Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stoke-on-Trent

Unique reference number SC008269 Inspection date 20/10/2011 Inspector Susan Mullin Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 24/03/2011 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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The service is owned by a private company.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Outcomes for young people are good. In relation to their starting point, young people make good progress and are continually supported well by the staff team. Equality and diversity is intrinsic in everyday practice and feedback from professionals and parents is positive. The home continues to provide personalised, well-planned care to all the young people in the home. Young people report that they have input into the daily running of the home and into their own individualised care plans.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is well managed by a dedicated and experienced manager. The staff team are creative and resilient in their approach to care and support individuals with differing needs well. Good relationships have developed between staff and young people, with mutual respect evident. The staff group are knowledgeable about the young people in their care and have a good understanding of the home’s policies and procedures.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people say that they feel safe in the home. Staff ensure that individual support and attention is provided to the young people. This includes promotion of positive behaviour and appropriate behaviour management strategies to support the young people. Physical interventions have not been used for over two years.

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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 feel listened to which helps them feel valued and builds up their self- esteem. They are actively encouraged to make decisions about their daily lives. Opportunities include contributions to the running of the home through young people’s meetings and regular quality time with staff on an individual basis. Young people are actively encouraged to prepare for and attend their review meetings. This enables them to have a say in their future plans.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The promotion of young people’s health is high on the agenda of the home. Staff work closely with other health professionals, such as the diabetic specialist nurse. Young people benefit from attending all medical appointments and staff place a high importance on maintaining good health in the home. Young people's medical and health needs are further promoted by a clear procedure for the administration of medication, which is effectively implemented by staff. A specialist nurse states, 'The difference the staff have made in meeting the young person's medical needs has been brilliant. The staff have a wealth of experience and knowledge about the medical issues this young person has to deal with. I could not have wished for a better placement'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people reported that they enjoy a varied, nutritious and healthy diet. One said, 'the food here is great and the portions are huge.' Another said, 'we are taught how to eat healthy foods like fresh fruit and vegetables and we always have vegetables or salad with our meals'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

No young people currently in the home are of compulsory school age. However staff are pro-active in finding placements in further education or employment. Education and training is tailored around individual’s needs, skills and interests and also takes into account previous experiences. One young person has started a second year at a college placement and stated, 'I really enjoy my course and I know now what I want to do in the future'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to maintain contact with people who are important to them and family members are made welcome in the home. Young people are well supported by staff to enjoy more successful contact visits and to demonstrate greater sociability. The promotion of equality and diversity is threaded through all areas of practice at this home and is second nature to the staff team who have day- to-day contact with the young people. Each young person is appreciated, valued and recognised for who they are as individuals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people engage in activities to help support their development of skills for adulthood. This is an ongoing process and takes into account young people’s individual needs including age, previous experiences, abilities and levels of risk. Young people are encouraged to take part in cooking, budgeting and household chores. In addition to developing practical skills, young people’s self-esteem and confidence increases. As a result, young people make progress in preparation for adulthood.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people are treated with dignity and respect. Each young person is seen as an individual with a unique personality. Their strengths are identified and nurtured to help them achieve and develop self confidence and self esteem. Young people enjoy positive and respectful relationships with the staff team and for the majority of the time with each other. All young people report they are happy living in the home. One young person wrote, 'Staff help me and everyone here will talk to me if I need them. I don't think they could do anything better as I have everything I need'.

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Quality of care

Another young person wrote, 'Its all good at the home, the staff are really nice and we are treated with respect. I get on well most of the time with the other young people. We have lots of choice and it is a lovely place to live. It the happiest I have been in 3 and a half years'.

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Quality of care

All young people spoken to feel that can easily raise any complaints or issues with staff, whenever they feel unhappy about anything. They also confirm that information is available in the young people's guide on how they can make a formal complaint. They are very confident that their complaints are taken seriously and are dealt with fairly by the manager. Young people feel listened to, respected and consulted on all aspects of their care.

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Quality of care

There is also a record kept of compliments received at the home. Included are comments from a social worker praising the good standards of care in the home and a compliment from a young person, to the manager thanking her and the staff for the care he received when he was living in the home.

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Quality of care

Practice is exceptionally child centred and personalised. Care plans are reviewed regularly regarding their effectiveness. Young people receive excellent support and make significant progress in comparison to previous care experiences, where they have experienced significant placement disruptions. One parent wrote, 'My child has been in a number of placements in the past 2-3 years. This placement is the only one she has been truly happy in. The relationships with staff are good and the medical issues have been sorted out to a brilliant level. The staff are there not only for the child but also the parents. The staff are brilliant and have hearts of gold. Nothing is too much trouble, no matter how small the problem/issue is'.

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Quality of care

Excellent key work support encourages young people to work through difficulties and supports the key areas in care plans. As a result young people feel consulted, fully contribute to their plans and know what they are working towards. Equally achievements are celebrated and communicated to others working with young people to ensure they receive positive recognition. A visiting professional from the youth offending team states, 'the staff in the home are doing a great job with the young person placed here at this time. They report back to me regularly about how well the young person is doing in the home'.

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Quality of care

Young people have access to and enjoy a range of leisure activities. These include accessing local community leisure facilities, for example the local gym, parks, and shopping facilities. Staff also encourage and support young people to try a range of different activities, to enhance their life skills. All activities are risk assessed to ensure that they are appropriate for individual young people.

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Quality of care

The home is located in a residential area with good links to a nearby city. Internally the home is well maintained and nicely furnished. Young people's bedrooms have been decorated in their chosen colours. Health and safety arrangements are robust to maintain a safe living environment.

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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

There are good systems in place to protect young people and promote their welfare. Young people are protected in the home and in the community through appropriate staff supervision. This has resulted in an improvement in self confidence and emotional stability for young people. Detailed assessments are in place which identify areas of risk and vulnerability. These clearly direct staff in how to prevent and respond to potential occurrences.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff team receive training opportunities in safeguarding young people and how to respond to allegations or suspicions of abuse. Child protection training is updated every year. Policy documents are in line with local safeguarding arrangements and are followed in practice. The manager has good links with the child protection referral team and local safeguarding team. The manager is suitably qualified and experienced in child protection and keeps up-to-date through refresher training. This helps to support the safety and well-being of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are procedures for staff to follow should a young person leave the home unsupervised or break-away from the support of staff while in the community. These procedures are wholly appropriate to individual young people and are based on detailed risk assessments. There have been no incidents of this nature since the last inspection. Information is made available to young people on what to do if they feel that they are being bullied or they are unhappy. Young people report that bullying is not an issue at the home. Young people live in an environment that is free from harassment or victimisation.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A great deal of importance is placed upon promoting positive behaviour. This is encouraged through the development of trust and positive relationships with young people. Sanctions used are fair and in line with the young person’s age and capabilities. However rewards are much more frequent and enjoyed by all. Staff receive training in positive behaviour reinforcement including a range of de- escalation and breakaway techniques. There have been no incidents of physical interventions or restraint used with the home for over two years. This evidences that staff effectively implement behaviour programmes and help young people to deal with any behavioural issues in a calm and nurturing environment.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety audits are carried out regularly and the home has an up-to-date fire safety risk assessment. Other fire safety measures are in place including regular equipment checks and fire drills and all staff receive regular fire safety training. This ensures that the safety and well-being of young people is promoted. No new staff have been employed since the last inspection. Visitors to the home are required to have some form of identity, sign in and are supervised while on site. In this way young people are kept safe while visitors are in 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

Young people benefit from a well-managed home where they receive a good level of care. The manager takes into account young people's individuality, personal attributes and difficulties.

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Leadership and management

The manager is an effective and enthusiastic leader who demonstrates real commitment and success in improving the lives of young people. The staff team are diverse in their attributes and sufficient in number on individual shifts to meet the assessed needs of young people in placement. They are also well respected and liked by the young people.

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Leadership and management

The staff team feel the current arrangements offer all the support and guidance they need and describe the management as being supportive and approachable. A staff member said, 'We are all listened to and our opinions are valued'. Positively staff report the best thing about the home is; 'The young people, they mean so much to us and they are doing so well. The staff team are great and we all work really well together'.

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Leadership and management

The manager has developed positive links with other agencies in order to ensure effective care practices. Good relationships have been established with other professionals so that young people's needs are met from a wide range of provisions when required. Relationships between the home and families are very positive with staff ensuring there are close consultation and effective lines of communication.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive good training opportunities which are provided on an on-going rolling programme, available company wide but monitored within the home. All mandatory training is up to date. The team are well supported by the manager through the supervision process, which ensures all staff are fully trained and competent to meet the needs of the young people in their care.

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Leadership and management

The home's Statement of Purpose has recently been updated to reflect the current operation of the service. A young person's guide is given to young people when they move in, which provides them with useful information about the day-to-day operation of the home. The aims and objectives set out what the home aims to achieve for each child placed and the ethos promotes equality and diversity for all looked after children.

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Leadership and management

The home is monitored through management checks and checks by an external representative of the company. Monitoring visits occur monthly as required under the regulations and there are systems in place to identify and address any shortfalls. This enables the management to be reflective of practice and continually evaluate the service provided. There are ample resources available to meet the needs of the young people and the home's aims and objectives. Young people's case files include all the required information and are stored securely to protect privacy.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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