Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Buckinghamshire

SC062317 Unique reference number 12 August 2010 Inspection date Paula Eaton 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: SC062317

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Brief description of the service

This is a private children's home registered to take up to four young people aged between 12 and 17 years of age.

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Brief description of the service

The home is situated on a modern housing estate. Shops, bus routes and local amenities are within walking distance of the home.

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Brief description of the service

The house has three floors with a kitchen/dining room, lounge, conservatory and cloakroom on the ground floor. The bathroom, office and bedrooms are situated on the first and second floors. A garden and garage are situated at the side of the property.

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Brief description of the service

Currently four young people live in this home, two of whom were present for the inspection.

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Summary

This was an unannounced inspection during which all the key national minimum standards for children's homes were inspected. The home provides a very high standard of care for young people. Staff are committed to meeting the individual needs of young people and encourage and support them to pursue their interests and reach their potential.

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Summary

The home is well managed and has a stable staff team. Staff build positive relationships with young people and the professionals involved in their care to provide a holistic and inclusive service. The environment is maintained to a high standard and provides a homely atmosphere for young people.

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Summary

The standard of record keeping in the home is very high and there are excellent monitoring systems in place. 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

There were no actions set at the last inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Young people benefit from a nutritious and varied diet and are supported to make healthy choices when deciding on the weekly menus for the home. Special dietary needs are catered for and healthy snacks are available. Young people are encouraged to plan, budget for and prepare meals in preparation for independent living and are involved in purchasing food for the home. Culturally specific foods are provided for those young people who require them. At the time of the inspection one young person was arranging to go shopping with staff to purchase the ingredients to make curried goat. Meals are lively, social occasions that are very inclusive. Staff closely monitor the eating habits of young people to ensure any difficulties are promptly addressed. All staff complete food hygiene training.

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Helping children to be healthy

There is a strong focus on promoting the health and well-being of young people. Each young person has a separate health file that contains a comprehensive healthcare plan that is regularly 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC062317 reviewed and an up-to- date record of any appointments or treatment is maintained. Staff seek the support and advice of healthcare professionals where appropriate to ensure that the health needs of young people are met. This includes referring young people to mental health services where there are concerns regarding their emotional well-being. The organisation also employs a psychotherapist who works with staff and young people. Support and advice sessions on drug and alcohol awareness, sexual health and smoking are provided for young people.

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Helping children to be healthy

Robust systems are in place for the safe storage, administration and disposal of medication. There is a clear audit trail of any medication coming into and out of the home. Consent for medication and treatment is sought and recorded on each young person's file and comprehensive risk assessments are completed for any young people who self-administer medication.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. The privacy of young people is respected. There are appropriate locks on bedroom and bathroom doors and all records are kept securely in the office. Young people's rooms are only searched where there is a concern about the welfare of a young person or a suspicion that they have items in their room that are illegal or harmful. Young people are aware of the reasons for room searches and report that it is rare for a young person's room to be searched.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is a positive and open atmosphere in the home that supports good communication and young people feel listened to by staff. Young people know how to make a complaint and feel able to voice any concerns that they have. There is a good complaints procedure in place and separate comprehensive records are maintained for internal and external complaints. There is also a 'Grumbles' book that can be used to record minor grievances expressed by young people. The level of complaints in the home is generally low, however, there has been a recent significant increase in the number of complaints from neighbours. This has been as a result of a change in the dynamics between young people in the house and an increase in noise levels. The Registered Manager has responded to these complaints very effectively, working with the local community police and discussing issues with neighbours to improve relationships and resolve

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

any issues. Staff have also worked very closely with young people to improve relationships within the home and reduce the number of incidents and resulting noise levels.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Robust child protection procedures are in place and staff receive regular training to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities with regard to reporting and responding to any safeguarding concerns. The home has also established good relationships with the Local Safeguarding Children Board and the Registered Manager is qualified as a child protection trainer. The home has an anti-bullying policy in place and any incidents are responded to promptly and effectively. Staff monitor relationships between young people and seek the support of external agencies to provide support for young people having difficulty with relationships in the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Excellent systems are in place for responding to occasions when young people abscond. Staff have established links with the missing persons officer in the local police force and robust individual risk assessments are completed for young people likely to abscond or be absent without authority. Clear records are maintained for any young person who is absent and staff work hard to maintain contact with young people while they are absent to check that they are ok and also to let young people know that staff are concerned for their welfare. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC062317 Behaviour management is a key area of work in the home. Robust systems are in place for responding to unacceptable behaviour. There is a strong commitment to encouraging positive behaviour and supporting young people to engage in activities in and around the community. Positive behaviour is rewarded; as a result sanctions are rarely imposed and physical intervention

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

is rarely required. Individual behaviour management plans are developed where required and these include clear guidance for staff to reduce levels of unacceptable behaviour. Young people are fully involved in this process and sign records related to behaviour management. Staff receive regular training in methods of managing difficult behaviour.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Good monitoring systems are in place to ensure that the environment remains safe with appropriate safety checks taking place at regular intervals. Fire safety checks and fire drills take place at regular intervals and clear, up-to-date records are maintained. The time of fire drills is not always recorded and, therefore, it is not evident that fire drills are taking place at different times of the day as required.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Robust recruitment policies and procedures are in place and all the required checks are completed and recorded prior to anyone commencing employment at the home.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Levels of individual support provided for young people are excellent. Individualised plans of care are developed that cover all areas of need. These are very comprehensive and take into account the interests and aspirations of young people. Religious and cultural needs are considered and young people are supported to attend places of worship if they wish to. Individual risk assessments are completed for each young person outlining any identified risks and the action that staff should take to minimise these. Key workers build positive relationships with individual young people offering tailored support to meet their needs whilst providing adult guidance and acting as good role models.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people have personal education plans and are actively encouraged and supported to maintain educational placements. Staff liaise with schools on a regular basis and attend meetings as required. A reward system is in place that encourages young people to engage in education and an education log is maintained so that attendance and progress can be monitored. This includes any informal learning that takes place within the home. Staff have found creative ways of engaging young people in education by involving them in activities that interest them that lead to formal qualifications. For example, one young person who previously did not engage in education at all was supported to pursue an interest in horses, which achieved positive results for the young person. The home also has its own classroom facility that is used for young people who are not in education and tutors visit the home to support young people where appropriate.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people have excellent opportunities to pursue leisure interests. Each young person has an individual activity plan that considers their interests and this is then pursued by staff so that young people have the opportunity to take part in activities they enjoy and gain new skills which supports improved self-esteem. For example, one young person enjoys attending classes at a local gym with her key worker. Group activities are also arranged for young people including the cinema, bowling and trips to theme parks and there are in house activities available such as art materials, books and games. Staff are currently engaging young people in art activities that encourage self-expression and explore personal identity to support improved self-esteem and a positive sense of self. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC062317

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. All young people have comprehensive placement plans in place that clearly outline their needs and the objectives of the placement. These plans are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the changing needs and circumstances of young people. Reviews take place as required and the organisation is in the process of developing a system of internal reviews that include all key people involved in the care of the young person. Young people are actively involved in the review process.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are supported to have regular contact with members of their family and friends. Details of contact arrangements are included in their placement plans and any restrictions are clear. Staff build positive relationships with parents and carers where appropriate to facilitate communication and support young people in maintaining relationships with their family. Young people are allowed to have friends visit at the home and are supported to visit their friends and maintain relationships with their peers. Staff strive to provide a homely and inclusive environment that does not single young people out from their peers.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are good systems in place for settling young people into the home and planning for their departure when they are moving on. These processes take into consideration the individual needs and views of the young people. For example, when a young person first visits the home they are able to choose how their room will be decorated and the furnishings.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Regular residents meetings are held and the young people are encouraged to air their views. The staff team works hard to engage with the young people and ensure that they are listened to. This is achieved in group meetings, in individual key work sessions and by ensuring that young people are informed and give consent to things, such as accounts and observations for National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) training. Questionnaires are issued to young people, parents and carers and social work teams on a regular basis so that the home can obtain feedback regarding the service provided. The feedback is very positive. The organisation is in the process of introducing a young person's council for all the young people who live in the homes operated by the organisation.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is outstanding. Young people are encouraged to develop life skills including community integration and social skills throughout their stay at the home. Staff support young people to develop practical independent living skills which are included in their care plans, such as budgeting, filling in application forms, writing CVs, meal planning and preparation and other every day household tasks.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is located in a quiet residential area with some local shops close by. The accommodation is decorated and furnished to a high standard and there is regular monitoring of the condition of the house. Some redecoration had taken place in communal areas since the last inspection and new furniture had been purchased for the lounge. Young people are only restricted from entering the office area when there are no staff present. The home is warm, bright, clean and very homely. There is adequate communal space for young people and the office or conservatory can be used for meetings. Young people are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC062317

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. There is a comprehensive, clear Statement of Purpose for the home that is updated annually, or as required, to reflect any changes to the service provided. There is a suitable young person's guide for the home that contains useful information for young people.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding. Staff focus on the individual needs of young people and strive to encourage a positive sense of self taking into account any religious and cultural needs. Individual support is of an excellent standard and young people feel that staff take into account their individual wishes and feelings encouraging them to develop their individuality whilst maintaining an environment where equality is promoted and valued.

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Organisation

There is a stable staff team at the home and high levels of consistency in practice. The staff are supportive of each other and say that they work well together. There are always two staff on duty at the home together with management support on weekdays. Shortages of staff are covered by staff working extra shifts or by casual staff. Agency staff are rarely used. Staff meetings take place at least monthly and there is a good balance of gender, age, experience and race within the staff team.

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Organisation

All staff have either completed or are in the process of completing their National Vocational Qualification at level 3. All staff receive core training to ensure that they are equipped to meet the needs of young people and this training is repeated at regular intervals as required. This includes medication training, behaviour management training, communication skills, child protection, bullying and food hygiene. Staff also have the opportunity to attend additional training that is relevant to their role and meeting the needs of young people.

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Organisation

Robust monitoring systems are in place. Regulation 33 visits take place as required and the manager effectively monitors records and staff practice on an ongoing basis. The provider also carries out informal visits to the home, especially at difficult times in order to monitor the home and also to provide support for the management team and staff team as a whole.

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Organisation

Young people's files are well organised and contain all of the required information. They are of a very high standard and young people are encouraged to contribute to these records where appropriate.

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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): 8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC062317 • record the time that fire drills take place to evidence that they are taking place at different times of the day. (NMS 26) 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC062317

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