Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Buckinghamshire

Unique reference number SC421063 Inspection date 24/05/2011 Inspector Rosemary Dancer Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 03/02/2011 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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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.

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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.

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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

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Brief description of the service

The home provides medium to long-term care for up to three young people aged from 10 to 17 years. The staff provide care for children and young people with complex needs who present with challenging behaviours. The home offers young people who live there a safe, caring and nurturing environment. There are arrangements for the staff team to have regular consultation with qualified therapists. These consultations provide staff with advice and guidance about developing individual behaviour management strategies for each young person.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Although this home has been in operation for less than six months good outcomes for young people are being achieved in many areas of their lives. For example, they have developed appropriate relationships with staff and each other, are learning to manage the frustrations in a more constructive way, living healthier lifestyles, achieving increased attendance in education and enjoying relaxing pastimes. Young people's views, wishes and feelings are listened to, and acted upon when possible. However, formal arrangements for monitoring the home do not allow for consultation with children or parents and these reviews are not provided to Ofsted; this means that any issues identified by this process cannot be monitored by the regulator.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are cared for by staff who care about them and want to support them to reach their full potential. Although at times incidents occur, there is also lots of laughter and friendly banter between staff and young people. Care planning for young people is subject to constant review and plans are amended in line with emerging needs. A shortfall in dating and signing some documents mean that it is not clear, in every case, who the author is or the period of time it relates to. Young people benefit from well managed and supported contact with those people who are significant to them and this allows these important relationships to be maintained.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safeguarded from harm, as far as is possible, and unsafe behaviours are challenged appropriately. Young people's placements are stable and this supports young people's increasing feelings of safety and security. Young people who go missing are supported to return home at the earliest opportunity. However, it is not clear that the strategies developed are compatible with the procedures of relevant external agencies.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from a staff team which has a range of experience in various disciplines and those staff less experienced in residential care work are supported in their roles. However, staff meetings have not always occurred at the correct frequency and therefore this useful aid to support team building, provide support and share information has not been utilised to the full.

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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 person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that each recording in the young people's records are signed and dated by the author of each entry (Regulation 28 (1) (c)) 16/06/2011

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the monitoring arrangements under Regulation 34 provide for consultation with children, their parents and placing authorities and that any report made under this regulation is supplied to the HMCI. (Regulation 34 (2) and (3)) 16/06/2011

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the procedure followed when young people are missing from the home is compatible with that drawn up between the Runaway and Missing From Home and Care protocol drawn up between the local authority and the police force (Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 5: Children's Homes 2.81)  ensure that there is good support for staff, with specific reference to the frequency of staff meetings. (NMS 19.1)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's emotional well-being and feelings of self-esteem are developing well. One young person said 'it is good here we are treated well.' Young people have developed sound relationships with staff and with each other. Support is also given to their contact with family and others significant to them. This helps them to maintain and develop appropriate relationships with people who will be important to them into adulthood and beyond.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to learn about healthily lifestyles and making healthy choices thus improving their overall health and well-being. This is achieved in a range of areas, such as the food they eat, the choices they make about unhealthy habits, which includes smoking, and the exercise they take.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are particularly well supported in achieving their academic potential. Young people's attendance at school has increased significantly. One social worker said 'there has been a significant improvement in his attendance at school, there is now optimism that he will sit some exams which had not been the case previously'. Another stated 'there has been a huge improvement in his attendance and he is actually getting something out of education now'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Individual interests are supported and encouraged. For example, an interest in fishing has led to fishing expeditions and an interest in animals led to support to work, on a voluntary basis, at a local farm. Less structured activities, such as a walk or trip to the park, provide good opportunities for exercise and for young people to talk to staff away from the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Although, at times, young people can struggle with acquiring new skills that will better equip them for independence, young people are well supported and encouraged to try new things. These activities are geared to be of use to young people when moving into independent living.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is good . Young people benefit from the good quality of the relationships they have developed with the committed and caring members of staff working with them. Young people also benefit from appropriate relationships with each other. Even though there is conflict between the young people at times there are also periods when they help and support each other and just have fun together.

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Quality of care

Young people are able to put forward their views about their lives in the home. This is achieved in a number of ways and as a result of views expressed changes have been made. Young people discuss issues during house meetings or privately during key work sessions, by using the complaints procedure or through discussion with a staff member when out for a walk or a drive in the car.

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Quality of care

Young people are as fully involved in the planning for their care as they wish to be and the plans developed with them have achievable targets. This has a positive impact on their emotional well-being as they are starting to develop confidence in their abilities. Issues of equality and diversity are raised with young people and they are guided in considering others' differences in a positive way. Young people are encouraged to learn about their own and others' diverse heritage and backgrounds.

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Quality of care

There are a range of services accessed for young people to promote their health, safety and well-being. For example, community services, such as the local fire officer and the drug and alcohol team, talk to young people about the dangers from fire, drugs or alcohol. In addition, the organisation's therapist is available for staff to consult with or to work directly with young people.

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Quality of care

The home provides well-maintained, safe accommodation to young people that is near to all local community based activities and events.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe. Young people are protected from harm and their well-being is promoted to a good standard. The positive relationships they are developing with staff mean that they feel able to talk to staff about things that are worrying them. Any matters of a safeguarding nature are dealt with in line with the procedures and appropriate action is taken to ensure the safety and well-being of all concerned.

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Safeguarding children and young people

If young people leave the home and staff do not know where they are young people's well-being and safety is the prime concern. All that is possible is done, in line with each young person's protocol and risk assessment, to locate them and return them home. The local police are called if staff have concerns about a young person who has left the home. However, the home's protocols and associated procedures have not been drawn up with regard to the Runaway and Missing From Home and Care protocol drawn up between the local authority and police force. This potentially means that the home is not operating within this protocol.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are achieving improved outcomes in terms of developing appropriate coping mechanisms. There is a clear approach taken to promoting positive behaviours and minimising less favourable ones. A reward scheme has been introduced and has had a positive impact on young people's behaviour. When less favourable behaviour occurs this is addressed with a sanction and the young person's views about this are always sought and the incident discussed with them. Sanctions are monitored to ensure that they remain relevant to the young person and when sanctions are not effective alternative sanctions are tried. Varying levels of physical interventions are used appropriately and effectively to ensure harm to person or property does not occur. Clear and well-monitored individual risk assessments identify areas of risk and the strategies to minimise these.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Bullying is not tolerated under any circumstances. Young people are made aware of this when they move into the home and this is reinforced during every house meeting held. Individual work is carried out with young people who bully or have experienced bullying to help them raise their awareness about the effects bullying has on people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are provided with a safe and secure environment to live in and are cared for by staff who have been robustly vetted to ensure they are suitable people to care for them.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good . The home operates in line with its Statement of Purpose. The statement underpins the work of the home and provides a clear view about its aims, objectives and the services it provides.

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Leadership and management

Overall this a well managed home. When shortfalls occur the management are responsive in addressing these and there are good quality monitoring arrangements. Monitoring of the home has developed into a robust process and actions identified from these systems are promptly addressed. For example, shortfalls in paperwork identified one month were addressed by the following month and a drop off in staff supervision noted on one visit has been addressed. This demonstrates there is a good capacity for improvement. However, monitoring under Regulation 34 by the manager does not currently allow for young people’s and parents' views to be incorporated nor are the resulting reports sent to Ofsted for monitoring purposes.

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Leadership and management

Staff report they are well supported by the manager and the organisation in carrying out their roles to the best of their ability. Staff welcome the comprehensive training provided as a means to their professional development. Additional training is provided for staff when this is needed and this helps to ensure that they are competent and confident in carrying out their roles. One member of staff said 'it is the best and most in-depth training I have ever had'. There has been a drop off in the frequency of staff meetings and these are important, especially for a new and less experienced staff team, to enable team building, information sharing and general support.

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Leadership and management

Records are generally well maintained and case files for young people contain a wealth of information about their history and their time in the home; this will be useful to them in the future to help them understand their situation. However, some paperwork is not signed and dated so neither the author nor the period of time it is relevant to is clear.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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