Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Unique reference number SC036019 Inspection date 22/06/2011 Inspector Judith Longden Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 02/03/2011 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 is a local authority home and accommodates a total of 15 children in three separate units with five placements in each unit. The service accommodates children between 10 and 17 years of age in medium to long term placements. Each unit may also take emergency admissions.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

This home provides a satisfactory quality of care and promotes improved outcomes for most young people. Young people are encouraged to participate in the running of the home. Young people have positive relationships with the staff and say they feel safe and well cared for. The implementation of a new behaviour support programme along with safeguarding and missing person's procedures ensures there is an ethos of care rather than control. However, the day to day care recorded in individual care plans needs to be in line with the placement plan and should include young people's views. There is a lack of consistency in the area of educational achievement and attendance. Currently, not all young people having access to their bedrooms.

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.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the home has a record which includes the information, documents and records specified in Schedule 3 relating to that child (Regulation 28 (1)(a)) 29/07/2011

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2. (Regulation 26 (3)(d)) 22/07/2011

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.5

Recommendations

 ensure staff work with a child's education provider to maximise each child's achievement and minimise any underachievement (NMS 8.4)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment where risk reduction does not lead to an institutional feel or restriction in movement in respect of young people having keys to their own bedrooms (NMS 10.3 and 10.4)  ensure the requirements of the placement plan are implemented in the day to day care of that child (NMS 25.2)  ensure that children understand the purpose and content of there plan and the reasoning behind any decisions about their care. (NMS 25.1)

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are satisfactory .

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are generally healthy and any health needs are identified and addressed appropriately. They benefit from a healthy diet and a variety of food including access to healthy snacks between meals. A variety of leisure activities and access to exercise facilities promotes active and healthy lifestyles for young people. The provision of leisure activities and events increases the confidence and self- esteem of young people as well as encourage their learning.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are not currently achieving consistently in their education. Although a variety of educational opportunities are available to young people several are choosing not to access education. However, learning is encouraged through engaging young people in activities such as gardening and cooking where the use of numbers, reading instructions and problem solving is involved. Young people accessing the enhanced care project are making progress in their learning with effective communication and joint working promoting the learning outcomes for young people.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with those people who are important to them. Staff actively promote contact arrangements and where arrangements are changed or disrupted they support the young people to understand and express their feelings appropriately.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are developing independence skills and growing in confidence through taking part in daily chores such as budgeting, cooking, shopping, cleaning their rooms and laundry chores.

p.6

Quality of care

The quality of the care is satisfactory . Young people are supported to understand their background and why they are in care. Staff encourage young people to participate and express their views formally and informally using one to one sessions, consultation meetings and resident meetings. This enables young people to gain confidence and skills in communicating their opinions. Young people are aware of how to complain and are supported in the event of making a complaint.

p.6

Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to build relationships with each other and their peers in the community but relationships within the home are often strained. Young people have positive relationships with staff and say they feel well cared for. The majority of young people say that bullying is not an issue. Where bullying is reported the staff respond appropriately and in line with the home's anti-bullying policy.

p.7

Quality of care

Staff encourage young people to take part in planning meetings and reviews to share their views and opinions on their care. Care plans contain information on risk management, personal information, educational and health plans and the required records. However, they lack comments from young people and are inconsistent in recording the day to day care routines for the young person. However, this detail is found in the recording of the one to one sessions with young people. The quality of information provided in placement plans from local authorities is poor, although there is good evidence of the home requesting the relevant information. As a result, it is difficult for the key worker to monitor the implementation of the placement plan. Staff and managers have already identified this as an issue and are examining ways of ensuring plans are detailed and provide an accurate reflection of the day to day

p.7

Quality of care

Young people's dietary needs are identified and met. They are provided with nutritious and well balanced meals and their choices are taken into consideration. Young people have access to kitchens where they are encouraged to make meals at the weekend and are able to develop independence skills in budgeting, shopping and cooking.

p.7

Quality of care

Staff support young people to attend health appointments and promote personal hygiene routines ensuring they remain healthy. Young people have access to a variety of health professionals promoting physical, emotional and psychological health. Staff are trained in the safe handling and administration of medicines and a number of staff have first aid qualifications. Individual risk assessments for young people self-medicating are in place

p.7

Quality of care

Young people's confidence, self-esteem and learning is promoted through the provision of a variety of leisure activities and events. Staff are creative and innovative in providing activities that are varied and encompass the interests of all young people.

p.7

Quality of care

Staff utilise a number of strategies to encourage young people to attend educational projects and achieve their educational potential. However, communication between education providers and the home is not consistent and this has led to young people not attending school regularly. Where communication is maintained and evidence of joint working, the young people benefit from improved educational outcomes. For example where young people are accessing the enhanced care project; young people are learning new skills in conjunction with academic studies such as cooking using mathematics in measuring and weighing ingredients.

p.7

Quality of care

Young people live in an environment with a mixed feel of an institution and areas that are more homely. Young people do not like the outside of the building and feel that other people see it as a place for 'naughty children'. Some areas of the building are very formal and not very welcoming but every effort has been made to provide lounges, dining areas and bedrooms that are furnished and decorated to create a more homely environment. An issue in one unit has led to young people not having keys to their bedrooms and currently they have to ask a member of staff to access to their bedroom. This is reinforcing the institutional feel of other parts of the building.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe. Young people feel safe and are protected from harm as a result of good safeguarding procedures and policies implemented by a competent staff team. Clear individual risk assessments that directly link to all policies concerning the welfare of the young people enhance the protection of young people. Staff are trained in safeguarding procedures and confident in their implementation. Appropriate responses are made to allegations or suspicions of abuse ensuring the welfare of young people is protected.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Maintaining the safety of vulnerable young people is a high priority. Staff are aware of the dangers young people may be exposed to if they are absent from the home. Good links with the police missing persons team, child exploitation group and child protection officer are maintained and with the provision of comprehensive risk assessments ensure young people who are absent are protected as far as possible. Staff are implementing a more holistic and creative approach to young people who are absent without authority. If staff know where they are, staff will engage in outreach sessions with the young person at the known location or by maintaining regular telephone and text contact.

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are implementing a new behaviour support strategy that focuses on the causes of behaviour and discussions with young people rather than the punishment of poor behaviour by imposing sanctions. Positive behaviour is encouraged through establishing good relationships between the staff and young people and staff acting as good role models. An incentive scheme provides rewards for young people for achieving individual targets encouraging them to behave appropriately. Staff are implementing a different approach to physical intervention, alternative training has been provided and as a result the number of restraints has reduced significantly.

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

Responsibility for recruitment procedures and recording of recruitment information is currently being transferred to the home. Meanwhile, evidence of the required employment checks is not readily available and are maintained on a central system at the local authority's human resources department and accessed through the computer database. All staff have recently had renewed enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks and these are recorded at the home. No new staff have been appointed since the last inspection. Visitors are checked and monitored while at the home. This helps prevent unsuitable people having contact with vulnerable young people.

p.9

Safeguarding children and young people

Regular maintenance and fire checks and a comprehensive range of risk assessments ensure young people live in an environment that is physically safe.

p.9

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good . There have been a number of changes in the policies and procedures of the home and the resulting improvements in the standard of care are significant, for example, the implementation of the new behaviour support strategy. The home has been able to demonstrate a capacity for continuing improvement and the action and recommendations made following the previous inspection have been met. Improvements have been made to meal times so that they are more sociable occasions. Fire records now contain the time of drills, who took part and are carried out at night. The recruitment process contains a mechanism for following up and verifying references. The use of sanctions has been revised and now focuses on reparation, as a consequence, the number of sanctions has reduced.

p.9

Leadership and management

The home has a clear and detailed Statement of Purpose that is reviewed annually. Staff implement the aims and objectives ensuring young people receive a satisfactory service. The home is managed by a qualified and experienced management team with adequate resources to provide the services and facilities to meet the needs of young people in the home.

p.10

Leadership and management

Young people are cared for by experienced and well qualified staff. Staff continue to develop their knowledge and skills to maintain and improve their competency. This is supported by access to a variety of good quality training as well as good regular supervision. Staff participate in setting targets for their continued development in their performance plans. Performance is regularly reviewed ensuring staff are competent in the service they provide to young people.

p.10

Leadership and management

Young people are consulted about the running of the home and how their needs are met through regular monitoring visits by the provider. Effective monitoring is also carried out by the Registered Manager and strengths and weaknesses of the home are identified and plans are in place to address areas for development.

p.10

Leadership and management

Young people’s records are secured safely. Records include a daily log of events for each young person and a summary of important events in the form of a chronology. Case records contain information on the history of young people and their religious persuasion but some lack comment on their linguistic background and cultural heritage.

p.10

Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

p.10