Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC368982 Inspection date 08/11/2011 Inspector Pete Hylton 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

This is a privately owned children's home. The home provides care for up to 3 young people who may present 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

This is an outstanding children’s home. Young people make exceptional progress and are cared for by a committed, enthusiastic and caring staff team. An excellent approach to risk management ensures that all young people are able to access a wide range of activities. Creative approaches ensure that education is fully promoted and achievement is celebrated.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is very well maintained and appropriately safe and secure. The use of closed-circuit television further promotes safety. Young people, parents and the placing authorities are aware of the use of this monitoring. However, there is no written policy in place about its use. This does not have a negative impact on the outcome for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

The staff team are fully committed to meeting the complex needs of all young people in their care. Excellent management of the home is a key strength as is the robust management of health and safety.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people and staff enjoy positive relationships. Clear boundaries are maintained with respect to behaviour and positive behaviour is recognised and rewarded. Young people rarely go missing from the home. Young people make excellent progress and benefit from a home which actively seeks the views of everyone involved in the care of them. A parent commented that their child has, ‘come a long way and is doing very well.’

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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 where specific measures, including electronic devices, are used to monitor children, there is a written policy that sets out how they should be used, how they promote the welfare of children, how children will be informed of their use, how legitimate privacy of children will be protected and how children will be protected from potential abuse of such measures. (NMS 10.5)

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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 make excellent progress in all areas of their lives. Young people are closely supported in understanding their backgrounds. Excellent joint working with all agencies involved means that young people are closely supported in making progress.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Where young people regularly attend educational provision, their progress is excellent. A youth offending worker commented that a young person had, 'made a lot of progress since he has been here.' Young people benefit from a proactive staff team who provide opportunities for them to explore career ideas. Where young people have left school and are deciding on their next outcome, they make very good progress in applying for work, training and education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy a wide range of activities fully supported by the home. Hobbies and interests are actively promoted and this enables young people to further develop their sense of identity. Young people are encouraged and supported to engage in their interests. For example, the home has provided opportunities to join local gyms, organised musical tuition and provided materials for specialist art activities. This has led to young people developing interests outside of the home. Involvement with community charity events, litter picking and car washing are a few examples of young people's positive engagement within the community.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make positive transitions to their next placement. They are encouraged to develop their skills in independence and make very good progress. They benefit from being able to explore their independence skills through being able to prepare meals and complete their own laundry tasks, for example. The manager commented that, 'it's about the home moving with the young people to support them as they get older.'

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The quality of care at the home is exceptional. Young people benefit from a homely and exceptionally well presented environment. The staff team put the well-being of young people at the centre of their practice. The manager is passionate about raising standards of care for young people. The manager commented that the home provides, ‘bespoke care in the sense of being very individualised to the young people's needs.’

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Quality of care

There have been no complaints since the last inspection. Young people are fully aware of how to raise concerns and who they can speak to. The freely available house telephone ensures that young people can make calls in private. In addition, the home also provides mobile telephones for young people. This ensures that young people are able to contact relevant people if they are unhappy.

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Quality of care

Staff support young people with their education and are creative in providing opportunities. For example, staff have created opportunities for young people to engage in positive activities. Young people benefit from a staff team committed to furthering their educational achievement. Rewards are used positively to encourage achievement and young people are fully supported to celebrate their success.

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Quality of care

Safe and effective medication procedures ensure young people’s health needs are met. All documentation relating to health is up to date and stored securely. Care planning is highly individualised and young people are consulted about their care. Furthermore, the use of daily monitoring of progress against their care plans ensures that young people’s needs are continually recorded and reviewed.

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Quality of care

Regular planned sessions between the young people and the organisation's therapist supports emotional progress and development. Excellent dialogue between therapist, social worker, care staff and young people ensures that relevant matters are shared. This ensures continuity of care and benefits young people. A social worker commented that, 'staff keep me updated very well.' This approach to the care of the young people also focuses on life story work and staff are able to provide support around identified areas. Relationships, where appropriate, are fully supported between young people and their families. The home provides transport and close support for young people to access family visits. This enables the young people to maintain relationships and further adds to the excellent standard of care at the home.

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Quality of care

Young people are actively involved in all aspects of the running of the home. Their views are central and young people are actively encouraged to choose activities, menus and offer suggestions for improvement. A range of methods are employed to gain their views. The manager regularly discusses ideas with young people; staff also provide regular and structured key work sessions and regular young people meetings take place. Furthermore, young people are invited to attend part of the regular staff meeting where their views are sought about the home.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from well planned, healthy and varied meals in the home. Healthy eating is actively promoted and all young people are encouraged to engage in healthy lifestyles. Staff are active in providing opportunities for young people to be healthy. Young people are supported in attending the local gym and regular outdoor activities take place. Regular themed discussions take place with young people. This further supports healthy lifestyles as recent topics have included sexual health, the effects of smoking and substance misuse.

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Quality of care

The staff team work hard to promote diversity within the home. The home regularly focuses on events in different faiths and beliefs. Young people are actively encouraged to take part in learning about different cultures. A young person commented that, 'we did loads of stuff about Diwali, it was really interesting.' The home effectively challenges stereotypical behaviour. This ensures that positive role models are provided for the 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 are safe and feel safe in the home. There is excellent practice in managing risk and young people benefit from a staff team who are committed to keeping them safe at all times.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is appropriately secure and meets the needs of young people. Staffing numbers further enhance the protection of young people. Staffing numbers are always maintained and clear arrangements are in place in the event of unexpected shortfalls.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessment of young people is exceptional. Detailed care plans and risk assessment ensure all identified risks are clear to staff. These assessments are regularly reviewed and monitored. This ensures that young people are cared for in line with agreed safety measures. A social worker commented in relation to the risk assessments for young people, ‘very proactive in getting risk management in place with all other agencies involved.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is protective of young people but enables them to enjoy access to a wide range of activities. Young people’s risk factors are sensitively and appropriately managed. Young people rarely go missing from the home and when this does happen, clear arrangements are in place with the police to further safeguard young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There have been no incidents of physical restraint since the last inspection. All staff are appropriately trained in the use of physical intervention. Proactive and positive behaviour strategies are used to avoid escalating situations. A member of staff commented that, ‘we know the young people and when we recognise behaviours, we react to them positively.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

The use of a consequences book records both positive and negative behaviour. Young people are encouraged to record their views and these are regularly monitored by the manager. Clear boundaries are promoted within the home by a friendly, supportive and caring staff team. This further adds to the feeling of mutual respect between young people and staff. Relationships are very positive between everybody in the home. A young person commented that they were, ‘happy and safe.’

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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

No recommendations were made at the last inspection. The home continues to improve its services for the benefit of the young people. A strong and committed manager provides excellent leadership for the home. The manager commented that ‘we are in a constant cycle of improvement.’ This is clearly reflected in the home’s excellent development plan which identifies areas for improvement. These areas, while realistic and challenging, also involve the views and wishes of the young people. This ensures that young people’s views are central to both the running and improvement of the home.

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Leadership and management

Monitoring of the home is thorough, regular and effective. The manager and the deputy ensure that all paperwork relating to young people is to a high standard, accurate and completed appropriately. All files are regularly audited by the senior staff in the home. Staff are encouraged to share the passion for improvement through regular team meetings and consultation with the leadership in the home.

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Leadership and management

The home demonstrates an excellent approach to managing the quality of services. The manager seeks the views of key partners, including parents, in the review of the home’s service. Furthermore, the manager seeks feedback relating to the home’s performance at every opportunity. Monthly audits of the home are completed by an independent visitor. The manager also completes monthly checks against standards and regulations. This further drives the improvements in the home.

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Leadership and management

Staff are experienced, well trained and committed to providing the highest standards of care. Recruitment and selection methods are robust. This ensures that young people are cared for by experienced and suitable staff. All staff are regularly supported through high quality supervision with their manager. A member of staff commented in relation to staff supervision that, ‘it’s good quality, discuss a range of topics and I feel supported.’ This ensures that young people are cared for by a staff team who are well monitored and managed.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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