Children's Home run by Amicus Residential Care Ltd in Reading

SC059221 Unique reference number 18 August 2009 Inspection date Martin Thomas Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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17 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 8 Inspection Report: SC059221

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Brief description of the service

The home is a four bedroom detached property situated in a quiet location. Public transport is accessible. The home is well situated for all amenities as well as local schools.

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Brief description of the service

The home's Statement of Purpose notes that, 'The home provides care and accommodation for three young people aged 12 years to 16 years for either short or long-term placements. The aim is to provide a safe, secure environment where young people can feel safe and secure whilst respecting each other and those working with them'.

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Brief description of the service

The home has a comprehensive Statement of Purpose whilst a well presented young person's guide is given to each young person on admission to the home.

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Summary

This was an unannounced inspection at which all the key standards were inspected.

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Summary

This is a good service in most respects with one outcome being satisfactory. Young people's welfare is promoted by a confident staff team who are highly committed to achieving positive outcomes in some challenging situations. The home works well with a range of outside agencies. Strong leadership is provided by the manager who is committed to ensuring good outcomes for young people. Staff benefit from good background information, ongoing assessment and regular reviews of young people's needs. Systems for care planning in the home are not sufficiently robust. 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

Six actions and two recommendations were made at the last inspection; all of these have been satisfactorily completed.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The complaints procedure has been updated to include the address of Ofsted.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The child protection policy has been updated.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Fire drills have been regularly carried out to include a night time drill at least every 12 months.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Suitable and safe arrangements have been made for the disposal of cigarette ends.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Appropriate storage is provided in the garden area, no gas cylinders were visible.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Risk assessments have been updated to include the safe disposal of cigarette ends.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Documentation used for room searches is now fully compliant with the national minimum standards.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Policies have been updated as required to ensure accuracy. 4 of 8 Inspection Report: SC059221 In addition the accommodation has been well maintained including redecoration of the dining room.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Menus reflect a balanced and healthy diet, these are established with the young people who are also involved in shopping for and preparing meals. Young people commented that, 'Staff make us aware of what is healthy and unhealthy'. Records are maintained of the actual meals eaten. Older young people are able to budget, buy and prepare meals independently to develop skills for independent living. The kitchen is central to the home, snacks can be prepared as required drinks and fresh fruit is always available.

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Helping children to be healthy

Comprehensive health information and how needs are to be addressed are maintained on young people's files. Young people are assisted to access heath professionals, to resolve immediate medical problems and for advice for example on giving up smoking or other longer term health issues. Staff address health education and lifestyle issues with young people through key work sessions and informally. Young people do smoke in a designated area in the garden and there has been some limited success in encouraging smokers to give up.

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Helping children to be healthy

All staff have first aid training, and medication storage and recording is satisfactory. Staff seek support and advice as necessary on medical issues, for example, staff training has been arranged to increase staff's awareness of drug issues so that they can respond to young people's needs.

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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; children's rooms are spacious and provide a private space for them to personalise. Bedrooms have locks providing security and privacy; staff can enter as necessary but knock before doing so. Children's individual records are well maintained and kept in secure cabinets. Staff discussion about individual children is managed confidentially and conversations are held in private.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are fully aware of the complaints procedure. Staff are keen advocates of the young people. Two complaints have been received from young people since the last inspection and these had been followed through to a conclusion. A brief form of the complaints procedure is given in the young person's guide and a full version is available on the young people's notice board.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff team are experienced residential workers with skills in understanding the needs of the vulnerable children accommodated. Good behaviour is expected and children respond to clear boundaries and the positive relationships they have with staff. Staff regularly discuss care and behaviour management issues to safeguard individual children, planning aims to reduce risk. The home works well with external agencies to ensure that children are kept safe. Young people stated in surveys that they can talk to staff who help them learn about how to keep safe. Young people say that bullying is not an issue and that staff 'keep an eye on us'. Young people's files were comprehensive and include a range of risk assessments for individual children highlighting specific behaviour that might pose a risk and how to address this. Staff are clear about their responsibilities in respect to safeguarding concerns and how to report these and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to do so without delay. 5 of 8 Inspection Report: SC059221 Young people are involved in fire drills and evacuations. Staff have carried out regular checks on the fire detection equipment and fire fighting appliances are regularly serviced. Portable electrical appliances are regularly serviced. The physical environment is safe for children accommodated in the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff recruitment follows safe practice, one member of staff has been recruited since the last inspection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Staff support and promote the interests of individual children and seek opportunities for them specific to their needs and wishes. Holiday activities have been organised through consultation with young people that have included individual short break holidays that have raised young people's aspirations and self-esteem. Individual activities are encouraged, for example, gym membership or street dancing specific to individual children's interests. Staff support young people in keeping contacts with friends by providing transport where public transport is not available or journeys would be too lengthy. Children's friends are welcomed into the home and young people are very comfortable with entertaining their friends.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Educational attendance or attendance at alternative education is excellent, staff celebrate individuals' achievement and seek to build on these successes for the future. Developing independence skills is part of life with young people being assisted and enabled to develop everyday skills, for example, cooking snacks or larger meals, laundering their own clothes at an appropriate age or being involved in these activities of daily living.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Young people's assessed needs are identified through the local authority placement plans and reviews and documentation held on file was comprehensive. Progress is monitored through individual children's daily notes, monthly summaries and staff meeting notes and approaches are changed as necessary to meet children's individual needs. The service does not write its own in-house care plans to identify specific day to day goals and how these are to be achieved. The absence of in-house care plans means intervention is less rigorous than it could be. Young people are encouraged to be involved in their local authority reviews.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff liaise well with extended family for the benefit of the young people resident. There is good communication with social workers, for example, about family and friends' contact to ensure that this remains beneficial to young people. Transport and support are provided to enable family contact and for young people to retain friendships especially where these are some distance from the home. Friends are welcome visitors to the home. A home computer is in regular use for social networking; its usage is monitored for safety. The home provides a weekly credit allowance to young people for their mobile telephones for them to make private calls.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Admission is sensitively handled with appropriate planning and sensitive liaison with other carers. Young people quickly settle in and the children's guide gives a quick reference guide to the home. Staff monitor early progress of new admissions to ensure that their early stay is positive and that they are enabled to form positive relationships with other young people. 6 of 8 Inspection Report: SC059221 The very positive relationships between staff and young people are a strength. Clear boundaries and understood consequences for poor behaviour underpin the positive relationships. Young people contribute to daily living in a number of ways. Formal monthly meetings with young people are held and suggestions are implemented wherever possible.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. Preparation for adulthood is developed through daily living activities, for example, tidying bedrooms, cooking snack meals, shopping and at an appropriate age or if they wish undertaking their own laundry. Older children have independence planning which includes budgeting and self-catering for their own meals; budgeting is based on a realistic financial package.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is well maintained and the dining room has been redecorated and carpeted. The house is indistinguishable from others in the community and the front garden is attractively maintained giving a very positive appearance. Rooms are all of a good size and the layout of the home gives both the opportunity for privacy but also the opportunity for easy supervision of young people to ensure that they are safe. Public transport and shops are easily accessible to meet children's needs.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The aims and objectives are set out in the Statement of Purpose. The overall philosophy is of developing a culture of trust and respect giving as much responsibility as possible to young people to boost their self confidence and development. Young people confirmed that the objectives of the home are met and commented that the home is good at ‘helping me’, ‘compromising’ and ‘having a laugh’. Good partnership work exists with other professionals to ensure that services are effective in meeting the needs of young people.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Care is driven by the individuality of young people and their needs. Children's individual interests are developed and encouraged. Care planning accurately records details of their ethnicity and religious backgrounds. Staff present positive role models both female and male and from different cultural backgrounds.

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Organisation

The staff team are skilled and highly committed to achieving the best for the young people. Effective staff communication takes place in a number of ways, for example, staff handovers, staff meetings, and written notes. Staff benefit from regular supervision and training appropriate to their needs and the developing needs of the service. Training ensures that there are both basic competencies and specific knowledge to meet individual children's needs. The record of staff in the home is out of date as some staff have left. Staffing numbers are good, the home has a core staff team with regular seasonal staff to meet need; staffing often provides one to one ratios.

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Organisation

The manager regularly monitors events in the home's records, she is very much in day to day control of the home and monitors through active involvement as well as through records. Records are well maintained enabling positive management of the home. 7 of 8 Inspection Report: SC059221

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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

2 October 2009 ensue that the record of staff working in the home is accurate and up to date (Regulation 29(1) schedule 4, 2) 4 November 2009 ensure that the home draws up individual care plans with outcome goals identified with young people that are consistent with the placement plans to ensure there is a proactive approach and ongoing review and assessment. (Regulation 12)

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Recommendations

There are no recommendations. 8 of 8 Inspection Report: SC059221

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