Children's Home, Residential special school run by Rowden House School Limited in Herefordshire

Unique reference number SC035625 Inspection date 23/11/2011 Inspector Mark Ryder / Sarah Urding Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 03/02/2011 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

This service is a privately registered children's home that also provides education on site up to 44 young people of either gender with special educational needs between the ages of 11 to 17 years. The service comprises of seven separate residential homes with a school on site.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory .

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Overall effectiveness

This setting provides a satisfactory level of care for young people with complex learning and medical needs. The majority of young people are unable to verbally communicate although observed behaviour demonstrates that young people enjoy living at this school. Young people present as feeling safe and interact with staff positively. Relationships between staff and young people are friendly and good natured. Individual needs are met although progress is not always attained for some young people. This is reflected by the four statutory requirements and six recommendations made as a result of this inspection. However, breaches of regulation have minimal impact on safety and welfare of young people.

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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 children's home is conducted so as to make proper provision for the care and supervision of children accommodated there with regards to seizure control (Regulation 11 (b)) 02/01/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure all parts of the home to which children have access to are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their health and safety in relation to the poor outside lighting (Regulation 23 (a)) 02/01/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that a written record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of the investigation (Regulation 24 (5)) 02/01/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal with regards to new starters. 02/01/2012 (Regulation 27 (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 staff meet children's individual needs as set out in the child's placement plan taking into account where appropriate their relationship with the wider group of children in relation to equality and diversity issues (NMS 2.3)  ensure that the home has a clear written policy on managing behaviour, which includes supporting positive behaviour, de-escalation of conflicts, discipline, control and restraint, that all staff understand and apply at all times (NMS 3.3)  ensure the home implements a proportionate approach to any risk assessment (NMS 4.5)  ensure the home's procedures are compatible with and have regard to runaway and missing from home and care (RMFHC) protocols and procedures maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority for the area where the home is located (NMS 5.6)  ensure each child's placement plan is monitored by a key worker within the home who ensures that the requirements of the plan are implemented in the day-to-

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Recommendations

day care of that child (NMS25.2)  ensure that all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually. (NMS 19.6)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are satisfactory .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have made overall satisfactory progress in relation to their starting points at this setting. However, stakeholders have mixed views on the progress and outcomes for young people. A social worker commented that 'there is very little progress from one review to another.' A parent felt that their child had not improved since being at the school. Yet a nurse was very pleased with how a young person had settled at the school since their arrival. This inconsistency means that not all young people have progressed as much as they could have since their placements started.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people gain from attending regular education. Educational plans provide young people with clear and achievable targets to work on. For example, young people have been helped in using a range of communication styles that meets their own needs. Young people are encouraged to develop social skills to help them into adult life. Routine plays a significant part for young people with autism to understand and interact with others. For example, staff require young people to clear their plates away and clean the table before leaving after a meal. Young people respond to this well.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from regular contact with family members. Parents are able to visit their children and are made welcome. Young people who are able to use a telephone can speak to their parents regularly. Parents were generally pleased with communication with staff. A parent wrote ‘staff are always approachable.’ Young people enjoy a positive and enjoyable lifestyle that meets their physical, emotional and psychological needs. They are kept safe and have a stimulating environment in which to experience and learn from.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is satisfactory .

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Quality of care

Staff work with young people in a friendly and constructive way in which young people positively respond to. Regular speech and language therapy enables young people to develop their level of communication through a range of methods. This works well. A parent said '‘my child's needs are met at this school.’ Young people are cared for in line with the health care plans in which they are able to contribute to. Specialist medical arrangements are in place to support young people when required, for example, young people with epilepsy or those who require tube feeding. However, not all staff acknowledge that they fully understand the process or feel they have the confidence or awareness to respond to children who have seizures. This means that young people could potentially be at risk in such an event. Trained staff safely manage the arrangements for the recording, handling and administration of medication. This is an improvement since the last inspection

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Quality of care

Young people have a varied and nutritious diet that is based on personal choice, dietary considerations and cultural need. Young people present as enjoying the food served. Individualised table mats with personal information about the young people's likes and dislikes further enable young people to communicate their wishes and feelings with regards to meal choices.

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Quality of care

Placement plans provide details of young people's assessed needs covering such areas as health, education and daily routines. Young people's wishes and feelings are represented in such plans as well as parents. Key workers review the files regularly with parents and young people to ensure the information is accurate. However, requirements made after each review are not consistently met. This means that progress is sometimes slower than expected. Practice does not always reflect planned routines for young people. For example, a parent commented that they were concerned about how their child was dressed and another parent had concerns for the unsafe activity their child was engaged with on arrival. There is, therefore, inconsistency in the quality of care provided.

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Quality of care

Cultural needs are recognised by most staff. For example, a young person's identity is promoted through the diverse range of available food. Cultural nights further provide young people with the experience of eating meals from different countries. However, practice is not always consistent with regards to meeting the needs of black children. For example, a parent commented that their child is not regularly given moisturiser for their skin which can become dry and flaky if cream is not applied. Some staff presented as having limited understanding on equality and diversity issues.

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Quality of care

The complaint process is available to young people and parents in a format that is accessible. Parents acknowledge that their concerns have been responded to. One young person said that they know how to complain. However, records of complaints do not always refer to the outcome or that they have been dealt with promptly. It is therefore not clear whether concerns are dealt with in line with the organisation’s own policy and procedures.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is satisfactory at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people presented as safely cared for. Young people are safeguarded through a staff and management team that are aware of procedures in the event of an allegation or cause of concern. Previous incidents have been managed well. Young people are aware of their carers and demonstrate that they feel comfortable with the staff. A young person said 'I like my key worker'.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people who have left the setting without staff permission are promptly looked for and reported to the police and placing authority. Staff are aware of their responsibilities and the measures identified to reduce the level of risk of young people missing or running away. Due to the very high dependency of many young people, staff ratios are high. This means that such incidents are infrequent. The setting’s protocol on missing from home and care does not reflect or have regard to statutory national guidance for runaway and missing from home and care protocols and procedures. This means that the setting has not benefitted from current research on young people missing from care.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people who present challenging behaviour are mostly worked and cared for in line with their behaviour management plans. Plans include strategies to diffuse potentially aggressive behaviour although not all staff are fully aware of this. A risk assessment does not provide details of behaviour which could be of concern. For example, although staff recognised that one young person is a risk to younger children this is not reflected within their own risk assessment. This means that not all staff had the necessary awareness and understanding to keep young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Fire checks and maintenance of electrical and gas appliances are carried out satisfactorily. There is safe management of external contractors on site and policy for security overview of the grounds and buildings. However, a number of staff had concern for the poor external lighting around the grounds which prevent staff from always being able to observe young people when they have left one building to go to another in the evening. This is a potential safety concern as young people can and do become disorientated when leaving the buildings at night.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are satisfactory .

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Leadership and management

The management arrangements provide young people with a safe and nurturing environment in which their needs are met. However, the service recognises it has areas to improve and is using, for example, constructive yet critical feedback from the monthly monitoring visits by senior staff as a way forward to improve and strengthen the provision for young people. Previous requirements have been met although recommendations with regards to frequency of supervisions and appraisals remain outstanding and raised again as an area for improvement. Staff, however, felt supported by their line managers and colleagues. Regular team meetings provide useful opportunities to discuss progress or otherwise of young people.

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Leadership and management

The service’s Statement of Purpose and young person guide are available to parents, young people and social workers. It refers to the ethos, aims and objectives of the school and meets regulations. The guide is written in a format that many young people are able to understand.

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Leadership and management

Staff had mixed views on the quality and organisation of arranged training. For example, induction arrangements were considered poorly managed with cancelled training and unclear roles when shadowing staff on shift. Training on the safe use of physical restraint was delayed by a month which impacted on the new staff's role within teams. However, many staff believed that training was good, provided opportunities to learn and reflect and contributed to their continuing professional development. Therefore, training meets most of the staff's needs although recent induction of new staff was poorly organised. Significant events are reported to the relevant authorities and acted upon to address any concerns with regards to young people's welfare or safety. This means that the setting effectively safeguards by informing placing authorities and Ofsted.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is satisfactory .

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