Coniston House

Unique reference number SC379123 Inspection date 01/12/2010 Inspector Julian Parker Type of inspection Key

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Date of last inspection 23/06/2010 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

The home offers placements for up to five young people who may have a combination of mental health, psychological, emotional or complex care needs that present challenging behaviour. The service is designed to offer medium to long-term care placements. The home's programme of care incorporates a structured balance of education, recreation and therapeutic interventions tailored to meet individual needs.

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Brief description of the service

Care is provided in a large detached, family-style house in an urban location. It has the benefit of easy access to the comprehensive range of recreational and leisure amenities in the expanding new town. The house has been modernised and refurbished to offer a spacious communal living environment with individual rooms for young people.

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Summary

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

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Summary

This was an unannounced key inspection that concentrated on all of the key national minimum standards.

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Summary

The inspection focused on the Every Child Matters outcome areas related to being healthy, safeguarding and recreation, how young people are enabled to enjoy and achieve, relationships between young people and their carers, the competence of staff and their management and the general standards of the accommodation in which the service is provided. At the time of the inspection only one young person was living at the home who chose not to contribute to the process.

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Summary

The home is judged as good with some satisfactory features. Young people receive an individualised care package that is sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing needs and while recognising their age, to keep them safe. The registered person provides good direction and leadership that enables positive care from the competent staff team. Staff are clear about their roles and are consistent in carrying out their responsibilities to sensitively address the particular needs of young people in their care.

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Summary

No actions or recommendations arise from this inspection recognising that any minor areas of concern are already being addressed by the registered provider.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last inspection raised three actions and one recommendation. Measures have been taken by the registered provider to address all of them. Health plans are up to date; fire precautionary checks and drills are conducted regularly and thoroughly recorded and all staff receive regular recorded supervision. Improvements to the oversight of case records have been made by the Registered Manager. In these ways the home confirms it has made improvements and that it is complying with the national minimum standards.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people are provided with choice and encouraged to contribute to menu planning and meal preparation at the home. Care staff practically help and support young people by providing guidance and information that helps their understanding of what constitutes healthy eating and a balanced diet, particularly in support of young people's preparation for independent living. A part-time cook is employed and all staff receive training in food hygiene.

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Helping children to be healthy

The health and psychological needs of young people are promoted by the home's procedures. The individual needs of young people are identified and recorded in comprehensive health files and care plans. This is achieved through consulting with individual young people, their parents, appropriate health professionals and placing authority social workers.

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Helping children to be healthy

Health, psychological and medical needs are practically addressed by the home's access to a range of local health professionals including Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). On admission young people are immediately registered with local medical services and they can choose to attend health appointments with or without the support of staff. The home provides the young people with practical advice, guidance and support with healthy living, medical, emotional and sexual health matters consistent with their assessed needs and level of understanding.

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Helping children to be healthy

All staff receive regular training in first aid and the administration of medication, which helps them keep young people safe and promote good health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The welfare and physical safety of young people is promoted by care staff following the registered person’s policies and adopting procedures and guidance that fully complies with regulatory requirements. Policies promote child protection, countering bullying, managing difficult behaviour and dealing with missing persons. They conform to the requirements of the Local Safeguarding Children Board and government guidance and help ensure effective working with other agencies. The company provides statutory training that informs and equips care staff to fully understand their responsibility for safeguarding looked after young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people have their privacy respected. Personal information is securely stored and shared confidentially only with other professionals. Young people have access to a telephone that they can use in private. They are provided with their own lockable bedrooms and made aware of the particular circumstances in which these may need to be searched.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people know how to raise any concerns or complaints. Although the home has formal policies and procedures, concerns are usually addressed effectively before they become a complaint. No formal complaints have been received from young people. Third parties' concerns are maintained in a transparent manner by the registered provider. Young people have access to independent representatives such as their social workers or advocates from a national children's advocacy service to help them make their views known. The home's complaints policy is usefully summarised in the young person's guide.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are encouraged to develop socially acceptable behaviour within the boundaries set by normal living. Staff are trained in behaviour management and physical intervention. This training is regularly renewed to remain effective. Young people are aware of the expectations being made from them prior to moving to the home. The staff team understand the range of challenging behaviours individual young people may present and how these may be effectively addressed. The development of positive relationships between staff and young people helps promote and maintain a relaxed homely environment. All behavioural incidents are evaluated by the home's manager. The views and opinions of young people are always taken into account following any sanction to improve the effectiveness of staff practice.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Care staff confirm their awareness of potential dangers to young people by risk assessing all aspects of safety in the living environment, for example, the risk from fire and the particular hazards arising from individual behaviour and activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are effective procedures in place for the monitoring of visitors to the home. The company's recruitment and selection process ensures that all appointments to post are thoroughly vetted and assessed to confirm their suitability for working with young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are cared for by a staff team who show a practical awareness of child development by helping young people understand and moderate some of their challenging behaviour. The home looks after young people who have the need for a safe, facilitating, community-based environment that provides consistency of support, positive adult nurturing and explicit behavioural boundaries and in some cases access to mental health resources.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children’s home aims to improve young people's self-confidence and practical abilities and in doing so promote their care and placement plan. Young people are assisted to access both in-house and community based activities that help develop particular interests and skills, promote self-esteem and are age-appropriate. The staff team try to stimulate young people's shared awareness of gender issues, diversity, inclusion and tolerance both within the home and the wider community by setting a good example by positive role modelling and providing guidance for integrating into new social situations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are assisted by care staff to comply with any imposed statutory orders and improve their own potential by accessing external services appropriate to their specific care needs. The home assists young people to make full use of the company- based service that can help them address psychological or mild mental health related issues. This provision can supplement external services provided by community CAMHS Team and those provided by the Youth Offending Services.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

To achieve educationally upon placement at the home, young people are initially assessed by the National Teaching and Advisory Service as a time limited, interim measure while an appropriate full-time local educational placement is commissioned for young people of school age. Education is to begin with is provided by one-to-one tuition and guided study within a wider curriculum. Older teenagers are assisted to look for further relevant education placements or employment opportunities through Connexions.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Although there have been no recent admissions to the home each referral is comprehensively assessed and well planned through effective liaison between placing authorities and the registered provider. Young people are invited at an early stage to contribute their views about moving into the home. Care planning is effective because young people are involved with the development of an in-house placement plan that identifies the purpose of the placement. This includes how the placing authority's formal care plan may be achieved. Upon admission young people are encouraged to contribute to the contents and aims of their plan. The progress of placement plans is kept under review, formally by statutory looking after children reviews and internally by the home's own placement reviewing procedures.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Placement plans are discussed by the staff team regularly to ensure that they accurately reflect the nature of the care being provided and to record those changes considered necessary to improve how the service is delivered. Case recording consistently follows the Every Child Matters outcomes format.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are supported to maintain ongoing contact with their families where this is permitted by the arrangements detailed within their care plans. Plans make explicit the authorised arrangements for contact between young people, their family, friends and professional workers such as social workers. In keeping with the young people's plans the owning of a mobile phone and unsupervised visits can be goals confirming trust and self-responsibility. Young people have access to a house phone which they can use in private

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All young people are supported and encouraged to express their views and opinions about their life in the home. Their guide to the home provides information about the advocacy services available to them if they need to speak to someone independently. Young people are expected to attend regular children's meetings, with their own agenda, where they may raise their own issues, however day-to-day dialogue with staff generates most practical changes in the home.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home provides care for young people in a renovated, large detached family house. The home's location is within easy reach of the town centre retail complex and has convenient access to local recreation, leisure and further educational facilities that can assist a young person to integrate into the wider community.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The large detached property provides ample, homely, and generally well-maintained accommodation for young people although an ongoing maintenance regime is necessarily in operation to address the wear and tear inflicted on the living environment. The home includes two reception rooms, a spacious lounge, five young people's bedrooms, a kitchen, utility, dining room, two bathrooms, toilets on both floors, staff office and a staff sleep-in room. There is an extensive conservatory offering year round recreation space. The home is decorated and furnished to a satisfactory standard providing young people multiple areas for relaxation, recreation, education and a degree of privacy. The garden provides sufficient outdoor private green space and is separated from safe, off-road parking for vehicles by a fence and locked gate that increases the homes domestic security.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Where age appropriate, preparation is made for young people to leave care by helping them practise and acquire the skills needed for adulthood as a component part of their everyday home routine. Life skills are learnt through participation with staff involved with tasks such as shopping, cooking and undertaking some daily household chores such as tidying personal bedrooms and being supported to attend meetings. Pathway plans are compiled but have not always been signed by young people to confirm their agreement.

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Organisation

The home’s Statement of Purpose includes all the information prescribed by Schedule 1 of the Children's Home Regulations confirming the service provided. There is a children's guide that provides a useful source of information for young people placed at the home.

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Organisation

Young people are supported with their daily living by the home's team of trained staff. Staff provide safe and consistent care. The experienced and qualified Registered Manager and deputy manager support their staff by providing regular supervision and access to professional development opportunities. By attending induction and all statutory training staff are equipped to provide care specific to young people's particular needs. Permanent staff that have not gained a National Vocational Qualification at level 3 are registered and their skills are being assessed.

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Organisation

The staff rota confirms the complement of staff in the home is sufficient for providing for the care needs of young people both during the day and at night. Shortfalls in the home's rota are covered by in-house staff. The arrangements for safe one-to-one work with young people are addressed by individual risk assessments to ensure both young people's and staff safety.

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Organisation

There is a robust system for monitoring the operational efficiency and quality of care being provided by the home through the use of a Regulation 33 visitor. The views of young people are enlisted during this process and the findings from reports are used to improve the service.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The young people living at the home receive an individualised service that provides care fitting to individual age, ability and specific mental health related risk. A mixed gender and diverse staff team display a good knowledge of the young people they are working with, including their cultural and disability needs. The home has developed explicit policies and procedures promoting equality and diversity in all aspects of its service.

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Organisation

Case files are securely retained and recorded in a manner that makes them accessible and confidential. File records confirm improved management monitoring. Young people are made aware of the contents of their files and know they can request access or contribute to them should they need to.

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