Children's Home run by Radical Services Limited in Westmorland and Furness

SC061158 Unique reference number 26 February 2010 Inspection date Stephen Smith 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 9 Inspection Report: SC061158

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is a two storey, terraced house situated in a residential area, within walking distance of the local town centre and all its amenities. There is a paved front garden area and a garden to the rear of the home. The ground floor contains a communal lounge, kitchen with dining area and utility room. All sleeping accommodation, bathroom and toilet facilities are sited on the upper floor.

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Brief description of the service

The home provides accommodation and care for one young person, of either gender, aged from 12 years old up to 17 years old. Single bedroom accommodation is provided for young people resident. The home has its own staff team, timetabled to cover duties 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Summary

This unannounced inspection looked at all key standards and examined all outcome areas. It also examined the home’s action in respect to the two recommendations made at the last inspection.

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Summary

This home provides a good service to young people across all outcome areas. Young people receive good support to stay healthy, are encouraged to achieve educationally and vocationally and helped to prepare for independence. They are listened to, their views are taken seriously and they are able to complain if they are not satisfied. The home is also good at helping young people manage their own behaviour and works well to keep them safe.

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Summary

Staff members know young people well and provide care and support in a way appropriate to their needs. However, care plans are not always updated as they should be and some risk assessments are weak which could reduce the quality of care provided. The home’s Statement of Purpose is not comprehensive enough and its policy and guidance on health matters is not sufficiently detailed to underpin the work done in this area. Monitoring by the registered provider is good but does not seek the views of young people, their families and social workers. However, these are sought in other ways. The home’s staff recruitment procedure is generally sound with some strong elements but does not always identify gaps in applicants’ employment histories and seek explanation for these. 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 last inspection two recommendations were made to the registered provider. One of these was to ensure that the house manager completed the process of applying to Ofsted to be the home’s registered manager. The other related to the need for the registered provider to visit the home on a monthly basis to assess the quality of care and the home’s operation. Both these recommendations have been fully addressed by the registered provider.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC061158 The home provides young people with a food in such a way as to meet their needs and promote their independence. Young people are supported to prepare for independence by planning their diet, budgeting, choosing, buying and cooking their own meals. The degree of independence in this area is determined by young people’s age and their placement plan. Guidance is provided to young people about healthy eating and exercise and a record of all meals taken is maintained. The home ensures that staff know about safe and hygienic food preparation.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people's primary and specialist health needs are well planned for and met. Consent for medical treatment has been obtained. Care planning relating to young people’s health is good. Clear information is obtained about children’s health and any health support or treatment needed is sought. Young people are registered with all primary health services and receive any specialist input necessary. Staff provide young people with support and education relating to their emotional, relationship and sexual health and safety. Young people receive information and education on health matters, such as drug and alcohol misuse and the effects of smoking. The home has a policy relating to the promotion of young people’s health. However, this is not detailed enough and does not fully underpin the work carried out.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home has secure and appropriate storage for medication and staff are trained in the safe handling of medication. Arrangements for the receipt, administration and disposal of medication are sound. Young people are able to self-medicate where this is identified as appropriate within their placement plan and on the basis of a risk assessment. Accurate records are maintained and the home has good arrangements to safely retain and administer any household remedies that may be needed. All staff members are trained in first aid. This ensures young people get any medication and treatment they need to stay healthy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Young people are afforded privacy and respect by the home’s staff team. They are able to have mobile phones and have free access to a telephone to keep in touch with people important to them. Information is stored securely which protects young people's rights and children are able to see information recorded about them. The home has a policy about searching young people's possessions in the interests of their welfare and safety. Staff members respect young people’s privacy and confidentiality in the delivery of their care.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has a complaints procedure and appropriate information is provided to young people. Young people know how to complain and have readily accessible documentation and information to help them to do so. Records are in place to record any complaints. The home takes any complaints from young people seriously, takes action where necessary and keeps young people informed of the progress of the investigation and its outcome. This helps keep young people safe, demonstrates a positive attitude towards them and shows that they are listened to and that their opinions are important.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has a child protection procedure in place. This has recently been revised as part of the registered provider’s process of reviewing the home’s policies. The procedure covers the required range of matters and staff members know and understand it. Staff members have received training in child protection and know how to help protect young people if there were to be an allegation or suspicion of abuse at the home. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC061158 The home accommodates one young person at any one time therefore bullying is not an issue. The home has an anti-bullying policy in place. An absence without authority procedure is in place and is understood by staff, which helps to safeguard young people. There is a record for any incidents. This record is well maintained and demonstrates that young people are encouraged to talk to an independent person on their return from being absent without authority. Any

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

incidences of absences are notified to the placing authority. Staff work effectively with young people to discuss and discourage any incidents and to promote more appropriate and safer behaviour for young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home manages young people’s behaviour well. Staff have good relationships with young people. They work in a way that encourages and shapes positive behaviour in young people using rewards and incentives. They discuss young people’s behaviour with them and help them to manage it themselves. Behaviour is managed in the manner most appropriate for the young person with sanctions not being generally used for older young people who are approaching independence. Physical intervention is rarely used though all staff have appropriate training in case this should be necessary to safeguard young people. Record books for incidents of physical intervention and sanctions are in place and correctly structured.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risk assessments of young people's known and likely activities are carried out and recorded. However, these are generally not detailed enough in identifying the risk and the specific action to be taken to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. For example, in one risk assessment the action to be take section only listed additional risks. As a consequence there is not enough information for staff about what to do to promote young people's safety. Generic risk assessments of the home and its grounds are also undertaken and kept up to date. Health and safety matters are managed well. Maintenance and checks of equipment, including the gas boiler, portable electrical appliances and fire equipment are carried out appropriately. These matters help to keep young people safe. Fire drills are carried out regularly and all staff and young people have been involved so they know what to do to stay safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has a staff recruitment procedure in place. This is followed in a manner that is commendably robust in some areas. For example, all written references are followed up verbally to seek additional information and the home endeavours to independently verify the reasons applicants left previous posts working with children or vulnerable adults. However, applicants’ employment histories are not always fully checked to identify and seek explanations for any gaps. This means that the suitability of new staff members may not always be fully assured.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Young people are provided with good individual support. Assessed needs are identified in their care plans along with how they are to be met. Any specific care needs arising from young people’s culture, ethnicity or disability are identified and met. Staff members know young people very well and the operation of the home is based solely on their needs, routines and arrangements. The home’s staff communicate well with young people’s social workers and provide very good information for their statutory reviews. Focussed work takes place to help young people prepare for independence. Young people receive information and education on matters relating to substance misuse and sexual health, as well as other health and social matters. Young people have access to advocacy services and other people independent of the home. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC061158 The home works hard to support young people’s educational and vocational achievement. It

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develops links with education services and works closely with employment and job seeking services. Young people’s files contain records of their academic progress and support is provided by staff based on young people’s requirements. Staff work with young people to encourage independence and to help them develop the skills they will need for the future. A wide range of leisure and recreational opportunities are provided.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Young people’s placement plans clearly set out their needs and how these are to be met. However, placement plans are not always updated as young people’s situations and needs change. Consequently, they do not direct the provision of care well enough. Staff members know young people well and deliver care and support in a way that is clearly based on their needs. Young people’s records are good. Very detailed periodic reports are provided to young people’s social workers that set out their progress, situation and future needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The home contributes effectively to local authorities’ statutory child care reviews. Young people attend their reviews and are supported to give their views of their care and plans. Contact arrangements are clearly set out in young people's files and contact events are recorded. The home provides young people with good support to keep in touch with people important to them. It provides long distance transport for children to maintain contact with their families and helps young people to express their views and preferences regarding contact arrangements and the people they wish to have contact with.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The home provides good support for young people moving into or leaving the home. Admissions are based on consideration of whether the home can meet the young person’s needs. It works effectively to help plan for children leaving the home by sharing information and communicating well with other professionals involved with young people. The home's operation is clearly based on consultation with young people. As a home registered to provide care to one young person only, the home's routine and operation is based on the specific needs and preferences of the young person accommodated at that time.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. The home works well to help young people to prepare for their adult lives. Young people are supported to develop the skills and attitudes necessary for independent life. This work is reflected in placement plans and other records. Young people are engaged in the provision of their own care and the development of skills needed in later life. They are supported to buy and prepare their own food, undertake their own laundry and manage their own behaviour. Support is provided to help young people learn to budget and manage their finances as well as with job seeking and continuing education. Local authorities’ plans for children are known to staff and the home contributes to the development of these plans.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home provides a satisfactory, domestic and homely environment that is conducive to the care of young people.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC061158 The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The home accommodates only one young person at a time and its routines and operation are based around the specific needs and preferences of that young person. Care plans identify young people’s needs and staff work closely with them to ensure that their individual circumstances are identified and reflected in their care. Young people moving to the home from elsewhere are supported to settle into a new area and the impact of a change of culture arising from this move is considered and addressed. Matters that promote fairness, such as access to the complaints system and the way children are listened to are good.

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Organisation

The Statement of Purpose provides satisfactory information about the home and the services it provides. However, it does not fully set out the number, experience and relevant qualifications of the staff team and how appropriate role models of both sexes will be provided given the home’s all male staff team. The young people’s guide is detailed and attractively presented. It provides young people with a very good idea of what they can expect from the home and how they will be cared for in a format that is accessible and attractive to young people. It gives young people clear information about what to do and who to contact if they are not happy at the home.

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Organisation

The home ensures that its staff team are qualified, experienced and knowledgeable. If staff members do not possess their National Vocational Qualification at Level 3 in the Caring for Young People on appointment they are registered and begin working towards this promptly. The home provides staff with good training in a wide range of matters relating to the care of children. Staff members understand the needs of young people and how to meet them. Staff are sufficient in number to meet the needs of the young people placed. Staffing levels are based on children’s identified needs and discussion with their placing authority. Staff have good relationships with young people, treat them with respect and spend a lot of time talking with them.

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Organisation

External monitoring of the home is effective. Visits that take place under Regulation 33 occur with the frequency required and are unannounced. The manager has a structured process to ensure that any actions identified as necessary from these visits are completed. This is clearly recorded and monitored. A recent revision to the forms used to record visits under this regulation resulted in the requirement to seek the views of young people, their parents and social workers being removed from the form. This means that the process no longer covers all matters required by regulation. However, the manager operates a detailed and robust process for monitoring the operation of the home in line with Regulation 34. This process includes discussion with young people and a record of the outcome of this consultation. This means that the registered provider maintains a clear view of the operation of the home.

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Organisation

Young people's files contain all required information so they have a full history of their care.

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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

8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC061158 23 April 2010 ensure that a full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment, is sought for all persons seeking to work at the children’s home (Regulation 26(3) of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001) 23 April 2010 ensure that the Statement of Purpose covers all the matters listed in Schedule 1 of these regulations (Regulation 4(1) of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001) 23 April 2010 ensure that visits made by the registered provider under this regulation include an interview, with their consent and in private, with children accommodated there. (Regulation 33(4) of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001)

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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 policy and written guidance on promoting the health of children in the home includes the matters set out in this standard (NMS 12.5) • ensure that risk assessments relating to children clearly identify the likelihood and severity of specific risks and detail the actions to be taken to reduce these to an acceptable level (NMS 26.2) • ensure that written placement plans are maintained so that the information contained is current and relevant. (NMS 2.1) 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC061158

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