Children's Home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Shropshire

Unique reference number SC020607 Inspection date 20/12/2011 Inspector Louise Redfern Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 03/02/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Brief description of the service

The home provides care for up to 3 young people. A satellite home provides care for one young person. Both homes provide care for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties between age 8 and 17 years. The homes are privately owned.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The home provides a good quality of care. Young people are generally positive about the care they receive and say they feel safe. Young people benefit from strong relationships with the staff team and good standards in areas such as family contact and general health care. Recreational and social activities offered are wide-ranging and serve to help young people gain confidence, self-esteem and develop good community links.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Currently there are shortfalls in young people achieving educationally and an individual specific health need being fully met at the start of the inspection.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Young people are safeguarded well. The home provides young people with good individualised care. All young people undertake some independence work, dependent on their individual plan.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Staff benefit from good, regular and constructive support from the Registered Manager in the form of supervision, appraisals and team meetings. Overall the staff team are suitably qualified. However, there are some shortfalls in some of the team being adequately qualified.

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.4

Recommendations

 ensure staff receive guidance and training to provide appropriate care if looking after children with complex health needs (NMS 6.8)  ensure children have access to a range of educational resources to support their learning, including the internet (NMS 8.2)  carry out risk assessments of the whole children's home environment, to identify any potential sources of harm to the children and ensure these are recorded in writing and regularly reviewed (NMS 10.8)  ensure all existing staff have attained a minimum level 3 qualification. All new staff are to hold the level 3 Children & Young Peoples Workforce Diploma which must include mandatory social care units; or be working towards the Diploma within 6 months of confirmation of employment (NMS 18.5).

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are satisfactory .

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people develop a positive self-view and grow in confidence and skills. Young people achieve this through positive relationships with the staff team and by engaging in positive activities within both the home and the community. Young people develop their independence skills at their own pace, which is based on individual needs and care plans. Young people follow the home's KIT programme to document their progress and supports young people on the journey to full independence, particularly around budgeting. Young people are encouraged to complete basic household chores and cook for the whole house on occasions, developing their feelings of ownership of the home.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people generally enjoy good health and are afforded the opportunity to attend health appointments. Young people benefit from the staff team encouraging healthy lifestyles and offering support to the young people to stop smoking. Some young people benefit from therapy as part of their individual care plans. At the start of the inspection the management of one specific health need was not being fully addressed. However, action taken at the time of the inspection minimised this shortfall. It is recognised by the Registered Manager that this practice needs to be embedded in the admission process..

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are not achieving in education as they do not have substantial educational placements. One young person stated; ' Its really unfair I'm not in school but I really want to go. It's pathetic three hours twice a week, how can they not fund me going to school.' The Registered Manager is taking steps to address this. However, the home does not have in place an alternative range of educational resources to support individual learning, with regards the internet.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported, in line with their own risk assessments. They engage in purposeful activities in the local area such as Zumba class, dance class, using the local library, gym, leisure facilities and shopping in the local area. Young people are supported to maintain appropriate friendships in the local community. Young people benefit from appropriate contact with family, they are supported by individual staff members to attend contact and celebrate important family occasions.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people broadly enjoy positive and constructive relationships with staff and the Registered Manager, who are warm and supportive towards them. Young people generally behave appropriately in the home and towards each other. There is a broad awareness within the group of young people’s individual needs. One young person commented staff 'treat me as an individual; it’s quite a nice house. They look out for me and want the best for me'.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people benefit from having up to three key workers, who are carefully matched by the Registered Manger. This ensures young people have staff members available to them who are aware of their complex individual needs. Young people are actively and openly encouraged to discuss issues affecting them as individuals. Individual key work sessions are well recorded and cover a broad range of topics including health, sexual relationships, sexuality and cultural backgrounds. Young people do report that they are treated as individuals and that their needs are met. However, there are some shortfalls in meeting some young people's cultural and religious needs. The Registered Manager is aware of this and is developing practice in the home. One young person commented that they 'missed cooking my cultural food and using henna'.

p.6

Quality of care

Young people regularly participate in house meetings. Issues raised at these meetings have brought change in the home, particularly around house rules. Young people have a clear understanding of how to complain. The Registered Manger effectively investigates complaints and challenges staff practice in relation to young people's concerns.

p.6

Quality of care

The Registered Manager clearly considers the impact of new young people moving into the placement. This ensures young people established in the placement are not disrupted. Young people are admitted in a planned and thorough manner, ensuring expectations of the home are clearly explained to young people. This enables young people to feel settled in their new placement.

p.6

Quality of care

The main home is a detached property in a rural area. It has ample space for the young people to live in and relax. The home is furnished and maintained to a good standard. Young people have their own bedrooms, which are decorated to their individual tastes and have recently had locks installed on their doors, to which they have a key. The satellite home is a detached property close to the local town, in which there is ample space for the young person to live. The home is furnished to a satisfactory standard.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

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

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are safe and feel safe. They feel protected and are protected. The home has extensive policies, procedures and training in place around safeguarding. The home’s commitment to young people, promotes safeguarding and safe care ensuring young people feel they are safe and are kept safe. A young person stated 'staff try to keep all safe; try to meet everyone's needs'. The manager and staff team comprehensively address issues of bullying in the home, ensuring that young people feel safe to raise issues of bullying.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff comprehensively search for young people, should they go missing from home and actively encourage young people to return to the home. Staff are aware of procedures in place for reporting individual young people as missing and positively respond to them on their return. Young people report that on their return to the home staff 'put the kettle on and have a cup of tea and ask me why I run off they are really good with stuff like that'.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

The home has effective and efficient systems in place to manage incidents. Young people have the opportunity to discuss incidents in detail and reflect on their behaviour. Young people benefit from strong and robust behaviour management plans which identify clear triggers of behaviours, ensuring staff are aware of individual young people's needs. Young people report that negative consequences are fair and imposed 'cos you might do things that are not right and to teach you life's lesson'. Staff are highly training in physical intervention, this is used to promote positive behaviour and keep young people and staff safe.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from good levels of safety in the home. The Registered Manger ensures robust fire safety measures are in place in the home. Young people benefit from regular fire drills and are inducted in fire safety when they move into the home. There is a clear contingency plan in place should the home have to be evacuated. The home has effective risk assessments in place which are regularly reviewed. However, there are shortfalls in the absence of environmental risk assessments. Young people are protected from people who may pose a risk to them because the home’s recruitment practices are robust.

p.7

Leadership and management

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

p.7

Leadership and management

The Registered Manager and staff team deliver a good level of care for the young people. They benefit from the manager and staff being consistent, motivated and committed. Young people develop relationships with both the manager and staff team, which are based on trust and professionalism. These relationships ensure young people are supported in their care and are effectively challenged around inappropriate behaviours.

p.7

Leadership and management

The home has a good Statement of Purpose and young person's guide, which clearly describes the services provided by the home; these are freely accessible to the staff team and young people. As a result, young people are well informed about essential standards, quality and safety of care provided. Young people benefit from a well- organised admission procedure and feel safe in their new placement with clear expectations from the home.

p.7

Leadership and management

The Registered Manager ensures that the staffing levels are sufficient in the home and adapts the rota in order to meet the individual needs of the young people. Young people have raised concerns around staffing levels at night. The Registered Manager has explained the staffing levels to individual young people and assured them they are safe. The levels are in line with the Statement of Purpose and individuals’ needs.

p.7

Leadership and management

Staff regularly receive comprehensive supervision which helps them to provide effective care to young people. Staff benefit from annual appraisals, setting clear goals to support individual staff to develop professionally. Regular team meetings focus on meeting young people's needs, improving on the quality of care staff offer and mutually supporting the staff team. The staff team benefit from therapists contributing to team meetings on occasions, to consult and advise the team around particular behaviours of young people. Staff receive regular training, however there are shortfalls in the number of qualified staff in place in the home. This has resulted in the previous recommendation not being met and a further recommendation being made.

p.8

Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

p.8