Children's Home run by Child First Limited in West Sussex

Unique reference number SC044259 Inspection date 29/11/2011 Inspector Paul Taylor Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 08/12/2010 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 an established children's home which can accommodate up to five young people aged between eight and 17 years old of both genders. The home's ethos is based on providing a caring and consistent environment, in which young people feel safe and secure.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a good standard of care to young people. Relationships between staff and young people are positive. The manager and team offer support and guidance which is recognised and valued by the young people. Effective systems are in place to assess, monitor and review care needs ensuring that care delivered is of a good standard. Young people say they feel safe within the home and that they feel their opinions and feelings are respected and valued. Education and enriching activities are promoted, though not all the young people take advantage of this support. Some of the young people have achieved very good successes especially when bearing in mind their starting points when they were admitted. A particular strength of the home is the support young people receive to develop their life and independence skills.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people say that they feel safe, cared for and respected. The staff team receive regular training and this enables them to develop their knowledge and understanding of the needs of the young people. Effective management ensures that the home is monitored effectively and that practice is reviewed with a view to improving outcomes for the young people. Young people influence decision making. The management team are aware of the home's strengths and areas for development.

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Overall effectiveness

Two actions and four recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection. The acting manager needs to apply to Ofsted to become the Registered Manager and monitoring visits required by Regulation 33 need to occur on a monthly basis. Members of staff need to address issues raised by the home's internal monitoring of care plans, the induction program should follow the same thoroughness as the Children's Workforce Development Council induction and the organisation should follow its own policy with regards to pre employment checks when employing new members of staff. Additionally, the home needs to review the strategies for enabling young people to attend school or education as these are not effective in every case.

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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 the acting manager applies to Ofsted to become the Registered Manager (Care Standards Act section 11 (1)) 31/01/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that visits required under this regulation shall take place at least once a month and may be unannounced. (Regulation 33 (3)) 30/12/2011

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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

 implement more effective strategies so that children are supported to attend school, college or alternative provision regularly (NMS 8.3)  follow the home's policy with regards to ensuring that all staff members do not normally start work at the home until all the checks required in the Children's Homes Regulations 2001 are completed (NMS 16.6)  ensure that all new staff undertake the Children's Workforce Development Council's induction standards, commencing within seven working days of starting their employment and being completed within six months (NMS 18.3)  ensure that management of the home ensures all staff's work is consistent with these Regulations and National Minimum Standards, the home's policies and procedures. (NMS 21.3)

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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 benefit from individualised support which helps them grow in confidence and to understand their past. The key-worker system enables young people to focus on their goals and make progress; it also helps them to develop positive relationships with the adults caring for them. Regular key work sessions provide an avenue for them to discuss their feelings. This approach ensures that each young person feels supported and that the care and support they receive enables them to make positive choices and decisions. Progress made by young people, particularly when bearing in mind their starting points when admitted, has been good. One young person reported 'this is the best children's home I have lived in.' Young people benefit, to a good standard, from the positive promotion of education; the opportunities to experience this as a positive part of their lives are good. They receive good levels of support and benefit from members of staff willing to advocate

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Outcomes for children and young people

on their behalf to ensure that their attendance and achievement improve. Success in this area has been mixed. Some young people have achieved excellent outcomes with regards to their educational attendance and achievement, especially when taking into consideration their starting points. Some of the young people are not taking advantage of the hard work and encouragement they are receiving from the staff to attend and achieve at their educational settings.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people prosper from having their general health needs and emotional health promoted to a good standard. This is achieved through regular appointments with health professionals, such as opticians and dentists, and advice from a looked after children’s nurse. Their psychological and emotional health is promoted by having the staff ensure that appointments with health professionals, such as psychologists, are arranged on their behalf. The approach used by the home ensures that each young person’s individual health needs are identified and met to a good standard.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive carefully thought out support to develop their independent living skills. Individual programmes are put in place which encourages the young people to develop their living skills at a pace they can handle and at a level commensurate with their understanding. Targets are set for the young people to achieve which are related to developing their life and social skills. The young people are fully aware of what they need to do in order to progress and are involved with their key workers in developing their independence plans.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All of the young people, subject to any agreed restrictions, benefit from being able to maintain appropriate contact with family, friends and other people who are important to them. Young people have mobile telephones for their personal use and have ready access to the home's telephone. This ensures that the young people can make and receive calls at anytime, including when they are away from the home.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit because the staff team offer them good personalised support. As a result of this approach the young people are able to benefit from positive relationships and have clear boundaries set by a committed staff team.

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Quality of care

The young people's views are promoted and valued. The staff team ensures that each young person has numerous opportunities to voice their feeling and opinions. House meetings involving the young people are treated as important and are embedded into the routine of the home. Additionally, each young person is offered regular key work sessions and is able to voice their opinions, on an informal basis, daily with the manager and senior members of staff. 'They do listen to me' was a comment made by a young person. Members of staff work hard to encourage the young people to voice their feelings and opinions appropriately. Young people are able to influence decisions relating to their daily lives, such as the décor of the home and planning menus and activities.

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Quality of care

Staff actively promote each young person's education. Staff maintain regular contact with schools or colleges to ensure that progress and communication about specific issues are shared promptly. While the staff work very hard to encourage all the young people to participate in education, their efforts are not always successful and some of the young people are choosing not to engage in a meaningful way, despite the support offered.

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Quality of care

Care plans relating to each young person are of a good standard. They describe how each young person's needs are to be met in an individualised fashion. The care planning process therefore enables young people to achieve, overall, good outcomes and to benefit from close and supportive care from members of staff. Care plans are audited by a senior member of staff on a regular basis. Shortfalls noted in this process are not always addressed promptly by key workers.

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Quality of care

Members of staff also enable the young people to take part in positive and enriching activities. This approach enables young people to develop their self-esteem and confidence and to experience being a positive part of a community. Holidays and activity breaks provided by the staff team have been particularly beneficial to the young in developing relationships with members of staff.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in a home which is well maintained and comfortable. They are encouraged to personalise their rooms and to choose colour schemes and the décor and so can invest and take ownership of their environment.

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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 confirm they feel safe and that there are no issues with bullying. There are very good arrangements for safeguarding young people. Polices related to protecting young people comply with regulations and refer to the Local Safeguarding Children Board. Staff receive ongoing training and the induction for new staff covers child protection and safeguarding and they know who to inform if they have concerns about a young person's well-being.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Overall, the recruitment of staff is subject to a robust and thorough process.

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Safeguarding children and young people

However, the process has not been robust in every case. The home does, however, take steps to ensure that such members of staff do not work unsupervised with young people while the outstanding recruitment checks are awaited.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Each young person has an individual protocol in place as to what course of action needs to be followed in the event that they are missing without permission. Records maintained of incidents where young people have been missing are very clear and include how the young person was supported on return to the home. The individual protocols ensure that police officers have a good knowledge of each young person's vulnerabilities. Members of staff diligently contact young people when they are away from the home without permission. This not only ensures that the young people's welfare is being checked upon but also shows the young people that the staff are concerned about their welfare and want them to return home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The young people are assisted to develop socially acceptable behaviour. They feel that the rules in the home are fair and understand their purpose. Positive relationships between staff and the young people ensure that the use of physical restraint is rare. If sanctions are used, the young people report that they are fair and that they work.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Numerous risk assessments and safety checks of the premises and fire equipment ensure that the young people live in a safe home. The staff are aware of each young person's vulnerabilities and risk taking behaviours. The approach to advising and supporting young people ensures that their self-care skills and strategies for staying safe are developed to a good standard, especially when bearing in mind their backgrounds and starting points when they are admitted to the home.

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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 offers care and accommodation for young people in line with its Statement of Purpose. Young people receive information about the home which enables them to have an understanding of what is to be expected when they live at the home and what the rules and routines are.

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Leadership and management

Young people are provided with good standards of care from a competent staff team. Sufficient staff ensure that both group and individual needs are met. Staff are deployed in a manner that provides the young people with consistency and continuity in their care and management. Staff feel well supported and receive regular supervision; this enables them to reflect on their practice and relationships with the young people.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive training which provides them with skills, knowledge and competencies required to meet the needs of the young people. While new members of staff complete an organisational induction program, it is not the Children's Workforce Development Council induction program and is therefore not as thorough as it could be.

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Leadership and management

Senior members of staff monitor records in the home on a regular basis and develop action plans to rectify any shortfalls. These are not always addressed by members of staff. For example, one young person's care plan had a risk assessment which had not been updated and signed by the key worker as required by the home's practice and procedure. Although this did not have an impact on the young person, this could mean that some records may not contain up to date information. Monitoring visits are undertaken by one of the directors of the organisation which runs the home. They do not always occur on a four weekly basis and there can sometimes be up to seven weeks between visits. Reports written as a result of these visits are of a good standard and address key issues such as complaints, restraints and seeking the young people's views.

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Leadership and management

The acting manager has been in post since September and has not applied to Ofsted to become the Registered Manager. Members of staff find her approachable and young people have said that the home has improved since her arrival.

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Leadership and management

The home reflects upon practice regularly by using team meetings to review issues, such as consistency, as well as seeking the views of stakeholders, such as social workers and parents, via questionnaires. Responses to these questionnaires have been very positive. The home has addressed requirements made at the last inspection. This approach ensures that practice is examined with a view to ensuring that young people continue to benefit when living at the home.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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