Children's Home run by Teen-Works Care Limited in Sefton

Unique reference number SC423460 Inspection date 26/10/2011 Inspector Nick Veysey Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 18/02/2011 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 private children's home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

This is the children’s homes first inspection since it was registered and the first young person arrived in July 2011. The manager and staff are providing a high standard of care and accommodation and already are having a very positive impact on the lives of vulnerable young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people feel very settled, happy and safe. They are very positive about the support they receive. They live in a nurturing and supportive home environment that has enabled them to make very pleasing progress. They are protected from harm and looked after by caring staff committed to helping young people lead happy and fulfilling lives. Young people know that staff care about them and always provide the help they need; as a result young people have been able to develop positive relationships with staff very quickly. Young people’s needs and views are central to the running of the home. They are fully involved in the decisions affecting their lives and influence the running of the home. Staff seek young people’s views about all aspects of their care, listen to young people’s opinions, and always take them seriously and fully take them into account.

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Overall effectiveness

All aspects of care planning and practice are personalised and tailored to meet the individual needs of each young person. Staff contribute fully to planning for young people’s care. They are knowledgeable about young people's specific needs. They work in a coordinated way with young people, their family, therapists and social workers to ensure that young people get the right help, guidance and advice they need on a daily basis.

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a very good standard of care, but there are areas for further improvement. Although the children’s homes recruitment practices protect young people, on two occasions the provider did not obtain a written reference from the person’s last employer, and on one occasion did not obtain documentary evidence of the person’s qualifications. Also, the behaviour management records do not always show a comprehensive picture of what happened.

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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 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to a person wishing to work at a children's home in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2; in particular two written references, including a reference from the person's most recent employer, if any and documentary evidence of any relevant qualifications. (Regulation 26 (3)(d) and Schedule 2; paragraph 3 & 5) 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 entries in records are clearly expressed; in particular fully explain any technical terms used, for example the name of restraint holds, and distinguish as far as possible between fact and opinion. (NMS 22.4)

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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 have only been living in the home for a relative short time, but they are making very good progress and achieving positive outcomes. They are much more settled, emotionally secure and confident than when they first moved in. They are developing an increasingly positive self-view and a growing confidence in their identity and skills. They becoming more able to tackle challenges, including starting a new school, with resilience. Young people are feeling able to accept the help and support that is available to them. They are developing a greater understanding of their feelings, are much more able to talk to staff about what is upsetting them and manage their frustrations constructively. As a result, there have been significant improvements in their behaviour and their ability to express their feelings in an assertive and respectful way.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are healthy and enjoy healthy lifestyles. They take responsibility for their own personal care and take pride in their appearance and enjoy healthy diets. They have excellent access to a full range of health services and receive excellent support and information about social or health issues and make informed choices.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s participation in education and school attendance is very good. They are very motivated to learn and develop skills, work very hard and are producing some very pleasing results. For example, one young person has worked very hard to make up for lost time and is exceeding expectations. Her estimated GCSE grades are now much better than when she first started at the school. Another young person is working really hard to deal with the difficulties he was experiencing in school that were getting in the way of his education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make a positive contribution to their home and the community. They ensure that they live in a pleasant home environment. Young people take part in a wide range of activities in the local area, including volunteering at a riding stable. They also have a strong sense of citizenship and are raising funds for a local children’s charity by putting on a Christmas show.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are being well-prepared to become more independent appropriate to their age, abilities and level of understanding. Young people are routinely involved in the running of the house; they take part in shopping, helping to prepare meals, baking tidying, helping with the laundry and using money, including learning about saving. Young people are successfully taking on more responsibilities and have every opportunity to learn and build confidence in their social and life skills. Staff promote young people’s self-esteem and emotional resilience, encourage them to develop positive social and sexual relationships, deal with problems constructively and prepare them for work and further education. For example, staff are helping a young person to find a Saturday job and make an informed choice about which college course is the best one for her.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate and well-managed contact with their family. As a result young people are maintaining and developing positive relationships with the important people in their lives. Young people look forward to seeing their family and having a lovely time. Staff work really hard to ensure that young people find seeing their families to be a safe, positive and enjoyable experience. Staff are very aware that young people sometimes may find seeing their family stressful, and make sure they are suitably and sensitively supported.

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Quality of care

Young people are thriving in a nurturing and supportive home environment where staff provide a very good standard of care. Young said they are ‘very happy’ and think the staff are very good because ‘they care for people and help people’. This view of the service is very much supported by young people’s social workers and therapists. A social worker said ‘this is the best place for my young person’. Another social worker said 'the staff are extremely knowledgeable and nurturing to my young person.'

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Quality of care

Young people and staff have quickly developed positive relationships. Staff and young people get on well and treat each other with respect. There is a warm and good-natured atmosphere. Staff make every effort to ensure young people are valued and accepted as individuals. As a result young people feel that staff care about their welfare and feel comfortable talking to staff if they have any worries. Staff listen to young people’s wishes, concerns and complaints, always take them seriously and make sure they are dealt with promptly. Young people are fully involved in decisions affecting their lives and staff actively seek young people's views about the running of the home; for example, young people choose what they have to eat, what they do in their spare time and who is their key worker.

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Quality of care

Staff always place the well-being of individual young people at the centre of their practice. They knowledgeable about young people’s needs and ensure young people receive very good individual support and guidance. Staff put young people’s plans into practice effectively to ensure young people’s specific needs are met on a day-to- day basis. Staff actively contribute to the planning of young people's care. They work effectively with social workers to ensure that the placement is suitable to meet young people's needs. They help young people move in and out of home in a planned and sensitive manner. They also contribute to reviews of placements and future planning by providing detailed information about young people's experiences and progress. Care planning and staff’s day-to-day practice recognises young people as individuals with different needs, backgrounds, interests and views. They ensure that young

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Quality of care

people receive an individual service designed to meet their diverse personal needs.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a healthy environment that actively promotes their health. Staff understand the importance of a well-balanced diet and encourage young people to enjoy healthy and nutritious meals. Young people are actively involved in choosing meals they like and enjoy cooking and baking. A young person said that she is enjoying trying new food and especially liked chicken korma, which she had not tasted before. Young people have easy access to community health services. Staff have an excellent understanding of young people’s specific health needs and ensure young people’s needs are met on a daily basis. They closely monitor young people to make sure they are healthy, encouraging them to attend routine health checks, including the dentist. They also ensure young people get suitable medical advice and treatment when they are feeling poorly.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a stimulating environment. Staff promote young people’s education by ensuring that the daily routine supports young people’s participation in school attendance. Young people also have access to computers, books, games and arts and crafts materials to support their learning. Staff have established strong links with the schools and work effectively with young people’s teachers to deal with any barriers to young people’s full participation in education. For example, staff are working collaboratively with teachers and school mentors to develop effective strategies to improve a young person’s behaviour in school. Staff make every effort to ensure that young people have the same social opportunities as other young people of the same age. Staff encourage young people to follow their individual interests and develop their talents. Young people are taking part in a wide range of leisure activities that they enjoy to fully develop their emotional, intellectual, social,

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Quality of care

creative and physical skills. For example, young people enjoy arts and crafts, drama, playing musical instruments, baking, horse riding, watching films and bowling. Young people live in a suitably designed and comfortable family house in a quiet residential neighbourhood. It is handy for the shops, public transport, schools and community amenities. The house is very clean, well maintained, and decorated and furnished to a high standard. Young people have very comfortable bedrooms, which they personalised to reflect their interests and tastes.

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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 feel very safe and are protected from harm. Staff give young people’s safety the highest priority and they are well trained in safeguarding. They are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse, including issues in relation to young people’s personal circumstances, and know exactly what they need to do to protect young people. Young people’s individual care plans and risk assessments clearly identify any risks they may face and outline effective strategies to ensure their welfare is promoted and protected. Staff ensure plans for young people’s safety are consistently put into practice and fully address young people’s needs. This includes providing young people with good advice about personal safety. Young people have only gone missing once and returned quickly. This is a significant improvement on the number of times young people went missing before they moved in. Staff balance the need for protection with enabling young people to take reasonable risks as part

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s behaviour is very good. There has been a noticeable improvement in their behaviour since they moved in. They interact positively with staff. They are responding well to the suitable boundaries and well-thought out individual behaviour management strategies that promote positive behaviour. Young people know what acceptable behaviour is and how they will be treated by staff. They are benefiting from a consistent and positive environment where they are praised and valued. Staff understand young people’s feelings and how they deal with their frustration and anxieties. For example, one young person found it really difficult to say how they were feeling and as a result showed aggressive behaviour. Staff encouraged him to write down what was wrong and this has helped him to manage his emotions more appropriately and enable him to feel able to talk about his problems. This approach has been effective in helping young people to feel safe and emotionally secure, and

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Safeguarding children and young people

reduce their anxieties and frustrations. Staff have enabled young people to understand their feelings better and work out ways to manage their behaviour constructively.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff manage young people’s behaviour without having to resort to restraint. Staff have only restrained a young person on one occasion. This was carried out appropriately by suitably trained staff and the situation was resolved quickly without any one being hurt. Although the incident report contained all the necessary information to enable it to be fully reviewed by the manager, it did not provide a full picture of what had happened. The report included technical terms, for example the name of the measure used by staff, without fully explaining how it was actually used and did not clearly distinguish between fact and opinion. Young people live in a physically safe environment. They are protected from any hazards by a comprehensive range of detailed health and safety procedures, risk assessments and checks. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks to ensure the premises are safe and that young people know what to do in case of an

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Safeguarding children and young people

The recruitment and selection of people working at the children’s home makes sure young people are protected. The provider carefully ensures that staff have the skills and competencies to meet the needs of individual young people. However, two staff files do not include a written reference from the person’s last employer, although both files contain written references from a manager who had up-to-date information about their child care practice. Also, one of these files does not contain documentary evidence of the person’s qualifications. Although these shortfalls mean the provider does not comply with the regulations, the majority of staff files contained all the necessary information and one of the people without an employer’s reference has not worked at the home. On balance, this failure to meet the regulation has minimal impact on young people.

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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 live in a home that is effectively and efficiently managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose. Young people and social workers are clear about the services and support the home provides. The manager and staff clearly have a strong commitment to delivering very good childcare practice tailored to the personal needs of the young people they look after. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the positive progress young people are making.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by a competent and consistent staff team. The skills within the staff team match young people’s needs well. The numbers of staff on duty are sufficient to meet the needs of young people in the best possible way. This includes the support they need for contact visits and attending appointments. Staff are very well supported by the manager. They have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They confirm that the manager provides them with very good support and guidance. Staff find the manager and deputy manager are very helpful and they receive professional supervision regularly. The manager is very good at helping staff build their confidence and develop their skills; for example, by arranging for less experienced staff to work along side more experienced colleagues. Team meetings take place every month to allow the whole staff team to discuss the running of the home, to look at ways to improve the service they offer, to reflect on

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Leadership and management

young people’s progress and how best to support them. Staff are suitably qualified and receive training to enable them to develop their skills and knowledge. New staff are fully equipped to carry out their roles and benefit from a structured induction programme. Young people’s written records are stored securely and provide a clear picture of individual young people’s experiences, needs, development and progress. Staff ensure young people’s records contain up-to-date information about them, including the relevant documents from placing authorities, and remain relevant to young people’s needs and development. As a result, the records provide essential information and insight that contributes to an understanding of young people’s lives and informs the plans for their future.

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Leadership and management

The home shows a capacity for continued improvement based on its performance in the development of positive outcomes for young people in a short period of time. The manager has a realistic understanding of the strengths of the service and the areas for further development based on evidence. The provider and manager effectively monitor the quality of care, including consultation with young people, and take action to improve outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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