Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC028905 Inspection date 06/01/2011 Inspector Jackie Callaghan Type of inspection Key

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Date of last inspection 18/08/2010 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 is part of a residential provision for looked after children. The home provides emergency short- term residential accommodation for a maximum of five young people of either gender, who are aged between 12 and 17 years on admission. The purpose of the home is to provide a safe and secure environment that promotes the welfare of the young people accommodated. An assessment is carried out to identify how best to meet a young person's needs and plan for their future.

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Brief description of the service

Placements are for a maximum of 12 weeks duration, other than in exceptional circumstances, during this time plans are made for a return home or another placement will be made and initiated. The home is situated in a residential area and is a large Victorian building comprising of five en-suite bedrooms for young people. Five young people are currently living at the home with four young people being present at different times throughout this inspection. Two young people actively contributed verbally to the findings in this report.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is outstanding.

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Summary

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

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Summary

The purpose of this unannounced full inspection was to evaluate the home against the key national minimum standards.

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Summary

This continues to be an outstanding home. The staff team are clearly committed to the young people they care for; they celebrate their achievements and support those young people when they are going through some difficulties. Young people recognise the support they receive, saying, 'they make this place just like it would be in your own home, they are great at listening'.

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Summary

Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding issues and, as a result, keep young people safe. The home has an established independence training programme that successfully equips young people with the necessary skills to live independently. Young people are also given opportunities to experience a range of outward bound activities that enrich their lives and build their self-esteem, for example, rock climbing and survival skills.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were no actions or recommendations made at the home's last inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Systems to meet young people's health needs, including all health documentation, are excellent. Young people describe how they meet with key staff to discuss sexual awareness and other sensitive subjects. Staff work fully with families, schools and social workers to make sure young people access a range of health services. This robust working practice ensures that young people's welfare is given a top-priority.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people's well-being is promoted by the home's policy, procedure and the strengthened practice for administering medicine and treatment. There is always an experienced person on duty with an up-to-date first aid qualification so young people get the care they need. Arrangements for managing the receipt, administration and audit of medication are robust and staff are well trained. Young people are very much active participants in the safe administration process. Staff undertake risk assessments in order to evaluate if the young people can self-medicate appropriately. This approach enables young people to actively learn to manage their own health needs in a safe way.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people enthusiastically enjoy healthy nutritious meals that meets their dietary needs. All meals are prepared to a very high standard. They are successfully encouraged to try a range of different foods and to eat a balanced diet. Young people confirmed this with one commenting that 'the food here is really good. We make snacks and cook when we want to'.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The welfare and safety of young people is promoted by a considered admission practice and stable core staff team. Staff receive ongoing training in child protection that helps underpin safe day-to-day practice. Young people may display behaviour which has a negative impact on others. Staff are proactive about managing the differing needs of young people through careful planning of activities and close supervision. This ensures that behaviour does not become intimidating or bullying. One young person stated 'I have not been bullied here, however, if it did happen I would talk to staff about it. I'm very confident that staff would sort it out quickly'.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people's privacy and confidentiality is promoted by sound guidance and excellent staff practice. Staff ensure that they do not enter young people's rooms without knocking. Young people's care records are maintained securely and contents are not discussed inappropriately. Staff are abundantly aware of the young people's right to privacy and how this may be safely promoted.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children's advocacy and representative service is used regularly to act as an advocate for young people when investigating any complaints. Young people know how to make a complaint and are confident that they would be listened to. A young person reported that 'staff listen and I know how to make a complaint, however, I have never needed to complain. Staff are so good at supporting me and we talk lots about things, particularly when things are not going well, they will help me turn things around'.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people living at this home are aware of the reason they are being looked after and how staff will promote their safety and protection, both within the home and in public places. Staff are fully aware of the types of behaviour which young people may display and accordingly develop in-depth risk assessments that minimise the potential for young people to subject themselves or others to harm. Staff know how to respond to challenging behaviours and in circumstances where young people may be absent without authority. Young people are successfully encouraged to reflect on the consequences of their behaviour after such incidents. This helps them to learn how to take responsibility for their own safety and encourages them to behave appropriately.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff take positive steps to keep young people and visitors safe from all environmental hazards including fire. For example, risk assessments on the environment are completed and updated on a regular basis and staff within the home are all involved in these routines to ensure that health and safety is promoted by everyone. Portable appliance testing, for electrical safety has been done on all equipment in the home and all safety equipment has been serviced with approved regularity and is properly maintained. Frequent checks are undertaken on fire equipment and emergency lighting, and fire drills are regularly completed. As a result, young people are living in a home which provides fully for their physical safety and security.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has robust procedures in place for the monitoring of visitors to the home. The home and local authority has a clearly defined recruitment process. This robust practice protects young people by ensuring that all of the national minimum standards requirements are met, in all instances, prior to any staff member being deployed into the home. A written record of this process is maintained for inspection and is followed in respect of all staff currently employed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people receive outstanding individual support when they need it. Staff have access to a comprehensive range of information that identifies specific needs and support for each young person. A key worker system is in operation where a member of staff takes responsibility for the oversight and delivery of a young person’s care and support. There is creative support for young people's needs on the basis of race, religion and cultural identity. Staff have established good practice in learning about other languages spoken by young people, such as Kurdish; they have adapted menus and other documentation into different languages.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home has a clear education policy which includes the active promotion of education through partnership working with other agencies and professionals. Young people's educational achievement is seen as part of their preparation for adulthood and as such, young people are being successfully motivated to understand and value and importance of education.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff actively promote the social inclusion of young people in the home's daily routines and events. Young people are systematically supported to access and attend various community-based activities and venues according to their own choices and preferences. Staff are keenly supporting young people to develop their own interests and hobbies because significant attention is being paid to this area of personal development and growth. One young person said 'all the staff are really nice and supportive and they are good at caring for me'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are supported to access specialist external services, such as the child and adolescent mental health services. This ensures that all young people's identified needs are met. The Registered Manager reviews and updates assessments so all staff are actively informed about what they can do to reduce potential risks to young people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Each young person has an individual placement plan that clearly sets out their needs and includes in-depth guidance on how these needs are to be met. This ensures there is a consistent staff approach to their care. Young people are fully involved in drawing up these plans. 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 arrangements are clearly set out in each young person's files. The home is accomplished at facilitating and promoting young people's contact with significant others. There is a delightful and welcoming contact room within the home that young people use when meeting their social workers and/or other significant people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All admissions, even though they are usually on an emergency basis, are well planned for. This is because there are robust gate keeping systems in place. These systems mean that careful consideration is given to the gender mix to ensure the protection of all the young people. This view is confirmed by a young person who commented that 'I felt well supported as soon as I entered the home. My move here was nice and smooth'. Young people are supported to identify appropriate placements to move on to. When the time is right the move is undertaken in a structured way to ensure young people's welfare is promoted.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are actively involved with the decision-making processes within the home. Regular informative dialogue between staff and young people takes place when considering any issues that affect the running of the home. Key work sessions consider a wide range of issues. For example, confidentiality and how feedback from young people should be acted upon in a safe and meaningful way. 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. One young person stated that 'staff really listen to you and things do change as a result of my input'.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people are encouraged and supported by staff to behave in ways that will help prepare them for returning home or eventual independence. Staff help young people identify and maintain safe behavioural boundaries that will help their reintegration and personal development. Young people confirm that staff help them address their problems and behaviour. As a result, young people living at this home are purposefully supported to prepare for leaving the home whether this is to return home, to alternative carers or to move into independent living.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people live in an exceptionally well-furnished property with excellent domestic style facilities. The home is located in a populated location on the edge of a small town, the home has really good access to all local amenities.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The house is a very homely and comfortable care setting which is decorated and furnished to a very high standard which creates a pleasant living environment. The homes boasts plenty of communal space in which young people can spend quality time with their peers. Equally, young people's bedrooms are decorated to the highest standard and young people say 'we have everything we could wish for living her, it really is a nice home'. As a result, 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

This is an outstanding home that is extremely well managed. The promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding. All of the home's recording systems take account of potential needs in relation to a young person's diversity such as identity, race, culture, religion and sexual identity. The home provides an environment where the value of equality and diversity is understood, promoted and celebrated.

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Organisation

The quality of the home's management impacts directly on the quality of the care and support young people receive within the home. Good communication is a very real strength of the home. This enables each staff team to be well informed about daily events, routines and the progress of each young person. Staff know and understand the stated aims and objectives of the service which is consistent with the home's Statement of Purpose. Young people are given a booklet in an appropriate format to help them learn about what the home provides.

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Organisation

The Registered Manager has recently created a young person's guide in Kurdish, Arabic and Pushto. Although in the past young people who are asylum seekers have been placed. Currently, there are no young people with asylum seeker status residing at the home. However, the Registered Manager wants to ensure that all future individuals are fully informed about what the home has to offer them.

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Organisation

Young people clearly enjoy being looked after by a consistent group of staff, who cover most absences themselves. When cover staff are deployed into the home every effort is made to ensure that these staff are already known to the young people. Residents are well informed about what the home does because staff take time to explain and describe the services offered and how they can be adapted to suit individual needs.

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Organisation

The number of staff on duty is always ample enough to meet the diverse needs of young people and to promote both their welfare and protection. There is an effective induction, core training programme and support systems in place that helps to provide staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to support and care for young people.

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Organisation

There is dynamic leadership and management support because the Registered Manager is qualified, skilled and very experienced. She provides strong and effective leadership to the staff team and young people. The Registered Manager is actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the home and has clear expectations that the staff team will achieve the best possible outcomes for all young people in their care. Staff receive regular one-to-one supervision from either the home's manager or one of the seniors, at the frequency required by the national minimum standards. Staff speak highly of the Registered Manager and their comments include; 'inspirational', 'exceptionally caring and very dynamic manager who does not miss a trick'. 'Support from the manager is very effective, I love coming to work and really enjoy my job'. This means that young people receive care from a staff group who are motivated to

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Organisation

provide the best possible care they can.

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Organisation

Young people are being looked after by a staff group that is experienced and meets the required level of qualification in childcare as required by the national minimum standards. There is a good emphasis given to staff training and development which is focused on areas relating to young people's needs.

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Organisation

Young people are provided with appropriate levels of supervision and support because staff manage their time effectively and are deployed in a way that meets their needs. The staff rotas are flexible to meet the changing needs and circumstances of young people. Robust management systems are in place to share information between different shift teams. Consequently, young people are being nurtured and comprehensively supported because their needs are being met and risks are managed in a preventative way. Accomplished systems are in place to monitor the service and daily lives of young people currently living in the home. The local authority has established a pattern of management monitoring and reporting procedures, which is effectively implemented by the home's Registered Manager. Records demonstrate that the content of these reports reflect an accurate picture of life for young people resident here. These

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Organisation

The Registered Manager is actively monitoring and evaluating the practice standards of staff and the quality of services being provided. Managers take an active role in the evaluation of the service and the impact the home is having on the care of young people. The Registered Manager has access to feedback from placing authorities, parents and young people. Areas for improvement are quickly identified or anticipated and positive steps are agreed and implemented to overcome any difficulties and to carefully plan the development of the service.

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Organisation

Young people’s care files are very well organised to include all of the information detailed in Schedule 3 of the Children's Homes Regulations 2001. Confidential or third party information is kept in a separate section of the care file to enable the home to respond, in a timely manner, to any request made by a young person to read their care file.

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