Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Buckinghamshire

Unique reference number SC067757 Inspection date 13/12/2011 Inspector Jim Palmer Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 30/09/2010 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 children’s home is registered to take young people aged 12 up to 18 years and is owned and operated by a private organisation. The home is registered for up to four young people.

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Brief description of the service

The home provides medium to long-term care for young people who need particular assistance with managing their behaviour, including offending behaviour. Where appropriate, young people are supported in returning home, or supported in managing transitions to more independent settings.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The strengths of the service are a strong commitment by staff towards achieving positive outcomes for young people. Staff display a very good knowledge of young people's needs and individual differences and how these are to be met. As a result young people access a range of services to meet those needs, especially any therapeutic needs.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is well managed and the staff team is well led. Recent staff changes have had some impact on the home’s ability to provide consistency of care. The quality of the service is regularly monitored by the manager and external managers; staff are aware of areas for further development. There is a comprehensive service development plan in place and the manager is very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the service. A number of management changes are in the process of being introduced, though not all are fully completed.

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Overall effectiveness

The quality of the accommodation is satisfactory and the quality of care is good. Most young people say that they are benefitting from living in the home and that the staff are committed to supporting them in meeting their needs. Young people say that their privacy is respected by staff and that their views and wishes are actively sought and respected by staff.

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Overall effectiveness

Generally, files and information on young people are good and files are well maintained. However, not all entries are still being signed by all staff.

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Overall effectiveness

One weakness of the service is a lack of day time structure for some young people when they are not attending or refusing school or college.

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Overall effectiveness

Areas for further development include: Regular reports of any review of the quality of the service to be made available to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector and ensuring that the records of any use of restraint or sanction fully accord with the regulations. The manager is also asked to: ensure that all records are monitored effectively and maintained to a good quality; to ensure that staff recruitment records hold a full employment history for staff; ensure all young people receive appropriate education; and to ensure that the home is well decorated and maintained at all times.

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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 a copy of a report in respect of any review of the quality of care is supplied to the Her Majesty's Chief Inspector at regular intervals (Regulation 34 Para (1)and (2)) 31/12/2011

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17A (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline a written record is made in volume kept for that purpose which includes all the detail contained in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Regulation. ( Regulation 17A (3) (4)) 31/12/2011

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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

 ensure that there is a system in place that effectively monitors the adequacy and quality of record keeping and action is taken when needed (NMS 22.1)  ensure that there is careful selection of all staff, including the recording of full employment history and a suitable explanation of any gaps in employment, as detailed in Regulations 6,8,26 Schedule 2 paragraph 6 (NMS 16.3)  ensure that any young person excluded from or refusing to attend school have access to appropriate education and training, so that they are enabled to resume full time education (NMS 8.8)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and environment and is well maintained and decorated throughout. (NMS 10.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good . Outcomes for children are generally good and this is always consistent. Some young people say they have made significant progress since living in the home and that they have developed a greater understanding of the reasons why they are living here. Young people also say they feel better prepared and more self confident about their futures. However not all young people are currently achieving a similar level of progress. This is currently being acknowledged including the effectiveness of young people’s placements. Young people are able to discuss any concerns they may have with key workers, a psychotherapist if appropriate and external specialist agencies. Young people say that they can approach any staff member to talk about personal issues and all report relationships with staff as good. Young people are offered a very high level of emotional support and are provided with excellent opportunities to

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Outcomes for children and young people

develop emotional resilience. This is strength of the service. Young people's individual and emotional needs are well identified and met.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's achievements are recognised by the staff and there is a financial reward system to help encourage good behaviour. Young people say that this approach works usually works well for them. Young people are encouraged and supported in maximising their potential.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician. They are offered a choice of health professionals if they make such a request. Some young people do not exercise that choice. Young people with specific medical need receive regular additional health monitoring. Staff also receive any specific health awareness training if required. All staff receive training in first aid and the administration of medicines. All medicines are securely stored and recorded. The medicines stocks are regularly audited and all stocks now accord with the records. All young people have health plans and any treatment or examinations are recorded. Young people are encouraged to take personal responsibility for their health care and personal hygiene.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff take an active role in promoting educational achievement and liaise closely with school or local colleges. Some young people are making significant progress in school. However, this is not always the case and when young people do not attend school or college there is not always an organised and structured alternative education provision provided. The importance of educational achievement is constantly reinforced by staff, who work closely with schools, parents and placing social workers.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to participate in community-based activities, as a part of making a wider contribution to the local community. They are offered the opportunity for example to develop relationships with neighbours and are involved in seeking ways of resolving neighbourly disagreements. Staff are aware of the importance of family contact and promote this in accordance with the placing authority's care plan for each young person. Usually communication about contact is good. However, a placing authority commented that on one occasion contact was arranged with previous consultation or agreement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people receive informal support in gaining the life skills they will need to make a successful transition into adulthood throughout the placement. They are expected to participate in a number of routine house keeping tasks such as: keeping their rooms tidy, preparing some meals and progressing on to an independent living and life skills programme. Young people say they feel they are being given the life skills they need to live independently. This is in a manner that reflects their individual development.

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Quality of care

Staff display a strong commitment to achieving successful outcomes for young people and are very knowledgeable about the needs, wishes and individual differences of young people. Young people benefit from the home having a mixed group of well-established staff and some more recently appointed staff. The relationships between staff and young people are excellent. Communication between different shifts and with other staff teams such as teachers or consultants is good

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Quality of care

Staff consistently celebrate young people's achievements through the use of rewards and praise. Staff create a supportive environment in which young people are encouraged to achieve their potential. The home operates a key-worker system, but young people say that they can talk comfortably with all staff members, depending on the issues. Some young people say that they have made significant progress in their relationships with other people and in managing their behaviours successfully since living in the home.

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Quality of care

Relationships between young people and staff are based on mutual respect and young people confirm that staff respect their privacy and dignity. Clear expectations are provided for young people. However feedback from some parents and staff members suggests that higher expectations could be made of some young people.

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Quality of care

Young people are fully involved in the planning for their futures and say they are very well consulted about their wishes and feelings about their future lives. They say they have some input into the day-to-day running of the home. However, young people can express their views and wishes and are always offered an explanation as to why it is not always possible for these to be acted upon. Young people may not always be happy with the decision reached but feel that adults make decisions in their best interests. Young people's views are consulted by: attendance of placement reviews, regular meetings with key-workers or other staff members and questionnaires asking their views about the quality of the service.

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Quality of care

Staff advocate on behalf of young people and challenge any obstacles that prevent them from making good progress on the basis of equality and opportunity. Staff work closely with other agencies including school and placing social workers to promote good outcomes. For example, working with schools to reduce incidences of exclusion. However not all young people have sufficiently stimulating day time activity programmes. Some young people have received no formal education for several weeks, and no alternative education programme has been put in place during any periods of absence or refusal. Young people are given an information pack when they arrive in the home. This pack outlines the expectations the home has of young people. The pack also includes contact information and how young people can raise a concern if they are unhappy about any aspect of their care. There have been two complaints since the last

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Quality of care

inspection. Young people confirm that they know how to raise a concern if they felt the need to do so. Young people say that they are confident however that their concerns would be treated seriously and acted upon.

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Quality of care

Young people’s case files are well constructed and regularly audited. The content of each file is very detailed and clearly identifies individual needs and wishes, and how they are to be met on a day-to-day basis. Social workers and parents say that communication between themselves and staff is usually very good and that they receive regular updates on the progress of young people.

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Quality of care

The home has a regular maintenance programme and much of the ground floor rooms have been recently decorated and refurbished. The ground floor rooms are comfortably furnished and provide a homely domestic style of accommodation. The home cannot be distinguished from other neighbouring homes. However the bedroom and bathroom areas remain in need of repair and refurbishment. There are signs of damage to walls, bedroom door handles, bathroom door locks and window restrictors. A refurbishment programme is in place but not yet completed.

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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

The safety of young people is promoted by the staff team, who are well trained in safeguarding procedures. Staff are confident that they know how to make a referral if they have any concerns. Staff follow safe care guidelines and are very aware of their responsibilities in promoting children's safety. Young people say that they feel safe in the home, and that staff are concerned about their safety. Instances of bullying are challenged effectively by staff. There are also opportunities to discuss bullying and appropriate ways to resolve conflict in group meetings, key worker meetings, and other one-to-one meetings. Young people say that staff try to reduce incidents of bullying and that bullying is not a significant issue in this home. Young people are also given the opportunity to discuss how they can keep themselves safe in social situations including using mobile telephones and the internet.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Any young people who may be absent from the home are protected by an agreed protocol with the local police and placing authorities. Each young person has a placement plan, which outlines the action to be taken should a young person be absent from the home. Young people are aware of the policy and agree that it is implemented only as a means of promoting their safety. The home has good systems in place for notifying the appropriate people of any significant incidents. All young people are given the opportunity to speak with staff, their families or social workers following their return to the home. There are robust risk assessments in place which identify risks associated with individuals, activities, the environment and equipment. These are regularly reviewed and amended as necessary. Staff are very aware of the risk factors presented by all young people and the impact they may have on others.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say that they benefit from living in the home and have a strong sense that staff are working to promote their safety and well-being. This includes managing behaviours by the use of positive interventions. The home operates a reward bonus payment scheme for positive behaviours. Young people say that any sanctions imposed are fair and reasonable. Some young people's behaviours have improved since living at the home. However, some feedback from placing local authorities and parents indicates mixed responses. From comments such as ‘they have turned his life round’ to ‘there is insufficient structure and as a result some young people's behaviour and school attendance have worsened since living in the home.’ This indicates that not all young people respond positively to the behaviour management model operated in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are trained in the use of behaviour management techniques designed to reduce tension and de-escalate aggression. Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort. The manager has devised a draft model for recording restraints and sanctions, which when implemented will fully meet the requirement. This does not have a significant impact on the safety of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are encouraged to take personal responsibility for managing their own behaviours and are encouraged to be reflective about the impact their behaviours have on others. As a result the use of physical intervention in this home is very limited. Young people are invited to read, comment on and sign the entry.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff receive training in safeguarding awareness as part of their induction training and this is updated regularly. Contact details of how to make a referral to the local authority are held in the home. Staff were aware of how to make a referral if they had concerns. There is a system for notifying appropriate agencies of any significant events.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's safety is promoted by the use of good systems for monitoring health and safety within the home. Regular health and safety audits take place and any safety issues arising are rectified quickly and effectively. Fire safety is ensured by regular training for staff, fire drills and routine testing of fire safety equipment. The fire safety risk assessment is up to date and regularly reviewed each year or sooner if required.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are satisfactory systems for the safe recruitment of staff and staff profiles confirm that no staff members start working prior to checks being successfully completed. However, some staff recruitment records hold previous employment history identified by year only. Therefore it is not possible to accurately identify any gaps in an applicant’s employment history.

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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 a home that is well managed and effectively led. The manager has a good knowledge of the strengths and weakness of the service. A well detailed service development plan is in place, though not yet fully implemented. Monitoring of the quality of the service is carried out by the manager, deputy managers and a visiting manager. No report on the quality of the service has yet been provided to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector. Staff display a strong commitment to achieving successful outcomes for young people and towards recognising individual needs and differences. Young people are regularly consulted on the day-to-day running of the home, and say that the home is a good place to live, and that it is well run. Relationships with the local community are generally good and young people are encouraged to resolve any local disagreements amicably.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose and young person's guide are both up to date and accurately describe the service. Young people say they understand what the home is trying to achieve and that they were given good information prior to or shortly after admission to the home. Placing social workers are clear about the purpose of the home and the services provided.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff are aware of recent changes to the legislation. They are committed to meeting the new standards and regulations, and improving outcomes for children and young people.

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Leadership and management

Case records are generally well maintained and kept up to date. There is also a system for the regular auditing of the records held. Regular progress updates are produced for placing social workers. Liaison between the staff, families and local authority workers is usually good.

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Leadership and management

Children benefit from being looked after by a well trained and supported staff team, who work within well-established good practice guidelines. A detailed staff induction programme is in place and a comprehensive post induction staff development programme. Staff are very positive about the training and development opportunities available to them to them. This includes training and supervisory support provided by managers and the company psychotherapist. Specialist training in specific areas of working with complex behaviours is available to staff on request.

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Leadership and management

The home is adequately resourced to meet the needs of the young people living there. The company has very recently appointed two new staff and a further vacancy is currently being advertised, which will bring the home to a full staff compliment. However the home does rely on internal bank staff, staff from other houses and external bank staff in order to maintain suitable staffing levels. Feedback from a placing authority indicates that this has led to a lack of consistent care for young people and some difficulty in maintaining contact arrangements for young people on occasions. However the staffing levels have not had a detrimental impact on young people's safety. All staff hold National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level three or a recognised social work qualification. All qualified social work staff are registered with the General Social Care Council. Some staff are undertaking NVQ level four or diploma level. Staff

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Leadership and management

say that on-call support after office hours is good.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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