Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC367802 Inspection date 21/02/2012 Inspector Fiona Parker Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype

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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 local authority home offers a service for children and young people aged between five and 17 years with learning disabilities or learning and physical disabilities. The home can accommodate one young person full time and offer respite and shared care arrangements for a number of children and young people. Only two young people receive a service at any one time. The home forms part of the children's disability service and provides care for children or young people that have been assessed as requiring this service. The home only operates when young people are receiving a service.

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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 satisfactory progress.

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Progress

This home is currently judged as good, and as a result of this interim inspection, is judged to be making satisfactory progress. Action has been taken to address the one requirement: recordings of restraints now include the date, time, location and consequences of any measures. This ensures practice is accountable. The one recommendation is also met: young people benefit from visits from a person independent of the home. This promotes additional safeguards and offers young people choices about adults to whom they are comfortable to express any views. In addition, young people's information is now suitably updated for staff to advise young people of the contact details for the Children's Rights Director. This information is also being converted to young people's preferred pictorial formats. The manager has suitably addressed these areas and demonstrates the capacity to respond to shortfalls. As a result of this interim inspection, a requirement is made in

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Progress

respect of specific records. Three recommendations are made regarding staff continuity, the overall deployment of staff and forwarding management monitoring reports to Ofsted.

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Progress

Young people successfully maintain their educational placements which promotes opportunities to maximise their potential. Young people continue to benefit from supported and structured contact arrangements with significant others. This helps to maintain young people's important relationships in the longer term. Young people are increasingly supported to manage their frustrations, disappointments and respond to boundaries. Staff are guided by detailed positive handling plans while getting to know fully the young people recently accommodated. Staff are sensitive to life changing events that emotionally impact upon young people, and some success in reducing incidents in a short period is encouraging.

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Progress

This is a challenging period for the staff team. Responding to changes in young people's plans has initially impacted upon the day-to-day capacity of the home and deployment of staff. Staffing levels are sufficient; during significantly challenging times staff draw upon support from the wider staff team within the disability service. These contingency arrangements work to increase the support where required, and the majority of staff are known to the young people. However, this has resulted in young people experiencing unhelpful changes. This has also resulted in some recording mistakes in central logs, although this information is clearly recorded in other records. The manager and service manager have already identified the need to increase the permanence of a core staff team in light of unexpected demands upon the home. Satisfactory progress with this is already underway to provide sufficient continuity and deployment of staff for young people.

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Progress

Monitoring activities are routinely undertaken and children's needs are regularly discussed and reviewed. Reports are not currently forwarded to Ofsted in line with good practice guidance. Multi-agency meetings are promptly convened to respond to changing needs, agree decisions and suitably consider risks. Effective strategies to minimise risks for staff members and young people are regularly reviewed.

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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

17B (2001) ensure within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include the duration of the measure of restraint. (Regulation 17B (4) (a)) 30/03/2012

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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 the overall number, competence and deployment of staff, both as a staff group and on individual shifts, can meet the individual needs of all children resident in the home (NMS 17.1)  make every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children's attachments are not overly disrupted (NMS 17.8)  forward, as good practice, Regulation 34 reports at 6 monthly intervals to HMCI. (Volume 5, statutory guidance, para 3.14)

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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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