Children's Home run by North Yorkshire County Council in North Yorkshire

Unique reference number SC034235 Inspection date 09/11/2011 Inspector Ann-Marie Born Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/01/2011 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 local authority children's home which is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people of either gender, aged from 13 years old up to 17 years old, who have emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make exceptional progress from their starting points, most notably in building self-esteem, improving behaviour and preparing for independence. Young people excel as a result of the proactive individual care informed by excellent support plans which fully incorporate their holistic needs. Young people are protected by robust practice to safeguard them and all report they feel safe. One young person said: 'they changed me in respect of learning how to compromise. Gave me the ability to express how I feel without it being used against me and how to trust people but most of all to feel empowered.’

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Overall effectiveness

The management and staff team are excellent role models. They enthusiastically demonstrate consistent, positive and nurturing relationships between themselves as well as towards young people. Young people are valued, respected and fully understood as individuals. The staff actively challenge any discrimination young people may exhibit or face. Young people benefit from the effective use of restorative practice circles.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff fully support young people in their endeavours and warmly celebrate all achievements. Young people thrive in the knowledge that their abilities and history are known and recorded by the home together with them and for them. The excellent memory books, which were designed and developed with young people from the home, provide them with a permanent record of their 'looked after' experience whilst promoting self-esteem and identity. Young people have consistently positive views about their care and, significantly, many remain in contact with the staff team after leaving.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's needs and views are central to care and the development of practice. Young people benefit from the ambitious development plan which ensures that the home builds on it's strengths whilst tackling any areas of weakness. There are four recommendations arising from this inspection. These include: young people being afforded opportunities to record their views, and to seek medical attention, following any episode of restraint; the home ensuring Ofsted is informed of all significant events; and that the children's guide is available in a range of formats to meet young people’s diverse needs.

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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 young people are always given the opportunity to be examined by a registered nurse or medical practitioner following any restraint (National Minimum Standards 3.16)  ensure that following any restraints young people are encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept in the home (National Minimum Standards 3.18)  ensure that all significant events relating to the protection of children accommodated in the home are notified by the registered person of the home to the appropriate authorities (National Minimum Standards 24.1)  ensure that where a young person requires it the children's guide is available in alternative methods of communication, i.e. pictures or translated in to other languages. (National Minimum Standards 13.6)

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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 from their starting points. This is made possible by the commitment and motivation of the whole staff team. Staff work tirelessly to help young people to identify passions or interests which are then built upon. This level of support means young people are more motivated and enthusiastic. For example, young people have had opportunities to develop construction skills and participate in kayaking. Young people feel valued, worthwhile and that they are individually important. Young people receive exceptional support to develop emotional resilience, confidence in their abilities and an understanding of their background. A young person said: 'before I moved here I was really angry because I was in care from a young age and moved around a lot. The deputy manager did outreach with me before I came here. He said they wouldn’t give up on me and they haven’t, everybody else did. Staff here are so much better than

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people actively utilise comprehensive information and services to help address their health needs. Individually tailored support means young people are able to have their specific health issues addressed. This extends to sexual health or psychological needs. Young people choose weekly food menus, which are checked by a dietician, and cook meals together with staff members. As a result, young people enjoy improved health, make positive contacts with health professionals and understand the importance of healthy eating. Education and training are highly valued and actively promoted. A member of staff stated, 'a good home has a good vigorous education plan and is inclusive'. Young people attend school or college provision and are further supported within the home to complete additional training which leads to certificates of achievement. Opportunities are identified and arranged for young people to attend work

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Outcomes for children and young people

experience provision and to gain expertise in practical skills. A member of staff said 'at the end of these they get a certificate which goes in to a portfolio which builds their self esteem'. As a result, young people are enthusiastic and motivated and educational and employment outcomes are very good.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Transition preparation for independence is exemplary and a major strength. Young people receive individualised support tailored to their needs which prepares them for employment and living independently. The innovative 'pre tenancy book' effectively prepares young people for all aspects of independent living and how to plan accordingly. Young people appreciate this information and use it well to plan for their futures. One young person said: 'I am capable of looking after myself and have the skills needed to live independently and that I know how important it is to have a clean and personal living space.’ The home maintains regular weekly supportive contact with young people whilst they are establishing themselves independently and identifying other avenues for support. A young person's personal advisor stated: 'they look at young people as individuals and recognise that when they move on it puts them in a vulnerable position if they are not supported. What is really good is

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Outcomes for children and young people

the availability of staff and the packages put together with other agencies.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff actively support young people to maintain positive, appropriate contact with family members and sensitively help them to understand when contact is not possible. Home staff establish relationships with family members, offering support which positively increases communication. A father said of a staff member: 'he has done a splendid job. He has gone beyond his duty level of care to help and is always just a call away. My son would not be where he is now if it wasn’t for the help we have had from him'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people recognise the setting as their home and family members and friends are made welcome. A young person said, 'we share with each other’. Young people benefit from being encouraged and supported to increase their independence outside of the home and engage in positive activities thereby increasing their social and life skills and confidence. Young people develop a strong identification with the home and maintain frequent contact when they move on. For example, two young women who are now employed and live locally keep staff informed of their progress. This enables them to gain consistent emotional support and advice when needed.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people take an active part in the daily life of their home and community. Young people attend the innovative daily handover meetings with staff and take turns to chair and minute the bi-weekly residents meetings. In addition they set questions and sit on interview panels for new members of staff. As a result young people's confidence, communication skills, self esteem and social skills are growing. Positive relations are maintained with neighbours and young people take part in celebratory street parties and shared events, for example for the royal wedding and Halloween. In addition young people shovelled snow and salted the road during last winter’s cold spell, and supplied refreshments for the local cricket club tea in the summer. Young people thrive within this caring, warm, inclusive environment and further develop personal and social responsibility. A social worker stated, 'they have been brilliant, giving him that sense of family and stability he needed.’

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people clearly enjoy positive and constructive relationships with staff members and for the majority of the time each other. Humour and banter is effectively employed within boundaries. Positive examples are set by the warm and enthusiastic staff team who hold high aspirations for young people's success and are able to represent a range of views. Needs in relation to young people's cultural identities, beliefs and gender are comprehensively addressed in care plans and followed through in practice. These are complemented by the excellent sexual health policy.

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Quality of care

Excellent support plans outline detailed assessments for each young person. Plans comprehensively reflect young people's needs, starting points and chart their progress. Staff are proactive in thoroughly updating plans together with young people to enable them to recognise and fully benefit from the progress they have made. As a result young people feel valued and cared for. Young people said: 'staff talk to me, they understand me, listen to me and I can breathe here;' and, 'staff are family.’

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Quality of care

Education and training are highly valued and records show that weekly contact is maintained with education provision for updates on young people's progress. There are excellent links with a number of learning, training and activities providers which provides young people with further prospects. A social worker said, 'they go out of their way to go above and beyond for him to have opportunities.’ The home maintains good relationships with all health professionals and ensures that young people attend all necessary appointments.

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Quality of care

Young people are very positive about the activities and outings they enjoy and feel this has opened new horizons for them in comparison to previous experiences. For example, a holiday abroad, outings to other cities and regular attendance at an outdoor activity centre. Young people's confidence in their abilities, growth in relationship building and life skills are enhanced as a result. A young person said: 'the staff come with us and they don’t get paid for all of the time they are with us. They are brilliant. They do it because they really care and I really appreciate it.’

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Quality of care

Young people and staff fully understand the excellent complaints procedure. Consistent use of restorative practice circles successfully enable young people to learn how to communicate effectively and manage relationships and conflict in a positive manner. There have not been any complaints. Young people feel that their views, wishes and feelings are actively sought and valued. They contribute to the home through their involvement in residents meetings, the daily handover meetings and in their key worker sessions. A young person said, 'they do listen'. The innovative shared staff supervision sessions benefit young people and staff alike in building communication and relationships. Young people from the home were instrumental with staff members in developing an excellent 'reflections' book which is now used with young people in all of the local authority's settings. Young people know they have a valid contribution to make to the quality of their care and that they

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Quality of care

will be respected. Young people are routinely offered the services of independent advocates and information about local services are readily available to them.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from the excellent facilities provided within the large house which has been adapted from two houses for it's current use. Each young person has their own lockable bedroom that they personalise to their taste. They also enjoy the use of a number of shared rooms. A social worker commented: 'it’s always a battle to develop a homely, lovely, positive environment but they have.’ Young people enjoy the spacious grounds where they work on landscaping and gardening thereby developing further skills. The home is in a residential neighbourhood with easy access to public transport and close to all local amenities. A social worker said: 'the atmosphere is always good when I come in. I suppose I’m a big fan of this place, they make a difference.’

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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 safe in the home where safeguarding is a priority. Young people are protected from abuse in the home where their protection and welfare are paramount and central to all practice. They learn how to protect themselves and understand the impact their behaviours could have on their safety and futures. Young people's risk-taking behaviours reduce as they understand the potential consequences of their actions. They build constructive relationships with staff and they feel cared for and protected. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and fully understand their roles and responsibilities in responding to potential or actual abuse.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff respond quickly to any episodes of young people going missing and follow locally-agreed protocols. Contact is maintained with young people by mobile phone during their absence and staff actively look for them. Records show that numbers of absences rapidly decrease once a young person feels more settled and secure within the home. A social worker said: 'he’s been kept safe there. He used to go missing a lot and he doesn’t anymore. Where he is now he’s a lot safer than he was.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

A young person said: 'there’s zero tolerance on bullying here. We have a bit of banter but if there is bullying it’s dealt with.’ Where young people's presenting needs may impact upon other young people or there has been direct conflict between two young people immediate action is taken and the matter is addressed through restorative practice circles. Restorative practice is also effectively employed to promote good relations thereby further supporting young people to learn negotiation and life skills.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Positive behaviours are promoted and achieved by the use of praise, rewards and incentives. Sanctions are appropriate, not punitive, tailored to the event and monitored by the manager. Young people's vulnerabilities are comprehensively identified and understood and staff employ individual strategies in line with risk assessments. Although all staff are trained in the use of physical interventions the effective promotion of positive behaviours means that restraint has not had to be used in this home for over two years. However, if there were to be a restraint children would not always be given the opportunity to be examined by a registered nurse or medical practitioner or record their views.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from being cared for by a suitably trained, well supported and stable staff team. The home follows the local authority's recruitment and vetting procedure. These are consistently applied ensuring young people are not cared for by adults who may cause then harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Positive steps are taken which ensure young people are safe from fire and other hazards. Established systems are in place for the routine checking and servicing of all fire equipment and other appliances. Regular practice evacuations, including at night-time ensure that young people know how to leave the building safely and quickly in case of an emergency. Comprehensive risk assessments identify risks associated with the building, environment and activities. These detail actions to be taken to reduce and manage levels of risk and keep young people 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

The home is efficiently and conscientiously managed and excellent arrangements exist for monitoring the quality of care by the strong management team. The experienced and nurturing registered manager and deputy manager maintain a close day-to-day overview of each young person individually alongside the general running of the home. Any shortfalls are promptly identified and addressed. This ensures high standards are achieved and maintained whilst contributing to young people's experience of being valued.

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Leadership and management

Information gained from independent monitoring visits and the audits completed by the registered manager are used to further improve services within the home. Young people are protected by multi-agency decision making as the registered manager communicates and notifies agencies, including Ofsted, of the majority of significant incidents. However, there have been some omissions in notifying Ofsted of all events. There were no recommendations made at the last inspection. Continued improvements have consistently been achieved which is demonstrated by the improved judgements over the course of inspections. Records are securely kept and diligently maintained. Future goals are specifically set out in a clear development plan for the service particularly that of the restorative justice programme. The growth of this practice was acknowledged by a Minister of State following a visit to the home in a thank you

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Leadership and management

letter when he wrote, ‘I was very impressed by all that I saw and heard’.

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Leadership and management

Young people and interested parties are well informed on the aims and objectives of the home with inclusive practice clearly identified in the statement of purpose. However, although the children's guide can be made available in other languages it is not sufficiently personalised for young people. All staff are suitably qualified and report receiving regular supervision of high quality. An excellent regular training programme ensures staff remain skilled in child protection, restorative justice practices, physical interventions and core training areas. Staff are extremely positive about the relationships they build with young people, their colleagues and about working in the home A staff member said: 'its good for them to feel this is a home, its not an institution, its somewhere they can come and feel that they are nurtured and people care.’

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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