Children's Home run by Break Charity in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC025718 Inspection date 25/11/2010 Inspector Paul Clark Type of inspection Key

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Date of last inspection 09/03/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 Crispins, 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.

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About this inspection

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 outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is owned by a registered charity that also owns a number of other children's homes and a residential family centre in the county. The charity also offers a residential respite care service for children and adults with physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Brief description of the service

The home provides long-term accommodation for up to five young people, aged eight to 18 years of age. A condition attached to the registration of the home is that there must not be more than a five-year age gap between young people. The end- terrace house is on three levels and situated in a residential area near to the town and community facilities. Accommodation comprises of a lounge, sitting room, kitchen diner and utility room. On the first and second floor there are seven bedrooms, bathing and toilet facilities and an office. There is an enclosed garden to the rear of the property. Parking for staff and visitors is on the road outside the home. Five young people were accommodated at the time of the inspection.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

This full unannounced inspection found that the children accommodated are provided with a good level of care. The staff group are sufficient in number and are well trained and managed. There is a good range of resources and services available to them and the premises they live in are furnished and decorated to a high standard. The arrangements for the storage of controlled drugs needs to be improved, the placing authorities need to be notified when children do not have personal education plans in place and the Registered Manager needs to complete the National Vocational Qualification at level 4 in caring for children and management.

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Improvements since the last inspection

No recommendations were made at the previous inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Effective steps are taken to promote the health and wellbeing of the children placed in the home. A weekly meeting takes place where children are consulted about the setting of the menu plan and where they can express their personal food preferences. Menu plans indicate that a varied and nutritious diet is provided. The menu plan includes meals from international cuisines. Children can chose to be involved in food preparation with the support of staff. Staff are trained in food hygiene as part of their induction programme. Healthy diets help to promote children's general good health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Each child has a separate record of their health history which includes a signed consent form from the person with parental responsibility. All children are registered with a local GP practice where there is a choice of a male or female GP. All children are registered with a dentist and an optician and routine check ups are carried out.

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Helping children to be healthy

All staff are trained in first aid as part of their induction training and this training is updated every three years. There are well stocked first aid boxes in the home. There is an accident record book in place which is monitored by the Registered Manager and the organisations health and safety officer. There are arrangements in place for the storage of medication and staff are trained in the recording and administration of medication. It was noted that these arrangements are not suitable for the storage of controlled drugs. The provision of a well trained staff group in the area of first aid helps to keep children safe.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home will ask placing authorities to refer children to the local child and adolescent mental health service if they have any concerns about a young person. Young people have also been referred to specialist agencies who will provide therapeutic services for young people and provide a consultancy service for the staff group. The home has a clearly written policy on smoking. Children and staff are not allowed to smoke on the premises. Key workers give individual advice to young people about their sexual health and the contact details of helping agencies are displayed on notice boards within the home. The notice boards also contain the contact details of agencies who support young people with drug or alcohol problems.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children living in the home are kept safe by the provision of clear policies related to their care and these policies are known by staff. There is a copy of the Local Safeguarding Children Board policy in place which all staff have read. All staff have also been trained in this policy. There are corporate policies in place on dealing with complaints, bullying, the use of sanctions and restraints and action to be taken in the event of a child going missing. Clear policies and their effective implementation by staff help to keep children living in the home safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are informed about how and to whom they may make complaints, including the contact details of Ofsted. There is an individual record book kept for each young person about all such complaints received. These indicate that appropriate actions have been taken in response to complaints received from young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is a clear policy and comprehensive written guidance for staff on dealing with bullying. There are systems in place for the recording of sanctions applied and of any incidents of physical restraint. All staff receive training in the application of physical restraint. There is clear instruction and guidance given to staff on action to be taken in the event of a child going missing. The home will construct an individual risk assessment for a young person who may frequently abscond. The home has notified Ofsted of any significant incidents occurring.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Behaviour management systems for children are flexible and individualised. All staff working at the home have been effectively recruited and vetted. The organisation is currently improving its vetting procedure to ensure that the enhanced Criminal Record Bureau checks on all staff will be updated every three years. No visitor to the home is given unsupervised access to young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The organisation employs a health and safety officer who conducts regular inspections on the physical safety of the home. Recommendations made in the officer's report have been applied. The home conducts routine measures and checks on fire safety including night time evacuation drills. The home has a leased vehicle used for transporting young people on which routine safety checks are made for road worthyness. There is an effective system in place for checking the driving licence status of staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There are systems in place to promote children's educational and social achievements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

At the time of the inspection two of the children were refusing to attend school, arrangements had been made to ensure that there was one to one staff involvement and that those children had to remain within the close supervision of staff. Two children do not have personal education plans. The home does not have a clearly formatted system in place for notifying placing authorities of their responsibility to ensure that each child has a personal education plan. Young people who are past mandatory school age have pathway plans in place and the home has ensured that they have a personal advisor from the Connexions service. Young people can use the home's computer to access online educational activities and they are supervised at all times when using this. There is some educational literature in the home and there are study facilities in each child's bedroom.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home operates a key worker system whereby a member of the care staff will have responsibility for gaining a thorough knowledge of a particular young person. This will include a clear knowledge of that young person's care plan and of their family contact arrangements. The key worker will prepare a young person for their Looked After Children review and will attend the review. A senior member of staff acts as the co-key worker and will deputise for the key worker in the event of their absence. Young people have weekly one to one sessions with their key worker. This provision gives young people a central source of information and enquiry to whom they may directly refer.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The young people enjoy a range of social and leisure activities based on their own particular interests. These include membership of a local football club, gym membership, community youth projects. The home has a leased vehicle which is used to transport young people to social and leisure events and for more formal meetings. The home took a number of young people and staff for an activities holiday in Devon during the summer which the young people much enjoyed. Giving young people living away from home the opportunity to experience social activities and holidays gives them a sense of enjoyment and of being valued.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are systems in place to assess children's needs and to make effective plans about how these needs will be met. Children and their families are involved in this assessment and planning as much as possible.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Each child has a clearly written care plan and a placement plan which details the action required to meet a young person's needs. These plans are reviewed at the appropriate frequency. Parents are always invited to attend review meetings unless this is otherwise deemed inappropriate. The home coordinates the care plan and review in conjunction with the placing authority social worker and keeps children and their families informed and involved at all stages of the process. The reviews assess the ongoing appropriateness of the placement.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Contact arrangements are clearly spelt out in care plan reviews and the home supports this contact by assisting with transport arrangements and where necessary will supervise contact. The home has a phone booth which young people can use to phone their families or social workers free of charge. Involving children and their families in the care process helps to avoid a child's isolation in care and helps them maintain the link to their birth family.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There is a children's guide which gives young people a wealth of information about living in the home and key workers go through the guide with young people early in their placement. The organisation employs two transitional support workers who will help prepare young people for leaving care and independent living. There are systems in place which ensure that children are regularly consulted about their care and are able to be involved in decision making about matters which impact on their day to day living. Children's house meetings are held every week where they may raise any queries about life in the home and contribute to planning leisure activities, holidays and discuss any other issues that may arise. Additionally, weekly food choice meetings take place where children can express their food preferences. They may also raise any concerns at any time with their key workers at their weekly sessions. Consulting children about their placements gives them a sense of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

ownership about the home that they are living in. Good relationships between care staff and children were observed which appear to be based on mutual respect.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The organisation has clear financial structures in place to ensure that children have economic stability. Children are given age related pocket money and there are payments made for birthday and festival presents.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

There is a system in place for recording cash or valuables held by the home on behalf of children. Children are encouraged to open bank accounts. Children are given a clothing allowance and are involved in clothing choices with the support of staff. The home provides toilet and sanitary requisites and keeps stocks of these if children run out. Involving children in their clothing choices and in managing their monies provides them with a level of independence and helps to prevent a feeling of institutional living.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Arrangements are in place to prepare young people for leaving school and for living independently. Young people may gain work experience by working in one of the charities other establishments. The home has links with the Connexions service and as previously stated, there are two transitional support workers employed by the organisation who will support young people in preparing for independent living. Key workers will help young people to undertake a self assessment of their own needs. Young people in the home who are aged over 16 years of age have Pathway Plans in place.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home itself is generally well decorated and furnished and at the time of the inspection was clean and well ordered. The garden is well tended and provides a reasonable play area for young people. There are a large range of resources and leisure facilities available to the young people within the home which include TV and DVD. One lounge has been converted into a play room with a table tennis table and pool table.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity within the home is good. This is evidenced by the implementation of clear policies on equal opportunities and anti-racism; all staff attend a training course on Acknowledging Diversity; staff challenge sexist and racist behaviour and language; the provision of a range of international cuisines within the menu plan. Promoting equality and diversity gives young people a sense of citizenship and social responsibility.

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Organisation

There are a range of information documents available which inform children, families and social workers about the home. The organisation has a website which provides stakeholders with details of its aims and principles. A clearly written Statement of Purpose also contains this and further information about the service. The children's guide gives children a range of information about the home this is presented in a user friendly format. Key workers go through the guide with young people at an early stage of their placement to fully explain it to them.

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Organisation

The Registered Manager has many years experience in working with children and is currently undertaking the National Vocational Qualification at level 4 in child care and management. There are a sufficient number of experienced and suitably trained care staff on duty by day and by night to care for, and to meet the needs of the number of children accommodated. Care staff receive monthly one to one supervision and there are monthly team meetings. The organisation has a 24 hour manager on call system in place who staff can contact when a senior member of the home staff is not on duty. There is a comprehensive induction programme for newly appointed staff which includes undertaking training in areas of the necessary core skills. The organisation has its own staff training and development section which provides this training. All staff complete an annual personal development profile which identifies their training and development needs. All newly appointed staff undertake the

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Organisation

Children's Workforce Development Council course for workers in children's residential care. At least 80% of the care staff have the National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People. The organisation has a service agreement with an independent counselling service which staff can access free of charge and in confidence. A well trained and supported care staff team provide children with good quality care.

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Organisation

Monthly regulation 33 monitoring visits are conducted by an independent professional appointed by the organisation and written reports are sent to the home identifying actions to be implemented. The organisation conducts an annual review of the quality of care contained in a Business Continuity Plan. The home produces an annual development plan which looks at the service provision and staff training needs. Ongoing monitoring and review of the service helps to ensure that young people's care is being continually improved.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Std. Action Due date

13 ensure all medication is stored in a secure place. (Regulation 21) 24/11/2010

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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):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the Registered Manager obtains the National Vocational Award qualification at level 4 in child care and management. (NMS 34.3)  ensure that each child's file contains a copy of their personal education plan and that there are systems in place to notify placing authorities in writing if they have not made such plans. (NMS 14.2)

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