Children's Home run by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in Bradford

SC063978 Unique reference number 22 June 2010 Inspection date Nicola McEvinney Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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24 February 2010 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: SC063978

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Brief description of the service

This home provides care and accommodation for eight young people of either sex between the ages of 14 and 17 years who may be experiencing a range of social, emotional and behavioural problems. The home offers a supportive living environment to young people on a medium to long-term basis. The home prepares young people to live independently.

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Brief description of the service

This is a purpose-built home situated in a residential area, in a village on the outskirts of a city. The home is convenient for public transport and other local amenities. It is surrounded by large gardens on all sides with a safe parking area at the front. On the first floor it has eight bedrooms, two bathrooms and two separate lavatories. Downstairs there is a communal living space, dining area, lounge and 'chill out' room, a young person's payphone room and kitchen. On the ground floor there is also a lavatory suitable for people with mobility difficulties, two offices, a staff meeting room and laundry facilities for young people. There is a lift installed.

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Summary

The purpose of this unannounced full inspection was to check on the progress of the requirement made at the last inspection and to ensure the home is meeting the national minimum standards.

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Summary

This is a well run home employing a group of staff who share a common ethos and are firmly committed to ensure young people are cared for in a caring and nurturing environment.

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Summary

Young people's needs are clearly identified and a 24-hour management plan is devised to ensure that there is a consistent approach to their care. Young people feel cared for and know that there is always someone they can turn to for support or guidance. The home is embarking on an independence programme which will prepare young people to live independently.

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Summary

The home is well maintained creating a relaxed and homely environment for the young people. Care has been taken to ensure that the young people placed are compatible. Any bullying behaviour is immediately addressed and young people confirm that they feel safe.

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Summary

The requirement and recommendations made at this inspection relate to ensuring suitably qualified staff are employed at all times, particularly at night, that complaints are fully recorded and risk assessments should identify strategies to minimise the risk. 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

All young people living at the home are appropriately placed and the staff are well able to meet their needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Young people are encouraged to eat healthy and nutritional meals are provided. If young people are not at the home when a meal is served this is kept for them to ensure they do have a meal. A number of young people are on a semi-independent living scheme and are provided with 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC063978 monies to plan, shop and prepare their own meals within a supported environment. Young people help staff to prepare meals for the home whilst other more able young people will do this with minimum support. These individuals take pride in being able to do this which promotes their self esteem.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people's health needs are well attended to. Health issues are outlined in their individual development plan. A number of young people smoke and staff are proactive in addressing this with them and encourage them to enter into smoking cessation programmes. Young people have welcomed this and some are taking advantage of this programme. All young people are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and are encouraged to attend appointments; the older young people may choose to attend appointments on their own. Young people are encouraged to engage in some form of exercise to promote their fitness levels.

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Helping children to be healthy

The majority of staff have attended first aid training ensuring any minor accident can be attended to by a competent person. There are systems in place to ensure young people are administered medication as prescribed. The consent for the administration of non-prescribed medication and emergency first aid has been obtained from the person with parental responsibility.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Young people's files are kept securely ensuring confidentiality. All young people keep their key to their bedroom and are encouraged to keep their room private.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people confirm they know how to make a complaint and are confident that it would be dealt with to their satisfaction. The home maintains a 'moans and groans' book and young people have access to comments forms to record any concern or if they wish to pay staff a compliment. Young people also have access to a children's rights organisation that supports individuals to make representation. One formal complaint has been received; although this has been investigated appropriately there is no proper record of this complaint.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All staff have attended safeguarding training and have a good awareness of safeguarding issues and how young people can put themselves at risk. A lot of work has been done with the young people and it has become a settled group in a relatively short space of time. This has resulted in the young people who had previously been involved in risk taking behaviours returning to the home at a reasonable time. Young people confirm that they feel safe in the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has done some very good work to tackle bullying behaviour. A member of staff is the anti-bullying champion and organises sessions with the young people to discuss this topic. Young people acknowledge that they were involved in this behaviour and staff discussed this with them individually and as a group resulting in this behaviour ceasing. The home will access external services, for example, the community police officer and the children's rights officer to ensure that a concerted effort is made to ensure young people are safe in their home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The incidents of young people failing to return to the home when expected has greatly reduced. This is partly due to the young people getting on well together and wanting to spend time in the home. However, there are individual protocols in place advising staff what action to take if a young person fails to return to the home when expected. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC063978 There are good behaviour management plans in place identifying young people's behaviour with strategies in place to manage these behaviours. Staff confirm that they discuss effective approaches used and it is clear that they work together to ensure a consistent approach is maintained in the care of young people. Six restraints are recorded since the last inspection, all of these are appropriate and all were to prevent a young person hurting themselves and entailed gentle holds or guiding to prevent situations escalating. A number of sanctions are

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

recorded these too are appropriate. Young people consider that staff treat them fairly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Individual risk assessments are in place and although risks are identified strategies to minimise these risks are not identified in all cases. Regular health and safety checks are carried out as appropriate, for example, water, gas installations, and portable electrical appliances. Fire records are in good order with drills held regularly including when waking night staff are on duty to ensure that all staff know what action to take in the event of a fire.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Recruitment records were seen at the human resources department. Although there has not been any new staff recruited to this home the local authority have robust systems in place to ensure only suitable people are employed. Staff are vigilant to check the identity of all visitors to the home, ensuring only appropriate people have access to the young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The home has access to services that help meet the needs of the young people. For example, an organisation that works with young people who are at risk of sexual exploitation are involved with some individuals. The Youth Offending Service undertakes some sessions on anger management. Some young people have an independent visitor. The children and adolescent mental health service work with some young people. An individual from this team attends staff meetings to offer support and guidance to the staff so that they can support individuals. A number of the staff team are designated workers who specialise in a particular area of work, for example, sexual health, education, drugs and alcohol, leisure activities and diversity. These individuals attend training relevant to their role and cascade this information to the rest of the staff team. Young people know who they can go to if they have a specific issue they wish to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Although not all the young people are in fulltime mainstream education the home works hard to ensure young people spend their day productively. For those individuals who do not have a full timetable they are expected to undertake some form of education in the home. This could be academic subjects or practical life skills. There are close links with the specialist teacher for looked after children who supports staff in providing day time education and also supports young people with specific subjects. There is internet access and young people can link up with the virtual teaching programme run by the education department. The home has recently won an award for the support given to young people for their education. The majority of young people have a personal education plan and staff are proactive in obtaining these for all the young people to ensure they are aware of their educational objectives.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are involved in a range of activities. For example, some young people go swimming, horse riding the cinema and shopping with staff. It is encouraging to see that young people want to stay around the home. Although a number of them have only been here a short while the group have jelled and wish to spend time together. Young people in the local area are made welcome and they join in with games in the garden, for example football. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC063978

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Each young person has an individual development plan clearly outlining their specific needs with strategies in place to meet these needs. A 24-hour management programme is also in place which gives good detail on how the young person is to be cared for throughout the day and night. This ensures a consistent approach to their care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Child care reviews are held as appropriate with the first review following admission held in good time. Staff produce a detailed report for the review outlining the progress made and giving a clear picture of how the young person presents. Contemporaneous notes are taken at the review to ensure decisions taken can be promptly implemented. Young people are encouraged to attend their meeting; but, if they feel unable to do so staff have a discussion with the young person to ascertain their views which they can present to the meeting. This ensures young people's views are heard.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All contact arrangements are detailed in the young person's individual development plan and the 24-hour management programme. Staff support young people to have contact with family, but will have discussions with them to ensure contact with some individuals is at the right level.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The Registered Manager is vigilant in ensuring that young people admitted to the home will be well matched with the existing group of young people. Despite having three new admissions in the last few months the group of young people have settled well and are making good progress. Young people confirm that they enjoy one another's company. All admissions to the home are on a planned basis with young people having an introductory visit, staying for tea and progressing to an overnight stay before final admission.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Regular house meetings are held to ensure young people have their views heard. For those young people who find it difficult to express their feelings, staff have introduced a journal where they can write down their thoughts and feelings to enable staff to have an insight. Young people confirm that there is always someone to talk to and staff listen to them. The home also produce a monthly news letter keeping parents, carers as well as placing social workers informed of what is happening in the home including the outcome of Ofsted inspections.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. A number of young people are on a semi-independent living package and they plan, shop and prepare their own meals. Staff are currently developing this programme further to include a range of skills essential to young people to enable them to live independently. All young people attend to their own laundry, with support if necessary. Those young people who are not on the independence programme are encouraged to help with meal preparation.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is situated in a very picturesque location overlooking the surrounding countryside. Externally the home is well maintained and staff are embarking on a garden project to grow vegetables, to this end staff have built good size raised beds. Internally the home is extremely well maintained. The lounge area has been refurbished with new sofas purchased and there are ornaments, pictures and plants on display. It is apparent that young people take pride in their home. It is very comfortable and homely for the young people living there. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC063978

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The home has produced a detailed Statement of Purpose informing interested parties of what can be expected from the home.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Young people have their individual needs identified and strategies are in place to ensure that these needs are met.

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Organisation

This is an experienced and competent staff team who communicate well with one another to ensure young people are appropriately care for. A number of staff are given a specific role and they lead on the development of this area. For example, the independence co-ordinator and the anti-bullying champion. These individuals will attend appropriate training or liaise with other professionals within the authority and develop a package of support that all staff have access to. This ensures that skills and knowledge is shared.

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Organisation

All staff have attained National Vocational Qualification at level 3 or equivalent or are registered on this qualification. A number of staff have a Diploma in Social Work; this ensures that young people are cared for most of the time by suitably qualified staff. However, although there are adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff on duty during the day; there are two waking night staff vacancies. This requires the home to employ agency staff to cover the vacant posts which means, on occasion, the trainee member of staff employed as a waking night staff is left in charge of agency staff. This situation is unsatisfactory.

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Organisation

There are good systems in place to monitor how the home works. The Registered Manager exercises effective leadership, this is a team that works together to ensure good outcomes for young people. The Registered Manager occasionally works shifts including waking night shifts; this ensures that she has good awareness of what is happening in the home.

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Organisation

All required information regarding young people is stored electronically. However, the home maintains hardcopy of all pertinent documents to ensure that information is readily available at all times.

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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

1 September 2010 ensure at all times there are sufficient number of suitably qualified staff working at the home. (Regulation 25(1))

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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): 8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC063978 • ensure a written record is maintained of the person making the complaint, date of the complaint, nature of the complaint action taken and outcome of the complaint (NMS 16.3) • identify in risk assessments action to be taken to reduce risk to an acceptable level where practicable. (NMS 26.2) 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC063978

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