Children's Home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Unique reference number SC051947 Inspection date 21/06/2011 Inspector Sonya Robinson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 24/01/2011 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 is registered to provide care for up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties between the ages of eight and 17 years.

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Brief description of the service

The home is owned by a private organisation.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people live in an environment that enables them to have positive outcomes in many areas of their lives. The home has created an atmosphere where young people and staff work together to make sure they are safe, solve problems, lead healthy lifestyles, enjoy learning and achieve, and gain skills in preparation for adult life. Young people are viewed positively by staff and seen as individuals with different needs. These needs are identified in written plans that outline how they will be met on a daily basis. There is a commitment from the staff and management team to support the individual needs of the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff encourage young people to make decisions about their lives and to influence the way the home is run. They are involved in decisions about what food they eat and what they do in their spare time.

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this inspection, two requirements and nine recommendations are made. These relate to staff training, documentation, including behaviour management, missing from care and risk assessments. In addition, these relate to the need for further detail in the young person's guide, educational activities, monitoring visits by the provider, general maintenance and protocol guidance about safeguarding, to ensure further safeguards for young people placed.

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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 the registered provider visits the home at least once a month in order to form an opinion of the standard of 31/07/2011 care provided in the home, they shall also review the appropriate records and prepare a report on the conduct of the home (Regulation 33 (3) (4) )

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) update and revise the children’s guide. (Regulation 5) 31/07/2011

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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 entries in records are legible and clearly expressed (NMS 22.4)  ensure that children pursue individual interests and hobbies. This includes taking part in a range of activities, such as educational activities, days out and pursuits (NMS 7.2)  ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated (NMS 10.3)  ensure that the children’s home has a designated person, who is a senior manager, responsible for managing allegations (NMS 20.5)  ensure that, when a child's whereabouts are unknown, the home's procedures are compatible with, and have regards for, the local Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocols maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority for the area where the home is located (NMS 5.6)  ensure that where a child goes missing and there is concern for their welfare, or at the request of a child who has been missing, staff arrange a meeting between

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Recommendations

the child and the responsible authority in private to consider the reasons for the child going missing (NMS 5.9)  ensure that where any sanction, disciplinary measures or restraint are used, children are encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept by the home (NMS 3.18)  ensure that there is a proportionate approach to any risk assessment, for example, that these contain relevant details and are regularly reviewed (NMS 4.5)  ensure that all existing care staff have attained a minimum level 3 qualification. This was previously National Vocational Qualification in Caring for Children and Young People, and from September 2010 is the Children and Young People's Workforce Diploma. (NMS 18.5)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are satisfactory . Young people talk with staff about issues relating to their day-to-day care and future plans. They have the opportunity to ask questions, raise any matters of concern and put forward their ideas, feelings and views. In addition, staff keep social workers up to date with any changes to the placement plan and ensure they know about the progress young people are making. Placing authority social workers have informed Ofsted that they ’like the weekly updates that they receive from the service’ and that ’the child's behaviour has turned around’.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have individual plans in place which detail how their needs are to be addressed. Consideration is given to religious, racial, cultural, social and identity needs. However, records are not always clearly legible due to some staff's handwriting and records are not consistently completed, which at times make the records difficult to follow.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are aware of the benefits of healthy eating and speak positively of the meals they have. This means that meals are healthy, well balanced and meet individual tastes. Young people's health care needs are assessed in a timely manner on admission. Staff ensure appointments are made for young people to receive routine health care checks and referrals can be made to appropriate agencies, such as drug and alcohol misuse if necessary.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people within the home have been placed for a matter of weeks and the home is working actively with the placing authority and local education department to secure educational placements for the young people. Young people have undertaken some educational work booklets and have attended the library and local leisure centre. However, they have expressed some boredom with this. Therefore, further education activities would increase the young people's education interest and development.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have begun to make friends within the local community, though the home has received a mixed response from neighbours, for example, young people jumping over their walls to reach the service instead of walking on the path. The home is active in their response to neighbours and young people have been spoken to encourage a more positive engagement with the wider community.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have appropriate contact with their families to help them maintain and build positive relationships. Staff support this when necessary to promote and safeguard young people’s welfare.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are helped to prepare for adult life by encouraging them to take more responsibility for themselves suitable to their age and understanding. The young people in place are not old enough to have formal leaving care plans. The staff enable young people to routinely learn skills through taking part in the running of the home, planning meals, using money and household tasks. This is in line with the young person's age and ability and is undertaken in a positive manner to help build their confidence and self- esteem.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is satisfactory .

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Quality of care

Observation on inspection was that staff and young people were respectful to each other. For example in their language, tone and caring gestures. Staff are helpful and enjoy spending time with young people. Staff use effective communication skills to encourage young people to develop socially acceptable behaviour. Young people have clear and consistent boundaries and know what is expected of them and what is unacceptable. There are arrangements in place to help young people have a say in their care and in the way in which the home is run. Regular house meetings are facilitated and these give young people the opportunity to express their views about things, including house rules, the complaints procedure, activities and the menu.

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Quality of care

The home makes sure that young people have access to information about their rights and how to deal with their concerns through the complaints procedure. Young people know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy. When external complaints have been made, the home is responsive to these and they are addressed quickly and sensitively. The home tries to maintain positive relationships within the community, including attending community based meetings.

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Quality of care

Staff promote young people's health. Young people are provided with plenty of food which is varied and nourishing and they have a full say in planning the menu each week.

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Quality of care

Young people have written placement plans identifying their needs and outlining the arrangements for meeting them. Young people have regular access to health professionals and their health needs are described in their placement plans. There are facilities for the staff to administer medications appropriately and there is a lockable cabinet available to ensure that medication can be stored securely. All of the staff receive training in administration of medications and first aid. This means that young people benefit from the quality of care in this area.

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Quality of care

Young people and key staff within the home work with professionals from prospective schools, training or education networks. This helps young people to access, education and vocational training suitable to their needs. The home provides suitable study space, which means that young people are supported within the home environment. Young people also engage with staff in attending leisure facilities in order to try new experiences. This means that young people are gaining confidence in their abilities.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a location, in reach of schools, leisure facilities, public transport and shops that are important for their full development. The size, layout and design of the accommodation meet young people's needs. The home also has a regular maintenance programme in place. However, some areas are showing sign of wear and tear. For example, some wallpaper in the lounge has been peeled off, the laminate floor in the dining room and office has come apart in one or two places, there are some maintenance issues in the bathroom, and a window handle has broken, though the window still opens and closes.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is satisfactory at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe. Young people say that generally they like living at this home. They like the staff and feel that that they have someone to talk to if they need to. The home promotes equality and diversity. For example, young people have been shown religious establishments that might be important to them should they wish to attend. Young people have individual risk assessments in place. However, these are brief in parts and have not always been updated as young people's risk management changes, whilst still maintaining a proportionate approach.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The safety and rights of young people and staff are protected. There are systems in place, so that potential issues of a safeguarding nature are referred to appropriate external agencies for investigation. The home has its own safeguarding procedures which staff are familiar with. However, the home is yet to appoint a designated person to whom staff can go to about safeguarding concerns.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has systems in place to deal with young people who go missing from care, which are underpinned by policy, procedure and staff guidance. The home has developed links with the local police. However, this protocol is yet to be formalised so that it follows agreed local protocols regarding young people missing from care. Incidents are recorded appropriately, although records do not consistently show that young people have been offered access to their social worker or an independent visitor. Records show that incidents of young people going missing from care have reduced and young people are generally late as opposed to missing for long periods of time. This shows that progress is being made in this area to help keep young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected from bullying and say that bullying is not an issue in the home. Staff use effective communication skills to build positive relationships with young people. The use of sanctions imposed on young people tends to be with regards to restriction or supervision of their pocket money. Young people know what is expected of them and what is unacceptable. However, records relating to measures of control are not consistently recording young people's views. This encourages reflection by the young person and a sense of responsibility.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in an approved behaviour management approach which promotes de-escalation techniques with physical intervention identified as a measure to be used only as a last resort. The approach is successfully implemented by staff as there have been no instances recorded relating to the young people placed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in an environment that promotes their safety. There are fire safety arrangements in place, and young people and staff members receive instruction through regular fire drills. Checks on the gas and electrical installation help to keep young people safe, as do regular building checks. Staff recruitment policies and procedures are robust and help to safeguard young people. Recruitment files have been sampled and there were no shortfalls noted.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are satisfactory . Since the last inspection the home has in a new acting manager, who has been in place for some weeks. The acting manager is an experienced, qualified and competent manager. The acting manager is working with the staff group to review policies, procedures and practice and has implemented a monthly development plan. The organisation itself has a business plan in place which includes an improvement agenda and staff training for the near future. This means that they want to improve their service and the outcomes of young people in their care.

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Leadership and management

The home is monitored by a representative of the organisation. This provides young people and staff with an opportunity to discuss any issues they may have about living at the home. These visits are legally required to take place on a monthly basis. However, recently a statutory visit was not undertaken, the provider informs that this was an oversight. The acting manager monitors systems at the home to ensure that the needs of young people are met.

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Leadership and management

At the last inspection in January 2011, two good practice recommendations were made. These related to staff receiving child protection training, which the inspector has been informed is now booked and that further staff undertake a childcare qualification. This remains a working progress and is raised again through this inspection.

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Leadership and management

There is a Statement of Purpose and young people's guide that sets out what the home intends to do. This ensures that stakeholders have the information they need about the home. The young people's guide gives young people information about their rights and responsibilities, however, this has not been reviewed to take into account new legislation and good practice guidance.

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Leadership and management

The skills within the staff team match the needs of young people living in the home fairly well. The staff group reflect the cultural backgrounds of the young people living in the home and provide both positive male and female role models. The numbers of staff on duty meets the needs of young people. Staff have access to training. Staff also receive supervision and attend team meeting. This helps practice to develop in accordance with the needs of the young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people's needs, development and progress is recorded to reflect individuality within their records. Feedback from placing authority social workers is that "staff are very co-operative". There are systems in place within the home to notify Ofsted and other relevant authorities of any significant events that may occur within the home regarding the young people. This means that there are satisfactory systems in place to promote the welfare of young people.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is satisfactory .

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