Children's Home run by Bay View Child Care Limited in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC416318 Inspection date 26/05/2011 Inspector Anne Bannister Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 22/12/2010 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

The home is registered to accommodate three young people of either gender with emotional and behavioural problems. It offers emergency, medium and long-term placements for young people. The home is located within a residential area. It is close to the town centre and in easy access of all sports and recreational facilities. Young people are accommodated in a five bedroom end semi-detached house. It is decorated to a high standard.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The three young people living in the home have all been admitted within the previous three months. Good relationships exist between staff and young people. Both parents and other professionals advise that outcomes for young people since admission to the home are good. However, care planning is not yet sufficiently developed to reflect on the progress being made to address young people's assessed needs.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The ethos and working practices being established in the home encourages young people to meet their potential. The home is effective in engaging all young people in individual educational programmes. This is a significant improvement for some young people who have not previously engaged in education. However, the home have not received personal education plans (PEP) from placing authorities. This has resulted in initial programmes of work not always being set at an appropriate level for young people.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Consultation with young people does take place. Young people are encouraged to involve themselves in any planning that relates to their individual care and well- being. When they are not confident to express their own views directly in meetings staff will act as advocates on their behalf. This ensures that young people’s views are always taken into account when any review of their care is being undertaken.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The full complement of staffing is not yet in place. Although there are sufficient staff with childcare qualifications, not all have been trained in the home's preferred method of managing behaviour. The result of this is that on some shifts there are not enough staff trained to physically restrain young people should this become necessary. However, staff practice is positive in relying on praise and reward to promote positive changes in young people's behaviours instead of resorting in more punitive methods.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

There are policies in place to advise staff of the action they must take should a young person go missing from the home. However, the registered manager has not yet to established links with the Police Runaway and Missing from Home and Care Coordinator to ensure the home’s practice reflects locally agreed protocols established to protect vulnerable young people.

p.4

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.

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that at all times there are a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced person's working at the children's home. In particular this relates to the need for there to be sufficient staff trained in the home’s preferred method of behaviour management. (Regulation 25.1) 24/06/2011

p.5

Recommendations

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

p.5

Recommendations

 ensure that if a child is absent from home and their whereabouts is not known (i.e. the child is missing), the home's procedures are compatible with and have regard to Runaway and Missing from Home and Care protocols and procedures maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority for the area in which the home is located. (NMS 5.6)  make sure that the responsible authority ensures the child's placement plan sets out the responsibilities of the children's home registered manager and their staff for meeting the child's assessed educational needs and supporting their achievement. The home's registered manager should have a copy of the PEP. (Children's Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations. Volume 5: Children's Homes 2.118)

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good . Young people admitted to the home may be experiencing a period of crisis in their lives. As a result of this they may have experienced the breakdown of a previous placement. On admission the staff team aim to assist young people to develop trust and an understanding of their situation. Staff aim to engage young people positively, encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions and behaviours.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are benefitting from good levels of support and guidance by the care staff team. Parents, social workers and educational providers confirm that the staff team is working closely with all agencies to ensure young people receive the support they require. This is particularly apparent with young people who present more complex health needs which need careful monitoring. A medical professional commented that ‘It is the first time in three years this child’s condition has been stabilised.’ The home provides guidance for staff on the management of health care for young people through its health policy and procedures and specialised training when this is necessary. Young people’s individual health care and planning is monitored by their key worker and this is supported by other members of staff. On each young person’s health plan file there is a medical consent form from parents or, where appropriate, the local authority to ensure that emergency medical treatment

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

and medication can be given. The safe storage, administration, recording and disposal of medication helps keep young people safe. Young people confirm that when they are unwell the home looks after them.

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are participating in an education programme. For those young people who do not engage with outside agencies an in-house programme of education has been developed. This is adapted to meet young people’s individual needs. However, on admission the home receives insufficient information from the placing authority, in the form of a PEP, to ensure that the in-house tutorials are initially set at a level to promote educational attainment. Educational attainment is encouraged and celebrated by the care staff team. Two parents felt that participation in educational programme was a significant achievement. Parents commented ‘not only is he attending education he is also enjoying it’ and ‘my child is engaging in and enjoying education in a way he hasn’t done for a long time’. For those young people engaged in full-time education the staff team work effectively with the education provider to support regular attendance and to assist young people to develop their

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

From admission young people are encouraged to practise and develop skills which will equip them for independence. This is achieved through involvement in household tasks, menu planning and food preparation, and the opening of bank accounts to encourage them to save some of the pocket money. Young people have opportunities to contribute their views about how the home is run through individual key worker sessions and weekly resident meetings. These opportunities build up young people’s self-confidence and assist them in taking responsibility for their life as they prepare for independence.

p.7

Outcomes for children and young people

The staff team promote a healthy lifestyle for young people and try to encourage them to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. Staff also encourage young people to include activities that promote their physical well-being into their activity plan for the week.

p.7

Quality of care

The quality of the care is satisfactory .

p.8

Quality of care

In this recently registered home the staff team are ensuring that young people in their care receive individualised support to address their assessed needs. However, care plans are not yet sufficiently developed to reflect how staff are addressing each young person’s assessed needs and the progress that is being made. Regular key worker sessions ensure that young people take an active role in the development of their care plan. Key workers ensure that young people’s views are fully taken into account during review meetings. However, young people are also aware they can speak with any member of staff about issues of concern.

p.8

Quality of care

Weekly meetings involving the staff team and young people ensure that young people contribute their views about how the home is run. Where it is appropriate parents and carers are frequently contacted to advise them of issues concerning the care of their child. A young person's social worker commented that, 'the family are really pleased about the level of contact between them and the home. They feel it is much better than they have experienced in previous placements. The staff contact me to keep me up to date with any issues relating to the young person I am responsible for'.

p.8

Quality of care

The home is decorated to a high standard and provides comfortable and homely accommodation for young people. Young people are accommodated in single bedrooms which they are encouraged to personalise. There are good bathing and shower facilities, with one young person benefitting from an en-suite bathroom. The rear of the property has a secure walled yard/patio area which ensures young people have immediate access to an outdoor play area.

p.8

Quality of care

There is detailed information available to young people about how to raise issues of concern or make a complaint. It is in an appropriate format. Minutes of house meetings confirm that staff ensure young people have fully understood the options open to them for raising issues of concern. Young people confirm that staff have assisted them in making contact with advocates who will take up issues on their behalf. They appreciate that staff want the best outcomes for them.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is satisfactory at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe. There is a team development plan in place which will ensure that all staff are trained in a range of areas which fully promote the safety and well-being of young people in their care. At the time of inspection a significant number of staff had not completed training in the company's preferred method of behaviour management. The numbers of staff trained in physical management is insufficient to meet the company's own behaviour management policy and to ensure that any physical intervention necessary is done safely. This deficit has resulted in the registered manager having to work on shift to address the situation. Training is booked for early June and will ensure all staff have appropriate training in Team Teach, which is the home's preferred method for behaviour management. During the course of the inspection the registered

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

manager instructed staff that physical intervention must not be used unless two trained members of staff on shift.

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

All staff and young people spoken are aware that physical intervention should only ever be used as a last resort to prevent young people harming themselves or others. Staff have built up positive relationships with young people. They were observed to routinely use de-escalation and distraction skills to defuse situations and channel young people in more positive behaviours. Positive rewards and praise is ensuring that there has been a reduction in the negative behaviours young people were demonstrating prior to their admission to the home. All staff are familiar with the home's guidance on the use of sanctions. The effectiveness of sanctions is reviewed and assessed at staff team meetings, with discussion considering whether a less punitive response could be implemented in the future. This practice indicates that the staff team reflect on their actions in order to ensure they are continuing to meet

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are aware of their responsibility to meet the requirements of the local authority safeguarding procedures. Staff spoken to responded well to scenarios presented to ascertain their knowledge of the safeguarding procedures. Staff are alert to a young person's potential to bully or to be bullied. Young people are clear that bullying is not an issue in the home and are confident that staff would address any issue that arises.

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

The registered manager has not established links with the Police Runaway and Missing from Home and Care Coordinator to ensure that the home's practice reflects locally agreed protocols. Young people's care plans and risk assessments take account of their potential to go missing and assess their vulnerability should they do so. Staff work intensively with young people to reduce incidents occurring. No incidents have occurred since the home opened. Young people appear to be responding positively to staff’s intervention in relation to this issue. One parent commented that their child must be happy at the home as ‘he's still there; in his last placement he was always missing'. There have been no instances of young people being reported missing since the home was registered. The home's procedures indicate that once young people have been welcomed back home they will be offered the opportunity to speak to someone external to the home with regard to the

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety issues are managed well to keep young people safe. For example, maintenance takes place on fire equipment, portable electrical appliance testing and the gas boiler. A full risk assessment of the home, individual young people and the activities they participate in assists in keeping young people safe.

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

The home continues to recruit new staff in order to develop numbers to achieve their optimum complement. Recruitment of staff to work with young people is robust. Checks are completed on staff team members to ensure they are suitable to work with children and young people. There are good arrangements in place to ensure that visitors to the home are supervised by the staff team and that young people are kept safe when visitors are present.

p.10

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are satisfactory .

p.10

Leadership and management

The statement of purpose and function for this recently registered home contains clear information about the service it offers to young people. Young people also receive their own individual guide, which is written in a format appropriate for their age and understanding. Both of these documents are currently being revised to ensure they adhere to recent changes in regulations.

p.10

Leadership and management

The registered manager is qualified and experienced. He is very child centred and has a clear vision about how the unit should be run. The full complement of staff will not be in place until early June. In order to ensure adequate staffing is in place until this date the manager is at present working on shift in order to ensure young people are safely cared for. Recruitment has ensured there are mixed gender teams caring for young people and promoting positive role models. The staff team are well supported, receiving regular supervision and informal support. Some of the staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications and those that are not qualified are enrolled to undertake additional training. Unqualified staff are also receiving the formal support required to help them address the challenges of their role.

p.10

Leadership and management

Regular internal and external monitoring of the home is in place. Monthly visits take place which focus on the home's strengths and weaknesses, highlighting any areas for improvement. As part of this monitoring young people's views are routinely sought. There is evidence that any issues highlighted in the monitoring process are followed up and lead to improvements in the service offered. However, these systems have failed to identify that there are insufficient staff trained in the home's preferred method of behaviour management to implement the home's own behaviour management policy.

p.10

Leadership and management

A development and training plan is being developed which identifies areas for improvement of the service offered. The programme being put in place addresses the diverse needs presented by young people and ensures that staff possess the competences and skills to work effectively with them.

p.10

Leadership and management

As this is the home's first inspection there are no requirements and recommendations to followed up from previous visits. Equality and diversity practice is good .

p.10