Children's Home run by Wessex College Limited in Wiltshire

SC037596 Unique reference number 25 August 2010 Inspection date Jennifer Reed 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 11 Inspection Report: SC037596

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Brief description of the service

This home is one of four children's homes operated by the organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation to four young people of either sex, aged from 11 to 18 years, with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Brief description of the service

The home is situated in a rural area and offers single room accommodation to each young person. The organisation also runs a school which is registered with Ofsted and provides education for young people accommodated in the company's homes.

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Summary

This was an unannounced inspection undertaken over a two day period, which looked at how well the home is meeting the key national minimum standards for children's homes.

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Summary

On the first day of the inspection; three young people; the registered person; the Registered Manager; a senior manager; the deputy manager; a shift leader; two agency staff and the handyman were present in the home and participated in the inspection process. The home currently accommodates girls.

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Summary

The home provides young people with an outstanding standard of individualised care. Reflective care practices are underpinned by the home's comprehensive policies and procedures which guide staff in how best to meet each young person's unique needs. Young people benefit from excellent access to educational provision, health care and leisure, and the robust management of challenging behaviour, which helps to promote their welfare and keep them safe. Staff and young people are well supported by the home's rigorous management and monitoring processes and the company's strong organisational oversight which drives improvement. Furthermore, the home encourages young people's participation and inclusion in decision making and service development. The overall quality rating is outstanding. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

No actions or good practice recommendations were made at the previous inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. The home promotes young people's health exceptionally well and young people benefit from the outstanding healthcare that is provided. For example, staff encourage young people to eat a balanced and nutritious diet by involving them in menu planning and giving them the opportunity to earn money vouchers for eating healthily in the home's '5 a day' scheme; this is to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables everyday. Menus are well balanced and diverse, ensuring young people enjoy different types of meals and the occasional take-away meal as a treat. One young person's view of meals within the home was, 'staff encourage me to eat something different for dinner instead of the same thing twice in a row.' 4 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596 Young people take part in shopping for food and they can choose to prepare and cook their meals; snacks and drinks are readily available. Young people who are following an independence

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Helping children to be healthy

living programme are provided with their own fridge and staff help them to budget, go food shopping and prepare and cook their own meals. Staff complete training in food hygiene and safe food handling practices are adhered to in this home.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff provide young people with excellent individualised support and care to promote their physical and emotional health and well-being. Clear health plans are drawn-up which guide staff in how best to meet young people's health needs; the implementation of health plans is robust. For example, young people's eating patterns and the amount of physical exercise they take are closely monitored on a daily basis. The Registered Manager produces colourful graphs which clearly show young people how well they are doing and where they need to make changes to improve their well-being. Personal health matters are also monitored in this way and this has proven to be very successful in helping young people to take the regular medication that they need to sustain their good health. Health professionals train staff to guide them in supporting young people in the management of particular health issues. All staff are trained

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Helping children to be healthy

in first aid and in the safe handling of medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home has established strong working relationships with local health services to ensure young people receive the best possible health care. Staff demonstrate a high degree of sensitivity and understanding in helping young people to deal with a range of health matters. All young people are registered with a local surgery and have regular health checks with the dentist and optician. The home has recently changed to using the services of another dental practice, in response to young people's requests. This has helped to improve young people's attendance at dental appointments, alongside the strong support and encouragement provided by the staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home draws-up a health passport for every young person, providing key medical information for current and future use. Medical consent is obtained from appropriate persons to ensure young people promptly receive any emergency treatment that they may need. The home has very comprehensive systems and detailed records for the administration of medication, which contribute to keeping young people safe. These include arrangements to monitor medicines coming in and out of the home and for the disposal of any unused medication. Written records are made of significant illnesses, accidents or injuries sustained and for the medical appointments young people attend. These records ensure a comprehensive account of each young person's medical history is kept and is available, if required, to provide information to meet young people's future health needs. There is suitable secure storage for keeping medication safely

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Helping children to be healthy

within the home, including refrigeration. All medication kept is clearly labelled and checked on a daily basis to safeguard young people's well-being.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Safeguarding practices are strong and young people benefit from the home's robust approach to keeping young people safe. One young person summarised this by saying, 'the home is good at supporting us with our emotional and behavioural difficulties and keeping us safe.' The staff team receive regular safeguarding training, including child protection, bullying awareness, dealing with absences without authority and health and safety matters; this training guides staff in how to protect young people and keep them safe. Staff demonstrate sensitivity, vigilance 5 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596 and resilience in delivering daily care practices which meet young people's personal needs; ensuring support is provided in positive ways that make sense to each young person. Staff show competency in working in collaboration with placing authorities and specialist workers to provide a safe environment which supports young people's development. Bullying is not

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

tolerated in the home and staff work with young people to reduce the risk of this occurring. One young person said, 'staff teach us about bullying and how it affects me and others.'

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has well-developed systems in place to deal with absences without authority and for making notifications of significant events to the appropriate agencies, ensuring all relevant persons are kept informed. When young people leave the home without permission, staff make every effort to follow young people and try to persuade them to return to the home. The home demonstrates excellent practice in safeguarding young people by writing to the placing authority to invite them to meet with young people on their return to talk to them about the reasons for their absence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people have sufficient levels of privacy within the home and each young person has their own bedroom. Young people are able to make telephone calls in private, if this is in accordance with their placement plans. Confidential matters are adequately managed and staff know how to share information for child protection purposes.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Clear information is available to young people within the home's admission information which tells them how they can make a complaint about the home. Additionally, the Registered Manager takes a pro-active approach to the promotion of young people’s knowledge and understanding of the home's comments and complaints procedures. For example, devising a quiz for young people on this topic. These actions have been successful in ensuring young people do know how to raise their concerns. Records evidence that young people are competent in using this process and show that the home takes any action needed to make changes to care practices to safeguard young people's well-being. All complaints are taken seriously and promptly responded to by management; young people's satisfaction with the process is well recorded. Young people say they can talk to staff about any concern they may have and they feel they are listened to. Regular house meetings and key worker sessions also provide young people

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

with forums for raising their issues and their concerns are recorded. Within a direct work session, key workers focus on each young person's placing authority's complaints procedures, to ensure young people have an understanding of this alternative process.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home uses a range of excellent strategies to help children and young people to develop socially acceptable behaviour, focusing on the positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviour. The 'traffic light' system of asking, telling and then taking action, provides young people with a clear and known framework for managing young people's behaviour. Furthermore, the contract work negotiated with each young person to address particular presenting behaviours, provides young people with an opportunity to own and take responsibility for making changes to their behaviour. Young people choose the reward they will gain when they have successfully completed their contract, providing them with a desirable incentive to succeed. The home has well-defined measures of control and these are documented in placement plans which show staff how best to deal with challenging behaviour. Behaviour management plans advise staff to use

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

de-escalation techniques where possible and restraint is only used as a last resort. Restraints are recorded and closely monitored and evaluated by management and the monthly independent visitor to ensure young people are kept safe. Staff show an outstanding understanding of each young person's needs and presenting behaviours and demonstrate patience and resilience in 6 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596 dealing with and managing challenging behaviour. Staff undertake regular training in the use of restraint. Only permissible sanctions are given to young people and these are evaluated for their effectiveness.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risk assessment processes are very comprehensive and are regularly reviewed and updated. Risk assessments are completed for behaviour, activities and the home's environment. Regular utility, services and fire safety checks and drills are completed to contribute to providing staff and young people with a safe living environment. All health and safety matters benefit from rigorous senior management oversight and assessments and evaluations are extremely thorough, resulting in an ongoing improvement of processes to ensure young people and staff are kept safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The personnel files of new staff employed since the previous inspection were looked at. These records show that the company robustly follows safer recruitment and selection guidelines for the employment of all new staff, ensuring that all necessary checks and processes are made prior to appointment. Senior management take great care in carrying out the rigorous checking and accuracy of all information, including making checks with the driving vehicle licence agency to ensure staff are safe to drive the home's vehicles and safely transport accommodated young people. The company has established close working relationships with recruitment agencies to ensure that any agency staff employed to work within the home are suitably qualified and experienced to effectively and safely undertake this work. The home makes its own checks with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for agency workers employed in group homes and also has

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

a rolling programme to renew employed workers CRB disclosures every three years. This is exceptionally good practice and clearly demonstrates the home's commitment to safeguarding young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Young people benefit from the outstanding level of individualised support which the home provides to meet the unique needs of each young person. Tailored care practices are delivered to young people and the staff team demonstrate flexibility and resilience in supporting young people with differing challenging behaviours. Difference is accepted and valued and accommodated young people are encouraged to show tolerance and to develop an understanding of each other's wishes and feelings. Placement plans are detailed and vigilantly implemented and monitored to ensure young people are looked after well and make good progress. The home works closely with placing authorities and specialist services to provide coherent and targeted care practices which promote young people's welfare and contribute to keeping them safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff team are knowledgeable about how best to look after young people to meet their diverse needs. Senior management ensure that the home's staff know how to deliver daily care practices that reflect the home's underlying theoretical models, philosophy and ethos. Young people generally have positive regard for the staff group and members of staff demonstrate strong engagement and communication skills with the young people they look after.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home's incentive scheme and committed staff support encourages young people to take part in their educational provision and to maintain regular school attendance. Young people's educational experience benefits from the excellent support they receive from residential staff working collaboratively with the company's teaching staff. This has enabled young people to 7 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596 make good progress, by either attending the company school, going to college or receiving home tuition. Staff introduce young people and settle them into any new educational provision, for example, courses at the local further education college. Staff will remain within educational settings to provide individual support to young people if this is deemed necessary for their successful integration. There is sufficient space within the home for young people to study in private. The home does not provide access to the internet, although some young people have

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

made their own arrangements for this in conjunction with their placing authority.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Within the home, there is a good range of games and books and staff encourage children and young people to take part in activities and hobbies. The home arranges a wide variety of activities and leisure opportunities which young people enjoy. The home is located in a very rural setting, providing space for outside games and activities. The area provides limited access for young people to public transport and local amenities; however, the home has two cars which staff use to transport young people to social and recreational activities in nearby towns and cities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The home's admission and planning processes are well defined, evidencing that the home aims to provide young people with sufficient information and opportunities to help them make informed choices about their placements. The company seeks all requisite referral information and history from placing authorities prior to admission. This helps to evaluate the suitability and appropriateness of each potential placement and enables senior management to make a meaningful assessment of how well the home may be able to meet the young person's individual needs alongside those of already accommodated young people. Staff are sensitive to how any change may unsettle individual young people and the home involves the current group of young people in welcoming each new young person, for example, by choosing cards and undertaking tasks during the visit. Young people receive a welcome pack, on admission to the home to help

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Helping children make a positive contribution

them settle in; this includes information and funding to personalise their bedroom. On discharge, young people take their health passports with them to help inform their future health care and a photo album which staff put together to remind them of their happy memories within their placement.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

A detailed placement plan is completed by the Registered Manager and this comprehensive document provides staff with clear guidance on how best to look after each young person. Placement plans are updated on a daily basis to reflect arising issues and to include recent decisions about the day-to-day care of young people. They are also regularly reviewed by the staff team to make sure that the care provided by the home is effective in helping and supporting young people. Staff vigilantly implement plans and progress is discussed with young people in their key worker meetings. Staff support young people to attend their statutory reviews and to take part in decision-making about their future.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The home establishes good working relationships with placing authorities and works in partnership with social workers and families to look after young people well. The home helps young people to keep in contact with their families and friends, if appropriate, and to maintain contact with their placing authority workers. Staff are vigilant in ensuring young people do not have contact with restricted persons and take any necessary measures to keep young people safe. Visitors to the home are made welcome. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596 The monthly independent visitor to the home speaks with accommodated young people to seek their individual views about their care. The Registered Manager shows a strong commitment to participation and leads the home's practice in realistically involving young people. Regular house meetings provide a group forum for young people to discuss the running of the home. For example, young people discuss what they wish to eat and draw-up the food menu for the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

week. Young people's views have been listened to, resulting in some changes being made to the home, for example, the redecoration of the sitting room. Key worker meetings give young people an opportunity to contribute to their placement plan and to talk about issues that may personally affect them. Young people are encouraged to add their views to the daily reports written by staff about them.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. The home works with young people to help them develop their independent living skills as they move towards adulthood. Staff successfully support young people in the implementation of their pathway plans and by working at each young person's pace, help individuals to successfully master new tasks. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how best to help young people in achieving new skills and take care not to overwhelm young people with new processes. Staff liaise with placing authorities leaving care workers and share the home's assessment of young people's progress and developing capabilities. Staff support young people to take controlled risks, for example, taking the first steps into further education and having free time in the community.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home provides young people with a good standard of accommodation which promotes a comfortable and homely family environment. The house is very well furnished and decorated and the good quality of the home is maintained by access to a prompt and accessible maintenance service. There are no close neighbours and the garden provides young people with space to play games and to spend time outside. The home is located in a rural setting, providing limited access to public transport and local amenities. However, the home has two vehicles which staff use to transport young people to local facilities and transport links.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is kept clean and tidy and provides sufficient space for the accommodation of four young people and for two staff to sleep-in the dedicated staff rooms at the home each night. Each young person has their own bedroom which they are encouraged to personalise; rooms provide adequate storage and space. The Registered Manager strongly encourages each young person to design their own 'dream bedroom', involving young people in choosing soft furnishings and deciding on the decoration of their bedroom. Young people also help to choose furnishings for communal areas within the home, for example, the sitting room has been recently refurbished to reflect young people's tastes. Meals are eaten at the dining table which provides sufficient capacity to seat young people, staff and visitors. The kitchen is well equipped and there is storage for wet-weather clothing and outside play items.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

There are adequate bathroom and toilet facilities. However, on the day of inspection the temperature of the hot water was found to be excessively high, posing a possible risk of harm to young people. This matter was rectified during the inspection and the temperature of the water was reduced to a comfortable level for hand-washing. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding. Young people are treated fairly and the home tailors care practices to meet each young person's individual needs. Young people are helped to appreciate difference and to develop tolerance; staff work respectfully with young people and their families. The company makes a good effort to employ a diverse staff group which reflect different cultures, ages and gender.

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Organisation

The home's Statement of Purpose is regularly reviewed and it is available to young people, their families and placing authorities. This document provides very detailed information about the operation and staffing of the home. On or prior to admission, young people receive clear information about how the home runs, including clarification about expectations of behaviour.

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Organisation

Young people benefit from the excellent standard of care provided to them. The home is exceptionally well organised and the registered person and the Registered Manager provide strong and committed leadership. The deputy manager and shift leader are experienced and qualified to at least the National Vocational Qualification at Level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People; they provide well considered direction to the staff on each shift about how best to care for young people. The core staff team provide stability and consistency to young people and rotas are organised so that recently employed staff work alongside the more experienced staff, ensuring young people receive suitable care that meets their needs. The home undertakes risk assessments to identify safe staffing ratios; staffing levels are increased as necessary, for example, during the school holidays.

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Organisation

Staff are supported by regular team meetings and supervision, helping them to look after children and young people well. Staff undertake a very comprehensive induction training, followed by regular training in core work areas. Specialist training is provided to staff to help them support young people with an identified or particular need.

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Organisation

Monthly monitoring systems are robust and any actions identified to by either the Registered Manager or the independent visitor are promptly addressed to make improvements to the standard of care provided to young people. The graphical display of information collated by the Registered Manager about young people's behaviour and activity is excellent; it provides both staff and young people with a visual means of identifying young people's progress and helps to eliminate drift within the placement. The home continually strives for improvement and rigorous management oversight identifies trends and patterns in care practices. The senior management's analysis of information held within the home's records is insightful and demonstrates both vigilance and a good understanding and identification of the quality of care provided to young people.

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Organisation

Some young people's records are very well written and others are generally well kept. Detailed monthly reports are completed by the home to placing authorities, summarising young people's progress. Confidential information is securely stored within the home and arrangements are in place for young people to see their records on request. 10 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596

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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. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: SC037596

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