Children's home SC394547

Unique reference number SC394547 Inspection date 07/03/2012 Inspector Michael Williams Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 08/12/2011 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 privately owned children's home provides care and accommodation for up to three children of either gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties between the ages of 10 to 18. At the time of the last inspection, no children were in placement, after a young person had recently made the transition to an adult service. However, the home intended to admit children at any time. The home became operational again shortly before this inspection.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Overall the home provides a good service to young people. The quality of care provided is good and outcomes for young people are good. The safety of young people, the home's leadership and management and the promotion of equality and diversity are also good. The home has a recent history of providing outstanding to good care, both overall and in every individual outcome area.

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Overall effectiveness

In young people’s surveys, one young person indicated that the care and support at the home is very good. They commented that 'they help me with whatever I need'. A placing authority social worker, who had recently placed a young person at the home, commented that so far they had found the staff really positive, well prepared and friendly, and that they had communicated with their young person particularly well, given that they were initially not happy with moving placement.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff provide young people with individualised care that takes into account their wishes and views as far as possible. The views of young people’s parents and carers, social workers and independent reviewing officers are also taken into account. The staff team have a very good approach to the young people. They engage them in very positive communication and interaction and provide them with very positive motivation. As a result, they enjoy very good relationships with the young people. The last young person to move on from the home was choosing to maintain regular contact with staff from their new placement. Young people are safe and say that they feel safe. The home's practice is very child-centred: staff place young people's well-being at the centre of their practice.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress with developing a positive self-view, emotional resilience and knowledge and understanding of their background. Young people receive personalised care which promotes all aspects of their individual identity. This care is led by their key worker who develops a close working relationship with them. Key workers consult with young people and others who have an important relationship with them regarding their placement plans. A young person recently admitted to the home commented 'they're still learning about me and I'm still learning about them’. However, they indicated that they are always helped to take part in meetings about them and that the time they spend with their key worker is very good. Staff were aware of the young person's cultural background and were discussing with them how to promote this aspect of their individual identity. As a result, the young person agreed that their cultural background was being respected

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people live in a healthy environment where their health needs are very well promoted. Young people's health needs are very well met by suitably trained staff, who liaise closely with health professionals when necessary. A young person recently admitted already had access to the health services they needed to promote their health. Daily menus are planned to provide balanced meals while taking individual young people's dietary needs and likes and dislikes into account. One young person was participating in the home's food shopping and cooking as part of the home’s promotion of their interests and independence. This was also promoting their learning, given that they had expressed an interest in beginning catering training and work experience.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well supported to achieve their educational potential. Prior to their placement at the home, young people had not regularly attended school or alternative education provision for several years. Staff took into account that this was their educational starting point. They had obtained appropriate educational resources for them and information on suitable educational courses, available both currently and in the near future, that young people were engaging with.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are able to enjoy their interests, develop confidence in their skills and are supported and encouraged by staff to participate in leisure activities both inside the home and in the community. Such participation helps young people build positive peer relationships and increase their social networks and integration in the community. For example, a key worker had already started to explore with their newly admitted key child what age appropriate activities they like to take part in, which ones they share an interest in, and which ones they would like to develop their interest in. As a result, this young person indicated that staff always help them to be involved in out of school activities that they are interested in.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from constructive contact with their family, friends and other people who are important to them. Young people are encouraged and supported by staff to maintain and develop such contact. For example, a newly admitted young person was having appropriate forms of contact with different family members and an ex-resident was continuing to maintain contact with staff from their new placement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Appropriate to their age and understanding, young people receive positive care which helps prepare them for and supports them with leaving care and their transition to adulthood. Given their age and level of maturity and independence, staff were actively planning to continue developing one young person's independence. For example, in areas such as preparation for the world of education, developing further practical and financial skills, and understanding and taking responsibility for personal healthcare. As a result, this young person agreed that staff help them to learn the skills they will need as an adult. Where appropriate, staff use the provider's life skills booklet and similar resources to achieve this outcome with young people.

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Quality of care

Young people and their placing social workers feel that staff are consistently concerned with their welfare. One young person indicated the care and support is very good and their placing social worker commented that the home has 'been able to manage the young person fantastically' so far.

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Quality of care

Staff implement positive behaviour strategies to support young people to develop positive relationships and skills in managing conflict. For example, they routinely record young people's positive contributions, for which young people sometimes receive a reward. Staff had recorded a number of positive contributions from the young people in placement, such as volunteering to do chores, interacting well with staff and cooperating with health appointments, and had rewarded them accordingly.

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Quality of care

The home encourages young people to build positive peer relationships and interact positively with others. For this reason, the young person in placement commented that the home would be even better if they 'get another young person’ with whom they could build such a positive peer relationship within the home. When young people display challenging behaviour, this is appropriately managed by staff, who avoid the need to use physical restraint by the successful use of de-escalation methods.

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Quality of care

The views and wishes of young people, and others with an important relationship with them, are sought and taken into account both in the delivery of their care and the running of the home. For example, one young person was busy decorating their new bedroom with staff, after their fervent wish to move bedrooms was a personal choice that had been taken seriously and agreed to. Young people are consulted by their key workers and in weekly young people's house meetings. Key workers maintain regular contact with young people's parents, carers and social workers. As a result, young people's welfare is promoted and they are able to obtain support for any problems or concerns.

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Quality of care

Staff ensure that young people's placement plans are tailored to their individual needs. Placement plans are focused on action to meet young people’s identified needs and involve young people as far as possible. At the time of this inspection, staff had completed a successful admission process with one young person and were in the process of gathering more information about them in preparation for an imminent placement planning meeting with their social worker. The young person was planning to take a leading role in this meeting, having done so in their recent Looked After Children reviews, and the home was encouraging this.

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Quality of care

Staff actively address challenges and barriers to educational progress. Staff were gathering as much information as possible about a newly admitted young person's educational history and aspirations, and obtaining appropriate information about educational provision available to them both currently and in the future. Staff were also encouraging the young person to develop a daily routine that would support them to successfully attend their future educational provision. As a result, this young person's educational achievement was being promoted.

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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

One young person commented that they always feel safe at the home. Their placing social worker commented that so far the home has kept them safe and settled and that this was quite an achievement for both the young person and the home, given the young person’s recent history. Young people are kept safe by good attention to safeguarding practices. Young people’s needs are individually risk assessed and action plans to reduce risk to them are implemented in practice. This ensures care is tailored to young people's needs and their welfare is protected. Staff are guided by in-house child protection procedures that are consistent with those of their Local Safeguarding Children Board and regional safeguarding and child protection group. Staff take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously and have completed child protection training.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are very proactive in promoting positive behaviour and relationships. They focus on promoting and rewarding young people's positive contributions, and as a result young people predominantly behave appropriately and interact positively with others. Staff are trained in positive handling, but incidents that require them to use restraint or sanctions with young people are very rare. This reflects the positive relationships staff and young people usually enjoy with each other.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people have not gone missing since the last inspection. Should they do so, they will be safeguarded as far as possible by staff following the home's protocol with the police regarding missing children, and responded to positively on their return.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has an excellent staff recruitment and vetting record, which helps prevent unsuitable people from having the opportunity to harm young people. Since the last key inspection, the home has not recruited a new member of staff. To achieve continuity of staffing for young people, the home does not employ agency staff.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people stay in a very safe home that provides them with a very suitable physical environment. It is comfortable and homely and is well maintained and decorated. Checks on the safety of the home are up-to-date and regular monitoring ensures the environment remains safe.

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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

A placing social worker commented that so far they had found the home's provider and manager to be really good with communication, and that so far the home has been able to manage a young person fantastically.

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Leadership and management

Overall this is a very well-managed home. Its Statement of Purpose includes all required matters and provides clear and full information to staff, placing social workers and parents and carers. The young people's guide to the home is in an appropriate format.

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Leadership and management

Staff numbers, qualifications and experience are more than sufficient to meet the needs of the young people. Details about the home’s staffing and staff training, supervision, and qualifications and experience form part of the home's Statement of Purpose. Young people benefit from consistent staffing provided by a good core of workers. Continuity of care is provided when core staff are absent or there are staff shortfalls by the use of a small number of bank staff who are used as and when needed and are very familiar with the home and the young people.

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Leadership and management

Staff participate in a range of health and social care training which enables them to continue to meet young people's needs. This includes health, safety and safeguarding training. Young people are looked after by staff who have either achieved or are working to achieve a relevant qualification. Regular supervision and staff team meetings also support staff to provide a high quality service to the young people.

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Leadership and management

The home's provider is also its manager and they effectively run the home along with a director and a deputy manager. Between them they have the skills, experience and qualifications to exercise effective leadership of the home's staff and its operation. They also ensure the delivery of good quality care that meets the individual needs of each young person at the home.

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Leadership and management

Regular monitoring of the operation of the home effectively contributes to maintaining good quality care and promotes the welfare of the young people. This monitoring is carried out by the home's management team to form an opinion of the standard of care provided.

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Leadership and management

The registered provider has a 2011 written business plan for the home. It shows that it is likely to be able to continue to fulfil its Statement of Purpose for at least the next year and includes plans for future development.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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