Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC035976 Inspection date 02/05/2012 Inspector Catherine Ross Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 25/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is registered to a local authority. The home can accommodate up to four young people aged between 10 and 17 years with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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 Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people in this home make consistent progress in all areas of their lives. Young people feel genuinely valued and cared about. The relationships between staff and young people are of high quality, based on trust, warmth, consistency and high expectations and aspirations. Professionals working with the home speak positively of the progress young people have made while living at the home. The home is extremely young person focused and one of its strengths is how much young people are encouraged to be part of the running of the home. Education attendance and achievement is also a strength. There is a strong commitment to promoting equality for all young people, advocating on their behalf as a good parent would.

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Overall effectiveness

Two shortfalls have been identified as a result of this inspection. These are in relation to correct recording of sanctions and maintenance and decoration of the home. These shortfalls do not impact negatively on the welfare or safety of young people.

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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 that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control or discipline, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include the items listed in the regulation. (Regulation 17b (3) (a-i) 01/06/2012

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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 home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. (NMS 10.3)

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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 steady progress while living at this home. They develop their self-esteem and a positive self-view through key work sessions, engagement with other professionals, social and leisure opportunities and education. Young people's individual interests and needs are identified. Young people make good progress in developing emotional resilience and self-confidence. This is due to having their needs thoroughly and accurately assessed, the staff treating them with respect and their individuality being celebrated. Effective relationships are built with external providers. Communication between the home and external agencies, parents and carers is good.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have very good attendance at school and achieve well. Staff have high aspirations for the young people in their care and an education professional confirmed staff 'encourage them all the time'. Another stated, 'all the staff at the home do everything to ensure [young person] is able to get the very most out of all our education provision has to offer'. Young people's understanding of their own and other's health needs improve during the time they are at the home. Young people do not engage in behaviour which could be harmful to their health such as using alcohol or drugs. Young people who are capable of self-administering medication are encouraged to do so with guidance from staff promoting their independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Contact with people significant to young people is encouraged and staff help young people make arrangements for contact when appropriate. Young people are able to make good attachments and are helped to sustain them over time. Young people who struggle to settle in their placements at the home are supported by staff in every way possible. Young people who are moving towards independence are supported to learn new skills such as managing a bank account and cooking their own meals. However, staff are on hand to provide extra guidance where necessary. These measures enable young people to be fully prepared for moving on when the time comes. Young people have the opportunity to access and engage in a wide range of activities that develop their skills, social networks, confidence and achievements. Where young people choose not to access activities, they are encouraged appropriately and offered alternatives.

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Quality of care

Young people are involved and listened to by staff through many aspects of daily living. They are regularly consulted about how the service is supporting them and any changes they would like to see implemented. Young people have had the opportunity to have input in to important documents used by the home. For example, a young person has written the children's guide. Young people and staff have warm relationships and clearly enjoy spending time in each other's company. Mealtimes provide opportunities for conversations and joking and informal young people's meetings where young people's views and opinions are listened to. Young people who have a pertinent issue they want to discuss with all staff are invited in to staff meetings to put forward their case. Requests by young people, such as what time televisions in bedrooms should be switched off, are taken seriously by staff. Young people are encouraged to put forward their view and supported by staff to

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Quality of care

see the positive and negative consequences of different outcomes. Measures such as these not only help young people take responsibility for their own welfare but help young people understand boundaries and appropriate behaviour.

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Quality of care

The home has clear systems in place to support education including close liaison with schools attended by the young people. Close liaison between education providers and school helps secure positive outcomes for young people. Attendance at educational meetings is prioritised and young people are consistently reminded of the importance of education. There is a consistent approach from staff in relation to supporting young people in their studying and revision when at home or attendance at homework club, aiding young people's achievement with education. Access to health professionals is appropriate and timely. Staff take different opportunities to help young people gain a better understanding of health issues. For example, a television programme prompted a sensitive discussion about health issues. Individual health needs are catered for through prompt and well-coordinated access to all health services as necessary.

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Quality of care

Regularly updated care plans reflect young people's individual needs. Staff are fully aware of young people's personal histories and future plans and this enables individualised care planning. Staff are extremely sensitive to young people's needs in relation to personal identity. Most young people who are due to move to the home are offered tea visits and overnight stays which aids them settling in to the placement. Young people's input is valued as part of the care planning and review process and they are encouraged to attend all meetings which have a bearing on their care and their future. The maintenance and decoration of the home is ongoing. Young people's bedroom floors have been replaced where necessary, plans are in place to improve the garden area and to refurbish the bathrooms. However, the rate at which these improvements are made is slow. A hole in a toilet door has been patched up and awaits replacement, communal carpets are showing signs of wear and tear. Dead

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Quality of care

flowers and plants outside the house and in the garden do not reflect a homely environment. However, walls which needed redecorating were quickly repainted by staff during the inspection.

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Quality of care

Young people are able to access an advocate or independent visitor to further aid them in having their voices heard. Additionally, they have regular opportunities to speak to the Regulation 33 visitor and other visiting managers. Measures such as these help young people feel part of the running of the home.

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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

Young people state they feel safe living at the home. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. For example, the visitor book shows that unchecked adults are suitably chaperoned by staff. Staff are able to take prompt, effective action in the event of any safeguarding concerns and are confident in taking measures to protect the safety of young people when the Registered Manager is away from site. Young people feel that bullying is not a concern at this home stating they have 'never been bullied’.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and managers who are warm, motivated and supportive towards them. The ethos of the home is clearly child focused. These relationships have helped staff in consistently managing challenging behaviours. Individualised behaviour strategies are used with young people to help them develop socially acceptable behaviour. Very few sanctions are given to young people. However, when sanctions are used the recording of them is not clear and the effectiveness of the sanction is not recorded. This is an area for development however, this shortfall has not affected the welfare or safety of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff take time to understand how young people feel, which helps both parties to understand why they react in certain ways. Consequently, staff are able to suggest strategies which help young people divert their behaviour and reduce the use of physical intervention. Positive behaviour management strategies mean that there has only been one incident of restraint since the last inspection. There have been very few incidents of young people going missing and these incidents have been appropriately recorded.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments are regularly updated and young people are supported to understand their own behaviour and responses to situations. Risk assessments appropriately balance risk factors with age and independence helping young people take risks as part of the normal growing up process. Young people are encouraged to sign their safe care plans indicating young people's involvement in the process. The home is physically safe and appropriately secure. Staff are aware of their responsibilities in relation to health and safety and fire safety. Therefore young people live in an environment which is appropriately safe. There have been no new employee appointments since the last inspection, therefore recruitment information was not checked on this occasion.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate .

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Leadership and management

A permanent Registered Manager effectively manages the home. The staff team are competent, committed and well-established. This means there is continuity of care and consistency for young people. When asked to describe the care young people receive from staff, a professional commented, 'they have done everything expected and that bit more'.

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Leadership and management

Monitoring of quality of care is undertaken regularly by leaders and managers of the home. Regulation 34 monitoring has identified areas for improvement and weaknesses in the service and the Registered Manager had taken action with the majority of shortfalls that have been identified. For example, it was identified young people's participation in reading and signing their safe care plans was an area for improvement. Young people confirm their participation in this area has increased. Action was also taken following a recent Regulation 33 report which identified a short fall in the recording of young people's meetings. The result of monitoring and consultation is used to inform future practice development.

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Leadership and management

At the previous inspection, shortfalls were found in the recording of physical intervention. A new template for recording has been introduced which means there is less room for error. There has only been one physical intervention since the last inspection and the recording of this was appropriate.

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Leadership and management

All staff receive a wide range of training. Staff have been undertaking training in social pedagogy during the last year. Staff comment they feel this training has helped them improve their practice. Core training courses are refreshed as required. In addition, all long term staff have completed the relevant National Vocational Qualification. This training supports staff to fully meet the needs of young people. Young people, staff and placing authorities are clear about the aims and objectives of the home and the home has positive relationships with external agencies helping to strengthen the good quality service young people receive. All significant events have been notified as needed allowing the regulatory body to monitor the home appropriately.

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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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