Children's Home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

Unique reference number SC033611 Inspection date 15/09/2010 Inspector Elaine Clare Type of inspection Key

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Date of last inspection 26/02/2010 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 children’s home is operated by a local authority. It provides a short break care service for 10 children and young people aged between 5 years and 17 years. The home is a two-storey building with communal rooms, including lounges, a dining room and sensory room on the ground floor and single bedrooms and an office on the upper floor. A vertical passenger lift allows access to the first floor. Externally there is a garden with play area and lawn.

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Brief description of the service

The home is situated in a residential area, within walking distance of the town centre and is near to local shops. It is close to local bus routes, which provide easy access to a range of shops and leisure facilities. The home has a car to help children access the community.

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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 key inspection of the home against the key national minimum standards for children's homes. Children use this service for respite care only. Children receiving respite care during the inspection had individual attention from staff on duty. The staff team are experienced in caring for children and young people with complex individual needs. They know the children and their particular needs, likes and dislikes, and try to make each respite care stay a happy and enjoyable one. They strive to provide new activity opportunities and social experiences for the young people using the service. Parents stated they have every confidence in the ability of the service to provide for the needs of their children while in respite care. There was also evidence that parents are enabled to raise concerns if they have them and that these are dealt with appropriately.

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Summary

The home is very well decorated, maintained and outstandingly furnished with plenty of age-appropriate toys, games and facilities for the children and young people to enjoy. Meal times are social events with children and staff eating together, either at the home, on picnics or in commercial premises. Bedrooms are single occupancy and four are located on the ground floor with full en suite facilities and equipped to meet the needs of a child with a physical disability. Staff training and deployment are well managed and child focused. Overall this service provides opportunities for children to enjoy themselves while staying away from home, to form new relationships and to socialise with friends from their own peer groups.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were no actions or recommendations made at the last inspection, therefore this area was not assessed.

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Helping children to be healthy

The service manages children's health well. Parents are responsible for their children's overall health and staff continue established health care patterns while children are receiving respite care. There are robust systems in place for the receipt, administration and storage of medication and parents are fully informed of any medical issues arising from any respite stays. Staff are appropriately trained in general health issues and specific techniques that may apply for some conditions, such as epilepsy.

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Helping children to be healthy

Healthy lifestyles are promoted with plenty of outside play, exercise and social skills training around acceptable social behaviour. Catering for children with a diverse range of food preferences is challenging but the staff manage to meet these needs through careful planning and open discussion with parents.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is promoted through good practice underpinned by careful risk assessment, clear procedures and a sound knowledge of the children. Complaints, concerns and compliments are recorded and dealt with appropriately. Most are dealt with as low level complaints and dealt with by staff with action and outcomes recorded. The complaints log is used as a record of all complaints, concerns and compliments.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded through staff awareness and close levels of supervision when on trips and activities away from the home. Children's behaviour is risk assessed and monitored for clues as to any new triggers, improvements or regression. The emphasis is on reinforcing positive behaviour but staff are trained in techniques designed to distract and de-escalate potentially disruptive behaviour while keeping children safe. Very occasionally a sanction is used. These are recorded in the sanctions log and parents are fully informed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The environment of the home is well maintained and there are safety features in place in strategic points around the home and garden to protect children while in respite care. Parents are aware of the home's risk assessment processes and commented that they felt secure in the knowledge that their children would be safe and happy while in respite care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff work well to ensure that children's respite time is fun, relaxed and enjoyable. Children's individual needs are well researched and staff maintain a good knowledge of each child. Respite care patterns are built around individual needs and established patterns of care in the family home. Education arrangements remain the responsibility of parents but staff from the service contribute and usually attend education reviews for each young person who receives respite care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

While at the home, children have opportunities to use specialist play equipment and selected toys. Staff provide creative play times and social skills training using fun materials. Children have an array of community-based activities and experiences, especially during holiday periods and at weekends. Holiday activities focus on exercise and experiencing social interaction in public places. Staff make every effort to enable specific visits at the request of individuals. For example, staff have undertaken a visit and risk assess a local zoo in order to include this as a new, requested holiday activity. Other examples of activities include going on train, visiting parks and the national park. Importantly, there is always time at the beginning and end of each respite stay for relaxed personal time in order for children to settle in or prepare for the return home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's needs are well documented through core assessments, home records and the service provider's electronic database. Staff from the home work closely with schools and parents to record individual needs and create a care plan based on agreed aims, targets or routines. Staff attend school reviews, hold in-house reviews and have an open dialogue with parents. Parents can contact the home whenever they like and if there are any concerns during a respite stay then parents are consulted. Arrangements for new admissions for respite include initial referral, a home visit and an introductory visit to the home. Timings for admissions to an overnight stay vary and move from tea visits to overnight stay at a pace which individual young people are comfortable with.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have opportunities to contribute their views on which room they have, activities on offer and food choices. While in respite care they make choices on a daily basis according to their varying levels of ability. Staff are trained in the use of various communication techniques and also learn significant signs and signals from parents and individual young people.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Although there are no children in transition to adult care, staff incorporate social skills training into every available opportunity as part of each child's development and respite experience. The physical environment of the home provides children with individual bedrooms for privacy and communal living space to encourage social interaction. The large garden and specialist play equipment provide further sources of exercise and fun play opportunities. The staff have recently developed a kitchen garden which allows the children to have hands on experience growing their own vegetables. The physical safety of the environment is well maintained and systems are regularly serviced by professional contractors.

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Organisation

The overall management of the service is good and the service maintains a safe provision of respite care to children. Staff training has been maintained and there is a clear record of staff being supported through induction and ongoing supervision.

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Organisation

The home is being managed by an caring, experienced and suitably qualified manager who is supported by assistant managers and senior team leaders. Recent staff transfers enables sufficient staff on the rota to meet the home's Statement of Purpose, and the shifts undertaken allow sufficient time for the completion of records as well as the handover of information. Staff undertake additional shifts to cover any shortfalls or casual workers are employed. Greater than the required 80% of staff are trained to National Vocational Qualification level 3 in the caring of children and young people.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Staff approach and respond to each child according to their individual needs. Where there are particular ethnic, cultural or faith issues these are responded to in an appropriate way. Children are encouraged to achieve their potential and disability is not a barrier.

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Organisation

Each young person has a file that is a permanent private and secure record of their history and progress. They can request to see it and to learn what is in it, with staff support.

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