Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

SC035976 Unique reference number 10 March 2010 Inspection date Carole Moore Inspector Random Type of Inspection

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4 February 2010 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 7 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 10 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 bungalow set back off a street with other residential properties. The young people 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 of the property. The home is close to local shops and leisure facilities and there is access to public transport.

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Summary

This inspection was unannounced and focused on the key standards in the Every Child Matters outcome group of staying safe, two standards in being healthy, three in enjoy and achieve, one in making a positive contribution and five standards in organisation. It also looked at progress to rectify the regulatory shortfalls and best practice recommendations identified at the last inspection in February 2010. One young person was present during this inspection.

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Summary

The last inspection found the service to be satisfactory and this inspection makes no change to that judgement. 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

The management and staff have responded positively to the actions and recommendations that were made at the previous key inspection. In fairness there has been very little time to fully address the shortfalls as the interim inspection followed on from the key inspection after only four weeks. However, several areas in record keeping have been addressed and the actions in relation to placement planning is currently under review. Staff are implementing new placement plans which will ultimately address the actions needed to meet young people's needs and in measuring the outcomes. Four actions will remain and most of the best practice recommendations will also remain and be fully assessed at the next inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. The home have a resident cook who offers young people a varied choice of nutritious meals and young people are encouraged to plan and prepare meals. The staff now fully record what people are eating and help young people understand the benefits of a healthy diet.

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Helping children to be healthy

The health plans are being rewritten and will include the steps that are being taken to put in place preventative measures with specific regard to smoking.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. 4 of 7 Inspection Report: SC035976 Young people live in a stable and safe environment and the home has systems in place that safeguard young people from abuse or harm. Staff are clear about their responsibilities for safeguarding the young people in their care.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people's privacy is promoted. They have single occupancy bedrooms to which they have appropriate access. The living arrangements provide space where they can relax and easily find privacy away from others if they wish. Sensitive information is held securely in the staff office.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are protected from bullying behaviour because staff are aware of what they must do to prevent these circumstances from occurring. Staff and young people know that unacceptable behaviour of any kind is not tolerated and will be challenged. This ensures a safe and comfortable place to live because expectations about behaviour and conduct are clearly communicated in a way that has a positive effect on young people. The home has systems in place to deal with complaints and any issues. Young people know how to complain and feel that they are listened to and taken seriously. There have been no formal complaints for some time.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has clear procedures for responding to child protection concerns and all staff have initial training in child protection which is regularly updated. Staff monitor all visitors to the home, who are required to provide evidence of their identity and sign a visitors' book and this ensures young people are not being exposed to potential risks.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are assisted to develop appropriate behaviour through the encouragement of acceptable behaviour and constructive staff responses to inappropriate behaviour. Behaviour management policy and strategies have as their prime objective the creation of a safe, supportive environment. Most staff have completed the required training to ensure when physical intervention is necessary, it is consistent with guidance. There is positive interaction between the staff and the young people and lots of friendly banter. The manager is now ensuring that she signs the sanctions log as part of her quality assurance role.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Safe procedures are in place to protect young people from fire and fire systems are regularly tested. Staff and young people undertake fire drills in excess of requirements. A new procedure is now in place to address any deficiencies identified in the drills, and these are recorded and evaluated. A separate form has been implemented to identify which members of staff are on duty when the fire drill takes place. Fire procedure have been further addressed at a recent team meeting. There are generic risk assessments in the home addressing various aspects of the environment. These are to be updated and there are also plans in hand to include the front door security but this has not yet been implemented.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The vetting of staff is carried out centrally by Derbyshire Human Resources. The manager is to spend some time with the recruitment team to verify the process and to retain records of her staff in the home. The home is selective, with the recruitment of the right person being more important than the filling of the vacancy.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Placement plans are being rewritten by the staff to incorporate actions plans to meet the overall needs of the young people placed. There will also be a measurement of outcomes evaluated on a monthly basis which will be incorporated into the monthly summaries sent to individual 5 of 7 Inspection Report: SC035976 social workers. This new initiative is at a very early stage and will be fully assessed at the next inspection. These placement plans will fully address all areas of a young person's life including religion, racial origin and cultural background.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The local authority will be implementing a corporate checklist for all new placements and this will be across all Derbyshire homes. This will look at the matching process and indicate why the match is taking place. This is currently under discussion.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The home has a motivated, committed and enthusiastic team of staff who understand their role and responsibilities. The Registered Manager and the deputy manager provide good day-to-day support to individual shifts and as a result they are well informed about daily routines, events and the progress of each young person.

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Organisation

The home provides a wide range of information about its stated aims and purpose. Young people are given a handbook that is in an appropriate format to help them learn about what the home provides. The number of staff on duty is always enough to meet the needs of young people which supports their welfare and protection. There is a core training programme and support system in place that helps to provide staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to support and care for young people. However, there is no clear staff training matrix in place and this is currently being organised.

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Organisation

Staff say they are well supported but do not receive regular supervision. This is currently an area being addressed by the registered manager. Staff feel there is an open door policy so they feel able to share opinions or ask advice at any time. This has become the culture of the home but they do need to have specific supervision time which is recorded and programmed into their monthly timetable. Staff shift handovers are well planned to ensure all information is exchanged and shared. Staff meetings are held on a monthly basis and form a valuable communication tool for staff to maintain their consistent approach and sort out any concerns and discrepancies. Team meetings do need to be well minuted to show the practice that is being discussed within these meetings.

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Organisation

A written development plan is currently under discussion within the management team and will be presented to Ofsted on its completion.

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Organisation

The last key inspection highlighted a number of shortfalls in evidencing practice, record keeping and quality assurance. The management and staff are fully aware of the areas that need addressing and are working with the other Derbyshire Children's Homes to make the necessary changes. 6 of 7 Inspection Report: SC035976

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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

12 April 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)) 12 April 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)) 12 April 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)) 12 April 2010 ensure all staff receive appropriate training and appraisal, with regard to equipping them with the skills required to meet the 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 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 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

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Recommendations

(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). 7 of 7 Inspection Report: SC035976

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