Children's Home run by Care Afloat Ltd in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC006011 Inspection date 21/09/2010 Inspector Sharon Lloyd Type of inspection Key

p.1

Date of last inspection 25/02/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Brief description of the service

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children aged from eight to 17 years. It is situated on a main road with access to public transport, health, shopping and leisure facilities. It is a detached property surrounded by large gardens. Downstairs is a lounge, a kitchen diner, a small phone room and an office for staff. Upstairs there are two bedrooms, a bathroom and two staff sleep-in rooms.

p.4

Summary

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

p.4

Summary

This key inspection was made unannounced over two days. One young person is currently resident and participated in the inspection. The young person is making very good progress in all areas of development because the home is meeting their individual needs well. In particular, the home promotes young people's health and safety to an outstanding degree. Recommendations for good practice are made in relation to staying safe, enjoying and achieving and organisation where there are shortfalls in meeting the national minimum standards. These do not have a detrimental effect on young people's welfare or progress.

p.4

Improvements since the last inspection

Two recommendations relating to staying safe were made following the last inspection and both have been addressed. Records are well written and contain detailed information relating to incidents, including incidents where a young person is missing from home. Each member of staff reads and signs risk assessments relating to young people's known and likely behaviours. This demonstrates they know and understand the level of risk. Discussion of individual risk assessments takes place in one-to-one supervision meetings and team meetings. Staff are well informed about the potential risks to a young person. They know how to safeguard each young person in accordance with the risk assessments that have been agreed with the placing social worker.

p.4

Helping children to be healthy

Young people have outstanding support to live healthy lives. They enjoy well balanced, nutritious meals that include foods from a range of cultures. They participate in planning, shopping for and preparing meals so they learn skills for life. Young people's close friends are invited to have meals at the home, so that mealtimes are pleasurable, social occasions. Most meals are taken together at the table so young people learn good table manners. The home recognises the importance of food in promoting good health. It encourages young people who are reluctant to eat by preparing appetising meals at regular times. It maintains records of diets offered and of meals actually taken by young people so it can monitor each young person's diet. Staff provide good advice about the importance of healthy eating so young people learn how to maintain good health.

p.4

Helping children to be healthy

Outstanding health plans provide staff with all the information they need to ensure they know how to meet young people's health needs. Records are very well maintained and demonstrate that young people have access to a range of health professionals in accordance with their needs. These includes mental health and sexual health experts. The home has a very good working relationship with the looked after children nurse who makes sure that any information missing from young people's health histories is followed up. This means that young people have a very good record of their health history and current health status that is available to them in the future. Staff react promptly to address any health matters, using the NHS Direct service and the local accident and emergency service appropriately. This means that young people are confident that staff value and promote their good health and they receive the treatment they need in good time.

p.5

Helping children to be healthy

Staff know and follow outstanding and safe medicine administration procedures. This means that young people get the medication and treatment they need. The home provides young people who are risk assessed as being able to safely self-administer medicines with a lockable medicine cabinet fixed to their bedroom wall. This ensures that other young people do not have access to medicines not meant for them. Parental consent to medicines and first aid has been obtained and staff make sure they take this to appointments with them as well as their company identification that demonstrates they are young people's legitimate carers.

p.5

Helping children to be healthy

The home has a rolling programme of training that includes first aid, medicine administration and health and hygiene. However, not all staff are up to date with this training so there is a risk that they may not adhere to good practice in promoting young people's health.

p.5

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people enjoy privacy whenever they want it and staff sensitively follow good routines aimed at promoting privacy and dignity. Very good care is taken of confidential information and it is shared with staff and others on a 'need to know' basis, so that young people's privacy is promoted.

p.5

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home provides young people with extremely good information about the complaints procedure and plenty of opportunity to make a complaint. Any complaints made are dealt with appropriately and quickly and there is evidence of the home developing and improving its procedures as a result of complaints made. The young person currently living at the home has no complaints and reports that they feel safe and well cared for. The home provides young people with addresses and phone numbers of other agencies with a safeguarding role such as ChildLine, the police, the National Youth Advocacy Service and Children's Rights Officers. It makes it easy for young people to contact their social workers, parents and any of the above agencies, in private, out of school hours.

p.5

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are well informed about the whistleblowing and safeguarding procedures. They know what to do when a young person makes a disclosure or allegation of abuse. This is because the home gives high priority to training its staff in child protection. There are excellent working relationships with the placing authority, police and health services that promote young people's welfare and enable good corporate parenting. Effective risk assessments and behaviour management plans are agreed with placing authorities and the police. Staff protect young people who are at risk of being missing from home and those who are at risk of sexual exploitation very well by following the good guidance provided. Incidents of bullying are addressed and young people are encouraged to recognise when their behaviour towards others is unacceptable.

p.6

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are looked after by staff who are trained to manage their behaviour through positive means, including the use of incentive schemes. Good behaviour is rewarded and young people improve their social skills and learn to manage their anger more appropriately. Staff are trained to restrain young people safely but the need for this is rare because staff are skilled at managing challenging behaviour. This means that the risk of injury to staff and young people through assault is reduced. Young people have the opportunity to discuss serious incidents after the event and to have their views recorded. The opportunity to meet with an independent person after being missing from home is not always provided. This means the home cannot demonstrate that it gives young people the chance to raise any concerns about their care that may have prompted their absence with an independent person.

p.6

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people live in a home that is well appointed, safe and secure. This is because health and safety matters are prioritised. Excellent recording demonstrates that staff carry out routine health and safety checks on the premises and appliances. All health and safety certificates, including those relating to gas, the electrical installation and fire safety are up to date. The home practises fire drills so that staff and young people know how to evacuate the premises quickly and safely in the event of a fire.

p.6

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home protects young people as far as possible from coming into contact with potential abusers. It does this by routinely recording visitors to the home and ensuring that young people are supervised when visitors who are not subject to checks by the Criminal Records Bureau are present. Very good recruitment procedures enable robust and effective selection of new staff.

p.6

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people receive a range of individualised support in line with their needs and wishes. For example, those who have been sexually exploited receive professional services and advice to help them develop self-respect and keep themselves safe. Young people have access to someone independent of the home who can provide assistance, advice and guidance.

p.7

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home is pro-active in establishing good relationships with schools and negotiating alternative education programmes for young people who are not attending school. They work with placing authorities to secure appropriate education for each young person. However, they do not provide a programme of educational activities during normal school hours for those young people who have limited access to education. Nor do they encourage reading through the provision of daily newspapers, magazines or library membership.

p.7

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home encourages young people to participate in a range of enjoyable activities that enables them to have fun and develop their skills and self-esteem. Staff continually encourage those who are reluctant to engage in planned activities to try new experiences. They try to stimulate new interests through the imaginative use of resources.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

Placement planning is outstanding. Very detailed plans are based on the local authorities' plans for young people. They provide excellent guidance to staff about how the home should be meeting young people's needs. They include information about young people's diverse needs including their religious, cultural and ethnic needs as well as those relating to their education and health. They are regularly reviewed so that they continue to provide up to date assessment of need and guidance.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

The home maintains good communication with placing authorities and holds all the required information on file so that staff have the essential information they need to provide young people with good quality care. Planning for new admissions takes account of the needs of young people currently in placement so that every effort is made to ensure their progress is not disrupted. When young people move on to new placements, the home provides the new home with valuable information to aid the young person's transition.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people maintain constructive contact with friends and family. The home encourages this through developing good working relationships with parents and promoting the re-establishment of quality relationships between parents and young people. Friends are made welcome at the home so staff get to know them and this enables them to guide young people in the appropriateness of friendships and relationships.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people report that staff listen to them and they have the opportunity to influence their day-to-day and long term plans.

p.8

Achieving economic wellbeing

Staff encourage young people to assist in household tasks and to take responsibility for their own bedrooms, washing and ironing. They learn to cook, shop and budget by being involved in some of the day-to-day decisions about the home. Young people learn to make choices and to budget their clothing allowance and pocket money.

p.8

Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is suitable to accommodate two young people. It is clean, well maintained and homely. Each young person has their own bedroom, which is decorated and personalised to their own taste.

p.8

Organisation

The home's manager is based at the home on a part-time basis. He also manages another children's home for the same company and leads the training for all staff on behaviour management and physical intervention. He monitors the operation of the home effectively. A team of independent visitors monitor the home on behalf of the provider. One visits the home each month and provides a comprehensive report on its performance to the provider and the manager. Actions identified to improve the care of young people are addressed.

p.8

Organisation

There are four full-time and two part-time permanent members of staff. Four of these started working at the home within the last 12 months and have limited experience of looking after children in care. None of the staff have a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 3 in the Care of Children and Young People although three members of staff are currently undertaking this qualification. The company is committed to training its workforce and arrangements are in place for the newest three members of staff to begin a suitable NVQ course in October 2010. Not all staff have completed their foundation training, including first aid, food hygiene and the administration of medicines within six months of starting at the home. This means they may not have the skills to ensure they are able to meet young people's needs.

p.8

Organisation

The staff report they are well supported and supervised through one-to-one meetings with the manager or senior staff member, informal supervision, training and staff meetings. Rotas do not demonstrate that there is always a permanent and experienced member of staff leading each shift. However, the young person reports that she feels well looked after by a consistent staff team whom she knows well. Social workers consider the staff are well led by a manager who is competent and that the home meets young people's needs very well.

p.8

Organisation

Young people have been involved in writing the home's guide for children and young people. It is well designed and written, age appropriate and contains all the information young people need about living at the home.

p.9

Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Effective care planning identifies young people's diverse, individual needs and these are addressed. The home helps young people to raise their awareness of other cultures and races through everyday activities and discussions. Through example and discussion, staff help young people learn tolerance of others.

p.9

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.9

Recommendations

 ensure all new staff receive foundation training in core areas, including first aid, food hygiene, medicine administration and child protection within the first six months of working at the home (NMS 31.3)  make sure you provide young people with the opportunity to meet with someone independent of the home (such as the young person's social worker) to consider the reason for being missing from home. Where this is not possible, make sure you record the reasons why and agree this with the placing authority (NMS 19.4)  provide an education programme during normal school hours for young people who are not in school (NMS 14.7)  consider providing library membership and provide a selection of suitable newspapers and magazines (NMS 15.7)  ensure all new staff, including part-time staff who are working regularly as permanent employees, receive one-to-one supervision fortnightly during the first six months of their employment (NMS 28.2)

p.9

Recommendations

 ensure a minimum of 80% of staff obtain a National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in the Care of Children and Young People (NMS 29.5)  ensure that those staff who lead shifts are permanent members of staff with substantial experience of working at the home and have completed their induction and probationary period. (NMS 29.3).

p.9