Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Shropshire

Unique reference number SC020595 Inspection date 03/11/2010 Inspector Robert Hewston Type of inspection Key

p.1

Date of last inspection 12/03/2010 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

This children's home is registered to provide residential care for up to four young people of either gender, between the ages of 10 and 17 years, who suffer with emotional and behavioural problems.

p.4

Brief description of the service

The home has four single bedrooms for the young people, two with wash basins, one bathroom with a toilet and a shower room with a toilet. There is a very large communal living area which incorporates a sitting area, dining area and a games area with internet access to a computer. There is also an extension which provides extra sleeping accommodation for staff and an arts and craft room. There are extensive grounds, with activity and play areas and a small wooded area to the rear. There are car spaces for several cars. The home is situated in a rural area with access to a town approximately five miles away.

p.4

Brief description of the service

An education service is provided off site but there is a commitment to integrating young people into mainstream educational provision. In addition, the company employs therapists and engages other services available to the home and aimed at providing a range of services to young people and their families.

p.4

Summary

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

p.4

Summary

This unannounced full inspection concentrates on assessing the key national minimum standards focusing on the outcome areas of being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, positive contribution and economic well-being. The inspection also considered how the home is managed and how staff are supported.

p.4

Summary

The overall quality rating is good with outstanding features in being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving outcomes. All young people, currently accommodated at the home, participated in this inspection. This inspection found that the home continues to provide a good standard of care and efficient individual support that helps young people in their education, personal, social and emotional development. The home's Registered Manager provides strong and effective leadership which results in staff being clearly focused in meeting the needs of young people. Staff relationships with young people are caring and very supportive. Two recommendations have been raised as a result of this visit in regard to risk assessments and the of recording of young people's comments.

p.4

Improvements since the last inspection

There was no actions or recommendations made at the previous inspection.

p.4

Helping children to be healthy

Menus reflect that young people are provided with a well-balanced and healthy diet. Young people say that they are actively involved in compiling the menus, in weekly shopping and in preparing meals. All staff complete food safety training as part of their core training. Staff provide good support and encouragement to young people to take regular exercise.

p.5

Helping children to be healthy

Young people are provided with excellent guidance, advice and support on health and personal care issues appropriate to their individual needs and wishes. Young people commented on how they feel there able to manage in society due to the approach of the staff team enabling them to talk about our concerns instead of placing themselves in dangerous situations. Staff are proactive in their attempts to enlist specialist medical professionals to fully assess the specific health requirements of young people. Young people are accessing regular, high quality therapeutic support that matches their needs. Communication systems in the home are strong. This ensures that key information is used and shared to shape the delivery of therapy. Young people benefit from these arrangements because they experience a service that is focused on their needs.

p.5

Helping children to be healthy

The home operates a very effective medication policy, procedure and practice guidance which addresses the use of prescribed and non-prescribed medication. All staff receive medication and first aid training. The practice and systems in place for the administration of medication are robust. Staff are very clear about the policy and procedures for administering medication including controlled medication.

p.5

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people benefit from living in an environment that proactively and effectively safeguards and protects their welfare. Staff have a professional focus on matters relating to young people's protection with clear guidance that is communicated effectively to promote their safety and well-being. Managers provide strong leadership that consistently promotes an environment where safety is important.

p.5

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff understand and promote an individual's right to privacy and confidentiality. For instance, staff ensure they understand each young person's individual needs and requirements, and provide personal care designed to meet these needs while ensuring that their privacy and dignity is respected.

p.5

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Each young person's right to complain is supported by the staff team. Young people say that staff show concern for them if they have worries about what is happening at the home and respond quickly. Young people feel listened to and their views respected. The recording of complaints is monitored on a regular basis. A key success of the home is the way in which staff are able to engage with young people about matters that are significant to their safety and protection. Important areas are covered that are part of the home's approach to managing risks and raising young people's awareness. For example, individual and informal group work sessions are regularly delivered covering a wide range of subject areas like personal safety, behaviour, relationships and bullying. These sessions are evaluated and assessed to ensure they are relevant and meaningful to each young person's circumstances and needs. However, it's not clear if all young people have participated in the process

p.5

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

due to the lack of young people's comments on the weekly and monthly evaluation reports.

p.6

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff communicate clear expectations regarding boundaries which sufficiently help young people to begin to understand consequences for their behaviour. Staff’s approach to behaviour is based on redirection and purposeful intervention to calm the situation quickly. Restraints are only used when felt really necessary to ensure safety. Staff are trained in physical intervention, restraint and de-escalation techniques with regular refresher training. The home has individual action management plans for young people who present challenging and aggressive behaviour, identifying details about the behaviours, how they are to be prevented, managed and reviewed. Staff regularly discuss the behaviour approaches and agree as a team how to respond to young people. Overall risk assessments are robust and appropriate to the young peoples safety and needs. However one risk assessment regarding staff ratios, needed to be changed due to the young person's behaviour

p.6

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

not requiring one-to-one supervision anymore.

p.6

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has a robust procedure for reporting and responding to any safeguarding concerns and has good links with the local safeguarding team. Training for staff in child protection is updated regularly ensuring that staff have a very good understanding of child protection issues. The staff are aware of triggers and work hard to de-escalate potential bullying situations. Young people confirmed that bullying is not an issue in the home with one young person voicing 'I feel safe living here'.

p.6

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The young people live in a home that provides physical safety and security. Positive steps are taken to keep young people, staff and visitors safe from fire and other hazards. Established systems are in place for the regular checking and servicing of fire safety and detection equipment. A fire risk assessment is in place and has been reviewed. The young people and staff are briefed on the home's emergency fire procedures and regularly participate in practise evacuations. The home ensures that all of its care staff complete training in the use of fire fighting equipment. Portable appliance testing is routinely undertaken.

p.6

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people receive an good standard of individual care. Staff have a thorough awareness of individual young people's needs and discuss them at handovers and team meetings. They show a high motivation to make sure that individual needs are met, and act as advocates for the young people. The home provides a positive culture of engagement and dialogue where young people's needs are well known and risks are managed effectively. The home's records reflect the diverse and individualised needs of each young person. The approach to young people's life story work is a reflection on the importance placed on staff to ensure young people are able to see their time in care as a positive one. However, records of discussions are sometimes difficult to find due to using different sections to record. For example there are good comments in the achievement book and in children's meetings and consultation book. However, the well-written weekly and monthly reports sent to

p.7

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

social workers and significant others do not show young people's additional comments and views.

p.7

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff actively promote education within the home. School attendance continues to be extremely good. Staff engage with young people to support them in school and work in partnership with teachers to develop positive educational outcomes. For example staff have assisted schools in understanding young people's behaviour and how to use the approaches that are successful within the home. Young people's files contain a good range of information regarding education, consequently staff are well informed about individual needs. Staff show they are interested in how the school day has been for the children and young people when they return. This helps staff to pick up and address issues before they become too serious. Staff show genuine delight in the successes of young people at school. The ethos of the home and staff team is focused on fully promoting education with the view that the young people can achieve positive outcomes.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people's needs are appropriately assessed prior to placement. Comprehensive documentation is kept on file to offer historical information on each young person. Young people have good placement plans that identify their health, physical, social, educational, cultural and leisure needs. Formal reviews take place at the required intervals to ensure that the placement continues to meet young people's needs. The young people are encouraged to contribute and/or attend their reviews and to take an active part in key decision making.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people have very clear placement plans. The plans detail how individual needs are to be addressed and the roles and responsibilities of key personnel. The placement plan is based upon an assessment and detailed risk assessments. Looked after children's documents are held on file. Placement plans address any issues that arise out of a young person's ethnicity, race, disability, sexuality or religion. An admission meeting is held with staff and the young people once they move into home. This provides a good opportunity for sharing information about the young person, the home and expectations of both. All the gathered information is used to produce looked after action plans.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff encourage young people to have appropriate contact with family and friends and to retain ties in their local community. Clear records are kept of each contact visit and telephone call. Staff confirmed that any restrictions or choices made by the young people regarding contact are, when appropriate, made clear to all parties. Any restrictions are clearly written into placement plans.

p.8

Helping children make a positive contribution

The staff encourage young people to contribute to the running of the home and make suggestions. Informal discussions have been successful in engaging young people rather than formal children's meetings. This is due to the amount of discussion held around meal times and the young peoples age difference and attention span. Staff strive to create an inclusive, reflective and participatory environment that encourages consultation and discussion. This appears to be effectively balanced by realistic boundaries. The young people have many avenues to voice their own opinions and say 'staff listen to me'. The home is proactive in ensuring that all young people are aware that they can speak to independent agencies and professionals outside of the home. Staff demonstrate a clear commitment to promoting consultation and involve young people in the running of the home.

p.8

Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is decorated and furnished to a good standard and provides a very homely and welcoming environment for young people. Communal accommodation consists of a kitchen and two comfortable lounge areas. The layout of the rooms allows staff to supervise young people without feeling constantly watched. Young people are provided with individual bedrooms which are suitably maintained and personalised to their own tastes. The home provides young people with sufficient bath, shower and toilet facilities with appropriate locks to ensure their privacy is maintained. Suitable laundry facilities are also provided to meet the needs of the home. The space, facilities and grounds meets the requirements for accommodation and provide a safe secure environment for young people.

p.8

Achieving economic wellbeing

Any young people who are leaving care and moving into independent or semi- independent living are fully supported. Young people follow an in-house programme which helps them to acquire and develop independence skills and enables them to take greater responsibility for themselves as they move into adulthood. Young people benefit from a staff approach that is practical and realistic and which incorporates learning through the day-to-day domestic circumstances of the home. Further development in specific independence programmes is needed to give young people the skills and understanding of budgeting, cooking and living independently.

p.8

Organisation

The home has a written Statement of Purpose which sets out all required areas of information about this service as set by regulation. The commitment to promoting equality and diversity is explicit in this information. Young people are provided with good written information when they are admitted to the home, setting out details of expectations and services provided. Young people are admitted to the home in accordance with the Statement of Purpose.

p.9

Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Young people do not face any discrimination or racism. Staff have access to training, guidance and support that ensures they respect individual needs which include, race, gender, sexuality, religion or cultural. Positive steps are taken to raise the young people's awareness of different cultures. Young people are supported to follow their religious beliefs and individual life styles. Staff provide good role models and they have undertaken training in equal opportunities.

p.9

Organisation

Young people are provided with a service that includes a stable and committed team of staff who deliver consistent care and support. The commitment from staff is a strength of the home. Most staff absences are covered from the existing team who are already known by the young people and this ensures continuity of care. The number of staff on duty is always enough to meet the needs young people and support their welfare and protection. Staff attend a varied range of training and are competent to carry out the work with the young people. In addition, managers appraise staff performance every year and the team's development is further enhanced by frequent training sessions that relate to the specialist nature of the service. The majority of care staff hold the National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in caring for children and young people. Staff receive excellent support to carry out their roles effectively and build their knowledge and skills.

p.9

Organisation

The Registered Manager has satisfactory systems in place to monitor the operation of the home and the overall progress of each young person. Regular visits are made to the home by independent representatives and the findings are reflected in written monitoring reports. The Registered Manager responds to these reports along with other activities relating to the evaluation of the service. They clearly identify quality assurance, trends in sanctions and absconding and are able to capture children’s experiences and demonstrate how the service is being measured and improved.

p.9

Recommendations

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

p.10

Recommendations

 ensure young people's views, discussions and expressed opinions are recorded promptly with particular reference to promotion of good practice (NMS 8.3)  ensure risk assessments in relation to children's behaviour are reviewed in accordance to changes in young people's behaviour. (NMS 22)

p.10