Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children's Services (2) Limited in Telford and Wrekin

SC398386 Unique reference number 18 August 2009 Inspection date Andrew Hewston 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: SC398386

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Brief description of the service

The home forms part of a range of children's services within the organisation. It is a three bedded home offering care and accommodation to young people with a range of differing needs including services for young people that experience emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Brief description of the service

The home offers individual bedrooms for young people, a main lounge, smaller lounge, large kitchen and dining area. The home has a large garden including established trees.

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Brief description of the service

There are a range of activity facilities nearby and also local shops.

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Summary

The home offers a very good level of care to the young people. Young people's health needs are well supported and they are kept safe through appropriate checks and good systems. Young people enjoy an excellent range of activities that are geared towards individual needs and education is promoted consistently. Placement planning needs to be developed to fully support young people on a daily basis, but the staff team ensure that young people's needs are well met. The home is well staffed by a more than competent team. 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

This is a new registration following the administration of the old organisation. No concerns have been raised with regard to the continuity of care to the young people as part of this change. No previous actions or recommendations of good practice are in place with regard to this registered provision.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Young people enjoy a good range of foods and menus are developed in consultation with the young people. Staff are trained in food hygiene and foods are appropriately labelled. The home has a large garden and the staff have been creative with the development of a vegetable patch with food being grown by the young people and cooked as part of their meals.

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Helping children to be healthy

Health plans are in place although they do not sufficiently follow the expectations of the standard. Information with relation to health issues is available within individual files and assessments have been completed with regard to specific health needs. Information shows that young people's health is promoted by the staff team. Accidents are sufficiently recorded by staff. Young people have access to external health professionals where necessary.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff are trained in the administration of medication and medication records are appropriately kept. Medication audits are completed on a weekly basis to ensure the safety of young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. 4 of 8 Inspection Report: SC398386 Young people's privacy is promoted through individual bedrooms and access to telephones as necessary. Systems are in place for searches of bedrooms and this has only been completed when necessary, with recordings completed appropriately.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Complaints information is available for young people, with information regarding how to contact differing persons and organisations. All complaints are appropriately recorded, although there have been no complaints raised since the home's last inspection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

No safeguarding concerns have been raised within the home since the last inspection. Staff have received training in safeguarding and there is information available to assist staff reporting any safeguarding concerns, either through internal systems or directly to the local safeguarding board.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home's staff ensure that all young people are aware of support that they would receive in instances of bullying. Disagreements between young people are responded to effectively by the staff team and recorded. Bullying has formed part of key worker meetings between staff and young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Absconding behaviour is responded to by the staff team, with effective measures of control as well as support for the young people. There is an effective and clear reporting protocol in place relating to absconding behaviours to support the safety of young people. One incident of absconding is not fully cross referenced within the home's monitoring system.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are trained in the use of differing measures of control, including restraint and sanctions. Differing measures of control are used within the home and are well recorded within the main measures of control log containing all information as required by the standard. The home has a main referencing log relating to measures of control and a number of errors relating to the referencing of incidents have occurred. Although these errors do not have a direct effect on the safety of young people, or on the care provision, they effect the monitoring systems such as, the regulation 34 monitoring, which is based on the examination of the main referencing log. Sanctions and restraints are completed appropriately to develop positive behaviours.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Health and safety checks are completed by the staff team on a regular basis including fire safety checks and portable appliance testing. All hazardous materials are stored away from young people. A recent environmental health inspection stated that the 'kitchen is kept to a high standard'.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The organisation’s staff recruitment checks were inspected on the 6th July 2009 and show that there are robust procedures in place that ensure the safety of the young people. All areas as required by the standards are appropriately checked. Where issues have arisen these are discussed within the recruitment process, responded to and recorded. The organisation has responded to a previous recommendation and now checks new staff against the disqualification for caring for children regulations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. There are a very good range of support structures in place for young people within the home, both internally and through external bodies. Young people have regular key working meetings that are well recorded and show that discussions take place regarding a range of subjects 5 of 8 Inspection Report: SC398386 pertinent to the development of individuals. Young people are able to access the VOICE organisation for independent support or guidance. Young people are additionally supported by psychiatric care professionals within the organisation.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Education is promoted strongly within the home and there is a wide range of information relating to young people's education provision and how staff have supported schooling within young people's files. Individual education plans and educational statements are in place showing how the home is working with the school to support educational achievements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people enjoy a very good range of activities and staff are involved in these to support individuals. All of the young people have gone on holiday during the summer break and young people are supported either to go out independently or with support depending on their specific needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Placement plans are in place for each young person, these are based on the Looked After Children documentation, which is variable in its quality. Although information within placement plans includes the areas required by the statement, this is lacking in sufficient depth to show how the staff are caring for young people on a day-to-day basis. Staff develop action points to work on with young people from the placement plans. Although this is a positive move, there is a difficulty with how these action points can be assessed as being met, and there does not appear to be a specific recording tool to examine a young persons development against them.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Review information is well recorded and show that staff work with young people prior to reviews to gain their views about how their care needs to develop. Reviews are carried out on a six monthly basis and minutes are available for the young person.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Contact arrangements for young people are promoted strongly by the staff team and support the care of young people. Arrangements are clear within the placement plans and incidents of contact are appropriately recorded within the young people's files. Staff have supported supervised contact with young people's families well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are consulted on a daily basis and this is apparent within the daily recordings. More formal consultation processes such as key worker meetings and young people's meetings are recorded well and occur on approximately a weekly basis.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. No young people are of an age to require pathway planning within the home, although the staff are able to discuss how they support independence training to develop young people's skills.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The accommodation provided is well cared for by the staff team and young people. Young people's bedrooms are well personalised and communal areas are clean and comfortable, allowing individuals sufficient space within the home if necessary. Bedrooms have been recently redecorated, in response to young people's behaviours. A number of the bedroom windows failed to have sufficiently robust restrictors on them to ensure safety, this has been rectified 6 of 8 Inspection Report: SC398386 by the end of the inspection. The garden's perimeter has a section of fencing that is missing and this allows free access from the pathway next to the home, and may compromise young people's privacy. The Registered Manager states that this issue has been raised with the organisations maintenance team.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The home has an appropriate statement of purpose and young people's guide, these are updated on a regular basis. They give a good range of information relating to the home and arrangements within it. The home has a staffing policy that does not currently form part of the statement but includes all of the necessary information regarding how the home is staffed and staffing ratios. The home is appropriately staffed.

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Organisation

Staff are supervised approximately once a month. Staff meetings also take place to support the staff team and minutes show that a good range of subjects are discussed as part of these. The recent change in administration of the home has led to some staff not completing appraisals and personal development plans due to this being linked to pay. The manager states that they are attempting to highlight the need for appraisals to be completed to develop staff training.

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Organisation

The home is staffed by a team that has a good range of experience and qualifications and are competent to meet the needs of the young people. All staff leading shifts have sufficient experience. Exactly 80% of the staff team have completed the NVQ 3 training, with other staff in the process of completing this. Staff receive a good range of training within the organisation, with all staff receiving robust inductions and support when they first start.

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Organisation

Monitoring systems are robust within the home, with a regular quality monitoring system, and regulation 34 monitoring completed by the management team showing that the management have a good awareness of ongoing issues within the home. The home is visited on a monthly basis by the regulation 33 visitor. These visits are basic but highlight areas of good practice and those in need of development.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity within the service is good. Staff show a good awareness of the specific needs of the young people and promote differing cultures. This is done through incorporating differing cultures into planning of activities and through discussions with young people.

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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

18 September 2009 ensure a placement plan is in place stating how on a day to day basis young people will be cared for (regulation 12.1) 9 October 2009 ensure all staff have up to date appraisals (regulation 27.4). 28 7 of 8 Inspection Report: SC398386

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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 all young people have a clear health plan as part of their placement plan (standard 12.2) • ensure staff respond to the policy, procedures and guidance based on the recording of disciplinary measures (standard 22.1) • ensure the exterior to the home is maintained in a good state of structural repair (standard 24.3). 8 of 8 Inspection Report: SC398386

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