Children's home SC038539

Unique reference number SC038539 Inspection date 16/03/2012 Inspector Anna Williams Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Date of last inspection 13/09/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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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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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Brief description of the service

This residential special school is owned and managed by a national private organisation. It provides education for up to 55 children aged 9 to 17 years who have severe emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties.

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Brief description of the service

The school offers placements that extend beyond term time. Therefore it is registered and inspected under the regulations and national minimum standards applicable to a children’s home. On site accommodation is arranged into three small residential units for up to 15 young people.

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Progress

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

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Progress

The last full inspection of this children's home was in September 2011 and the overall judgement was inadequate. The home was inspected in January 2012 and was making inadequate progress then. The children’s home has been working towards a targeted action plan to address the shortfalls raised at the previous inspections. The clear focus on addressing these shortfalls has been successful. This approach and pro-active strategies put in place by the Registered Manager has led to improvement in the quality of care given to young people.

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Progress

Staff now receive a debrief following the use of any measures of control. This ensures that staff have opportunity to reflect on their practice and discuss ways in which the measure of control could have been avoided. This approach is focused on reducing the numbers of measures of control used, and this benefits young people. Since the last inspection, there have been no new staff appointments. An internal audit of all staff recruitment files showed some shortfalls and these have been followed up appropriately. This ensures that staff working with young people are now robustly vetted. The job description for night care officer has been fully revised to contain specific duties and responsibilities, such as monitoring CCTV screens overnight. This ensures young people are now cared for by staff who are fully aware of actions they must take in order to safeguard all young people overnight.

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Progress

The home has sourced an independent advocate to provide support to young people. The service is not currently available because recruitment checks are still being processed. The Registered Manager has a clear child-friendly strategy to inform young people of this new service when it starts and ensure that young people know their rights to advocacy and how to access the service. New paperwork systems are now fully effective across the three accommodation areas. Young people's files now contain up-to-date information and paperwork as required by regulation. The quality of records has improved and files are now completed in a consistent manner. Progress indicators now provide clear evidence of how a young person is achieving their individual targets. This ensures each young person has an accurate record of their time living at the home, which is useful to them now and in the future.

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Progress

The Registered Manager has been successful at working with staff to ensure a more consistent approach. Consequently, paperwork systems and behaviour management strategies are now applied consistently across the home. The home now has an allocated team of night care officers. Previously, night staff worked across all homes within the larger organisation. This further ensures consistency of care for young people. Regular children's meetings take place and allow young people the opportunity to have their say about living in the home. Young people have seen changes happen through the purchase of new cutlery, new plates and a new television for accommodation areas. Young people's complaints are responded to appropriately. The home has made significant changes to the layout of one accommodation area following a recent complaint. This means that young people see their views and wishes influencing the running of the home.

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