Children's Home run by Care and Management Services Ltd in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC419229 Inspection date 18/08/2011 Inspector Carole Moore Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/11/2010 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

This children's home is part of a small organisation operated by a private company specialising in the care of young people. The home provides care for up to three young people aged between 8 and 17-years-old who have significant social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

This home provides a good quality of care for the young people it accommodates. It provides a nurturing and homely environment in which young people develop and thrive. Young people benefit from a well managed, supported, committed, enthusiastic and well trained staff team. All aspects of care planning are highly personalised to meet the individual needs of the young people. Education is fully supported and achievements are celebrated. Young people are encouraged to make decisions about their lives.

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Overall effectiveness

The quality of the relationships between staff and young people in the home are good. Staff show strong commitment to young people and are there to help. Young people are encouraged to take part in enjoyable things and form positive relationships with the staff and other young people. Young people are being helped to do well at school.

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Overall effectiveness

Good monitoring systems provide the Registered Manager with information to continually develop and improve the care provided and the outcomes for young people. Two areas for improvement have been identified through this inspection regarding implementing a written development plan and strengthening the quality assurance systems.

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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

 develop the written systems to evidence regular consultation with the child's social worker and the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) are sought (NMS 1.4)  ensure the home has a written development plan, reviewed annually for the future of the home. (NMS 15.2)

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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 individualised support which helps them grow in confidence, gain a real sense of their identity and an understanding of their background. The link worker system enables young people to focus on their aims and objectives and regular meetings provide a route for young people to discuss their feelings. The home actively acknowledges racial, religious, gender and other differences and encourages open discussion and learning on such issues. Young people are assisted to develop a healthy sense of self and to recognise the rights and feelings of others.

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Outcomes for children and young people

There is an excellent approach to promoting the physical, emotional, and psychological health of young people and they are cared for in a warm, caring, nurturing environment with firm and consistent boundaries. Young people are encouraged to take appropriate responsibility for their own health needs and are taught how to make informed decisions about their lifestyle. Staff are actively involved in engaging with young people about a range of health-related issues, which results in consistent improvements to health and fitness. Young people are fit and well and enjoy participating in sports, such as swimming and football. Young people eat well and enjoy their food. Young people are actively encouraged to get involved with cooking and young people help cook the meals with staff support, supervision and guidance.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have an excellent record of school and work placement attendance and are making good overall progress in relation to their starting points when they first moved in to the home. Young people are encouraged to do their best in all aspects of their work. Staff work hard to increase young people's satisfaction towards learning and help to build a more positive attitude towards education. Young people know and understand that they can talk to staff if they have a difficult day at their educational placement. The staff have good links with the schools and work in partnership together, this helps young people to meet their educational and workplace targets.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making a positive contribution to their home and the wider community. Young people are encouraged to help keep their home clean and tidy which helps develop keys skills related to cooperation and responsibility. Staff are aware of young people's strengths and support them with their hobbies and interests. Staff can provide the transport into the community in order for young people to benefit from the community resources.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with family and other people who are important to them. The home promotes, encourages and facilitates contact. Young people understand the contact arrangements because they have been fully discussed and agreed at the outset of their placement at the home. Staff are good at helping with the practical arrangements, such as help with different venues or with travel and transport. Staff ensure that full and detailed records are kept for the monitoring and management of contact arrangements.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well supported and prepared for a successful transition to independence and adult life. Each young person has an individualised independence programme that measures progress well such as undertaking household chores, keeping their own rooms clean and maintaining their personal hygiene. Young people confirmed that preparation to moving into adulthood and being independent is an integral part of their individual care plans. Young people are supported to gain experience in cooking, shopping and budgeting. Pathway plans have been formulated with the placing authorities and young people confirm that they have been encouraged to play a central role in the decisions taken about their future.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from a competent and proactive staff team who are able to meet their needs and support them throughout their placement. Relationships between staff and young people are friendly, positive and good natured. Young people are encouraged to express their feelings and emotions without infringing the rights of others. Staff are consistent and effective with teaching young people models of good behaviour, such as courtesy and respect which promotes personal, social and emotional development. Equally, staff help young people when inappropriate behaviours occur to understand the outcome of their actions.

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Quality of care

Young people feel that their views, wishes and feelings are actively sought and that they can influence the running of the home. Young people participate in house meetings and link worker sessions and are able to plan what meals they would like to eat and what activities they want to do. Staff welcome constructive suggestions and young people's participation is good because they are confident in expressing their views. A variety of issues have been changed to reflect the young people's wishes and feelings, for example extended bedtime and a raise in the clothing allowance. In addition, all young people have regular meetings with their link worker to discuss their recent progress, success, problems and concerns. Staff are very good with helping young people to understand why it may not be possible to act upon their wishes in all cases.

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Quality of care

Young people understand how to make a complaint because making a complaint is made as easy as possible; complaints are rarely made. Young people said, "there is always someone to talk to if you feel unhappy". Young people are cared for in line with their individual placement plans which are child friendly and easily understood and tailored to the individual child. There is a clear focus on aims and objectives and these fully involve the young people. Monthly summaries are shared with the social workers and explain how effective support and guidance has been delivered in reality.

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Quality of care

The home provides a healthy environment where young people are able to access the services and support they need to meet their physical, emotional and psychological health needs. Young people have weekly access to a psychologist who engages with both staff and young people to help understand the reasons behind the somewhat challenging behaviour that can be presented at times. As a result, young people can get the treatment and support that they need.

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Quality of care

Staff are proactive and consistent in supporting the educational achievement of young people, engaging with the schools and successfully promoting their attendance. Young people are to be registered in colleges for the September term.

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Quality of care

A range of purposeful and enjoyable activities are available to young people relating to the young person’s cultural background and personal identity. Young people are encouraged to pursue their interest and hobbies such as swimming, tennis, football, dance and the local gym. This is encouraging young people to take responsibility for their physical health and fitness. A young person said, 'I get to do lots of activities living here'. At a practical level, the home has a range of computer games and consul equipment, access to a television and board games. Young people also have access to a large garden.

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Quality of care

There is a strong identification of individuality, difference and promoting equality. There are clear procedures for supporting the young people and staff have an in- depth knowledge of the personalities and preferences of young people. They understand and respect the individual and different ways that each young person responds to circumstances. This knowledge is particularly beneficial when managing behaviour and enabling young people to participate in daily living tasks, leisure activities and new opportunities.

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Quality of care

The home is appropriately located, designed and maintained. Young people are within easy reach of community facilities and staff provide transport when appropriate. Young people live in a homely and comfortable environment where they are actively encouraged to take pride in their surroundings.

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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

Staff are trained and are able to demonstrate a good awareness of the safeguarding procedures which are implemented into their day-to-day practice. Staff are vigilant and understand the procedures in place if they have any concerns about anyone or anything. Staff are all aware of the whistle-blowing procedure and are clear that they would have no hesitation in following the procedure in order to protect young people. It is evident that the relationship between staff and young people is built on trust and respect and this means that young people feel confident and secure.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people do not go missing from the home. Young people know and understand that if they have a problem they can talk to the staff at the home or their social worker. Staff work creatively with educating young people about the risks around running away and their level of vulnerability. As a result, this indicates the level of good quality day-to-day care, support and guidance that staff provide to meet the needs of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Detailed behaviour management plans are in place providing staff with guidance on managing difficult situations. Staff work well as a team and form positive relationships with the young people. The atmosphere at the home is relaxed and the emphasis amongst the staff team is to defuse any potentially difficult and challenging situations. Staff meetings and supervisions enable staff to discuss strategies and provide a consistent approach to the young people. This has produced good results. There is a significant reduction in incidents involving physical restraint and sanctions. In the event of a restraint or sanction being used, appropriate records are maintained. Staff are trained in physical intervention and diffusion. Staff manage challenging behaviours in a calm, confident and consistent way. This practice enables young people to understand consequences and manage their own behaviours.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The environment is physically safe and appropriately secure, taking account of the needs and characteristics of the young people cared for at the home. A strong feature of the home is the attention given to risk management and sound systems being in place for health and safety management. All young people have in place a personalised risk assessment that is regularly reviewed as circumstances change. As young people progress they are allowed a higher level of autonomy so that they can develop a mature attitude and learn from their mistakes in a supportive environment. Young people are additionally protected because they regularly participate in fire evacuation drills. This means that they know the correct steps to take in the event of an emergency.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are good procedures for the recruitment and selection of staff. These ensure that all staff are thoroughly vetted before they start work. All visitors to the home are monitored because they are required to provide evidence of their identity and to sign a visitor’s book. These robust systems protect young people as they ensure that unauthorised individuals are not able to gain access to the home.

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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

The home is effectively and efficiently managed. The manager and staff team have a clear vision and deliver good care for young people because of the effective environment, culture, communication and performance of staff. Staff morale is high and this is because the Registered Manager gives a strong focus to improving performance and there is a strong drive by staff to achieve this. The whole team understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and discuss areas for further development.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager takes an active role in the day-to-day management of the home. Staff feel extremely well supported by a manager who is easily accessible. Good out-of-hours systems are also available, this means that staff are able to contact a manager at any time during the day and night. Individual monthly supervisions and team meetings give staff the opportunity to develop their knowledge, share their ideas and concerns in an open and professional way.

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Leadership and management

All members of staff spoken with gave positive comments about the manager’s commitment, child-centred approach, support to staff and clear monitoring processes. Good communication is a feature of the home, which enables staff to be well informed about daily events, routines and the progress of each young person.

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Leadership and management

This is the first inspection since registration and the provider meets the aims and objectives in the Statement of Purpose. It comprehensively addresses equality and diversity and there is a strong commitment to anti-discriminatory practice. There is a young person’s guide which the young people helped to design. Young people, staff and the placing authority are clear about the aims and objectives of the home and what services and facilities it provides.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from effective management. There are various systems to monitor the quality of care which includes monthly visits by a designated person. The views of others are gathered informally but not evidenced in a way that is taken into account in the overall quality assurance of the home. Also although currently the manager and staff team have a clear vision for future development, there is no written development plan in place, which would accurately prioritise actions and areas for change.

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Leadership and management

Staff are supported and guided to fulfil their roles and provide a good quality service to young people. The home employs a sufficient number of staff, who are appropriately trained and effectively supervised and supported.

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Leadership and management

Records are clear, up to date and stored securely, and contribute to an understanding of the young person’s life. There have been no significant incidents relating to the protection of young people accommodated in the home and staff are aware of the appropriate procedures to follow.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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