Children's Home, Residential special school run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC401685 Inspection date 14/12/2010 Inspector Jackie Callaghan Type of inspection Key

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Date of last inspection 16/03/2010 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

The service is a residential school and registered as a children’s home to provide care for 23 young people of either sex with learning disabilities, mainly autistic spectrum disorder diagnosis, between the ages 5 and 17 years.

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Brief description of the service

The service is owned by a private company and is one of two residential facilities associated with the school. The service is in an isolated rural location and the large house is several miles away from the school. There are several mini buses available for the transportation of young people. The house is set in extensive grounds and is discreetly separated into four units. Each unit has a lounge, dining area, kitchen and small lounge. There are either five or six single bedrooms, with en suite toilet or adjacent bathroom for each young person in each unit. There is also an activities centre and staff support young people to accesses resources in the local and wider community.

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Brief description of the service

Twenty two young people were observed during this inspection, however, due to their limited verbal communication they did not vocally contribute to the report on this occasion.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is satisfactory.

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Summary

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

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Summary

At this unannounced key inspection, all key standards in all outcome areas were assessed. This inspection found that the home is satisfactory with some outstanding aspects.

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Summary

Positive relationships exist between young people and staff; who are very caring and supportive. One action and one recommendation have been raised as a result of this visit; in respect of the behaviour management practice and the monitoring processes. This is to ensure that all sanctions given are appropriate and that monitoring is redeveloped to pick up such errors quickly. However, the individual support that young people receive is wide-ranging and effective. As a result, young people are very happy, settled and extremely well cared for.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This is the home's first inspection since registration.

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Helping children to be healthy

Meals are well ordered, happy occasions when the staff and young people eat together. All food is freshly prepared and cooked on site. Young people help to prepare snacks and participate in the preparation and serving of meals. Menus are planned in advance and readily displayed, so helping to promote nutritional variety for young people. Food is used successfully to help broaden young people's knowledge and awareness of other cultures. For example, themed cultural nights where traditional dress and food tasting events take place.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people's individual health and intimate care needs are recognised and taken into account at an early stage. These are recorded in a detailed health care plan. There is excellent access to health care professionals, such as occupational health therapists, who work closely with staff and parents to identify and meet young people's unique needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Medical consent is actively sought from parents and/or carers. A signed form is retained on file ensuring young people receive preventative and emergency medical treatment without delay. Staff training on administration of medication is in-depth. As a result, young people reside in a healthy environment where their good health is comprehensively promoted.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff respect young people's privacy and any information about them is handled with sensitivity. Comprehensive policies underpin practice to ensure that any room searching, entering of rooms or sharing of personal information is carried out with the upmost respect and dignity. No young people have ever left the building without permission. However, the home has clear guidance to follow which is consistent with local police protocols.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There have been no complaints from young people since the last inspection. However, there have been five low-level complaints from parents and neighbours. The home has responded to all of the issues raised and all have been resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. Staff work hard to protect young people from the impact of bullying, anti-social or intimidating behaviour. Staff are sensitive and attuned to individual needs. Detailed planning and close supervision always ensures a supportive response.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are clear procedures to ensure the staff respond appropriately to any safeguarding allegations made. There are no current safeguarding concerns to do with young people placing themselves, or others at risk of significant harm. Staff are trained in safeguarding and they know how to alert all relevant authorities of significant matters, in accordance with the home's statutory responsibilities. By sharing concerns promptly, the welfare and safety of young people is promoted. Sound recruitment procedures require that all staff have an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure before employment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home uses natural consequences to try and support young people to understand that they are displaying inappropriate behaviour. For example, if a young person makes a mess. Then the young person is encouraged to help clean up the mess they have created. As a result, young people are encouraged to reflect on the consequences of their behaviour in order to help them learn how to behave more responsibly. There has been one occasion, however, where the consequence given meant that a young person did not have their desert. Staff state that this would have been supplemented by fresh fruit as an alternative. Nevertheless, records do not show this and sanctions involving food are not allowed. It is, however, recognised that this practice has not happened before.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are effective measures in place to keep young people safe. Appropriate risk assessments are undertaken for the premises, individuals and activities the young people take part in. Staff are trained in fire safety awareness and they with the young people take part in regular fire drills. Relevant certificates show that regular servicing and maintenance is completed on all gas and electrical equipment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are receiving an excellent range of individual support and guidance that is consistent with their identified needs. Staff have a positive attitude towards education and take a keen and active interest in young people's development and learning. Young people are living in a home where they can consistently enjoy and achieve.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All young people are educated in the organisation’s school. There is a real strength in the close and constructive child focussed links between education and residential staff. Staff are deployed creatively to maximise on their skills which means that some staff share their time between the home and the classroom. Therefore young people experience both consistent and productive support which sustains them to achieve both in and out of school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Key worker sessions are regularly held to explore young people's views and opinions, and to broaden their experiences. Staff are skilful at using individual communication systems. As a result, every young person is successfully enabled to have a voice. Encompassed within these sessions are Every Child Matters outcomes, including the promotion of equality and diversity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are supported to access and attend various community-based activities and venues according to their own choices and preferences. Staff ensure young people enjoy a broad range of activities that positively challenge personal growth and development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are proactively encouraged, enabled and supported to contribute to their care by using a variety of communication aids. Consequently, young people's views are clearly valued and they are given choice wherever possible.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are explicit written plans which summarise how young people's needs are to be met. Records document young people's daily, weekly and monthly progress. Staff’s care practice in this area is excellent because each young person has a placement plan that identifies the purpose of the placement. Case files confirm that the young people's progress is reviewed within the statutory time periods.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Contact is not an issue for the young people residing at the home. All young go home for school holidays. However, the home also has an open door policy and parents and/or carers are welcome to visit anytime to see their child. The interactions between staff and young people reveal that the home continues to provide a relaxed setting where the involvement of young people is used to positively shape the nature of the care provided.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are helped to move in and on from the home with well-informed, sensitive staff support. The home has established excellent preparation for young people staying in residence for the first time. Staff visit the young person at home and work with parents to learn about the young person's routines, as well as their likes and dislikes. This means that when young people sleep at the home they experience consistent care.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people receive care which helps to prepare them for and support them into adulthood. Preparation is individual and shaped to help young people to either return to their family home, to alternative carers or to move into independent living.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Overall, this is a homely and comfortable care setting which is decorated and furnished to a good standard which creates a pleasant living environment. The home provides the right environment to ensure the social and personal needs of each young person are being met.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

A programme of maintenance and repair is ongoing, however, this does not impact on the care young people receive. There are good systems in place that recognise maintenance issues and those with health and safety implications are rectified as a priority.

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Organisation

The unit's Statement of Purpose is up-to-date and reflects what the service sets out to do for the young people and how they will be cared for. A young people's guide is also available in an appropriate format. The manager undertakes the required monitoring to fulfil Regulation 34 and this is also supported by unannounced Regulation 33 visits. However, both sets of monitoring missed that an inappropriate sanction had been given. This means that the monitoring processes are not totally ensuring that staff's practice is developed or re-shaped to provide robust safeguards for young people.

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Organisation

The organisation has an induction, core training programme and support system in place that helps to provide staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to support and care for young people. As a result, the good training opportunities are enabling staff to be updated in key areas. All staff are now either trained with a National Vocational Qualification in the care of children and young people at level 3, or are undertaking the course.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Staff’s whole ethos is to recognise and support the different cultures, abilities, communication needs, language and faiths of all those accommodated. A mixed staff team ensures that the individual personal, social, health and emotional needs of each young person are explored and care given to meet them.

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Organisation

The young people have comprehensive individual files which are stored securely. Young people are also provided with appropriate levels of staff supervision and support. This is because staff manage their time effectively and are deployed in a way that meets young people's needs. Staff rotas are flexible to meet the changing needs and circumstances of young people. As a result, young people are being nurtured and comprehensively supported because their needs are being met and risks are managed in a preventative way.

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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

22 ensure that no punishments relating to the consumption or deprivation of food or drink shall be used as disciplinary 13/01/2011 measures on children. (Regulation 17.5 (b))

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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

 develop the monitoring processes to evidence that the action taken improves or adjusts the provision where necessary. (NMS 33.1)

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