Children's Home run by Esland South Limited in Kent

Unique reference number SC059037 Inspection date 24/04/2012 Inspector Lucy Ansell Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 13/12/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This is a privately owned registered children's home offering care and accommodation to four young people experiencing severe 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 adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

The positive ethos in place is largely due to the strong leadership and management style of the current manager and deputy who are able to guide the relatively new staff team and model good child care practices. The young people have positive relationships with the staff and receive good quality care at this home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people experience instability at the home due to lots of placement changes, a new staff team and the challenging behaviour presented. However, positive action is being taken to address these issues. Although young people continue to present the high risk anti-social behaviour that they did prior to admission, there are some indications that these are beginning to reduce as a result of the perseverance of staff and continuation of the placement.

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Overall effectiveness

Shortfalls highlighted on this visit relate to: young people's healthcare; insufficient review of internal placement plans and not evidencing the progress made by the young people within the quality assurance process. The home is also failing to significantly reduce the impact on behaviours outside of the home. This is partly attributed to the short period of time that young people have been in placement.

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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

(2001) shall establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals; and improving the quality of care provided in the children's home- in particular include a qualitative analysis of incidents within the reports that are compiled (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)) 28/09/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) prepare and implement a written policy (referred to as behaviour management policy in the regulation) which sets out the way that appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the home- in particular with regard to minimising criminal activities and high risk behaviours outside the home (Regulation 17 (1)(b)) 28/09/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) shall promote and protect the physical, emotional and mental health of the children accommodated in the home (Requirement 20(1)(d)) 28/09/2012

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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 care and support provided to children minimises the risk that they will go missing and reduces the risk of harm should the child go missing (NMS 5.1)  ensure the children receive care which helps them prepare and supports them into adulthood. (NMS 12)  ensure the home contributes effectively to each child’s placement plan review and statutory review of the care plan, ensuring evidence of what has changed and what targets have been achieved (NMS 25.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to develop their own identity and a positive self view through individualised care planning. Appropriate relationships ensure staff promote the young people's identity and encourage social and emotional development.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Although registered with appropriate health care services, young people often choose not to attend the routine appointments that are made by staff. Young people are offered the support they need to educate them about their use of substances which may be damaging to their health. Longer term health risks are not recognised by young people who often ignore the advice offered. Despite this, the staff persevere in their attempts to promote good health. Although inconsistent, young people have begun to make progress with regards to their school attendance and attainment. Staff encourage this through practical support and the use of rewards. Young people benefit from the same priority that is give to promoting positive family contact. Contact arrangements are actively supported and young people appreciate this.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Difficulties occur in how young people are choosing to spend their time outside of the home. Staff are concerned about the criminal activities and behaviours in which young people engage and which place them at risk. Although current interventions by the staff and external agencies have had little impact on reducing the levels of absconding and criminal activity, this is partly attributed to the short period of time with which young people have been placed. There are signs that progress is being made to engage them with work placements and school activities as a means of diverting their attention away from criminal activities and preparing them for independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are provided with the facilities and are supported by staff to practise independence skills, including domestic tasks and cooking, with which some engage. Generic documents have been devised by the service to assist with planning and preparing for adulthood but these have only just been started. Young people are fast approaching leaving care age and they risk being ill-prepared to move on to adulthood.

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Quality of care

The home provides an encouraging environment for young people. A strength of the home is the relationships that are forming between staff and young people. This enables staff to work effectively in a relaxed manner while still maintaining consistent professional boundaries. The young people are starting to form trusting relationships with key staff and listen to some of their advice. The manager, deputy manager and experienced staff demonstrate a good understanding of young people's individual personalities, needs, interests and strengths. The management team work directly with the new staff to role model and pass on their experience and promote a positive ethos. A young person described the home as, 'alright, good for a children's home.'

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Quality of care

The home has a comprehensive approach to the planning and delivery of young people's care. Placement plans clearly outline their individual needs and objectives. They also detail specific aims relating to a young person's gender, ethnicity, faith, sexuality, culture, family background and any disability to help young people make sense of their own identities. However, any success is sporadic and short lived, with young people continuing to make unsafe choices. Key work sessions are planned and enable young people and staff to explore any concerns. The whole staff team take responsibility for supporting the young people and weekly team meetings discuss all issues pertinent to the young people to ensure continuity of care. Young people influence decision-making through a wide range of avenues such as daily discussions, house meetings, key work sessions and statutory reviews. Young people feel listened to and know how to complain, although they prefer to discuss

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Quality of care

and resolve grievances informally with staff. The home also provides young people with a list of external organisations who they can contact to share their concerns.

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Quality of care

Young people reside in a home which demonstrates a commitment to their health. Staff support young people to access local health services and support and advise them on how to manage health-related matters, however young people rarely utilise these resources. Young people do influence the menu and eat a range of international dishes. Meals are nutritious and balanced. Young people are encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle as the home provides a broad selection of fresh fruit, healthy snacks and meals

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Quality of care

Young people are making satisfactory progress to engage in education and are working towards educational qualifications according to their ability. The home uses alternative educational provision, such as the use of home tutors, to ensure all the young people are accessing education in a way that is appropriate and individual for them. As a result young people’s engagement and attendance has improved since their starting point.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a well maintained property, on a busy side street which is close to the town centre. The home provides a modern comfortable environment. Young people have their own bedrooms, which they can personalise to reflect their individuality. They are encouraged to use travel links and local facilities which are situated nearby. This helps them become self-sufficient in preparation for independence.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is adequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected by safeguarding procedures that are effectively implemented in the event of a child protection issue occurring. The manager and senior staff speak knowledgeably with regards to the home's own processes and they work effectively in partnership with the local authorities, police, schools and youth offending workers. Child protection training is regularly updated and the staff know how and when to report concerns. Social workers say they are regularly updated with regards to safeguarding matters and they appreciate the homes swiftness to notify and also their transparency.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are vulnerable due to a lack of overall stability in the home. This is partially as a result of all the recent emergency admissions. All the placements are of short-term emergency nature with a history of high risk behaviours and secure placements. Young people continue to be unsafe by placing themselves and others in their local community at risk of harm due to criminal behaviour and going missing. Although current interventions are not consistently working, external professionals comment that the home is doing everything that can be expected to keep young people safe, given their history and the length of time they have been in placement. It is acknowledged that the home is trying to provide stability of placement rather than move them on. There are signs that progress is being made with young people starting to return every evening and by starting to form relationships with key staff

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Safeguarding children and young people

Attempts are made to remain in contact with young people during their absence and they are welcomed back by the staff when they do return. The home has clear practices, and agreed arrangements with the local police and they work closely with them to ensure effective action is taken to reduce safeguarding concerns. Individual risk assessments identify and plan for the risks to young people's safety and welfare and individual behaviour management plans are comprehensive.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff team do provide consistent boundaries with a clear behaviour management focus that is slowly starting to pay dividends. All staff receive behaviour management training and this includes the use of physical restraint. Its actual use is rare and clear records are maintained when such interventions are used. Staff members are skilled at finding the most effective methods of working with the young people when they are in the home and successfully manage their behaviour with de-escalation techniques.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Sound recruitment processes provide appropriate safeguards for young people. New staff members do not commence their employment until all checks and references are satisfactorily returned. Senior staff are trained in safer recruitment and follow good recruitment practices. These robust practices help prevent unsuitable candidates from working in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a home which is suitably furnished and well maintained. Single bedrooms provide sufficient privacy and are homely and personalised. There are sufficient bathrooms and toilets as two of the bedrooms are en-suite. Regular health and safety checks maintain a safe physical environment.

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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

Young people benefit from a supportive manager of the home who understands their needs and wishes. The manager is experienced and knowledgeable about her role and responsibilities and provides clear and accountable leadership. She understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has clear plans in place to implement and manage this.

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Leadership and management

The majority of the staff group are new to working with children in a residential setting, but all have experience of working and supporting young adults or children in other settings. Most staff are still in their probationary period and the manager is still in the process of forming a stable staff team. At present these changes contribute to the instability of the home but care has been taken to recruit more suitably experienced staff. At present all staff are working on the Children's Workforce Development Council's Induction standards. It is planned that those without a level 3 qualification in caring for children and young people will undertake an appropriate professional qualification after completion of their probationary period.

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Leadership and management

In the meantime, young people are cared for by staff who receive mandatory training which includes first aid and behaviour management, safeguarding and child protection. Staff receive regular supervision from their supervisor; they all found supervision to be very good and a supportive system. The staff team are diverse with a good mix of genders, ages and cultures.

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Leadership and management

The home's Statement of Purpose is comprehensive and provides a clear statement of how the home operates. Staff guide young people to know what services they can expect from the home and how they will be cared for.

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Leadership and management

Concerns and complaints that have arisen since the last inspection have been resolved appropriately in a timely manner and complainants kept informed of progress. The home is adequately resourced to meet the needs of the young people cared for.

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Leadership and management

Internal systems are in place assess the quality of care. The required areas are examined but many of these are simply about counting incidents and occurrences without any real depth of analysis. Incidents such as absences and behavioural issues are not being fully explored in any qualitative way. Hence, the manager is unable to demonstrate the impact and value that living at the home has had or how life chances have improved.

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Leadership and management

The home responds positively to recommendations made from inspections conducted by Ofsted and is also quick to make appropriate notifications of serious incidents to Ofsted and other agencies. Placing social workers appreciate the openness and transparency of the staff team. Quotes include, 'I am always kept up-to-date with events, and the home is doing everything possible to safeguard the young person. The Manager and her team works over and above what they need to do.' Other agencies involved with the home were spoken to and they feel positive relationships have been formed which are beneficial to the young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people's case files contain all the required information, and are held securely and confidentially. Information is available for staff to refer to help them and young people understand their background. The young people's care files, including risk assessments and behaviour management plans are subject to regular reviews and amendment. The placement plans are reviewed six monthly, but this is insufficient to keep abreast of developments that affect young people as most placements are for short periods of time.

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Leadership and management

Staff and young people have access to equal opportunities policies and training. The staff team are aware of issues of equalities and ensure they practice in a non- discriminatory way. Regardless of race, culture, religion, communication or disability; young people are given opportunities to develop their own identities and experience new things.

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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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