Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Unique reference number SC405448 Inspection date 24/08/2011 Inspector Julia Toller Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 21/03/2011 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

This home is registered to care for five children aged between 10 and 17 years with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory .

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Overall effectiveness

The home makes positive developments to meet the diverse and complex needs of the young people placed. Staff have good knowledge of the young people they are working with, ensuring their needs are met. The home values the rights of individuals to respect and dignity. However, recent decision around placements at the home has 'diluted' this good work and has caused a level of disruption within the home and local community from which the home is still recovering.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people said that they are able to make their views known and have a say in what happens in the home. They are involved in decisions about what food they eat, what they do in their spare time, how the house is decorated and the plans for their future. Young people said that they like the home and can talk to an adult if they need to.

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Overall effectiveness

It was not possible to gain the views of social workers who have placed young people within the home, but other professionals say that the manager demonstrates a commitment to the young people in his care and that the organisation are demonstrating a commitment to improve the service, in particular with regard to admissions to the home.

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Overall effectiveness

The home has a friendly atmosphere where everyone usually gets along. Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff are helpful and enjoy spending time with young people. They have clear boundaries with young people consistent with good childcare.

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this inspection, two requirements and five recommendations are made. These relate to: making proper provision for the welfare of children at the home and monitoring the use of sanctions, staff training, missing from care protocols, the Statement of Purpose, general maintenance and relationships between the home police force and local community.

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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) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control restraint or discipline in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure (Regulation 17 (B) (3f)) 30/09/2011

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children's home is conducted so at to promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children accommodated there. (Regulation 11 (1) (a)) 30/09/2011

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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 that when a child's whereabouts are unknown that the home's procedures are compatible with and have regard for the local Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocols maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority for the area where the home is located (NMS 5.6)  ensure that the Statement of Purpose includes a summary of what the home sets out to do for children, how they can find out about their rights, how a child can contact their Independent Reviewing Officer, the Children's Rights Director, Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern with inspectors, and how to secure access to an independent advocate (NMS 13.5)  ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated (NMS 10.3)  ensure that staff have access to support and advice and are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff (NMS 19.4)

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Recommendations

 ensure that the home's approach to care minimises the need for police involvement to deal with challenging behaviour and avoids criminalising children unnecessarily. The home follows procedures and guidance on police involvement in the home, which have been agreed with local police. (NMS 3.22)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are satisfactory .

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Outcomes for children and young people

There have been issues around admission procedures to the home. Procedures have not been sufficiently robust, which has resulted in serious incidents at the home and within the local community. This means that young people and staff have experienced a period of turmoil recently from which they are still recovering. The organisation has begun to take action to address these issues including reviewing admission procedures, the Statement of Purpose for the home and the staffing structure.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people speak positively about staff, recognising the individual support given to them. Any medical, religious and cultural needs a young person may have are addressed.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are registered with local health service providers, such as doctors and dentists and also have access to more specialised medical input if required. Each has an up to date health plan that includes a young person's history and identifies any specific needs. Statutory health assessments are taking place, assisted by the links developed with the local children’s services.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported in their education to learn, achieve and to progress in a similar way to all other young people in society. Some young people have missed periods of education throughout their childhood, most young people are achieving regular attendance at in-house education and specialist placements, when necessary, give young people the guidance and support that they need at their own pace. Most young people are making satisfactory progress in this area.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to take more responsibility for themselves, suitable to their age and understanding. They learn skills such as, planning meals, using money and other household tasks. In addition, they are encouraged to develop their personal care. This helps young people prepare for adult life.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is satisfactory .

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Quality of care

The consultation systems with young people are satisfactory, there are monthly young people's meetings taking place alongside more informal discussions between staff and young people.

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Quality of care

Young people are helped to develop socially acceptable behaviour by the use of praise and the implementation of boundaries. Young people know what standards of behaviour are expected of them but a high number of sanctions at the home indicate that there are still behavioural issues that are not being managed by the home.

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Quality of care

The home tries to promote positive relationships with neighbours and the wider community but placements at the home have not helped and have created several issues in the local community including serious incidents at the home. They are liaising with relevant bodies to try and resolve matters but this remains ongoing at the time of the inspection.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to make a complaint should they feel that this is necessary and that they can speak to their social worker or Ofsted directly if they wish. Complaints records are completed with the outcome and action taken in response to the complaint. Young people say that they prefer to talk to staff about things that are annoying them at the time rather than 'complaining' and this was observed whilst at the home.

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Quality of care

Staff have an understanding of the young people’s health needs and closely monitor young people to make sure they are healthy. They encourage young people to attend routine health checks, such as going to the dentist and optician. They also ensure young people get suitable medical advice and treatment when young people are feeling unwell or if they are concerned about young people’s health and development. Staff support young people to be active and take regular exercise, for example, playing football, horse riding and going to the gym.

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Quality of care

The home’s procedures for managing medication are put into practice to ensure young people’s welfare is promoted and protected. Staff are trained in first aid and handling medication. They have a clear understanding of the home’s procedures and a detailed knowledge of each young person’s medication. Medication is securely stored. Staff make sure that young people only have medication specifically prescribed for them and take it in line with the prescription instructions.

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Quality of care

The manager and staff are helping young people to enjoy and achieve in life. The individual needs of young people are identified and specialist needs are met by external support as necessary. The organisation has identified issues within the structure of the staff team and is in the process of addressing this. This is intended to ensure young people receive consistent care from adults they know and with whom they can develop appropriate relationships.

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Quality of care

Most young people are currently engaging with in-house education. Some young people have not attended education regularly for a significant period of time, so for them this is a good level of progress. Young people speak positively about their own arrangements and staff are involved in developing educational plans for each of them, with the relevant authorities. Where young people are not in education staff work with them to find a suitable arrangement that will result in positive outcomes for young people. This means that most young people are attending education specific to their needs.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to follow their particular interests, such as sport, go- karting, going to the cinema and meals out. As a result, young people are able to build confidence in their abilities and experience different social and cultural backgrounds.

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Quality of care

The home is located within reach of schools, leisure facilities, public transport and shops that are important for young people’s development. The size, layout and design of the accommodation meet young people’s needs. They enjoy homely and comfortable accommodation, although there are signs of wear and tear. The organisation has also identified this and has plans to refurbish the premises. The home also has a regular maintenance programme in place.

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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

Young people and staff say that due to some recent placements they have not always got on and this has caused some difficulties with behaviour, bullying and intimidation. Staff and young people feel that this is now much improved and that currently there are no concerns in this area. Young people say that they now feel more comfortable in the home and that they feel protected and generally safe. Young people said that they were able to identify an adult to talk to if they felt the need or had concerns. Information about bullying is included in written information given to young people as well as being displayed around the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The safety and rights of young people and staff are protected. Potential issues of a safeguarding nature are referred to appropriate external agencies for investigation. The home has its own safeguarding procedures which staff are familiar with.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has systems in place to deal with young people who go missing from care, which are underpinned by policy, procedure and staff guidance. The home has developed links with the local police. However, this protocol is yet to be formalised so that it follows agreed local protocols regarding young people missing from care. Incidents are recorded appropriately, although records do not consistently show that young people have been offered access to their social worker or an independent visitor. Records show that incidents of young people going missing from care has reduced and young people are generally maintaining contact with the staff via mobile phone. This shows that good progress is being made in this area to help keep young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There have been a high number of sanctions made of young people. Although these are used fairly and young people are offered an opportunity to 'earn back' their sanction through positive behaviours, there are clearly situations that the staff are finding it difficult to manage with regular police intervention at the home. Incidents of physical intervention are few, with any such incident being recorded. Behaviour management is monitored by the manager to ensure that sanctions are fair, reasonable and proportionate, but the effectiveness of sanctions is not clearly being addressed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The recruitment, selection and vetting procedure ensures that suitable staff are employed to work with young people. There is also, a robust system to ensure all visitors are vetted to further reduce risks of harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety procedures are effectively utilised in the home. This extends to staff following fire safety regulations including carrying out adequate fire drills and having a fire risk assessment that they are required to follow.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are satisfactory . The service has undergone a period of unsettlement due to staff changes and placements at the home. The manager is an experienced, qualified and competent individual who demonstrates a commitment to positive outcomes for young people. The manager and organisation has identified shortfalls in its systems and are working with the staff group to review policies, procedures and practice to improve outcomes for young people. This includes recruitment of a service/business manager to monitor the effectiveness of practice within Quality Protects Services. This is intended to improve the quality of service offered to young people.

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Leadership and management

There are signs of improvement within the service and young people say that things are more settled. Social workers were not unfortunately available to make comment about the service, but other professionals involved with the home stated that they are demonstrating a commitment to improve. The organisation itself has a business plan in place which includes an improvement agenda and staff training for the near future. This means that they want to improve their service and the outcomes of young people in their care.

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Leadership and management

The home is monitored by a representative of the organisation. This provides young people and staff with an opportunity to discuss any issues they may have about living at the home. In addition, the manager monitors systems at the home to ensure that the needs of young people are met.

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Leadership and management

At the last inspection in March 2011 one legal requirement and one good practice recommendation were made. The legal requirement was about health care plans for young people. This has now been addressed. The good practice recommendation was about the recording of complaints. This has also been addressed.

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Leadership and management

The home has a Statement of Purpose and a young person's guide, these set out the aims of the home and how it will operate. These are both in the process of being updated to take into account changes within the organisation and the home and will also be updated to take into account recent legislation and good practice guidance.

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Leadership and management

Staff are supported by the manager and are aware of their role and responsibilities. They confirm that when they need support and guidance the manager is helpful. Staff are supported on a daily basis they are also receiving one-to-one supervision but some staff say they would prefer these sessions to be planned so that they have time to prepare adequately. These sessions are used to monitor their performance, accountability and identify their individual development needs.

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Leadership and management

Team meetings take place regularly every month to allow the staff team to discuss and review individual young people, the running of the home, and look at ways to improve the service they offer.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by a staff team who have a range of skills and experience. The skills within the team match the needs of young people living in the home. The staff team reflects cultural backgrounds of the young people living in the home and provides both positive male and female role models for young people. The numbers of staff on duty meets the needs of young people. This includes the support they need for activities, visits and appointments.

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Leadership and management

The home’s written records provide information regarding young people’s needs, development and progress. Young people’s records are organised and contain relevant documents from placing authorities. This ensures that there are satisfactory systems in place to promote the welfare of the young people.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is satisfactory .

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