Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Unique reference number SC047978 Inspection date 27/01/2011 Inspector Caroline Brailsford Type of inspection Random

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Date of last inspection 08/11/2010 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 set within a 14 acre site which contains a small working farm. The home is able to provide accommodation for up to five young people with learning difficulties. Each young person has their own bedroom. There is a lounge, dining room, kitchen, main office and a telephone room for young people on the ground floor. All bedrooms and bathrooms are on the first floor. Staff sleep-in rooms are on the first floor and waking night staff are available throughout the night to support young people. There are public transport links to the home from the roadside at the end of a long drive. Two young people were present during this visit and both contributed to the inspection process.

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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 interim inspection. The main purpose of the inspection was to inspect all of the national minimum standards in the outcome area staying safe, and to check progress on the one action and three recommendations made at the last inspection. The outcome judgement for staying safe is good.

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Summary

The home's strengths include the staff team who are well established and competent. They are very caring in their approach and there is a high staffing ratio. As a consequence, young people are well supported and make good progress. Young people benefit particularly, because of the positive relationships that they forge with staff. The young people feel confident that they can speak to a staff member if they have a problem or an issue. The safety of the young people has a high priority.

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Summary

The one action set at the last inspection has been achieved. Out of the three recommendations set at the last inspection one has been achieved. There has been some progress on the other two and as a result of this inspection, they are repeated. In addition there is a new recommendation set from this inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The action from the last inspection regarding the procedure for safeguarding in the home, has been achieved. The procedure has been amended to include the details of how to refer a safeguarding issue to the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Out of the three recommendations set at the last inspection, one has been completed and the records for recording physical interventions in the home, have improved. There has also been some progress on the other two recommendations. The manager has contacted a medical practitioner regarding the list of household remedies in the home. This was to seek advice that these medicines are appropriate to be used for individuals. However, as this issues is not fully resolved this recommendation is repeated. With regard to the other recommendation about the level of detail in the care plans, the manager has begun to look at this issue and has ensured that the detail has been increased in some plans. However, for the one plan inspected at this inspection this had not yet been completed. This recommendation will therefore also be repeated.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The safety and welfare of the young people in their day-to-day living, has a high priority in the home. Staff are fully aware of young people's individual safety issues. This ensures that they are well supported and safe. Staff are familiar with the home's safeguarding procedures and are very knowledgeable about the individual safety and welfare issues of the young people in their care. There are close working relationships between the staff and other professionals to ensure that all important information is shared.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are risk assessments pertaining to individual young people. These contain basic detail about risks, but staffs' practice and understanding is greater that the information presented. Although this ensures the young peoples safety, there are identified risks where there is not sufficient detail about how these should be minimised in the documentation.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The manager ensures that health and safety checks on the building are carried out regularly, and in line with the relevant authorities. Staff and young people are clear about and practise fire procedures regularly. Checks and tests are also regular, ensuring the safety of all who use the building.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people can enjoy private space in their own rooms and have privacy when they wish to. Where privacy is compromised, this is only if there is a risk to the young person and in line with the home's policies and procedures, for example, room searches.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people enjoy quality time with staff and therefore, there are good relationships between them. These relationships enable young people to express their views and feelings easily. There is an emphasis on ensuring that young people can have their say and the manager ensures, that every concern or complaint is taken seriously. As a result, the young people feel confident that they can raise any issue they wish to. This helps the young people to be safe. Staff see the young people in a very positive light and speak about them fondly. They know how to assist them to develop socially acceptable and safe behaviours. Young people benefit because of the quality time they spend with staff who provide clear boundaries to them. Therefore young people know what behaviour is expected. Young people are confident that as s result of staff support, that their behaviours are improved and that they are therefore safer as a result of this placement.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are trained in physical intervention. This is only carried out as a last resort and where there is a risk to a young person's safety. There is a bound book where the record is entered and additional information is found in the young person's own book or daily records. On the whole, there is sufficient information in the bound book to meet the standards and the detail of the physical intervention is recorded. However, there are two records that the manager is already dealing with, where the detail is not entirely sufficient. There is also a sanctions record, this does not always set out the details of the sanction clearly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The personnel records for the staff can be evidenced in the home. The manager ensures that staff who work with the young people are safe to do so. The checks undertaken include a Criminal Records Bureau check, references and checks against the application form for gaps in employment.

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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

 ensure that the young people's care plans set out how their needs are to be met on a day-to-day basis (NMS2.1)  ensure that medical advice is followed in a written protocol on the provision of non-prescribed 'household' medicines to children (NMS 13.11)  ensure that risk assessments are carried out, estimating the level of risk to health, safety or welfare from hazards identified and identifying action to be taken, both to reduce risks to an acceptable level and to avoid unnecessary or unreasonable risks (NMS 26.2)  ensure that the separate record of sanctions is kept, including the nature of the sanction. (NMS 22.9)

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