment process for all staff including evidence that all requirements of Schedule 2 have been met in every case (NMS 27.1) • ensure that unacceptable behaviour is responded to by constructive and acceptable measures approved by the registered person, with regard to educational difficulties (NMS 22.1) • ensure the registered person signs against each entry of sanction and restraint to confirm that monitoring has taken place (NMS 22.11) • ensure any deficiency identified from drills is noted and action taken to remedy the deficiency

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Recommendations

(NMS 26.8) • ensure the risk assessment of the home's premises includes front door security (NMS 26.2) • ensure the procedures for introducing children to the home and discharging them are followed, and they are recorded (NMS 5.2, 5.5 and 5.7) • ensure all staff receive at least one and a half hours of one to one supervision each month (NMS 28.2) • ensure that a written record of all training for all staff is maintained in the home, providing sufficient evidence to meet this standard (NMS 31.4) • ensure there is a written development plan for the future of the home (NMS 33.5) • ensure the registered manager exercises effective leadership of the home's staff and operation such that the home delivers the best possible child care. (NMS 34.6) 8 of 8 Inspection Report: SC035976

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