Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC035049 Inspection date 08/11/2011 Inspector Stephen Trainor Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/02/2011 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

A private organisation operates this children's home. This service is registered for up to three young people aged between eight and 17 years of age. The home cares for children 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

All the young people receive a high standard of care and this means they commit to their placements, work hard, take responsibility for their behaviour, achieve and develop to reach their potential. Individuals are clear about the arrangements for them, are aware of plans and programmes, and make good progress both socially and educationally.

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Overall effectiveness

Relationships between young people and between staff and young people are excellent and each young person provides their full cooperation. All the young people state that they feel safe while living at the home. There is excellent safeguarding afforded to residents from clear and agreed strategies and protocols that staff implement.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s efforts are rewarded and clear incentives help to change behaviours. Young people are cared for by an experienced, competent, and highly motivated team of staff. Staff are not yet fully up-to-date with professional and legal developments following extensive changes to inspection frameworks. The promotion of young people's education, health and well-being is excellent.

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Overall effectiveness

Recreational interests are supported very well. A comprehensive calendar of events is published by the responsible organisation and this provides many rich and varied experiences. Young people gain important life skills from the start of their placement and develop self-knowledge, self-help skills and improve their self-esteem by the time they leave the home. Young people are able to fulfil their potential from effectively managed transition and pathway planning and they have excellent interpersonal skills and tremendous confidence.

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Overall effectiveness

The young people are extremely relaxed within their home. The home's environment is very supportive and underpinned by defined boundaries. Young people’s views are consistently gathered and these influence the home's operation and future direction. Young people are involved in decision making that impacts on all aspects of their lives through a well-organised participation and involvement programme.

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Overall effectiveness

The home's aims and objectives are being fulfilled but there are some minor changes needed to a few management systems. The views of partners are being gathered and these are helping to shape future services and promote improvement at the home. Regulation 33 and 34 monitoring reports do not provide an in-depth analysis of information and this can restrict weaknesses from being identified.

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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 clear and effective procedures are in place for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home; specifically, demonstrate how information within Regulation 33 & 34 reports, including the captured views of children and partners, is being evaluated and used to promote continuous improvement and development (NMS 21.1)  ensure the home's learning and development programme keeps staff up to date with professional and legal developments; in particular, the new inspection framework, evaluation schedule and grade descriptors and revised regulations and guidance. (NMS 18.1)

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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 experience stable placements and make progress in many areas, including their social presentation, self-awareness and taking responsibility for their behaviour. As a result young people develop and mature. The young people are extremely confident in their placements. An ex-resident commented, 'I was lost when I first came to care. You have helped me so much in a way that has changed me, you have taught me to respect myself and others'. Significant progress is being made by all residents and they are able to make responsible and mature decisions.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people achieve personal goals and this helps them to develop a better understanding and appreciation of their personal circumstances. It is clear that young people can motivate themselves, especially to attend meetings where they express their views with some confidence. The young people are all very optimistic about their futures.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people living at the home are treated fairly and staff practice is capable of supporting their individual needs. Staff have the skills, motivation and abilities to form very positive working relationships with young people and sustain them. Young people gain tremendous benefits from high levels of emotional support they receive. This is particularly evident in maintaining relationships with family and friends and supporting bereavement and loss.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Each young person's education potential is supported by proactive staff practice. There are opportunities for the young people to attend different educational placements including local colleges, schools and specials schools where achievements improve self-confidence and future prospects. Incentives successfully encourage and improve attendance.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and mainly follow a healthy lifestyle. A smoking cessation programme had recently been resurrected. They take responsibility for their health and make clear links between diet and exercise. Regular activities such as walking, shopping, climbing, outdoor pursuits and gym ensure they remain physically active. All young people are familiar with their health arrangements, are aware of the contents of their health plans and attend their appointments with health professionals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well-prepared for the transition to independence and adult life. Pathway and ‘after care’ plans are introduced at the correct age and stage of placement. Young people gain many competencies and life skills through good quality experiences provided by in-house independence and social skills training programmes. Young people have particular interests in food preparation and they are adept around the kitchen. Programmes encourage good social presentation skills which are clearly identifiable in how young people conduct themselves at the home and in the surrounding community. Programmes are linked to education leading to recognised qualifications being gained that prepare young people for the wider world of work.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff which enable them to engage positively and make good choices, for example, keeping themselves safe and getting the best from their education placements. Staff are skilled and show great insight and understanding of young people’s needs. As a result young people appreciate and value the efforts of staff and work closely with them to plan their futures. Young people are confident to express their views in their statutory reviews. Staff practice supports young people to maximise their contributions. Individual plans are of a high quality reflecting young people’s needs and charting their progress.

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Quality of care

Young people make big improvements in their behaviour and all are relaxed, happy and confident in their placements. Equality and diversity are well established within the culture and ethos of the home and this means there are many opportunities to develop self-knowledge, self-help skills and improve their self-esteem. There is excellent work being coordinated through a participation and involvement plan. This actively contributes to improving life opportunities by allowing young people’s voices to be heard loud and clear.

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Quality of care

Partnership arrangements are effective, and communication between staff, young people and their parents, social workers and other professionals is highly effective. The overall atmosphere and provision of care is rated as outstanding by many partners. An independent reviewing officer commented, 'Everything is managed extremely well. Staff connect well, are proactive, welcoming and nothing is too much trouble'.

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Quality of care

Developing educational potential forms a clear part of the home's philosophy of care. Care staff emphasise the importance of young people gaining a good education and encourage school attendance. Continuous learning and development opportunities are presented. Young people are enthusiastic about their education and have aspirations to complete GCSE examinations and college courses including apprenticeships. This is a tremendous achievement considering many of them have had limited or disjointed education experiences in the past. Each young person has a meticulously detailed record of achievement.

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Quality of care

Young people understand how to make a complaint. They confirm that complaints, if made, would be responded to in full. A written guide and a DVD covers complaints, with information, guidance and contact details of agencies such as Ofsted, children's rights and the Children's Rights Director. Young people can differentiate between grumbles and serious complaints. Young people are developing skills by learning to sort out minor matters positively between themselves. This includes discussion or by raising matters during in-house meetings. The group is supportive, works very well together, and values individual differences.

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Quality of care

Healthy lifestyles are promoted. The key worker role is well developed to deliver health promotion work. Medication is stored safely, and records are maintained on the administration of medication including prescribed and non-prescription medication. There are clear policies and procedural guidance and these are followed in practice. All staff receive suitable training to support health and well-being and this maintains the quality of care being provided. There are good collaborative links with many different health professionals and agencies. This allows helpful guidance and support to be provided when young people are most in need.

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Quality of care

Staff engage young people in a range of activities to develop individual potential and enhance learning opportunities. Young people's aspirations are supported and a suitable budget enables them to pursue their hobbies and interests. Young people can sign up to a comprehensive calendar of events, trips out, expeditions, camps and challenges that the responsible organisation runs throughout the year. A good balance between organised activities and young people's free time supports their growing independence. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is also pursued.

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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 confirm that they are safe living at the home. They learn to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and understand how they contribute to the home's operation. Young people develop skills that enable them to differentiate their behaviour according to the different settings and situations they find themselves in. Young people’s personalities prosper at this home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say that bullying is not an issue of concern to them and confirm that staff do not tolerate any form of bullying. They have confidence that staff will respond to any bullying that may occur. There is very good interaction and sensible discussion around difference allowing members of the peer group to maintain a positive self-view. All young people understand the many forms that bullying can take and are equally clear about what to do if they have any concerns.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people have suitable safeguarding and complaints information. Young people are aware of the content of this information and acknowledge that they will not suffer any recrimination if complaints and grumbles are made. Policy and procedural guidance is consistent with that of the local safeguarding team's protocols. Staff receive regular training to update their knowledge and have a good understanding of safeguarding policies, procedures and actions they should take when an incident arises.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Systems for dealing with young people who go missing from home are well established and a protocol is set out. Risk assessments take account of a young person's potential to go missing. Only one report, a late return, was made to local police between inspections. There are no concerns relating to how the home manages the young people’s behaviour. Standard practice is to provide young people with the opportunity to reflect on incidents they are involved in.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff uphold children's rights. Young people respond very well to praise and there is good use of positive reinforcement opposed to the use of sanctions. Few sanctions are used and young people usually decide their own sanction for any minor misdemeanours. Respectful communication and an excellent atmosphere were maintained throughout the inspection. Staff are clear that physical intervention is very much a last resort. There were no incidents between inspections. All staff receive regular and refresher training in positive handling techniques.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a permanent, experienced and stable staff team. No changes had been made to the staffing structure between inspections. Recruitment practice is robust ensuring only suitable people work with young people. Equally good practice ensures the vetting of visitors to safeguard young people. No concerns were identified with the home's recruitment procedures.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety is managed well ensuring young people and staff remain safe. Regular servicing of equipment and routine safety checks maintain a safe environment. Young people know what to do in the case of an emergency and can exit the home safely. Staff implement a range of risk assessments to identify and minimise hazards. There is a comprehensive audit of health and safety matters carried out on an annual basis.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good . Young people develop meaningful and lasting attachments from the supportive management culture and the hard work of the staff. Young people are gaining tremendous benefits from placement experiences being provided by a highly motivated team of staff providing high quality care. It is a strong, child-focused service that is conducive to young people developing their potential. This service is managed by an experienced and fully qualified manager. Partners confirm communication is highly effective. Permanent records are produced to show how children's developmental needs are being met.

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Leadership and management

There is a clear vision for how the home should operate. Practice adjustments have been made in line with a new inspection framework, new evaluation schedule, and new national minimum standards. Further changes are planned. All levels of staff influence and shape the service with their ideas and initiatives. Practice is developed by a management team that is perceptive in identifying the home's strengths and the areas where it could perform better. An accurate verbal self-assessment of the service was outlined by the Registered Manager.

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Leadership and management

The views of the young people and staff are not fully captured during visits made to the home under the requirements of Regulations 33 and 34. Visits provide a snapshot in time of what it is like to live in the home but do not sufficiently evaluate and analyse all processes and data to fully support continuous improvement. Some new formats are being introduced to better capture comments. Some realistic and challenging targets are outlined within the home’s development plan. Evaluation of this plan occurs and this contributes to controlling the home's activities.

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Leadership and management

Individuals’ needs, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are being met. The young people have full confidence in the staff and know who is responsible for them at all times of the day and night. Staffing levels are maintained and a good gender balance is evident within the team. A social worker commented, 'I have found the team to be consistently supportive, attentive and sensitive to the care they provide for young people'.

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Leadership and management

Records at this home show good clarity in how staff are managed. Detailed induction and foundation training are provided. Staff confirm that supervision is taking place. Most staff have relevant qualifications or are enrolled on a Level 3 Diploma. Training covering changes to inspection frameworks, evaluation schedule and grade descriptors is still to be delivered. Systems for staff personal development and appraisal are well established and this helps staff to improve their skills sets. Challenging objectives are being set for staff as part of the management response when valuing individual performance.

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Leadership and management

Young people’s placements are stable and the home's service history shows a good record in compliance. One recommendation was made at the last inspection resulting in further work being completed to strengthen risk assessments. There is a good system in place to notify persons and appropriate authorities of the occurrence of significant events. There were no reports between inspections. Suitable action was taken with regard to past incidents. Past records are to a professional standard, being kept safe and secure.

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Leadership and management

Staff practice is supported by comprehensive written guidance, policies and procedures. The responsible organisation has accessible information that is written in plain English. The home's Statement of Purpose provides information in accordance with regulations. The ethos and working practices of the home clearly meets aims and objectives and this means young people acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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