Children's Home run by Woodside House Care Ltd in Blackburn with Darwen

Unique reference number SC357455 Inspection date 04/10/2011 Inspector Elaine Clare Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/01/2011 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 a private children's home owned and managed by a family partnership. It is situated in a small industrial town close to local amenities. It is registered to provide accommodation for up to four young males, aged from 10 years old up to 17 years old, with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides an excellent level of care which means that the outcomes for young people are outstanding. Young people appreciate the care and support they receive from a very committed and dedicated staff team and enjoy living at the home. Young people continue to make good progress; they thrive within a warm, supportive and caring environment. Young people's needs and views are central to the development and operation of the home. Robust safeguarding practices promote the safety and welfare of young people who feel safe and comfortable living at the home. There is an excellent emphasis which supports young people to develop both socially and educationally. Effective management ensures that good use is made of a range of monitoring activities relating to the quality of care provided to continually improve outcomes for young people.

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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 are assisted to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They benefit from individual support which helps them to develop a positive view of themselves. Staff actively encourage and assist young people to develop their own identities whilst recognising the identities of others. Staff demonstrate a very strong commitment in supporting the needs of young people with significant progress having been achieved. The home's expectations, rules and routines provide young people with an environment that focuses on positive outcomes.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are actively supported and given every opportunity to achieve their educational ambitions. Young people attend various educational placements which are tailored to meet their individual needs. Clear routines are well established which support young people to achieve excellent school attendance. Young people are provided with suitable facilities to engage in private study and staff actively support them with any homework. Staff are very committed to maintaining the level of agreed contact between young people and their families according to their individual circumstances. Practical support is also offered by staff to transport and take the lead role in any supervised contact arrangements. Systems are well established which enable young people to make and receive telephone calls as well as to meet with any visitors in private.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are fully supported to develop independent living skills as part of their transition to adulthood. They are able to develop budgeting skills as well as undertaking the shopping, preparation and cooking of meals. Young people confirmed these arrangements and stated that they are also involved in the cleaning of the home as well as doing their own washing.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in an environment where warm, caring and supportive relationships exist between themselves and staff. Young people are extremely appreciative about the care and support provided to them and their experience of living at the home. The dedicated staff team undertake their duties in a warm, supportive and professional manner. Young people are extremely relaxed and at ease in their company and within their environment. Young people feel safe and comfortable living at the home.

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Quality of care

Young people are fully supported to achieve an active lifestyle which helps to keep them healthy. They are supported and encouraged to participate in a range of activities both within the home and in the wider community. Staff also fully promote the personal interests of young people. Holidays and various trips are also organised to enhance their experiences.

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Quality of care

Young people are supported to eat a healthy, varied and balanced diet. They are fully consulted in the menu planning process. They are also provided with opportunities to try meals from a variety of cultures. Young people are very happy with the quality and quantity of meals provided. They are given opportunities to be involved in the preparation and cooking of the meals.

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Quality of care

The home operates an open culture of consultation where young people are fully encouraged to contribute to and influence the way the home is run. Young people's meetings are held at regular intervals which provides them with opportunities to raise and discuss any issues of concern and make any suggestions. Young people are also able to make their views known on a daily basis and through their individual key worker sessions.

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Quality of care

Clear policies and procedures are well established for dealing with complaints. Young people understand how to complain and are fully supported to raise any concerns openly. This was confirmed in discussions with them. The home has received no complaints since the last inspection. Young people are well cared for in line with their placement plans. These provide staff with clear guidance on how to effectively meet young people's day-to-day needs. Young people are fully aware and contribute to their placement plans. These plans clearly reflect the strengths and needs of young people and effectively address the placement objectives.

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Quality of care

Young people's healthcare needs are fully met. They are registered with the local services and are fully supported to access any healthcare appointments. Specialist intervention is provided to those young people who require specific input. Young people's health care histories and needs are well-documented. They are fully supported to access a range of information, advice and support regarding a range of other health care issues. Appropriate systems are established for the safe storage, receipt, administration and disposal of unwanted medication.

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Quality of care

Staff fully promote the education of young people to ensure that they attain their educational potential. They also celebrate the successes of young people. Staff attend young people's school reviews as well as parents' evenings and other special events. Good communication and liaison is maintained between the home and young people's educational placements.

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Quality of care

The home's design and location is suitable for its stated function. It provides young people with excellent facilities and is maintained to a good standard, being clean, tidy and comfortable. It is also well furnished and in good decorative order. The home provides young people with good communal facilities to meet their individual and collective needs. They are provided with their own bedrooms, one with en-suite facility, which are personalised to their own tastes. All bedroom doors are fitted with appropriate locks and young people have been given their own key to their bedrooms. The home provides good bath, shower and toilet facilities to meet the needs of the home and suitable locks are fitted to these doors to promote the privacy and dignity of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people confirm that they feel safe and comfortable living at the home. They feel confident in discussing any concerns or worries with staff. Young people genuinely feel that staff care about them and their welfare. Staff respond promptly and appropriately to any allegations or suspicions of harm. The home maintains an open and supportive dialogue with young people, their respective placing social workers and the local safeguarding team. A copy of the Local Safeguarding Children Board policies and procedures together with their contact details are readily available to staff. Staff receive regular training which focuses on the protection of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A clear system is well established for the reporting and recording of any event where young people go missing. These include agreed protocols with the local police. There has been one incident, where young people have gone missing, since the last inspection. Records show that staff respond positively to any absence. This ensures the safe return of young people at the earliest opportunity.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Effective measures are taken to protect young people from bullying. A clear anti- bullying policy is established which is conveyed to young people. Young people live in a calm and settled environment where they are supported to develop positive behaviour. Individual behaviour management plans and various risk assessments are well established. These provide staff with clear strategies for managing young people's behaviour. The level of negative behaviour continues to be reduced with positive behaviour being supported and suitably rewarded. There is a minimum use of sanctions and physical intervention. Debrief sessions are held with young people in respect to any restraint used. These provide young people with the opportunity to reflect on their presenting behaviour and consider alternative strategies to manage their feelings and frustrations.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Robust staff recruitment practices are established to ensure the protection of young people. These practices ensure that new staff are suitably vetted and do not commence employment in the home until all the relevant checks have been carried out.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety policy and practice guidelines are well established to ensure that staff and young people are appropriately safeguarded. No specific health and safety issues were identified from a tour of the building. Young people and staff regularly practise fire evacuation procedures and the various health and fire safety records are accurate and up to date.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living at a home which is very well managed by a Registered Manager who is suitably qualified and experienced. The Registered Manager demonstrates clear and effective leadership which ensures that young people enjoy stability and consistency of care. The manager is extremely approachable and supportive which is very much appreciated by the staff and young people.

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Leadership and management

The home's Statement of Purpose clearly outlines its aims and objectives. It also describes the level of service young people can expect to receive and how they will be cared for. This information is readily available to all interested parties. A young people's guide is also produced which provides them and their parents with clear information they need to know about the home. This information is usually provided to young people prior to their admission to the home.

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Leadership and management

The organisation ensures that monthly unannounced visits are undertaken to monitor the welfare and care provided to young people. Reports are produced outlining these visits and any actions needed to improve the outcomes for young people. These reports routinely reflect comments made by young people and staff about the care and welfare provided. Copies of these reports are also routinely forwarded to Ofsted. The manager ensures that monthly Regulation 34 reports are completed as part of the quality of care review monitoring process. This is in addition to its yearly development plan which reflects action taken to improve the outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

Good staffing levels are maintained throughout the day and night to meet the individual and collective needs of young people. They are cared for by a very committed and stable staff team who have a variety of experience in the care of children and young people. Staff undertake a multi-purpose role in carrying out most aspects of care for young people which ensures they receive continuity and consistency.

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Leadership and management

Staff feel extremely well supported in their roles through regular formal and informal supervision, daily handovers, regular staff meetings and team planning days. These systems ensure that staff are kept up to date in all matters relating to the home and young people. Supervision and appraisal records of staff do reflect the quality of supervision provided and their performance. These also identify any future and specific training needs of staff to assist with their ongoing personal development.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by a staff team who are trained and competent to meet their individual and collective needs. Most staff are trained to the National Vocational Qualification Level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People. Staff value the additional training opportunities provided to them to develop their knowledge, expertise and competence. These include both mandatory and more specialist training. This is reflected in the care practice and positive outcomes achieved for young people which is very much appreciated by them.

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Leadership and management

Young people's records are complete and are stored securely young people's placement plans also reflect their individual histories and needs. This information enables staff to effectively care for young people. Any significant events relating to the protection of young people are routinely notified to all relevant parties. Staff ensure that young people's placing social workers are kept well informed and are regularly updated of their progress and well-being.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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