Children's Home run by Progressive Care Limited in Sheffield

Unique reference number SC002930 Inspection date 14/02/2012 Inspector Monica Hargreaves Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/10/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is one of a number that is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to nine children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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

The overall judgement at the last inspection was good. At that inspection, one requirement and a number of recommendations were made. The manager has taken action to address these, demonstrating their commitment to continuous improvement of the service.

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Progress

The requirement that was made at the last inspection is met. The manager has provided Ofsted with a copy of the report of the regular checks made under Regulation 34 in order to monitor the quality of care in the home. These reports confirm that there is good oversight of the work of the home to ensure that good standards are maintained for young people.

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Progress

The manager has also addressed the recommendations from the last inspection. These related to the use of the internet, the young person's guide to the service, placement plans, the home's development plan and staff qualifications. The majority of these are met and progress has been made on those that are not yet fully met.

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Progress

Young people are protected by the home's arrangements for monitoring their access to the internet. These have been reviewed since the last inspection and are effective in ensuring that young people are not able to access inappropriate sites. Young people are also protected by robust safeguarding systems. Staff are trained in safeguarding and they understand what to do to keep young people safe. Since the last inspection, there has been a significant reduction in the number of incidents of young people going missing from home. Young people report that there is no bullying and they say that they feel safe in the home.

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Progress

Young people feel settled and happy in their home and they say that they are well looked after. They make many positive comments about the home, such as, 'This is a good care home' and, 'It's helped me a lot being here.’ They report that staff consult them regularly about their care and that they are fully involved in writing their care plans. This means that they feel listened to and know that they are involved in all the decisions that are made about their care.

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Progress

The young person's guide to the home has been updated. It gives young people detailed information about the home and how they will be cared for. Young people confirmed that they are given a copy of the guide when they come to live in the home and say that it is helpful.

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Progress

Young people benefit from being cared for by a team of staff that has a good understanding of their individual needs. Staff receive training from the organisation to ensure that they maintain and develop their knowledge and skills. In addition, the provider ensures that staff are supported to gain a qualification that is relevant to their work with young people. All care staff who are not already suitably qualified are registered for the Children and Young People's Workforce Diploma at level 3. Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in the numbers of staff who are qualified. However, not all of the existing staff team have achieved the required qualification.

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Progress

Young people say that they get on well with staff. One young person commented, 'I really like staff - they're funny.’ Another young person said, 'Staff have helped me feel so at home here.’ These positive relationships help young people to feel settled in the home and to make steady progress. Staff are successful in helping young people to behave in ways that are socially acceptable. There is an established incentive scheme that young people understand. This, together with the work staff do with individual young people, has proved effective in helping them to achieve their targets, for example in improved behaviour and increased attendance at school.

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Progress

Care staff report that they feel well supported by their manager. They have regular supervision and team meetings. Detailed handovers between shifts and written logs ensure that there is good communication in the team. These arrangements promote consistency of care for young people, which benefit them and supports their progress.

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Progress

Young people continue to benefit from living in a home that is well managed. The manager is very experienced, is qualified in care and is working to obtain a qualification in management. However, although they have made good progress on this since the last inspection, they have not yet gained the qualification. The manager has begun work on the home's development plan which demonstrates progress towards meeting one of the recommendations from the last inspection.

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Progress

The welfare and safety of young people is promoted by the regular monitoring that takes place. A senior manager in the organisation undertakes monthly checks in the home and provides reports of these visits to the manager and to Ofsted. The views of young people and staff are sought regularly during these visits. The manager takes action on any issue that is identified through the monitoring process, in order to drive forward improvements.

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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 Registered Manager has a qualification in management (NMS 14.2)  ensure that there is a written development plan for the future of the home (NMS 15.2)  ensure that all existing care staff attain the level 3 Children and Young People's Workforce Diploma. (NMS 18.5)

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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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