Children's Home run by Wessex College Limited in Wiltshire

Unique reference number SC037596 Inspection date 13/02/2012 Inspector Peter Harrell Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 05/12/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is one of four children's homes operated by the organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people of either gender, aged from 11 to 18 years, with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Brief description of the service

The organisation also runs a school which is registered with Ofsted and provides education for some young people accommodated in the company's homes.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress.

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Progress

At the last full inspection in December 2011 the home was judged to be good overall. There were no recommendations or requirements made. The home demonstrates continued improvement in the quality of care and outcomes for young people. Young people’s welfare is enhanced by positive relationships which exist between the staff and young people. Young people benefit from individualised support from staff at the home.

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Progress

The home offers a wide range of activities tailored to the needs of young people. There is an ongoing programme of redecoration in the home; this has made the home more vibrant and welcoming. Each young person has helped in the redecoration which they say they enjoy doing. Young people's bedrooms reflect their personality and interests. The home is well resourced to ensure young people experience good staff ratios, are able to access a variety of activities and have a comfortable, homely environment. Staff are able to support young people in understanding their personal development and journey from the start of their placement. This contributes to their positive self-view.

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Progress

Young people's views are regularly sought and there has been an increase in consultation with young people. Young people have regular house meetings and are encouraged to express their opinions. Young people are routinely involved in decisions about their activities, menus and any key decisions for their future. A young person said, ' things for me have got better since living here, staff talk to me.' The young person also wrote, ' the staff are lovely to me, they make me laugh, they keep me safe, we do nice things together. My room is big.’ Placing authorities benefit from frequent communication about young people's progress; this enables them to efficiently monitor the quality of each placement. A social worker described the care as, 'it's very good overall.’

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Progress

There have been recent incidents of bullying between young people within the home. There has been both a proactive and a reflective response to these occurrences. In order to safeguard young people, there is a robust bullying and cyber bullying policy in place. However, to raise awareness and protect young people further, it is recommended that the staff in the home review these incidents and any emerging issues.

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Progress

There is a strong commitment from staff at the home to provide a high-quality service which benefits young people. Record keeping is comprehensive with clear recording systems in place. Staff are supported by a manager who has a clear focus on improvement of the quality of care of young people. Management from the wider organisation is working closely with the home towards improving outcomes for young people, reflecting on best practice, as well as ensuring that there is a stable and suitably qualified and vetted staff team.

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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 the home regularly reviews incidents of challenging behaviour to enable staff to reflect and learn to inform future practice. (NMS 3.21)

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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