Children's Home run by My Choice Children’s Homes Limited in West Sussex

Unique reference number SC364812 Inspection date 11/05/2011 Inspector Gaynor Moorey Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 13/01/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 offers accommodation for up to two young people between the ages of eight and 18 years with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make excellent progress in relation to their starting points and thrive in a nurturing, supportive environment with consistent boundaries. Young people are able to make choices and contribute to making decisions about their futures. Support received from staff helps young people to become self motivated and develop confidence to enable them to enjoy experiences that are new to them. Young people have been encouraged to attend college and grow in their own independence. Young people say they feel safe at the home and staff are trained and supervised in order to offer the young people a secure environment to live in. Young people enjoy living at the home and are able to contribute to its decoration and planning of the outside areas. The home is well managed with systems in place to ensure the young people continue to be happy living there.

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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 the garden is well maintained. (NMS 10.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from imaginative individual support which helps them to develop, grow and understand their own abilities. To become independent young people in such areas as growing into adulthood due to their age range and complex needs and dealing with past issues such as family relationships. Young people are enabled to know themselves and discuss any issues or ideas they have such as menus, activities and what happens in the home. Young people have independent time away from the home which has needed extensive support as it is something that the young people have historically found difficult to achieve. One social worker said ‘it is really great that the young people are encouraged to be independent and develop in order to be able to do things that they would never have thought possible’.

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Outcomes for children and young people

There is a pro-active approach to the physical wellbeing enabling young people to learn about themselves and understand how to care for their medical and healthcare needs. Young people regularly visit the doctor, dentist and optician. Excellent comprehensive health plans clearly identify their everyday needs and preventative work helps young people have a better understanding of sexual health , drug and alcohol misuse and social issues. Young people benefit from specialist assistance from a range of professionals, such as mental health and medical consultants. One social worker said ‘staff at the home have been terrific in their support and have helped to teach young people to live everyday lives with difficult and complex conditions’.

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Outcomes for children and young people

For the young people at the home their record of attendance at college is successful and they have made excellent progess since living at the home . Progress can be seen for the young people just in the fact of attending education which has not occurred for a long prior to living at the home and coping for whole days in a educational setting whilst learning. Where necessary young people have support from staff to maintain their college placements.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive forward thinking support to develop their independent skills and are able to the best of their abilities to learn and progress with cooking, cleaning, shopping and some budgeting such as travel fares to college. One young person when out locally and on seeing a house fire called the fire brigade and was commended by them for his community spirit and quick actions. Young people are involved in their transition plans and looking at the future, such as other college places and independent living.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people said they had contact with family and friends and have regular visits and overnight stays which links into independence skills and living.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people lead separate lives as they are seventeen they decide on what activities and interest they would like to do such as gardening, fishing, train and plane watching. One young person said ‘I am able to go fishing and have a vegetable garden since living here and go out and see my friend’. The young people where possible undertake activities independently so are aware of needed to behave appropriately in the community.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy living in a caring supportive environment. They have comprehensive placement plans that identify their health, physical, social, educational, cultural and leisure needs. Key workers review the progress of each young person and identify changes to meet individual needs. Young people contribute to their care plans by spending time with their key workers looking at and preparing review reports so they reflect their views. Young people attend their statutory reviews and have input into future plans and transition arrangements.

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Quality of care

Positive behaviour management strategies support children in developing skills and managing conflict and developing relationships. Staff consult young people on a daily basis and empower them, as far as it is possible, to consider their circumstances, behaviours, relationships and interactions.

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Quality of care

Young people are provided with forums, formally and informally, to discuss any choices and views they may have about the running of the home. Staff create an inclusive, reflective and participatory environment that encourages consultation and discussion; this is effectively balanced by realistic boundaries. The young people confirmed that they are able to express their views and opinions and staff explain why if events or situations could not happen.

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Quality of care

Guidance and advice and support is given to young people in relation to health and social issues including, sex and relationships, education, protecting oneself and bullying. These issues are met both in general discussions and such activities has spending free time and travel on public transport.

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Quality of care

Young people at the home feel their cultural and religious needs are being met by staff. They are enabled to access cultural foods, and have appropriate personal items such as skin products. Young people said they could access religious advice or services. Support for young people and their individual needs, including ethnic needs are woven through everyday life to ensure they have information that will help them at the home and to keep safe when they leave.

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Quality of care

The home’s location, design and size are in keeping with its purpose; internal the home is maintained to an excellent standard. Young people have a range of communal areas to play and exercise outside and indoors. Young people said they enjoy spending time in the garden which required tidying. A safe, clean and healthy environment is maintained for young people. The accommodation provides each young person with both communal areas for group living and individualised private areas, such as their bedrooms, where they can spend time alone. Young people said that can decorate their room with photographs and posters.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

d Young people report that they feel very safe and protected in the home. They feel that they can share any fears or anxieties with the staff and that these will be treated with respect and acted upon. Regular training in child protection, ensures that all members of staff are aware of what to do in the event that they have concerns about a young person's wellbeing or safety. Clear procedures provide a framework for the staff to act on if they need to share concerns with safeguarding agencies. Records kept of incidents are detailed and outline very clearly what was done, who was involved and how the situation has been resolved.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Each young person has an individual protocol in place as to what course of action needs to be followed in the event that they go missing. Records maintained of incidents where young people have been missing are very clear and include how the young person was supported on return to the home. Close liaison is maintained with placing authorities and local police in the event that a young person is regularly missing and the home works in line with locally agreed protocols. The staff work very hard to engage with the young people who are absent on a regular basis and discuss how to resolve the issue and how to keep safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff actively encourage and promote positive behaviour. Young people learn to take responsibility for their actions and how to develop strategies to deal with challenging situations. Each young person has an individually agreed programme which outlines their targets and what the rewards will be if these are achieved. Sanctions are recorded appropriately and young people understand why sanctions happen. One young person said that 'Staff only give sanctions when I deserve it and they are fair with what happens'. Staff are trained in the method of restraint used in the home; it is always used as a last resort and sensitively followed up to ensure young people understand the reasons for restraint when it is used. One young person said he 'sometimes had to be restrained because of what happens but I know why'. Each young person has a behaviour management programme and all staff are aware of the guidance in the plan to help the young people remain in control during issues

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Safeguarding children and young people

and incidents. Staff manage rare incidents of bullying through a positive rapport with the young people and maintain this through challenging times. Young people are encouraged to speak out about any issues they are having including those happening with other young people at the home. One young person did complaint and with staff support has seen it through with all the appropriate action being taken.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All members of staff are subject to a rigorous recruitment process which ensures that all necessary checks have been carried out before they work in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Clear risk assessments that are regularly reviewed this ensures that the environment and activities are safe. Young people are also assessed when admitted to the home with regards to life skills such as travelling on public transport, staff are very aware that some of the young people may have come from backgrounds where basic self care and safety skills may have been neglected. Fire equipment is regularly checked and all the young people take part in fire drills.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The thorough and conscientious approach operated by the home and staff awareness of the young people's vulnerabilities combined with a commitment to help them develop their own safety means that outcomes for the young people and promotion of their safety is achieved to a comprehensive standard.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

There is a strong sense of common purpose at the home through well known goals and aspirations, everyone at the home takes responsibility for putting these into practice. The home is very effectively managed and monitored. The home has a new acting manager as the last manager has recently left. The acting manager is being supported by both an experienced manager from another of the organisation's homes and one of the service manager to ensure the impact of change is not to disruptive to the young people. The current management team speak of wanting to continue the good practice at the home and move on with new developments that have the young people at the heart of all they do. Monthly visits undertaken by an independent person take place and the reports written as a result of these make recommendations about the practice in the home. Regular team meetings discuss the well being of the young people and any practice issues. This approach ensures

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Leadership and management

that the conduct of the home and effectiveness of the care being provided is being constantly assessed. At the last inspection the acting manager was asked to register as the manager this did not happen as the acting manager left. The home were also recommended to ensure all staff had undertaken the approved method of restraint training this has now happen since the last inspection.

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Leadership and management

The staff team provides close support and supervision for the young people. There are ample staff on shift to enable the young people to feel that there is always someone they can talk to. The staffing structure includes senior care workers and this ensures there is experience and knowledge available to members of staff on shift when the manager is not around. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals and informal support is also readily available.

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Leadership and management

The staff team receive on going training and this expands their knowledge and skills. Some training provided is aimed at both the young people and staff team, for example, training in drugs awareness and equality and diversity. This encourages a sense of shared values. The young people in turn benefit from the consistent care provided by a stable and motivated group of staff. Young people and staff are clear as to what they are trying to achieve and what targets and goals are in place in order to encourage progress. The effect of this approach is to enable young people to grow in confidence and to have a safe and secure environment in which they can reflect about their past and plan for their future.

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Leadership and management

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Young people's individual needs are known and met to a very high standard. Difference in culture, background or belief is seen as an opportunity to learn from each other and to develop a better understanding of the community and wider world.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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