Children's Home run by East Riding of Yorkshire Council in East Riding of Yorkshire

Unique reference number SC035543 Inspection date 14/07/2011 Inspector Steve Pearson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 21/02/2011 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

The children's home is provided by a local authority and it cares for up to six young people of either gender aged 14 to 17 years old. It focuses on supporting young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

This was an unannounced, full inspection. It assessed whether the registered persons had met a requirement and two recommendations made at the previous inspection on 21 February 2011. It also assessed the overall effectiveness of the service, whether it complies with current legislation and how well it meets the outcomes recommended in the National Minimum Standards for Children’s Homes.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The manager and staff are effective at promoting the health of young people and to help them gain the benefits of education. Young people feel they have a significant say in the running of the home. The home has good staffing levels and the staff provide consistent care.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

There are eight requirements and three recommendations to address following this inspection. The main concerns affecting overall effectiveness are that despite a requirement made at the previous inspection, complaints by young people are still not being responded to effectively or safely. Additionally, monitoring arrangements are weak and so shortfalls such as this are not picked up. Monitoring arrangements are further weakened because they do not provide for consultation with parents or the placing authority. Overall, this gives rise to concerns about the capacity of the registered persons to identify shortfalls on an ongoing basis.

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 a written record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of the investigation (Regulation 24(5) 27/07/2011 (2001) provide young people with access to a telephone, at all reasonable times, on which they can make and receive calls, in private, and without having to ask the staff's permission (Regulation 15(4)(a)) 01/09/2011

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include the necessary information. Specifically, record effectiveness and consequences of any sanction and differentiate between the name of person issuing the sanction and the signature of the person recording it (Regulation 17B) 27/07/2011

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure all Schedule 3 information is recorded in children’s case records. In particular this relates to the details of any restraint or disciplinary consequence of behaviour (Regulation 28 (1) (Schedule 3)) 14/07/2011

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children's guide includes the address and telephone number of the HMCI (Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector) (Regulation 4(3)) 27/07/2011

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the person carrying out Regulation 33 visits inspects the records of any complaints and, as appropriate, seeks the views of parents or relatives of young people (Regulation 33(4)) 14/07/2011

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6. In particular this refers to the monitoring of complaints (Regulation 34) 03/10/2011

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 provides for consultation with children accommodated in the home, their parents and placing authorities. (Regulation 34(3)) 03/10/2011

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 written records kept by the home when a child goes missing detail any reasons given by the child for running away from the home (NMS 5.10)  ensure that the children's guide includes information for children about their rights, how they can contact their Independent Reviewing Officer, the Children’s Rights Director and Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern with inspectors (NMS 13.5)  ensure all staff recruited before 1 April 2011 have attained a minimum level 3 qualification relevant to caring for children & young people. (NMS 18.5)

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

The manager and staff are effective at enabling young people to develop to their full potential. They do this through the provision of a key worker system, good staffing levels, and an ethos of considering each young person as an individual with their own wishes, feelings, personality and identity.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

The manager and staff are effective at helping young people to be healthy. They have regular check-ups with a dentist, optician and doctor and they have a full medical check up once a year. They receive advice from external health professionals such as a nurse with responsibility for looked after children, a sexual health worker and drugs misuse worker. Specialist advice and support is also available from a child psychologist. All the staff are qualified to administer first aid. The recording of medication is clear and comprehensive which shows that young people are receiving the medication that is prescribed for them.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

The manager and staff are also very effective at enabling young people to benefit from education. Attendance and achievement levels are good. Young people are well-motivated and often travel significant distances by public transport to attend school or college. Where full-time education is not achievable, the staff are resourceful and creative in arranging suitable alternatives to meet each young person's individual needs. This was summed up by several young people who said, 'staff always make sure we go to school or college and they help us with our work'.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

The staff help young people to maintain and develop contact and relationships with their families and friends. For example, young people's friends can visit the home and stay for tea. The staff help to transport young people to see their families and provide supervision of contact if necessary.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

The manager and staff are effective at helping young people to develop knowledge and skills which will be helpful to them when they are older and living independently. For example, they follow a structured independence programme and the staff work closely with the local authority leaving care team. Young people also have access to nearby independent accommodation where they can experience independent living. The staff continue to visit and support young people when they have left the home. This provides crucial support at time when the young person may feel most vulnerable.

p.6

Quality of care

The quality of the care is good . The manager and staff are effective at enabling young people to have a full say in how the home is run and in their own care plans. There are frequent house meetings and a children's rights officer visits regularly. Young people also have a designated key worker to help them with individual issues, although some young people feel their key worker does not spend enough one-to-one time with them.

p.6

Quality of care

Young people do not have appropriate access to make and receive telephone calls. Specifically, they must seek permission to use the phone which is located in the hallway and therefore not private. Young people are aware of how to make informal and formal complaints. However, their concerns are not always responded to thoroughly.

p.7

Quality of care

The manager and staff are effective at promoting young people's individual identity and potential. For example, one young person said, 'I can buy the clothes and personal items I need. My culture and religious beliefs are respected and supported'. Feedback from parents also supported this. All the staff receive training to help them be aware of the needs of people from different cultures and to ensure equality of opportunity.

p.7

Quality of care

There are good relationships between the staff and young people, whose behaviour is generally settled. The management of behaviour was summed up by one young person who said, 'the use of sanctions and restraints is fair, although it's very rare that anyone gets restrained'. However, it is difficult for the manager and staff to ascertain if sanctions are working because their effectiveness and consequences are not recorded. It is also unclear who has administered the sanction and who has recorded the details and this results in weakened accountability. All the staff receive regular training in behaviour management which helps them to respond to challenging behaviour effectively.

p.7

Quality of care

Young people can take part in a wide range of leisure activities. Two members of staff are also qualified to lead outdoor adventurous activities. This means it is easy for young people to take part in stimulating activities such as wild camping, canoeing, rock-climbing and hill-walking. Young people also have a range of indoor activities including electronic games, computers and laptops. Other leisure activities take place in the community where young people can make friends with others of a similar age.

p.7

Quality of care

The premises of the children's home are kept in good order. The home has a good- sized garden where young people grow vegetables which are then eaten at mealtimes. Flowers in the front garden and in hanging baskets create a feeling of warmth and homeliness. Minor concerns arose regarding the promotion of privacy and dignity in the toilets and bathrooms which the management team are now addressing.

p.7

Quality of care

Effective pre-admission assessment arrangements are in place. These help to ensure that the home only admits young people whose needs can be met. The impact from, and to, other residents are also considered before an admission decision is made. Although the maximum number of young people who can be cared for is six, only five have been living here in recent months. This has helped to promote individualised care. It also provides for better overnight supervision and for avoiding the need to accommodate a young person in a small bedroom.

p.7

Quality of care

Young people are fully supported to take part in decisions about their own care plans. They have sessions with their key worker twice a month to discuss concerns and progress. Statutory review meetings about their progress are held at appropriate intervals. Each young person's key worker writes a report prior to the statutory review and they involve the young person to ensure their views are fully represented. For example, one young person said, 'I know my placement plan and I help to write it'.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is satisfactory at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

The staff are effective at promoting positive behaviour and there are good relationships with young people. However the records of complaints from young people show that serious concerns are not always responded to safely. This was confirmed by a young person at the inspection who said, 'complaint forms don't work'. At the previous inspection, Ofsted made a requirement that a written record is made of the action and outcome of any complaint. This has not been met and so is repeated here. Therefore, the arrangements for addressing complaints made by young people are somewhat concerning.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Overall, young people feel safe. They said, 'there isn't any bullying and if there is the staff deal with it well; although we call each other names sometimes when we're annoyed'. Another young person said, 'if someone is bullying us we can fill in a 'Beat the Bully' form and the staff deal with it'. Young people have ready access to external support from agencies such as Childline and a children's rights officer. Some young people expressed concerns about how frequently their personal belongings went missing.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people sometimes go missing from the children's home, although not usually for significant periods of time. The staff follow a protocol agreed with the local police. However it is hard to address the causes of young people go missing because their reason for going is often not recorded.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

The premises are maintained in a safe condition. Professional technicians regularly service the electrical equipment, gas appliances and equipment for preventing, detecting and extinguishing fires. Appropriate arrangements are in place to ensure that staff recruited to work with young people are suitable and safe. No staff have been recruited since the previous inspection.

p.8

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are satisfactory . At the previous inspection, Ofsted made one requirement and two recommendations, which have been met in part only. The staff now record young people's views about the use of any individual consequence or restraint. However, complaints by young people are still not always responded to in full. The sanction records are clearer than they were; however, they still do not provide for adequate accountability or fulfil legal requirements.

p.9

Leadership and management

The home has a clear Statement of Purpose and young people have been involved in its creation. The manager ensures the staff are made aware of its contents and this helps them to be focussed on the role of the home. Young people are also informed about the home in a children's guide. However this lacks important information about how to contact Ofsted, which means it is more difficult for them to raise concerns with the regulator. The children's guide also does not contain important information about children's rights and how to contact their independent reviewing officer. This means they are not being fully supported to raise concerns with external people.

p.10

Leadership and management

The young people and staff feel the home is managed and supported appropriately and there are suitable resources to enable the staff to care for young people well. The management team complete quarterly plans to address the longer term development of the service.

p.10

Leadership and management

There is very low staff turnover and the home has a full complement of staff. For example, one young person said, 'there are not a lot of different staff and we know them well'. There are effective handover arrangements from one shift to the next. All this helps to provide consistency of care. The home has an equal number of male and female staff which provides for good role models and approachability for boys and girls. Any new staff undertake an effective induction programme. This complies with the standards set by the Children's Workforce Development Council. Consequently, new staff are supported well to develop skills and knowledge necessary to work with young people. However, a significant proportion of the established staff team are not qualified in caring for young people, although they are all studying for the qualification. This means the overall knowledge and skills of the team are not yet sufficient. The staff are supported in their work through regular

p.10

Leadership and management

staff meetings and formal supervision. The manager is approachable and is at the home on a full time basis and therefore can address concerns as they arise.

p.10

Leadership and management

The monitoring of care is weak. As required by legislation, an external person visits the home once a month to evaluate the quality of care. However this monitoring does not assess whether any complaints have been made. This means that significant concerns and their responses to them are not being identified. Additionally, the external visitor does not seek the views of parents or relatives. This also reduces the likelihood of shortfalls being picked up. Internal monitoring of the quality of care also takes place. However, this also is not fully effective because when a potentially serious complaint is made, it is not always assessed in the monitoring process. Additionally, the views of young people, their parents and of the placing authority are not routinely incorporated into the monitoring. This again makes it unlikely that shortfalls will be identified and addressed. Young people's records are kept securely. They are supported to have a broad

p.10

Leadership and management

understanding of the contents of their care files and to contribute to them. For example, several young people said, 'we can read our daily notes and can add comments to them'. This helps them to feel empowered and involved. However information which is potentially important is not recorded in their files. Specifically, the staff do not record the details of any sanctions or restraints in there. This means important information would be missing should the young person wish to access their records when they are adults.

p.11

Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is satisfactory .

p.11