Children's Home run by West Sussex County Council in West Sussex

Unique reference number SC037454 Inspection date 31/08/2011 Inspector Paul Taylor Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 01/03/2011 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 service is a five bedded mixed gender children's home for young people between the ages of 12 and under 17 years old who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a local authority.

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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 standard of care to young people. Relationships between staff and young people are positive and the manager and team have created a culture of support and nurturing which is recognised and valued. Robust and detailed systems are in place to assess, monitor and review care needs ensuring that care delivered is of a very high standard. Young people say they feel safe within the home and that they feel their opinions and feelings are respected and valued. Education and enriching activities are promoted to an excellent standard. Young people have achieved remarkable successes especially when bearing in mind their starting points when they were admitted.

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Overall effectiveness

Quality of care in the home is subject to thorough and robust monitoring. A stable and committed staff team examine their practice constantly with a view to improving the service that they offer to the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Two recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection. The home needs to ensure that the effectiveness of sanctions is recorded in a more formal and structured manner. The carpets on the stairs leading to the first floor are in need of deep cleaning or replacement. Neither of these issues impinges on the well being of the 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 benefit from individualised support which helps them grow in confidence and to understand their past. The key-worker system enables young people to focus on their goals and progress. Regular key work sessions provide an avenue for them to discuss their feelings. Staff are aware of young people's strengths and vulnerabilities and help to nurture their talents and interests. This approach ensures that each young person feels valued and that the care and support they receive is really helps them make positive choices in their lives. Some progress made by young people, particularly when bearing in mind their stating points when admitted, has been remarkable. One young person reported 'They've stuck by me, they've not given up and I've got a future now.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy a variety of activities which the staff enable them to partake in. This includes outings, drives, cinema trips, gymnasium and horse riding. Each young person has also been taken on short holidays with members of staff to activity centres and theme parks. One young person described this experience as 'brilliant.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit to an excellent standard from the positive promotion of their education and the opportunities to experience this as a positive part of their lives. They receive excellent levels of support and benefit from members of staff being willing to advocate on their behalf to ensure that their attendance and achievement improves. Success in this area has been excellent, especially when taking into consideration the young people's experiences and attendance levels before they were admitted to the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive excellent and carefully thought out support to develop their independent living skills. This is achieved because individual programmes are put in place which encourages the young people to develop their living skills at a pace they can handle and at a level commensurate with their understanding. Support offered to young people when they have moved on from the home if of a particularly excellent standard. Members of staff show a commitment to ensuring that the young people are visited regularly to ensure that their well being is protected and promoted. One ex resident made a comment that 'this was the first place I was able to call home.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people prosper from having their general health needs and emotional health promoted to a very high standard through regular appointments with health professionals such as opticians and dentists and advice from a Looked After Children Nurse. Their psychological and emotional health is promoted by having regular access to a psychologist who also supports and advises the staff team. The thorough approach used by the home ensures that each young person’s individual health needs are identified and met.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people are able to benefit because the staff team offers excellent personalised support to the young people. As a result of their approach the young people are able to benefit from positive relationships with clear boundaries and a committed staff team. 'The staff go the extra mile' was a comment made by a placing social worker.

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Quality of care

The young people's views are promoted and valued to an excellent standard. Each young person has numerous opportunities to voice their feeling and opinions. House meetings involving the young people are treated as extremely important and are embedded into the culture and routine of the home. Additionally each young person is offered regular key work sessions as well as being able to voice their opinions on an informal basis daily with the manager and senior members of staff. 'They take us seriously' was a comment made by a young person. There is a culture of promoting young people's rights and encouraging them to voice their feelings and opinions appropriately. Young people are able to influence decisions relating to their daily lives, such as decor, menus and activity planning.

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Quality of care

Care plans relating to each young person are of an excellent standard. They contain, in detail, each young person's needs and how they are to be met in an individualised fashion. The care planning process therefore enables young people to achieve excellent outcomes and to benefit from close and supportive care from members of staff.

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Quality of care

Young people have their health needs promoted to an excellent standard. Their emotional well being is promoted particularly well with staff ensuring that they have access to the psychologist who visits on a regular basis.

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Quality of care

The culture of the home ensures that education is promoted and highly valued. Some results for young people have been remarkable, with young people achieving success that they have never experienced prior to their admission to the home.

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Quality of care

Members of staff also enable the young people to take part in positive and enriching activities. This approach enables young people to develop their self esteem and confidence and to experience being a positive part of a community. Holidays provided by the staff team have been particularly beneficial to the young people and in developing relationships.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in a home which is well maintained and comfortable. They are encouraged to personalise their rooms and to choose colour schemes and décor and so can invest and take ownership of their environment. The carpet on the stairs leading to the first floor is stained and in need of replacement or deep cleaning. This appears unsightly and undermines the otherwise good standard of décor in the home.

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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 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 seriously and acted upon. Members of staff are aware of what to do in the event that they have concerns about a young person’s well being. Any concerns are addressed rigorously with the involvement of all relevant agencies. This ensures that young people’s safety is promoted to an excellent standard.

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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 are missing without permission. The strategies used and intense support given to the young people around this issue has resulted in a significant reduction of incidents where young people are missing.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The effective management of the young people's behaviour is a strong aspect of the home. The young people feel that the rules in the home are fair and understand their purpose. 'The rules are common sense' was a remark made by one young person. Positive relationships between staff and the young people ensure that the use of physical restraint is rare. If sanctions are used, the young people report that they are fair and that they work. Although the effectiveness of sanctions is discussed in team meetings there is no formal monitoring of their effectiveness. This is a minor administrative shortfall and in no way impinges on the quality of behaviour management and support offered to the young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a stable staff team. The home has a robust recruitment policy which ensures that only adults who have been assessed as suitable to work with young people are employed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Numerous risk assessments and safety checks of the premises and fire equipment ensures that the young people live in a safe home. The staff are highly aware of each young person's vulnerabilities and risk taking behaviours. The conscientious and thorough staff approach to advising and supporting young people ensures that their self care skills and strategies for staying safe are developed to an excellent standard, especially when bearing in mind their backgrounds and starting points when they are admitted to the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The systems operated in the home and attention in detail to each young person's needs and vulnerabilities has ensured that their safety is promoted to an excellent standard.

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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 a home which is very effectively managed. Robust monitoring and reflective practice ensures that managers communicate an expectation to the staff team that care given to the young people is of an excellent standard. Members of staff report being highly motivated and very well supported. This approach is underpinned by having thorough systems to monitor the quality of care. As a result of this approach, which is underpinned by regular training and supervision, practice is of a high standard and the young people's well being is treated as paramount.

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Leadership and management

There is good compliance. Recommendations made at previous inspections have been swiftly addressed. This ensures that the young people are cared for by a service which understands it’s statutory obligations and addresses any shortfalls in service. The staffing complement ensures that there are always sufficient staff on shift to be able to respond to young people's needs. The low staff turn over and the stability of the staff team ensures that the young people benefit from consistent care by a motivated and committed professional service.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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