Children's Home run by Doncaster Children‟s Services Trust Limited in Doncaster

Unique reference number SC032167 Inspection date 16/05/2011 Inspector Nicola McEvinney Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 10/01/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.3

About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

p.3

Brief description of the service

This home provides up to 10 short break placements for children and young people who have physical and/or learning disabilities aged from six to 17 years of age. The accommodation consists of 10 single bedrooms and communal areas for eating, playing and relaxing. There are waking night staff on duty. The home owns their own mini-bus and there are appropriate beds suitable for the children and young people who use this service. Hoists are fitted in bathrooms.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

This home provides an invaluable service to children, young people and their families living in this city. Children and young people attending for short breaks have a range of very diverse needs and abilities. There are highly personalised care plans setting out the needs with clear guidance on how these needs are to be met. The home has had great success in managing young people who presented on admission some extremely challenging behaviours resulting in exclusion from school and other homes in the city that were unable to meet their needs.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Staff work hard in ascertaining the views of the children and young people through residents meetings and link work sessions.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The home has a very experienced and competent staff team who are clearly committed to provide an excellent standard of care to the children and young people. They are ambitious for the home to develop, saying, 'it is evolving before our eyes'.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Staff have a good understanding of safe working practices and ensure children and young people are cared for in a safe and nurturing environment. Careful thought is put into the booking systems to ensure that vulnerable children and young people are not put at risk from more challenging ones. Children and young people say that the staff are very kind to them.

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure Regulation 33 reports are sent to Ofsted within 28 days of completion ( CA 1989 Guidance 3.12-14)

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding . A number of children and young people who are provided a short break presented some extremely challenging behaviours prior to admission which, in some cases have led to school exclusions. This highly experienced staff team very quickly, through setting consistent boundaries and embarking on a healthy living programme, transformed these behaviours resulting in children and young people enjoying their lives. Parents, social workers and schools have commended the progress these young people have made. All children and young people are treated as individuals ensuring any need relating to ethnicity, religion or disability is addressed. For example, a Quran is provided for Muslim children and young people and suitable meals are served.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

Many of the children and young people have some complex health needs. The home works closely with the nurse adviser who assists in drawing up health care plans clearly identifying the health needs and showing how these needs are to be met in the home. Epilepsy protocols are in place for those children and young people who have seizures, ensuring staff know what action to take in the event of a seizure occurring. Staff have received training in the administration of Buccal Midazolam and Rectal Diazepam, ensuring the correct administration of these drugs. Although parents oversee the health needs of their children the home records all medical appointments and staff will attend appointments with parents if requested.

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

The staff team have an excellent awareness of healthy eating and the advantages to children and young people when provided with a healthy diet. The home has, with the help of the dietician, devised a healthy eating plan which has impacted on the behaviours of the children and young people. Although some children and young people have limited diets foods that are consumed are healthy. Care plans contain details of how children and young people like to take their food and drink and what utensils and crockery they use, ensuring mealtimes are a calm period.

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

Although parents oversee the education of their children, the home liaises closely with schools. Staff attend statement of educational needs reviews and all looked after children and young people have a personal education plan ensuring information is shared. Daily living plans contain details of what the child or young person needs for school and timings of transport.

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

The children and young people have mixed abilities with some being able bodied whist others are wheelchair users. The staff work hard in accessing activities that all the children and young people will enjoy, ensuring that any disability does not prevent individuals from participating. Young people confirm that they go out on lots of activities, visiting local parks, seaside and attractions further afield.

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

The children and young people will require living in a supportive environment throughout their lives. However, staff encourage young people to participate in developing independence skills, for example, when shopping they give and receive money, help make their beds, put laundry in the wash basket. Some young people participate in preparing their breakfast, usually cereal. Staff encourage the children and young people to develop socially acceptable skills and some individuals are helped to develop road awareness.

p.7

Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding . When children and young people arrive at the home they are warmly welcomed by the staff. This is a nurturing staff team who are clearly committed to ensuring the children and young people have a good time when they come for a short break. Staff speak fondly of all the children even when they display some extremely challenging behaviours. The children and young people respond warmly to the staff who celebrate their achievements.

p.8

Quality of care

Although some children and young people have limited communication, staff are skilled in ascertaining their wishes and feelings and have regular link work sessions to ensure this happens. Children's meetings are held and minutes of these minutes are displayed to enable all the children and young people to be involved. Some children and young people put forward their ideas which are taken forward. For example, one young person wanted to use one of the display boards in the dining room to have a picture of the cook on duty and display the choices of meals, this is being implemented.

p.9

Quality of care

Some children and young people have had serious outbursts resulting in aggressive and violent behaviour. Staff are patient and understanding and talk to these individuals so these incidents no longer occur. Children and young people know who they can talk to if they are not happy with the service, the home has readily available 'happy or not' forms to complete.

p.9

Quality of care

Each child or young person has a comprehensive placement plan, written from the child's viewpoint, clearly setting out their needs with clear guidance in place to show how these needs are to be met in the home. These plans give an accurate picture of how the child or young person presents and communicates to ensure that their short break is a happy time with excellent consistent care at all times. Childcare reviews are now held in the child or young person's home to ensure full participation of parents and their children.

p.9

Quality of care

The home accesses a number of services to help meet the needs of the children and young people. For example, the child and adolescent mental health service, occupational therapist, speech therapist, dental hygienist and dietician. The staff team work closely with these professionals to ensure that children and young people have a holistic approach enabling them to enjoy optimum life experiences.

p.9

Quality of care

Children and young people are engaged in lots of fun activities both in the home and outside it. They go to local parks and museums further afield. Within the home there is a sensory room with a ball pool and spacious, well equipped outside play areas.

p.9

Quality of care

The children and young people have a range of abilities, some are able bodied whilst others are wheelchair users, some have limited communication. However, the staff are earnest in ensuring that all the children and young people's individual needs are identified and positively addressed. Needs relating to ethnicity and religion are also addressed.

p.9

Quality of care

The home is situated in a pleasant location and is well designed allowing for a mix of young people with differing needs to be accommodated. However, parts of the home would benefit from a redecoration programme, although this does not impact on the excellent care they receive. The home is well equipped with hoists and suitable bathing apparatus to ensure children and young people are moved and handled appropriately.

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe. Risk assessments are in place for each individual child or young person, the premises and activities, clearly identifying the potential risk with effective strategies in place to minimise this risk. However, the corporate risk assessment forms are unwieldy documents and parts of it are not easily understood by staff, although they contain relevant guidance to staff. The home is safe and secure and in an area where it is not subject to vandalism.

p.10

Safeguarding children and young people

A detailed emergency evacuation plan is in place with comprehensive guidance in place to ensure children and young people are to be evacuated safely in case of an emergency. This guidance covers what action to take both during the day and night.

p.11

Safeguarding children and young people

For those young people who present sexualised behaviours they have a safe behaviour book which staff use with these individuals to help them understand what they need to keep private. This has had a great deal of success with these individuals not presenting this behaviour any more.

p.11

Safeguarding children and young people

All staff have attended safeguarding training with some staff attending safeguarding children with disabilities. There is a good awareness of safeguarding issues; particularly with regard to these very vulnerable children and young people without communication. Staff are vigilant in ensuring any bruises or injuries are recorded on body maps. Very good booking systems are in place to ensure vulnerable children and young people do not attend the home at the same time as those individuals who are more challenging.

p.11

Safeguarding children and young people

Children and young people confirm that they feel safe in the home and are well looked after by staff who are kind to them. There are no safeguarding concerns at this time.

p.11

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are vigilant in ensuring that privacy and dignity is preserved. Although there are not a large amount of male staff employed, rotas are organised to endeavour that male staff are on duty when the older boys attend to ensure they have a male carer delivering personal care.

p.11

Safeguarding children and young people

None of the children or young people have the propensity of going missing, although there is a policy in place to ensure staff know what action to take in the event of a child or young person going missing whilst on an outing.

p.11

Safeguarding children and young people

The home has excellent individual behaviour management plans in place which are effective in practice. For example, individuals who had exclusions from school and could not be managed in other homes in the city have responded to the consistent behaviour management approach operated at the home. The home's values are of recognising praise and rewards are more likely to change behaviour than blame and punishment. To this end there have been no restraints or sanctions.

p.11

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding . This is an effective Registered Manager who leads a team of highly skilled and experienced staff who are clearly committed to the children and young people.

p.11

Leadership and management

The Registered Manager has produced a business plan and improvement plan. She has recognised the major difficulties some families are experiencing in managing their children. The home has extended the intake to accept children and young people with learning difficulties who present severe challenging behaviours and have been very successful with these individuals so preventing them from coming into care. The impact of this intervention has significantly improved the lives of the children, young people and their families. Parents, schools and social workers have commended the achievements of the staff team. This new venture has been embraced by the staff team.

p.12

Leadership and management

There is a comprehensive Statement of Purpose in place clearly advising interested parties what services the home has to offer. The staff team are very clear about their function and work together as a team to provide excellent child care practice.

p.12

Leadership and management

There are good monitoring systems in place, although the Regulation 33 reports are not sent to Ofsted promptly.

p.12

Leadership and management

The action plan recognises the shortfalls in the building which are to be remedied. The real strength of this home is the staff team who are all qualified and have long standing experience working with children with disabilities. They all come with different expertise and one has achieved an employee of the month award for his innovative garden project. There are good training opportunities and staff have attended a range of courses significant to their roles, for example, managing challenging behaviour, safe handling of medication, autism, safeguarding, first aid, naso gastric feeding, pump feeding, gastrostomy care and moving and handling.

p.12

Leadership and management

There are good supervision systems in place and staff speak highly of the support and guidance received from the Registered Manager. Recruitment records are monitored to ensure all necessary checks have been undertaken ensuring only suitable people are employed in the home.

p.12

Leadership and management

Young people's files contain all the relevant information; they are child friendly records and are easy to follow. There have not been any significant events occurring in the home, although the team have good awareness of their responsibility of informing appropriate authorities of events relating to the protection of children.

p.12

Leadership and management

The Primary Care Trust has withdrawn funding to this home leaving the service vulnerable. However, it continues to provide an invaluable service to families within the city.

p.12

Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

p.12