Children's Home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Herefordshire

SC402426 Unique reference number 19 May 2010 Inspection date Dawn Taylor Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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1 December 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 9 Inspection Report: SC402426

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Brief description of the service

This service accommodates up to five young people of either gender from 11 years to 18 years of age. The majority of young people admitted to the home have significant care needs and behaviour problems in both the care and education setting. Most young people have a Statement of Special Educational Needs as a result of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and are deemed as ‘vulnerable’ by their children's services.

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Summary

This inspection was a full, unannounced inspection visit. The outcome groups relating to being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, positive contribution, economic well-being and organisation were assessed.

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Summary

This home has been judged as good. The outcome groups relating to being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, positive contribution and organisation are judged to be good. Economic well-being is judged to be satisfactory.

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Summary

Young people were present during the inspection and participated in the inspection process. In their view this service ranged from satisfactory to good.

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Summary

The values and ethos of this service are strong and define a home that achieves good outcomes for young people. The Registered Manager and staff team model effective parenting skills that set high expectations of young people and promote respect towards others. 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

Not applicable. This is the first inspection since registration.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Young people are well supported to lead healthy lives and have made good health improvements whilst living at the home. Staff are proactive in educating young people about the principles of a healthy lifestyle. Individual health needs are effectively identified and assessed. This is recorded in a clear, accessible plan for each young person. Health plans ensure that specific and general needs are addressed by a well informed staff team.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home's staff work effectively and creatively with the company's therapy team. They are available to young people and the staff team and attend staff meetings on a regular basis where they provide valued support and insight.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people's health needs and welfare are further safeguarded by the home's systems for administering medication. For example, good practice guidelines for the handling of medicines are in place and this ensures that staff remain up-to-date with current issues. Medication is stored safely in the home preventing unauthorised access to it, and the administration records are clear. Staff have completed first aid training and basic and advanced drugs awareness 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC402426 training. Medical consent is sought from those with parental responsibility, ensuring that young people can receive preventative and emergency treatment without delay.

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Helping children to be healthy

The food provided for young people shows that staff have a good understanding of what makes up a healthy balanced diet and are aware about nutritional issues. Young people state they enjoy healthy, nutritious meals that meet their dietary needs. Records of meals demonstrate a varied diet is offered. Young people are provided with a range of snacks and drinks. Meals provided are plentiful, nutritious and well presented and take into account young people’s individual likes and dislikes. When interested, young people are encouraged utilise the garden and grow vegetables.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Effective systems are in place to safeguard young people and to promote their general well-being. The Registered Manager monitors the provision of care and takes action when necessary to improve safeguarding arrangements.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff are child centred, listen to and show respect for young people's rights, wishes and feelings in a manner that is consistent with safeguarding. For example, the young people's files are stored appropriately to protect their confidentiality and staff are clear about the arrangements to protect young people's privacy. Young people are aware of how to complain through the procedures provided. There are systems in place to promote the safety and welfare of the young people and ensure that they are protected. The home has a child protection policy and procedure, which ensures staff are able to take action to protect young people. All staff have undertaken local authority safeguarding training level 2 and the Registered Manager has completed on-line safer-recruitment training.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are protected from bullying by a well-informed, proactive staff team. Young people state that bullying is not an issue in the home and they are confident that any issues that might arise would be addressed promptly by staff. The procedures for young people who are missing from care are in place and followed appropriately. Records of incidents are appropriately recorded and young people are given the opportunities to talk to staff on their return. Staff will go out to look for young people who are missing and make appropriate arrangements to collect them once their whereabouts become known. Records indicate that the relevant authorities are contacted when a young person is missing from the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff base their management of behaviour on encouraging acceptable behaviour. Young people confirm that details of the standards of acceptable behaviour are clear. Sanctions and physical interventions are rarely used and are monitored by the Registered Manager to ensure there are positive effects on the behaviours of young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A key strength of this home is the strong parenting modelled by the staff team. They have very high expectations of the young people and treat them accordingly. The staff team are effective at supporting young people to succeed in attending education, managing their behaviour and leading healthy lifestyles. The home is run as a 'family home' with expectations of certain behaviours being adhered to during the school week. Achieving high school attendance levels and ensuring evenings focus on local activities and a reasonable bedtime is balanced and rewarded by busy school breaks and holidays away. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC402426 Young people are safe in their home as regular checks are carried out on fire equipment and fire drills are undertaken. Health and Safety certificates are valid. Young people and staff participate in regular fire drills ensuring that they are familiar with the evacuation procedures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people live in a home that provides a physically safe and secure environment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is careful selection and vetting of staff prior to them working in the home. For example, a sample of staff files evidenced that all the matters set out in schedule 2 of the Children's Homes Regulations have been met. This ensures that the young people are protected from people who are not suitable to work in the home.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The staff team are proactive at forming positive relationships with the young people they support by listening to their opinions and needs. They are also effective at working with families and other professionals to develop further understanding of their individual needs. The staff team are flexible in their approach and use key worker sessions as well as daily discussions to ensure all support is individualised and in line with the young people's needs and wishes. Placement plans show how support is provided to meet individual needs. Staff are aware of and open to addressing a range of possible needs including for example those which may be related to disability, race, culture, sexuality and language.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people's educational needs are identified and met by the company's registered schools. There is regular contact between staff at the home and education staff. Young people have a daily education report where points are earned. Staff are positive in their approach to education and its value for young people. The education of the young people is promoted and all young people attend school. Educational information is retained on the young people's files and ensures that staff have relevant educational information. Staff give practical and emotional support to young people who have difficulties with school attendance. Placement plans address how a young persons educational needs will be met. One young person stated, 'I love school, it is brilliant'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Young people are making strong progress, well supported by a caring staff team. Each young person has a placement plan that clearly sets out the aims and objectives of the placement and how the day-to-day needs of the young person will be met. These are monitored by the Registered Manager and the young people's key workers. They meet with young people on a regular basis to ensure the requirements of their plan are implemented. Young people have clear aspirations that they are able to discuss. They stated 'staff are supportive', 'helpful', 'my key worker will always sort things out' and 'one of the best things about this home is the staff'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The home has a system in place for reviewing placement plans. The system encourages young people to participate in their formal reviews, in internal reviews of the placement plan and in informal discussions during key work sessions. Staff support young people to put their views across and discuss the decisions of each review with them to ensure they understand.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are supported to maintain regular contact with their family where appropriate. Placement plans include contact arrangements and any restrictions in place are recorded. Staff 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC402426 are clear about the contact arrangements in place for the young people and record contact when it occurs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are able to move into the home in a planned manner. There are established procedures for supporting young people to move into and leave the home. These provide staff with clear guidance and practical options that ensure the most appropriate and sensitive approach can be implemented for each individual young person depending upon their circumstances. Prior to arriving at the home, information is gathered from the placing authority and where possible previous placements. This information is used by staff to establish initial boundaries that ensure young people feel and are kept safe. These are regularly reviewed and modified through the constant review of young people's progress in relation to their placement plans.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are regularly and routinely consulted regarding the home's operation through both formal and informal sessions. For example, they are able to say what they would like to eat and what activities they would like to do. Each young person has a key worker who they meet with on a regular basis to discuss their recent progress, success, problems and concerns. There is also a weekly young person’s meeting where they are encouraged to discuss issues and events that affect the home as a whole and those living and working in it. Staff demonstrate that they value the views and opinions of young people and young people confirmed that this is the case.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. Young people are proactively supported to develop all the skills they will require when they eventually leave care. Staff are supported by policies and procedures that promote the rights of young people to be actively involved in planning for their future and in the running of the home. Depending upon the interest, age and abilities of the young people, their need to develop life skills will be encouraged and supported.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people enjoy accommodation, which is generally decorated and furnished to a satisfactory standard and provides adequate facilities for their use. There are several communal areas in the home including a lounge, games room, and kitchen and dining area. Maintenance records indicate that repairs are carried out and it is evident there has been some major financial investment in the home with the roof being replaced and rooms effected by damp having been re plastered and dried out. However, the completion of this work in the kitchen, larder, laundry room and a staff bedroom remains outstanding and requires attention to bring them up to an adequate standard. Areas of the house are also tired and lack warm welcoming aesthetics. For example, furniture in young people's bedrooms is old and worn and the kitchen continues to require refurbishment.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. This staff team meets their aim to 'provide a warm, welcoming, relaxed yet structured environment, which encourages young people to develop social, educational and practical skills and enjoy an active, fulfilling life'. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC402426 The Statement of Purpose and children's guide clearly set out what care the home will provide and how this will be provided. Both documents are presented in a form that is easily understood by young people and families. They include all information required by schedule 1 of The Children's Homes Regulations.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Specific needs related to the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of young people are considered when drawing up individual care plans. Staff receive training that helps them to understand the company's policies. This is linked to the legislation relating to equality and diversity and helps staff to develop professionally.

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Organisation

This service provides a consistent number of positive adult role models for the young people to identify with, as well as the opportunity for young people to benefit from close adult supervision in a nurturing environment. Young people feel a key strength of this home is the staff team. A young person said 'staff are great. There are some very good staff, for example 'X' is funny, chilled out, he sticks to the rules but he is not too strict'.

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Organisation

Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities. There are systems in place to ensure levels of accountability in the absence of the Registered Manager. Some staff have completed the National Vocational Qualification level three in caring for children and young people and two staff hold a social work qualification. The home is working towards a target to achieve 80% of staff who are qualified. New staff complete an induction programme and are subject to probationary periods to ensure that they are competent for their role. Young people receive care and support from experienced staff who are able to access relevant training to meet their needs.

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Organisation

The care of the young people is monitored and continually adapted in light of the information about how it is operating. For example, the Registered Manager completes regular checks on the matters set out in schedule 6 of the Children's Homes Regulations. A report is produced on the findings and kept in the home.

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Organisation

The Registered Manager has the appropriate qualifications for the role and has introduced very effective systems to ensure the smooth running the home. These are well integrated into daily operations in a way that avoids an institutional approach.

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Organisation

Young people's individual case files are reviewed regularly and kept up to date. They are confidentially stored and are arranged in a manner that makes them readily useable by staff and yet accessible to young people. Young people are fully aware that they can have access to their records and confirm that staff support them to look at their files and make comments on daily records.

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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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure the home is decorated and furnished to a standard that creates a pleasant domestic environment, appropriate to the number, gender mix, disability, age, culture and ethnic background of the young people being accommodated. (NMS 24.2). 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC402426

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