Children's Home run by Appletree Treatment Centre Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC033268 Inspection date 16/11/2011 Inspector Graham Robinson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 15/03/2011 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 accommodates up to 12 young people of either gender with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Placements are planned.

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Brief description of the service

A purpose-built school adjacent to the home provides young people with their education. The school is registered with the Department for Education.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are making good progress in relation to their starting points both socially and educationally. They benefit from a nurturing, supportive environment that is underpinned with clear and consistent boundaries, along with good staffing levels. Individual needs are well identified with plans and strategies put into place to address them.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are cared for by an experienced staff team, who work positively and collectively to meet their needs. Care and working practices are delivered with consistency, providing young people with a sense of security. As a result, safe working practices ensure young people’s welfare is promoted.

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Overall effectiveness

Good management, supported by improved methods of monitoring has assisted the home in making progress since the previous inspection. The strengths and weaknesses of the home are assessed and there are suitable plans for continued development.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff and young people enjoy good relationships with each other and this enhances the progress being made by young people. Although comprehensive and child focused, the young person's guide requires updating as it does not contain all the necessary information required, following the introduction of the revised Children's homes standards.

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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

 update and revise the young person's guide to include the contact details for the Children's Rights Director and a young person's independent reviewing officer as well as updating the contact details for Ofsted. (NMS 13.5)

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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 achieve positive outcomes in all respects. They receive high levels of support that allows them to prosper socially and educationally. The ethos and practices of the home are geared to working positively and supportively with young people to achieve their personal goals. Young people’s individual needs are identified and these are reflected in their plans and strategies.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from contact with family, friends and other appropriate adults. Parents, social workers and independent reviewing officers report the quality of care is positive and young people’s needs are well met. In addition excellent levels of communication between parties ensure young people benefit from a co-ordinated approach to their care.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are achieving good educational outcomes based on their starting points. The home shares a site with its own school which was also inspected and has been reported on separately. All young people are in full-time education and attend the on-site school, or other provision located off site which is operated by the school. Arrangements for young people to reintegrate back into main stream education are in place. Levels of attendance are good, helped by good support and encouragement from staff at appropriate times. This level of support, coupled with an expectation from staff that young people will engage positively in their education, gives young people the opportunity to achieve good educational outcomes.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and their health needs are positively promoted. Detailed health plans ensure individual needs are assessed and met. The home employs a qualified nurse who oversees and co-ordinates young people's health needs effectively. They are all registered with community-based health services to access day-to-day health support. In addition, the home has fostered excellent links with more specialised services and young people receive specialist interventions which supports their emotional and complex needs. Young people make important changes to their lifestyles through diet and exercise and as a result, enjoy improvements in their general health.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home is well established within the community and actively encourages young people to take full advantage of the resources available. Individual activities as well as those shared with staff and other young people form part of the evening and weekend routines. Photographs displayed around the home give an insight into the range of activities taking place. Young people have opportunity to be involved in wider ranging projects such as sponsoring children in Afghanistan and raising money for Children in Need. This heightens young people’s awareness of others and provides them with a sense of community and a platform to help others.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Staff are skilled at developing and maintaining positive relationships with young people, which encourages them to settle and develop trust. Staff promptly recognise signs and symptoms of frustration or distress and manage situations quickly and sensitively before they escalate. This contributes to reducing the number of serious behaviour management incidents that occur. Staff also use a range of planned strategies to support young people. This results in minimising the number of stressful experiences for young people.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm that their views, wishes and feelings are actively sought by staff. Young people can influence certain aspects of the home’s operation, for example, through regular young people's meetings and individual support sessions with staff. The ethos and culture of the home means that young people discuss their day-to-day choices on a daily basis with staff which encourages them towards making appropriate decisions.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to make a complaint and are confident to do so. The young person's guide is informative, however, the details of the Children's Rights Director and their independent reviewing officers is not available to them. In addition, the details for Ofsted are in need of review.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit and thrive in a supportive and nurturing environment. Care plans clearly identify individual needs, including culture, religious, language and racial needs. Regular reviews ensure young people’s needs are current and well met. Young people benefit from excellent relationships with staff and they all genuinely enjoy each others company. Staff work openly, transparently and communicate positively with young people. As a result young people enjoy a relaxing environment and receive care in a trusting atmosphere where they engage with adults in a positive way.

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Quality of care

This home is warm, homely and child-friendly with staff and young people mixing freely with each other. A calm, relaxed atmosphere gives an excellent first impression of the home and the people in it. The levels of equipment, fixtures, furnishings and décor are of a good standard. Each young person has their own bedroom, which are personalised to reflect the taste and interest of the occupant. The home is accessible for people with a physical disability and has numerous areas inside and outside where young people can be either active or relaxed. Young people take pride in the quality of their environment and facilities. Photographs and mementoes on display reflect young people’s positive experiences.

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Quality of care

Staff promote healthy lifestyles in a variety of ways. For example, the facilities in the grounds encourage and lead young people towards playing and exercising on a daily basis. Young people benefit from healthy meals which are sociable occasions. They are encouraged to try unfamiliar foods, appreciate different cultures and try international cuisine. Festivals and religious events are celebrated.

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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 are well cared for and feel safe living at the home. Staff understand their responsibilities and what they should do should a safeguarding situation arise. This will result in prompt referral to external agencies which ensures young people are appropriately protected. Established links are in place with external agencies who report good levels of communication between themselves and the home. All staff have undertaken initial safeguarding training, with regular refresher courses completed by longer serving staff. Overall safeguarding awareness and practice keeps young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Most young people say that bullying is not an issue of concern and confirm staff will quickly intervene should an incident occur. Good staffing levels and deployment, coupled with staff being alert to young people’s specific needs, minimises opportunities for incidents to occur. This gives young people a feeling of security and general safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people missing from home is not a regular occurrence. Young people are all relatively settled in their placement and missing from home is currently, not a live issue. However, staff understand how to respond should any young person go missing and are aware of the agreed local protocols and practices in place to protect young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported to work positively through difficulties and they concede that sanctions or punishments are fair. They are rewarded for good behaviour and young people demonstrate a full understanding of how the rewards systems operate. Records show that realistic targets are set for them, allowing all young people to benefit.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are skilled at diffusing difficult and potentially challenging situations, often using humour and other deflecting techniques to distract young people away from potentially serious incidents. This results in the number of serious behaviour management incidents taking place, being minimised. Improved recording and data collection introduced since the previous inspection, has allowed for improved monitoring and assessment of physical intervention incidents. As a result, incidences are reducing.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a permanent and relatively experienced staff team. Appropriate recruitment policies, procedures and practice ensure all new staff are suitably cleared prior to taking up their posts. This ensures only suitably checked people have contact with young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected with a range of risk assessments. Young people participate in regular fire drills and can safely exit the home if needed. Safety checks to maintain a safe environment are regularly undertaken. Individual risk assessments, coupled with coping strategies, promote a safe environment for all young people. Individual strategies are updated in light of reviews of young people’s risks and progress. Young people confirm that the home is a safe place to live.

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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

The home is well organised and managed. The staff team work well together, are child-centred and supportive of the ethos, aims and working practices adopted by the home. They understand their role and responsibilities and work with the support of the management team to address young people’s needs.

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Leadership and management

The staff team receive regular supervision and appraisals to improve their knowledge and working practices. Most staff either have, or are undertaking training for appropriate professional qualifications. Staff regularly participate in further training to update their knowledge and skills. This ensures they possess the competences and skills to effectively meet young people’s diverse needs.

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Leadership and management

Both the internal and external monitoring of the home has improved since the previous inspection. Monitoring reports, which are completed regularly, are more comprehensive and ensure practice is accountable. Reports appropriately review performance and identify areas for improvements. Young people contribute to monitoring and can discuss their views.

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Leadership and management

The manager is well supported and demonstrates an understanding of the strengths of the home and areas in need of improvement. The home has a good record of compliance and has successfully addressed the one requirement and three recommendations carried over from the previous inspection. As a result significant improvements are noted in; the frequency that young people's individual risk assessments are reviewed and updated, in the monitoring and recording of physical intervention, the number of days given to staff training and with an improved personal development plan format currently being introduced to staff.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home that is stable, well managed, organised and looking for continued improvement. This gives them a sense of security and belonging. Young people are settled in their placement and are thriving in all areas. They live in an energetic, lively environment where staff are working cohesively with families and other professionals to address young people's individual needs. This allows all parties, including young people, to look towards the future with some positivity.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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