Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in St Helens

Unique reference number SC022438 Inspection date 22/12/2010 Inspector Paul Gillespie Type of inspection Key

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Date of last inspection 05/02/2010 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

This home is one of 11 children's homes that are owned and operated by this private company. The home provides care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties, aged eight to 17 years.

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Brief description of the service

The home provides accommodation for one young person in a two bedroom mid- terraced property with a downstairs bathroom, lounge and kitchen. The staff office is located upstairs and is also used as a staff bedroom. There is a good-sized back garden. The home is situated within reasonable distance from shops and leisure facilities. The home is staffed on a one to one basis, with one member of the staff team sleeping at the home each night. The home's staff team is managed and supported by a Registered Manager who is also registered as a manager for two other children's homes operated by the provider in the area.

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Brief description of the service

One young person lives in the home and they took part in the inspection.

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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 full inspection all the key standards were inspected. The main focus of the inspection was to find out how well the home has met the needs of young people living there and to review the progress made in addressing the two actions made at the last inspection.

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Summary

This is a satisfactory service with good aspects. The home provides a friendly, safe and stable environment. Support to young people is tailored to meet individual needs and is delivered in a manner that enables young people to build confidence, acquire life skills and receive good support and guidance. There is good support to help young people understand the impact of their behaviours on others and in addressing potentially discriminatory stereotypical views while respecting young people's life experiences.

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Summary

Two actions have been made as a result of this visit. These are made to address the current staffing arrangements and the management oversight of the quality of care being provided. These are important in order to ensure that there is improved continuity of care available to young people and that timely action is taken to address the matters identified through the internal monitoring of quality assurance systems, such as Regulation 33 reports.

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Summary

Seven recommendations are made including: ensuring all staff have a recognised childcare qualification to the required level; updating the Statement of Purpose to accurately reflect the current staffing arrangements; provide training to enable staff to support young people who have experienced specific issues such as domestic violence. In addition the frequency of team meetings and the length of supervision are not currently in line with the national minimum standards so do not provide sufficient support to staff as they carry out their role. Records of sanctions need improvement to ensure that any action taken is relevant and proportionate to the behaviour requiring the sanction. Finally, although risk assessments now identify the level of risk to young people they do not identify the likelihood of the risk occurring. Addressing these points will help ensure the focus continues to be on the promotion

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Summary

of welfare of young people and the quality of care in the home.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the manager was asked to ensure that young people receive support from a consistent staff team. This is yet to be achieved and continues to impact on the continuity of care available to young people. Also the Registered Manager was asked to ensure that the placement plan clearly set out how the young people's needs are to be met on a day to day basis. This has now improved giving staff a clearer focus in how to support young people.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people receive good support in looking after their physical and emotional well- being. Their health needs are clearly identified in sound individual health plans, which also show the arrangements for meeting their needs. For example, young people are registered with a local doctor, dentist and optician. Staff are good at monitoring young people's health and encouraging them to seek appropriate medical treatment when necessary. There is also very good support from external agencies, such as psychological services, that work closely with young people and staff with the aim of addressing specific issues, such as attachment and understanding relationships. Consequently young people are well supported to engage in therapeutic programmes that promote their mental health and emotional well-being.

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Helping children to be healthy

The promotion of healthy lifestyles is well embedded in the running of the home. Staff encourage young people to take an interest in looking after their health with young people stating that staff regularly 'tell me about keeping healthy'. For example staff provide good advice on diet and nutrition, personal care, and exercise to help young people develop healthier lifestyles.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home also ensures that young people's health needs are well met and protected by the application of clear medication procedures. There are secure arrangements for the storage of medication and staff make sure that young people only have medication specifically prescribed for them and that it is taken in line with the prescription instructions. Staff are trained in managing medication and first aid and this means young people's welfare is safeguarded. Young people enjoy healthy and nutritious meals that cater for varying cultural and dietary needs. Staff understand the importance of good nutrition and what makes up a balanced diet. They encourage young people to have a varied diet made from fresh ingredients, including chicken, pasta, vegetables and fruit. Young people confirm their food choices are taken into account and that they are actively encouraged to help plan and decide on what meals to have.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff understand and take seriously their responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people. There is a good balance in respecting young people's right to privacy and confidentiality supported by sound policy and procedures. Confidential information is held securely and the approach to managing sensitive information, such as the outcome of health appointments, helps safeguard young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risks both to the young people and to others are generally well managed. There are a range of risk assessments in place to ensure that health and safety issues are addressed. These include activities that young people may take part in within community activities. These are reviewed on a regular basis and updated appropriately. However, although these risk assessments now identify the level of risk to young people they do not identify the likelihood of the risk occurring.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff at the home work hard to actively encourage acceptable behaviour and to ensure challenging behaviour is effectively addressed. Young people feel that staff help 'keep them safe' and they are clear about the expected standards of behaviour and what sanctions can be imposed. On the whole the sanctions young people described as 'fair'; although in two instances the recording was not particularly clear so the relevance of the sanction was more difficult to ascertain. On a positive note there were examples of staff acknowledging good behaviour which young people reported as 'making them feel good'. This helps build constructive relationships so young people can feel more confident in that they are being listened to.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff know the importance of taking the views of young people seriously, and of listening to and responding to issues they raise. Young people reported that they do not experience bullying and that they are confident about talking to staff if they needed to. Additionally young people explained they can talk to the Regulation 33 visitor when they are at the home. This means young people are able to express any concerns in the knowledge that they will be listened to and taken seriously.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Policies and procedures are in place in the event of a young person missing being from the home. Although there have been no incidences of this happening, staff have received appropriate information and guidance on the procedures to follow.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people live in a safe environment with sound health and safety checks in place, such as regular fire drills, being undertaken. These are supplemented by a good range of health and safety procedures and risk assessments. This helps to ensure the premises are safe and secure place to live.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Recruitment and selection procedures are thorough, for example all staff working at the home have had appropriate checks including a Criminal Records Bureau check. Staff have a file at the home containing all information as required by the Children's Homes Regulations 2001, this helps promote the safety and well-being of the young people. All visitors to the home are required to sign a visitors' book and formal identification is required of any visiting professionals or external workers. This ensures that the staff have a knowledge of who visitors to the home are and the reasons for their visits.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people's needs are generally well recorded in their placement plan and there are some good examples of staff providing advice and support to young people on a wide range of issues, including staying safe, being healthy and understanding relationships. The staff also demonstrate a good awareness of the impact upon young people of their life experiences. In particular staff recognise and have sought to help young people understand the impact of their relationships with key people in their lives.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff see education as an important part of a young person's development and encourage regular attendance at school. Young people have a personal education plan in place, and there is some excellent individual work undertaken through dedicated time during evenings when staff and young people spend time reading together. This has resulted in significantly improved literacy levels of young people and has helped build their confidence. By actively supporting the educational needs of young people, and in particular making activities such as reading together an integral part of the daily routine, staff help promote attainment and means young people gain a real sense of achievement.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people currently spend a lot of time with staff, although they do have friends to visit on occasion. During their leisure time there are regular opportunities to engage in activities such as shopping, going for rides with staff and going to the cinema.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people have placement plans that provide staff with a good insight into young people's needs. Staff contribute effectively to the reviews of the placement plan through the provision of a report to relevant people that details the progress young people have made. The approach taken by the core staff provides a useful way in which young people's views can be articulated so they can influence the decision making process. Notably at the time of this inspection staff had sought to sensitively support young people so they were able to express their wishes over the contact arrangements for the approaching holiday period.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff sensitively ensure young people have the opportunity to sustain positive relationships with family and friends through regular planned visits and supervised telephone contact. In addition young people also have frequent opportunities to be involved in activities within the wider community. This helps to build confidence as they develop more independence and learn new things.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people live in a comfortable and homely environment that meets their needs. Young people like the accommodation and have personalised bedrooms to reflect their interests and individual tastes. The location of the home is convenient to schools, leisure facilities, public transport and other community facilities and this provides young people with good opportunities to use these local facilities. This means young people can develop useful daily life skills, such as becoming confident in using public transport.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Staff also encourage young people to be involved with daily tasks; young people confirm they are routinely encouraged to take part in the of running the home by undertaking tasks such as helping with shopping, laundry, and general cleaning. This support assists young people to develop useful skills and confidence as they grow older.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people have suitable personal allowances, including enough money for clothes and toiletries. They particularly commented on the fact they are able to choose how to spend their allowances with support and guidance from staff: referring to being able to go shopping for 'good trainers'. The sensitive support provided allows young people to express their individuality in how they dress, taking into account the season, their age and level of understanding.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. There is a good commitment to delivering equality and diversity in practice. For example, young people are well supported to understand the impact of their life experiences. Very good work is undertaken to support young people's education which in turn improves life chances as they grow older. Similarly, individual work undertaken about understanding the nature of relationships has meant young people are increasingly confident in managing their feelings. The staff recognise young people as individuals with different needs, backgrounds, interests and views. Consequently staff work hard to ensure that young people receive an individual service designed to meet their personal needs.

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Organisation

The Statement of Purpose is available to placing authorities, parents and other interested parties. Staff are aware of the document and information provided within it. However, details of the staffing arrangements are not up to date.

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Organisation

Although young people confirm they have good relationships with some staff, the current staffing levels are only sustained by staff from other homes supplementing the core staff team. This has been raised consistently within the organisations own Regulation 33 reports and remains a shortfall. The lack of sufficient identified core staff needs to be addressed in order to ensure the continuity of care delivered to young people is not overly disrupted by a frequent changes to staffing.

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Organisation

Staff report they have access to updated training on safeguarding, anti-bullying and child development although the records at the home do not accurately reflect all of the recent training staff have undertaken. Neither is it clear as to whether specific training in matters reflecting young people's experiences, such as domestic violence, are planned into the training programme to help staff support young people who may have experienced such circumstances. However, although the minimum ratio of 80% of all care staff qualified at National Vocational Qualification at level 3 or above is not yet achieved, a number of staff now either have a recognised childcare qualification or are in the process of undertaking one.

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Organisation

There is a system in place for the supervision of staff and for undertaking team meetings. Currently team meetings have not been undertaken on a monthly basis and with changes to the staff group it is not always clear whether the frequency of supervision is being achieved. Therefore, it is not sufficiently clear that staff are effectively supported through regular supervision and regular staff meetings.

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Organisation

The system for the external monitoring of the quality of care in the home has improved and is now more evaluative in terms of identifying any trends or patterns such as shortfalls in core staffing arrangements. However, the action taken by the Registered Manager to attend to matters identified as a consequence of the Regulation 33 visits is less clear as there are a number of matters that reappear each month. This needs to be addressed in order to improve the quality of care in the home.

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Organisation

Record keeping is generally of a good standard. Records are kept securely and staff are aware of the importance of confidentiality. Individual files for young people are maintained in reasonable order and contain the information required. Young people can gain access to their records and are encouraged to contribute to them with evidence throughout that they sign records and are involved in decisions. This fosters a sense of ownership with young people reporting they are fully involved in the plans for their care.

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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

30 employ sufficient core staff who are suitably qualified and competent to provide continuity of care so that children's attachments are not overly disrupted (Regulation 25 (1)) 11/03/2011

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Std. Action Due date

33 ensure that the review of the quality of care undertaken by the Registered Manager addresses in a timely way all matters identified in both Regulation 33 reports and matters set out in Schedule 6. (Regulation 34 (1)) 18/03/2011

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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 a minimum of 80% of all care staff have completed National Vocational Qualification at Level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People or an equivalent qualification (NMS 29.5)  ensure that records of any sanction are clearly recorded and the action taken is relevant and proportionate to the behaviour requiring the sanction (NMS 22.10)  ensure risk assessments are individual to young people and that they fully assess the likelihood of the associated risk (NMS 26)  ensure that team meetings are held at least monthly in line with the frequency stated in the national minimum standards (NMS 28.10)  ensure all staff receive regular supervision each month or at least fortnightly for staff in the first six months of their employment in line with the frequency set out in the national minimum standards (NMS 28.2)  update the Statement of Purpose to accurately identify the core staff team and

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Recommendations

their relevant qualifications(NMS 1.5)  provide training for staff that fully equips them to support the needs and experiences of young people accommodated, such as responding to the impact of domestic violence. (NMS 31.5)

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