Children's Home run by Progressive Care Limited in Sheffield

Unique reference number SC002930 Inspection date 06/10/2011 Inspector Monica Hargreaves Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 25/11/2010 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 one of a number that is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to nine children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are well cared for. They are given individualised support and they make good progress in the home. Their health needs are met and they are well supported with their education so that they have the opportunity to achieve to their individual potential. Young people are positive about the way they are cared for and the relationships that they have with staff. This is reflected in the comments they make about the home, such as 'it's good here' and 'it's brilliant'. One young person commented: '(name) is a good home and you are respected by everyone'. Young people are regularly consulted about every aspect of their care. They are confident about raising issues or concerns with staff and feel that they are listened to. They feel safe and know that staff are concerned about their welfare.

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Overall effectiveness

The requirement and recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed, fully or in part, demonstrating a commitment to improving the service for the benefit of young people.

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Overall effectiveness

One requirement has been made as a result of this visit. Although the manager undertakes regular checks on the work of the home, no copies of the reports that are made as a result of these checks have been sent to Ofsted. This has no adverse effect on the welfare of young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Recommendations have been made in relation to the manager and staff qualifications, making young people aware of the content of their placement plan and making sure that they all have a copy of the young person's guide. The manager has also been asked to ensure that there is an up-to-date development plan in place and to review the arrangements for protecting young people when they use the internet.

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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) supply to Ofsted a report in respect of any review conducted by the registered person regarding the conduct of the home. (Regulation 34 (2) 30/11/2011

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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 there are appropriate arrangements in place to keep young people safe when using the internet or social media (NMS 4.4)  ensure that each young person receives the Children's Guide at the point of placement (NMS 13.4)  ensure that the Registered Manager has a qualification in management at least at level 4 (NMS 14.2)  ensure that there is a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future of the home (NMS 15.2)  ensure that all existing staff have attained a minimum level 3 qualification (NMS 18.5)  ensure all young people understand the content of their placement plan. (NMS 25.1)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well cared for in a nurturing environment. They make steady progress from their starting point in education because they are fully supported by staff. Where they have an identified provision, staff make sure they attend regularly. If they are not in education, staff advocate strongly to ensure that an appropriate placement is found. This support maximises young people's opportunity to learn and to make progress and helps them to develop plans and aspirations for their future work and education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff promote and facilitate young people's contact with family and friends. This helps to reinforce young people's sense of their own identity as well as enabling them to keep in touch with people who are important to them. One young person reported that staff had helped them to re-establish their relationship with their parent and said 'this was very important to me'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health. Their health needs are identified and they are given the advice, guidance and support they require to develop a healthy lifestyle. Staff make sure that young people have a healthy diet and they encourage them to exercise. Young people report that staff give them advice about health issues and say that they are well looked after if they are ill. Established links with health professionals outside the home ensures that young people benefit from access to additional services when a need is identified.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The daily routine of the home enables young people to complete everyday tasks that they may not have experienced in their past, so that they acquire the skills they need for adult life. For example, young people are encouraged to keep their own rooms clean and tidy, to do their own laundry and to manage their own money. They have also helped to develop the garden. Young people take a pride in their achievements. One young person reported that they had learnt how to use a washing machine 'which is really useful' and another said that they had learnt how to cook and 'really enjoy baking'. Young people often keep in touch with staff after they leave the home. They visit for meals and let staff know how they are doing. This shows that they have positive relationships with staff that continue after they leave care and that they feel confident about returning to see them.

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Quality of care

Young people feel that they are well cared for. They say that they are happy in the home and that they enjoy good relationships with staff. They make positive comments about their care, for example: 'staff are sound' and 'staff treat you with respect and they help you sort your life out'. Professionals involved with the home are also very positive about the care given to young people. One said '(name) has made really good progress since being here. Their behaviour has improved and they are much more settled'.

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Quality of care

Young people report that staff talk to them 'all the time' about their care and the daily routines of the home. They confirm that they know how to complain when they want to. They have regular key work sessions where they can talk about their individual care and house meetings where they discuss the daily life of the home. These arrangements enable young people to contribute their views to the running of the home and to be part of the decisions that are made about their future.

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Quality of care

Staff have a good understanding of young people's specific needs. Detailed individual placement plans are developed in the home to show how young people's needs are to be met and to ensure consistency of care. Plans are regularly monitored by the manager to ensure that they are being properly implemented. Young people said that they know that they have a care plan. However, they were not all clear about the detail of their written plans. Young people have good access to additional support from agencies outside the home if they need it. This ensures that their physical, emotional and health needs are fully addressed. Young people's specific cultural needs are identified and are well met. For example, they are supported with regards to their religion and specific requirements regarding their diet. Young people respond well to the way staff work with them and they generally behave well. Positive behaviour is promoted through individual work and the use of

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Quality of care

incentives. Staff support young people with clear and firm boundaries which helps young people to behave in a socially acceptable way and to respect one another and staff. There is minimal use of restraints. This contributes to the safety of young people in the home. Young people report that staff are fair and treat them with respect.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to take part in a range of activities that they help to choose. Recent examples have included bowling, fishing and visits to the cinema. Some young people said that they prefer to spend their leisure time with friends and family outside the home, rather than taking part in organised activities. However, all young people report that they enjoy nights in relaxing with staff watching television or DVDs.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in a home that is well maintained, internally and externally. They say that they like their home. They contribute to its upkeep by helping with household chores and making sure that their own rooms are clean and tidy. They have also helped to develop the garden and take a pride in keeping it in good order.

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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 are cared for safely. They say that they feel safe in the home and report that they are able to talk to staff about their worries and know that staff will help them. Professionals involved with the home also report that young people are cared for safely.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safeguarding incidents are well managed which protects young people. Staff are trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse. They understand the home's safeguarding procedure which means that they know how to report and manage any safeguarding concerns that arise. Clear care and support plans and robust risk assessments, identify areas of concern and vulnerability for young people and show how staff work to support and keep them safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff ensure that young people are protected when they use the home's computer to access the internet. They do this by having appropriate security systems in place and supervising young people. However, when young people are given their own laptop with internet access, they are able to use this in their own rooms without staff supervision. This means that they are not fully protected as they may be able to access sites that are not appropriate for their age. This has been addressed by the manager. However, there is no clear agreement in place with young people and their families to cover these situations and to ensure that young people are properly protected when using the internet and social media. Young people know that bullying is not tolerated in the home and they report that this not an issue. They say that staff help them to resolve any difficulties that arise between them.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is little use of restraint in the home which promotes the safety and welfare of young people. Records of restraint are regularly checked by the manager so that the practice of staff is scrutinised to ensure that young people's welfare is safeguarded.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff work very well with individual young people to reduce the likelihood of them going missing from the home. They understand the systems for reporting unauthorised absences and the steps they should take immediately if a young person goes missing. Young people are supported on their return to the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Robust vetting procedures ensure that staff and visitors are checked before being allowed into the home. This protects young people from individuals who may pose a risk to them.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's welfare is safeguarded by the home's arrangements for managing health and safety matters. There is a comprehensive range of health and safety procedures and risk assessments and regular checks on equipment. Young people confirm that they practise the home's evacuation procedure and that they know what to do in the event of a fire or other emergency.

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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

Young people benefit from being looked after by a team of competent staff who have a good understanding of their needs. Staff report that they are well supported by their manager. They have regular supervision and team meetings where the care of young people is discussed. They are also able to access support from their manager outside these meetings. This means that they are supported in their work with young people and also that their work is monitored.

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Leadership and management

There is a clear commitment to improving the quality of the service for the benefit of young people. There are robust systems in place to ensure that the standard of care in the home is monitored. These include monthly visits from a senior manager in the organisation and the manager's own checks. Action is taken to address any issue that is identified as part of the monitoring process in order to develop the service. Reports of visits done by the senior manager are regularly sent to Ofsted as required, but the manager has not sent a copy to Ofsted of the reviews they have undertaken as part of the monitoring process. There is no up-to-date development plan to identify how the home is continuing to drive forward improvements.

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Leadership and management

The home has a detailed Statement of Purpose that shows how the service works and how young people are cared for. The young person's guide has recently been reviewed. It offers young people clear information about the home. However, some young people said that they had not been given a copy of this document. The manager is planning to produce the guide in a DVD format to enhance its appeal to young people.

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Leadership and management

All significant events are notified to the relevant authorities. Social workers involved with the home confirm that they are kept fully informed about the welfare of young people. This promotes partnership and ensures that information is appropriately shared in order to promote the welfare of young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people have access to good written information about their time in the home. This is recorded in individual files and is stored securely in order to protect young people's right to confidentiality. These records promote young people's understanding of their history and ensure that they have documents that they can refer to for information in later life if they wish.

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Leadership and management

Relationships between the home and its neighbours are generally good. This benefits young people because it enables them to feel safe in their local community.

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Leadership and management

Recommendations made at the last inspection are partly met. There is a commitment to ensuring that all staff are qualified to the required level. However, although some progress has been made, a number of staff have not yet gained a relevant qualification. The manager is qualified in care, but has not yet completed a management qualification. The requirement relating to notifications that was made at the last inspection is fully met.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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