Children's Home run by Future In Mind Limited in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC063653 Inspection date 07/12/2011 Inspector Philip Cass Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 10/03/2011 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 privately owned home provides care and accommodation for two children and young people aged between six years and under sixteen with emotional or behavioural difficulties. The service provides a specialist therapeutic programme and staff practice therapeutic techniques under supervision of a qualified therapist.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home is a nurturing and caring environment that enables young people to make excellent progress. Skilled and committed care staff work closely with qualified therapists so that young people improve their behaviour, develop emotional resilience and grow in confidence.

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Overall effectiveness

Safeguarding is a high priority for the home. Children feel safe and contented in the home. When asked what they would like to change one young person replied, ‘nothing’. Parents and social workers are very happy with the care provided by the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Children and young people benefit from the home’s commitment to supporting family contact. Positive outcomes are further supported by the home’s good relationships with social care and education professionals.

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Overall effectiveness

The inspection identified shortfalls in relation to maintenance systems and quality assurance systems. There are areas for improvement regarding education promotion, risk assessment, and staff appraisal.

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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 that all parts of the children’s home used by children, are reasonably decorated and maintained (Regulation 31(2)(e)) 27/01/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the regulation 33 visitor shall interview with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home 27/01/2012 as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided at the home. (Regulation 33(4)(a))

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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 the home maintains regular contact with each child’s school, with staff attending all parents’ meetings as appropriate in line with the placement plan (NMS 8.6)  ensure that risk assessments are recorded in writing and regularly reviewed (NMS 10.8)  ensure that all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually and this appraisal takes into account any views of children the service is providing for. (NMS 19.6)

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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 have made excellent progress at the home. A social worker stated that she would rate the progress made by young people as, ‘10 out of 10’. The effective combination of good-quality care and therapy means that young people develop emotional resilience and make great strides towards overcoming the effects of early childhood trauma. The fact that therapy is built into the day-to-day routines of the home means that young people attend and benefit from therapy when they had refused to engage previously.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make exceptionally good progress at school. The home has supported young people to end patterns of non-attendance, truancy, and educational failure. The home successfully encourages young people not to go missing. Because of this, a parent reported that, ‘I can sleep at night knowing my child is safe. I could not do this before’. Young people and families benefit from the home’s ability to support family contact arrangements.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Excellent outcomes are also achieved in relation to overcoming destructive patterns of behaviour. The empathetic and caring approach of staff supports young people to behave well. Instances of anti-social, aggressive and challenging behaviour reduce over time. Young people learn to manage complex emotions positively. This means that they can develop the social skills and confidence required to make a successful transition to independence.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is good . The home provides good-quality care to young people. Admission processes support children to settle quickly into the home. Care planning begins before placement and is supported by qualified psychotherapists who develop programmes of therapy alongside the care plans. Dedicated and effective staff have a good understanding of the individual needs of young people and are committed to meeting these needs. Consequently, the complex needs of young people are properly assessed and adequate plans are made to meet these needs.

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Quality of care

The ethos of the home is very positive and relationships between staff and young people are warm and affectionate. Staff are committed to involving young people in decision making in the home. Young people are regularly consulted and are confident to raise concerns with the staff group. This open culture supports young people to feel valued and respected.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to have a positive self-view because there is a good balance between celebrating diversity through theme nights, and using therapy and key working to sensitively address issues of personal identity. Self-esteem is further promoted as staff celebrate educational achievements by displaying certificates and photographs in the home. Although staff do not regularly attend parents’ evenings, there are good links with schools and effective routines that promote educational achievement.

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Quality of care

Staff have a strong focus on meeting the health needs of young people. Meals are healthy and nutritious. There is a strong focus on encouraging activity and exercise. Staff work closely with qualified psychotherapists to ensure that therapy programmes are built into daily routines. This means that the home is a therapeutic environment in which young people are able to address early childhood trauma and take steps towards recovery.

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Quality of care

The home does not have effective maintenance procedures. Areas of the home are poorly decorated and maintained. This does not fully support the efforts of staff to provide a homely and nurturing space for young people to grow and develop.

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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 report that they feel safe in the home. They benefit from simple and clear routines which provide a sense of security and stability. Positive relationships with staff mean that young people are confident to express concerns and know who to speak to if they feel that they are being abused. Restraint is used infrequently. The home ensures that staff are trained in safe-handling techniques which minimise the risk of injury or trauma to the young people. Children are safe because they rarely go missing from home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safety is further promoted by clear safeguarding procedures. Staff have a good understanding of these procedures and receive training in safeguarding. This means that they understand the signs and symptoms of abuse and know what to do if they suspect a child is being abused. The visitors’ record evidences safe chaperoning of unchecked adults in the home. Young people are further protected from abuse by careful recruitment processes that include Criminal Record Bureau checks and telephone verification of references.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is a safe environment. Fire safety systems are effective and appropriately monitored by the manager. Periodic testing of gas and electrical systems ensures that risks to young people and staff are minimised. Staff and management identify potential sources of harm and take appropriate steps to remove avoidable hazards. However, the risk assessment process is not sufficiently rigorous because not all risk assessment is recorded and regularly reviewed by managers.

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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 two recommendations from the previous inspection have been met in full. This has improved the safety of the garden area and improved complaints processes.

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Leadership and management

Young people and staff benefit from an experienced and competent management team. Regular team meetings provide a forum for staff to discuss the care of young people and develop strategies to improve the quality of care provided. The manager and staff are committed to continuous improvement. Staff and young people are consulted frequently and their suggestions are reflected in the home’s development plan. Quality assurance processes have been improved by the management team and effectively monitor the quality of care provided. However, young people and their relatives are not routinely interviewed in private as required by regulation.

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Leadership and management

The home is adequately staffed to meet the needs of the young people. Staff who work alone with the young people have a thorough lone working risk assessment which protects both themselves and the young people. All staff are well supported through regular supervision, but their professional development is not fully supported because an annual appraisal of performance has not been carried out.

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Leadership and management

Training and induction is of a high standard. All staff receive training in a range of areas including: first aid; restraint; safeguarding; medication; health and safety; equality and diversity; and the programme of therapy. Staff undertake National Vocational Qualifications in care. New staff benefit from a comprehensive induction programme and undertake the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s induction standards upon commencement of employment. A qualified and experienced psychotherapist oversees programmes of therapy. The home manager is also a qualified therapist. This ensures that all staff are appropriately qualified to meet the needs of the young people and the objectives of the home.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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