Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in Sefton

Unique reference number SC040785 Inspection date 12/07/2011 Inspector Chris Scully Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 28/03/2011 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 one of 10 owned and managed by a private organisation. The home is registered to care for two young people from 8 to 17 years with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or a learning disability.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

This is a good home. There is a very positive atmosphere in the home and staff work well together as a team. Young people are provided with personalised care, which effectively meets their individual needs and preferences. Young people are vocal about how they would like the home to be run. Staff are taking on board their views and are modifying some of their systems to enable a more relaxed approach to be adopted, while maintaining their regulatory responsibilities. Positive relationships with placing authorities ensure young people's needs are consistently met and they are happy living here.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe because of the effective safeguarding procedures and health and safety checks implemented within the home. There are some shortfalls with regards to the maintenance of the home, fire safety and the décor in some areas. Records and documentation are well maintained and contribute well to the ongoing care and support young people receive. There was one minor omission within a young person’s information. Monitoring of the home is appropriate, although monitoring reports do not always identify areas for improvement within the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are making very good progress with regards to their health and education. They are keen to pursue their education having had taster sessions at university. Staff actively encourage learning and provide a host of activities to enhance young people's particular interests and to support their education. Young people say they have settled well in to the home. They have a good relationship with staff and say that they know staff listen to them and respect their wishes. They are pleased with the décor of their bedrooms and are looking forward to designing art canvasses for the lounge.

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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) consult with the fire and rescue authority and take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, in particular the practice of wedging open fire doors. (Regulation 32 (1) (a)) 02/08/2011

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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 the home provides a comfortable homely environment and is well maintained and decorated, in particular the door to the bedroom is repaired, the issues in the bathroom and stained carpets (NMS 10.3)  ensure there are appropriate systems in place to monitor the accuracy of records within the home in particular information relating to young people's work experience placements (NMS 22.1)  ensure Regulation 33 visits include all the relevant checks, in particular they identify any health and safety issues within the home. (NMS 21.2)

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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 have a positive view of themselves and a secure understanding of their background and family ties. Contact arrangements with their family and friends are managed very well, which means young people can make spontaneous arrangements to visit family members. Young people say the best thing about being in the home is the close proximity to their friends, which enables them to maintain positive relationships with them. Placement plans are in place and effectively support young people's awareness of themselves and support their links with family and friends. Staff are supporting young people to organise items from their earlier childhood such as their first pair of shoes, toys and photographs. This means the young people is able to preserve these items and maintain a clear link with the past.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy healthy nutritious meals. Staff actively encourage young people to help prepare meals and to shop for food. As a result young people enjoy meals which meet their specific dietary needs and preferences. Young people are confident to suggest new foods, such as scallops, as they enjoy seafood and have not yet had the opportunity to taste these. Young people are particularly keen on food from Russia and talk enthusiastically about the stuffed peppers, which they help staff to prepare. Young people are pleased that staff are creating a cook book of recipes so that they can try these out for themselves. Staff's interest in cooking has effectively enhanced young people awareness of healthy eating, basic nutrition and enables young people to consider what a balanced diet is.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health needs are actively promoted. Young people enjoy the opportunities to go on bike rides with friends. They are keen to engage in a variety of outdoor activities, which promote their health and fitness such as rock climbing. Young people understand the importance of being fit and healthy and the benefit this has on their health and well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's attendance at school is excellent. They enjoy learning and attend mainstream school with their friends. Young people continue to make good progress and are proud of their academic achievements. They talk enthusiastically about their recent taster of university life and are more determined to do well at school to enable them to secure a place at university.

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Outcomes for children and young people

They are currently enjoying their two week work placements and feel that they are doing well. Young people explain how they have planned their route to the work placement which means they arrive in plenty of time. Staff are equally proud of their ability and commitment to cycling to the train station to catch the train and then cycle on to work. Preparation for adulthood is integral to the placement. Young people are encouraged to develop skills for life such as budgeting, doing their own laundry and preparing meals. They are routinely involved in the running of the home such as shopping for food, doing the dishes and managing money. As a result young people are being well prepared for adulthood.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is good . Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff actively seek young people's views about the running of the home and how well they are looked after. Young people say staff 'listen to what I have to say', such as the home being run more like a family than a children's home. Staff and young people enjoy spending time with each other both in the home and out in the community. Staff act as positive role models and use effective communication skills to enhance young people's awareness of socially acceptable behaviours. Young people are very polite, respectful to staff and others and are a credit to themselves.

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Quality of care

Staff are working with young people to minimise the amount of paperwork young people need to sign each week. This is at the request of young people who want a more homely environment. Staff are appropriately balancing this request with the requirements of the minimum standards. Young people's meeting are held on a more informal basis each month and demonstrates young people's involvement in the organisation of the home and the activities provided. Young people say 'I'm settling in fine and everything is ok' and comment that they get in well with staff.

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Quality of care

The home has an appropriate complaints procedure and any complaints are responded to promptly. Young people are very aware of the procedure and say that they do not have any complaints as 'everything's fine'. There have been no complaints from young people for some considerable time.

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Quality of care

Well written placement plan clearly identify the individual and personal needs of young people. Young people are fully aware of the plans and have had a say in their creation. Young people have a choice in whether to attend their review. If a young person chooses not to attend staff ensure their views and wishes are relayed to the panel and are given due consideration. Young people are made aware of any decisions and have good opportunities to discuss these with staff and their social worker. Notes from review meetings are held on file alongside reports prepared by staff. Social workers are complimentary about the home and say that the young person has settled in well to the home, which is a very big achievement. Social workers feel placements are going well and young people are making good progress in a number of areas, such as healthy eating.

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Quality of care

Young people's health needs are identified and this helps to promote their good health. Young people are registered with the doctor, dentist and optician and other specialist services as required. Health care plans are set out in a meaningful way and clearly identify their health care needs and how these are being met. Young people are aware of the services available to them, such as the child and adolescent mental health team. This means young people are able to make informed choices about their health and when they need to seek additional support. Staff ensure young people get good support and advice including developing their personal care skills and cleaning their teeth on a regular basis.

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Quality of care

Staff have high aspirations for young people's education. They are proactive in supporting young people's interests in art. Staff are working with their social worker to help young people gain a place on a trip aboard with school to study art. The home's routines are designed to enable young people's education, such as making sure young people are up on time. Staff liaise well with schools to ensure young people continue to do well at school, for example ensuring home work and course work are turned in on time. As a result of staff's commitment to young people's education young people continue to make very good progress in school. Staff are very proud of young people's achievements and ensure young people know this. This promotes young people's confidence and self-esteem.

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Quality of care

Young people are engaged in a range of self-chosen activities. They are confident to suggest new activities such as rock climbing and going walking. The range of activities provided clearly demonstrates young people's interest in art and design as they visit stately homes and museums. Young people are very proud that they recently completed bronze their Duke of Edinburgh award through school. Staff say young people are looking forward to undertaking the silver award and this will be fully supported.

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Quality of care

The home is generally homely and comfortable. Young people have personalised their bedrooms, including choosing the colours for the walls. Some areas of the home are in need of attention for example, the hall and lounge carpets are stained and some of the paint work is dirty. Plans are underway to redecorate the lounge and kitchen; young people are excited about designing canvasses for the walls.

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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 as staff have a sound understanding of the home's safeguarding procedures and the action to take should they have a concern about a young person. Positive relationships with social workers means staff are informed of any issues that may impact upon a young person’s safety or well-being. Young people say they know they can talk to staff, or their social worker about any concerns and these will be acted upon. Appropriate systems are in place to investigate any allegations or suspicions of harm, to ensure they are handled fairly.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people do not go missing. Young people keep staff well informed of their whereabouts and the time they are expected home. Clear, effective procedures are in place should a young person be missing. This is further supported by the positive relationships between the home and missing from care teams, which means should a young person be missing from care they are quickly located and return home safely. Staff talk to young people about the potential dangers of this, which helps keep them safe. Sanctions and restraints are rarely used, this is due to staff's commitment to talking with young people and helping them to understand what are socially acceptable levels of behaviour. Young people are aware of the house rules such as the time to be home and are respectful of staff's requests. Young people respond very positively to the trust and respect given to them by staff. As a result young people are well behaved, polite and respectful individuals.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The environment is physically safe; however, there are some issues with regards to the maintenance of the home. For example, the bedroom door does not close properly; this has been repeatedly reported by the Registered Manager but not yet addressed. The ceiling in the bathroom is peeling and there is mould around the bath trim, and the render in the yard is damaged. These issues detract from the homely environment the home is creating for young people. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks of the premises including certification for gas, electrical and fire safety. However, the practice of wedging open the door on the ground floor during the day means young people are not fully protected against fire. Young people have a sound understanding of the home's fire evacuation procedures which means they are able to evacuate quickly in the event of a fire.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safe recruitment practices within the home ensure all staff are suitable vetted and safeguarding checks are undertaken to ensure they are suitable to work with young people. The vetting of visitors is thorough. This helps to safeguard young people.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good . The home is managed by a qualified, experienced and competent manager. The creation of the home’s development plan outlines the areas for improvement over the forthcoming year and contributes well to the ongoing development of the setting.

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Leadership and management

Monitoring visits, known as Regulation 33 visits, are carried out in line with the regulations; however, they do not always identify areas for improvement within the home. For example, the maintenance of the home. The Registered Manager has identified these issues within their monitoring system and is taking steps to address the maintenance and décor of the home. Records and documentation are generally well maintained. However, information relating to young people's work placements was not on file, but was quickly sourced by the member of staff on duty. Young people's files are well organised and provide a comprehensive insight into the lives of young people. All records and documentation are held securely in the office. This maintains privacy and confidentiality.

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Leadership and management

The home has a clear Statement of Purpose and this set out the aims and objective of the home and how it will meet the needs of young people. Social workers confirm they are pleased with the care offered and that staff go out of their way to support young people. Staff are effectively supported by the Registered Manager and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They know who to contact should the Registered Manager not be available for support. Staff confirm they are well supported on a daily basis and receive regular formal one-to-one supervision. This monitors performance, accountability and identifies their individual development. A new training plan has been implemented to ensure all staff remain up-to-date with their required training. Team meetings take place each month and enable the staff to discuss and review the young people's needs, progress and running of the home.

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Leadership and management

There are sufficient staff on duty at all times to meet the needs of young people. Young people are advised of any staff changes and the reasons for this. This means young people are fully aware of who is caring for them each day. Young people are looked after by a competent team of staff who are appropriately trained and experienced. The staff team provides both positive male and female role models. Clear procedures are in place to ensure the appropriate persons are notified of any significant event affecting the young people or staff within the home. This ensures there are good systems in place to promote the welfare of young people.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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