Children's Home run by Step-A-Side Company Limited in Gloucestershire

SC030650 Unique reference number 18 February 2010 Inspection date Michael Williams Inspector Random 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 6 Inspection Report: SC030650

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is one of two run by the same limited company. It is a five bedroom detached house set in almost an acre of gardens in a rural location. It provides care and accommodation for a maximum of four children of either sex with emotional or behavioural difficulties, or learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection, the home was accommodating two young people, one under and one over 18-years-old. The latter young person had moved into the home before they were aged 18 and they were continuing in placement through an agreed exemption to the home's conditions of registration.

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Summary

This was an announced interim inspection. It was announced a few hours beforehand so that a recent staff recruitment record could be brought to the home from the company's office. The focus of this inspection was to re-inspect the key national minimum standards for children's homes relating to the staying safe outcome for young people, and to follow up the one action and recommendation reported following the home's key inspection in July 2009. The key finding from this inspection is that the home continues to be good at helping young people to stay safe. For example, the home is good at: addressing young people's complaints seriously and without delay; protecting young people from bullying by assessing the compatibility of new admissions and existing residents; using individualised reward systems with young people to assist them to develop socially acceptable behaviour; monitoring staff's use of restraint and

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Summary

sanctions with young people to ensure their appropriateness; and securing the information required on people seeking to work at a children's home. 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

The last inspection required the home to ensure that all the necessary information is in staff recruitment records, and recommended that they keep a written record of staff supervision. This inspection found that the home had implemented both this action and recommendation.

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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 and their information is confidentially handled. Currently there are only two young people placed at the home, who each have their own bedroom and whose case records are securely stored and handled.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people know how, and feel able, to complain if they are unhappy with any aspect of living in the home. The home maintains a complaints record with the information required. Two entries since the previous inspection showed that young people's complaints are addressed seriously and without delay, and necessary action is taken if it is found that staff have breached company policy. 4 of 6 Inspection Report: SC030650 An appropriate response can be made to any allegation or suspicion of abuse. The newest member of staff at the home had child protection training in their previous role. This staff member was repeating this training through being introduced to the company's child protection policy and procedure and through their staff induction programme.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are protected from bullying. This is achieved in part by the 'compatibility assessment' the home carries out to assess the risk to existing residents when looking at admitting a new young person. The dynamics between the two young people currently resident are good, as one of the young people and staff commented.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people who are absent from the home without consent are protected in line with the home's written policy and procedure. Absences from the home are recorded in each young person's case record, along with whether their absence was authorised or not. Neither of the two young people resident have had any unauthorised absences.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are assisted to develop socially acceptable behaviour. This is through encouragement of acceptable behaviour and mainly constructive staff responses to inappropriate behaviour. The reward system was currently being used with one young person to develop certain areas of their behaviour. Staff state that the other young person was 'breaking the home's bank' with their success with their reward system. The newest member of staff is aware of the company's policy relating to managing challenging behaviour. Since the home was last inspected, one and four entries have been made in the home's restraint and sanctions logs respectively. These entries are monitored by the home's Registered Manager, who on one occasion took the action necessary to improve a member of staff's use of one of these measures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people live in a home that provides physical safety and security. The newest member of staff is aware of the company's health and safety at work policy. In addition to a compatibility assessment, the home also carried out and recorded a risk assessment prior to the admission of the newest young person.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are safeguarded by the home's careful selection and vetting of all staff working with them in the home. An action was previously reported in relation to staff recruitment records. This inspection found that the recruitment record of a residential support worker, who had started work at the home since the last inspection, included all the information required. In addition, it included the company's verbal verification of the references they had received. However, the inspector fed back to the Registered Manager some specific areas where this recruitment record could have been even more carefully checked.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. 5 of 6 Inspection Report: SC030650 A recommendation was previously set regarding a written record of staff supervision being readily available in the home. This was to ensure that young people are looked after by staff who are themselves supported and guided in promoting their welfare. The Registered Manager commented that he and his team leader have improved their recording of staff supervision. Each member of staff now has their own personnel folder at the home, including their development plan, training record and certificates, attendance record, and notes from their staff supervision. One such folder included a record of staff supervision held a few weeks before this inspection.

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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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Recommendations

There are no recommendations. 6 of 6 Inspection Report: SC030650

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