Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC370899 Inspection date 13/12/2011 Inspector Thomas Webber Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 26/01/2011 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 home is one of a number of homes operated and managed by an organisation which is a national provider of care and education for young people. The home is registered to offer care and accommodation for up to three male young people who may have emotional and or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides young people with an overall good standard of care with some outstanding features. Young people benefit from living at a home where positive relationships exist between themselves and staff. Young people are very appreciative of the care and support they receive and their overall experience of living at the home. Staff demonstrate a very strong commitment in supporting the needs of young people with good progress being achieved. The needs and views of young people are central to the development and operation of the home. Robust safeguarding practices are well established which promote the safety and welfare of young people. There is a strong emphasis on supporting young people to develop both socially and educationally. Young people benefit from living at a home which is well managed. Effective leadership ensures that young people enjoy stability and consistency of care.

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Overall effectiveness

Areas of improvement include the recording of sanctions and staff qualifications.

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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 records denote the end date of the duration for all sanctions applied (NMS 3.8)  ensure that all existing staff obtain a minimum level 3 qualification in the Children & Young People's Workforce Diploma. (NMS 18.5)

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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

Staff demonstrate a very strong commitment in supporting the needs of young people. Young people have made good progress which is recognised by them. Young people also benefit from the individualised support they receive which helps them to develop a positive view of themselves. Staff actively encourage and assist young people to develop their own identities whilst recognising the identities of others.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people live in an environment where their physical, emotional and healthcare needs are met. Young people receive the level of support, including specialist intervention, to meet their individual assessed needs. The home's expectations, rules and routines provide young people with an environment that focuses on positive outcomes.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are fully supported and enabled to keep in touch with their families. Staff are very committed to maintaining the level of agreed contact between young people and their families according to their individual circumstances. Opportunities are available for young people to make and receive telephone calls in private. Effective systems are well established to keep parents and respective social workers up to date regarding the welfare and progress of young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are fully supported and encouraged to attend their places of education to attain their educational achievement. Staff also work extremely hard to support young people, who are over school age, to engage in further education or employment.

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Outcomes for children and young people

A programme is in place to assist young people to acquire the necessary skills for independent living. Pathway plans provide details of how young people can develop essential skills and knowledge as part of moving into independent living. Staff are very supportive of young people as part of this process. The independent living area within the home is in the process of being further developed to assist in the transition of living in the home and greater independence.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people live in a warm, welcoming, homely, caring and relaxed environment. Good and supportive relationships exist between staff and young people. The staff team work hard to ensure that the needs and wishes of young people are met and undertake their duties in a warm, supportive and professional manner. Young people are very appreciative of the care and support provided to them and their overall experience of living at the home. Young people are extremely relaxed and at ease in the company of staff and within their environment.

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Quality of care

Young people are supported to eat a healthy, varied and balanced diet. Young people are fully consulted in the planning of menus. They are also provided with opportunities to try meals from a variety of cultures. Young people commented extremely positively about the quality and quantity of meals provided. They also commented that alternatives are readily available if they do not like a particular meal offered. Young people are registered with, and have access, to the various local healthcare services. They can choose if they wish to see a GP on their own or with the support of staff. Suitable records are maintained of all healthcare appointments made. The services of a psychotherapist are readily available to meet the specific needs of young people. Young people are also able to access a range of information, advice and support in connection to a range of other healthcare issues. Appropriate systems

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Quality of care

are well established for the safe storage, receipt, administration and disposal of unwanted medication for the protection of young people.

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Quality of care

The home operates an open culture of consultation with young people through weekly meetings and on a daily basis. These opportunities enable young people to raise and discuss any concerns as well as to make positive suggestions regarding the running of the home. Management fully consider all suggestions and comments made by young people with a number of them having been actioned to improve the delivery of care provided.

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Quality of care

Clear policies and procedures are established for dealing with complaints. Young people know how to complain and are fully supported to raise any concerns and worries openly. Comprehensive records are maintained of all complaints which are responded to and addressed without delay. This ensures that positive outcomes are achieved for young people. The home has received two complaints, although these relate to the educational placements of young people and do not directly relate to the home. The home has also received three compliments which refer to the excellent standard of care and support provided.

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Quality of care

The needs of young people are fully assessed and are reflected in their comprehensive, individual care plans. These outline the strengths, needs and progress achieved by young people as well as their cultural needs. Young people are fully involved in the care planning process and are aware of the content of their care plans. The care plans also provide staff with clear guidance on how to meet the needs of young people on a daily basis. Young people's statutory reviews are held at the recommended intervals where they are fully supported and encouraged to attend and contribute to them.

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Quality of care

Staff actively promote the education of young people to ensure that they attain their educational potential. The educational placements are tailored to meet their individual needs. Educational successes of young people are fully recognised and celebrated. Good communication and liaison is maintained between the home and young people's educational placements.

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Quality of care

The design and location of the home is suitable for its stated function. Young people live in an environment which is extremely well maintained being clean, tidy and comfortable. It is also well-furnished and in good decorative order. The home provides young people with sufficient communal space, bath, shower and toilet facilities to meet their individual and collective needs. Young people are provided with their own bedrooms which are personalised to their individual tastes. Suitable locks are fitted to young people's bedroom doors as well as to the communal bathing and toilet facilities. These promote the privacy and dignity of young people. Suitable laundry facilities are provided to meet the needs of the home. The accommodation provides young people with a home that reflects the positive values of how staff respect them.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a safe environment where their welfare is fully promoted. Young people feel safe living at the home and that staff genuinely care about them and their welfare. They also feel confident in discussing any concerns or worries with staff. All staff receive safeguarding training which focuses on the protection of young people. A copy of the Local Safeguarding Children Board policies and procedures together with their contact details are readily available to staff. Management, as part of this process, maintain an open and supportive dialogue with young people, their respective social workers and the local safeguarding team.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff respond appropriately to all incidents where young people go missing to ensure their protection and safe return at the earliest opportunity. This is in line with the individual agreed protocols based on the particular needs and risks of young people. Clear recording and reporting systems are also well established with comprehensive records being maintained. These detail the reasons for the absences of young people and any action taken in the light of these reasons. All relevant people are kept fully informed of any incidents.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Effective measures are taken to protect young people from bullying. A clear anti- bullying policy is established which is conveyed to young people. Bullying is minimised by staff taking prompt action to challenge and defuse any disagreements between young people. Young people and staff do not see bullying as an area of concern at the present time.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in an environment where they are supported to develop positive behaviour. This is achieved through praise, encouragement and positive reinforcement via a reward system. Physical intervention and sanctions are also used, where appropriate. Staff are provided with appropriate training in the use of physical intervention, which is kept to a minimum with none having been used since the last inspection. Suitable records are maintained for sanctions. However the end of the duration is not always being recorded to ensure that all staff are aware of when the sanction has finished. The various records maintained provide staff with clear guidance and strategies for effectively supporting and managing the negative behaviours of young people. Positive relationships are well established between staff and young people. This practice also enables staff to work effectively with young people which, in turn, assists young people to develop their own mechanisms to

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Safeguarding children and young people

manage their own anger and frustrations.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Robust staff recruitment practices are established to ensure the protection of young people. These practices ensure that new staff are suitably vetted and do not commence employment in the home until all the relevant checks have been carried out.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The various health and fire safety policies and practice guidelines are well established to ensure that staff and young people are appropriately safeguarded. No specific health and safety issues were identified from a tour of the building. Young people and staff regularly practise fire evacuation procedures and the various health and fire safety records are accurate and up to date.

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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

Young people benefit from living at a home which is well managed by a Registered Manager who is suitably qualified and experienced. The manager is supported by a deputy manager who, together, demonstrate effective leadership. This structure enables the home to effectively monitor the day to day care provided to young people which ensures that they, in turn, enjoy stability and consistency of care. The manager has successfully addressed the one requirement and three recommendations raised at the last inspection.

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Leadership and management

The home's Statement of Purpose clearly outlines its aims and objectives. This document also describes the level of service young people can expect to receive and how it is delivered. This information is readily available to all interested parties. A young people's guide is also produced. This provides young people and their parents with useful and informative information they need to know about the home.

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Leadership and management

The home is committed to providing sufficient staff on duty to meet the individual and collective needs of young people. A minimum of three care staff are on duty throughout the waking day and two sleep in each night. Young people receive care from a core stable staff team who have a variety of experience in working with young people. The shift patterns worked by staff are arranged to ensure that young people receive continuity of care.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by a staff team who are competent to meet their individual and collective needs. Although only 50% of the staff team are trained to a Level 3 Qualification, the remaining staff are enrolled to achieve this qualification. Staff also value the additional training opportunities provided to them to develop their knowledge, expertise and competence. This is reflected in the care practice and positive outcomes achieved for young people which young people very much appreciate.

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Leadership and management

Staff are extremely well supported in their roles through annual appraisals, regular formal and individual supervision, daily handover and regular staff meetings. These systems ensure that staff are kept up to date in all matters relating to the home and young people as well as their personal performance and development. Staff also receive ongoing guidance to support young people through regular consultations with a psychotherapist.

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Leadership and management

Effective systems are established to monitor and ensure that a high quality of service is delivered to young people. The organisation achieves this through monthly unannounced visits. Reports are produced which outline these visits and any actions needed to improve the outcomes for young people. The manager ensures that monthly Regulation 34 reports are also completed as part of the quality of care review monitoring process.

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Leadership and management

Young people's records are complete and are stored securely. Young people's care placement plans reflect their individual histories and needs. This information enables staff to effectively care for young people. Any significant events relating to the protection of young people are routinely notified to all relevant parties. Staff ensure that the placing authorities for young people are kept well informed and are regularly updated of their progress and well-being.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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