Children's Home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Unique reference number SC051947 Inspection date 30/04/2012 Inspector Graham Robinson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is owned by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to two young people 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 are making good progress in relation to their starting points both socially and educationally, helped by being in stable placements. They benefit from a supportive environment that is underpinned by clear and consistent boundaries. When young people overstep those boundaries, they are given good levels of support, rather than automatic sanction. This assists young people to improve their decision making skills and take some responsibility for their own actions. Individual young people’s needs are identified with plans and strategies put into place to meet them. Their progress and development is closely monitored.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are cared for by a stable staff team, who work positively and energetically to meet their needs in a non-punitive way. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safe working practices, linked to young people's individual needs. As a result, young people’s welfare is promoted positively.

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Overall effectiveness

The management and organisation of the home is good. The manager is relatively new to this home, but is working effectively to move the home forward. Good levels of communication between staff promote consistent working practices. The strengths and weaknesses of the home are assessed and understood, and there are suitable plans for continued development.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff and young people enjoy good relationships with each other and this enhances the progress being made by young people. Young people do not have access to a computer within the home, which could be used to enhance their education. With regard to evidencing effective staff recruitment practice, the current system does not show if checks to confirm the applicant’s right to work in the United Kingdom have been considered or taken place.

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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 young people have access to the full range of educational resources to support their learning, particularly a home computer (NMS 8.2)  ensure the evidence maintained to show that suitable recruitment practices are taking place includes the steps taken to confirm that prospective staff have the right to work in the UK and if further checks have been considered for any person who has lived outside the UK. (NMS 16.3)

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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 are achieving positive outcomes in all respects. They receive high levels of support that allows them to stabilise their lifestyle with a view to going on to prosper socially and educationally. Placements are stable. The ethos and practices of the home support and encourages young people towards setting and achieving personal goals. Young people’s individual needs are identified and these are reflected in the plans and strategies in place for them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from contact with family, friends and other appropriate adults. Contact arrangements are complex, but young people confirm they feel well supported by staff who encourage and support them to maintain appropriate contacts. As a result, young people’s needs are well met.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home works proactively with other agencies to promote and support young people's educational needs. This is reflected in the current community based education arrangements in place for young people who were once rejecting of any educational arrangements made for them. Good levels of communication and cooperation are in place with those facilities providing education to young people. Any lapses regarding attendance are picked up immediately by staff who work supportively to encourage young people to engage fully with their education. Based on their starting points, young people's educational outcomes are good. However, currently there is no home computer provided, which could impact negatively on young people's immediate educational attainments.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and their health needs are positively promoted. Specific health plans to ensure individual needs are assessed and met, have been introduced in the home since the previous inspection. Young people are registered with community-based health services to access day-to-day health support. The home has good links with more specialised services, which are available for young people when required. Young people are encouraged to improve their lifestyles through diet and exercise. They are provided with information and given every encouragement and practical support to modify certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as tobacco, drugs and alcohol. As a result, young people enjoy improvements in their general health and fitness levels.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people actively contribute to certain aspects of the home's daily operation. For example, they are expected to take responsibility for keeping their bedrooms tidy. These and more targeted areas of work and development, underpinned by effective planning, promotes young people towards taking more responsibility for their own actions and move towards a more independent lifestyle.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home is well established within the community and actively encourages young people to take full advantage of the resources available. For example, participation in local sporting clubs. Individual activities as well as those shared with staff and other young people form part of the evening and weekend routines.

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Quality of care

Staff are good at developing and maintaining positive relationships with young people, which encourages them to settle and develop trust. The good relationships and attachments formed between staff and young people are used positively by staff as a tool to reduce tension and unrest. As a result, the number of serious behaviour management incidents occurring are minimal. Staff also use a range of planned strategies to support young people rather than use sanctions. This results in reducing the number of stressful experiences for young people.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm their views, wishes and feelings are actively sought by staff. Young people can influence certain aspects of the home’s operation, for example, through weekly young people's consultation meetings and regular individual sessions with staff. Recently, the manager has introduced her own monthly consultation programme with young people. The good levels of consultation provides young people with a feeling of worth and a sense that their opinions and views do matter.

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Quality of care

Young people recognise the boundaries in place for them and good communication levels between them and staff allows young people to recognise why it is not always possible to act upon their wishes. This encourages and supports young people towards making appropriate and more informed decisions about themselves and their future, as well as providing them with a sense of reality.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit and thrive in a warm and supportive environment. Their individual needs are clearly identified in a good range of planning documentation and individual risk assessments. This includes identity, religious and cultural needs. Regular reviewing of the plans and strategies ensure young people’s needs are current and well met. Young people demonstrate good insight into the plans in place for them, confirming they have input into them. This gives them a sense of direction along with agreed and achievable targets to aim for.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from the positive relationships they have with staff, who work openly, transparently and communicate positively. As a result, young people live in a relaxing environment and receive care in a trusting atmosphere which allows them to develop greater confidence in themselves and others. Young people have a full appreciation of the high levels of support they receive from staff.

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Quality of care

This home is well kept with good standards of repair, equipment, fixtures, furnishings and décor. Each young person has their own bedroom, which are personalised to suit the taste of the occupant. Young people are relaxed and feel at home in their environment, which is well located to access community facilities.

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Quality of care

Staff promote healthy lifestyles in a variety of ways. Young people actively engage in a wide range of group activities, individual interests and leisure pursuits. For example, individuals have opportunities to follow their own interests and leisure pursuits, many of them being community-based. These are reflected in the activity planners that are completed weekly. Young people benefit from healthy meals and are encouraged to try unfamiliar foods, appreciate different cultures and try international cuisine.

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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 say they feel safe living at the home. Staff understand their role and responsibilities should a safeguarding situation arise. This will result in prompt referral to external agencies which ensures young people are appropriately protected. Strong links are in place with external agencies who report good levels of communication between themselves and the home. All staff have undertaken initial safeguarding training, with regular refresher courses forming part of the ongoing, staff core training programme. Overall safeguarding awareness and practice keeps young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say that bullying is not an area for concern and is not a live issue currently. They confirm staff would quickly intervene should an incident occur and that bullying in any form is not tolerated. This gives young people a feeling of security and general safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff know how to respond should any young person go missing and are aware of local protocols and practices in place to protect young people. They work closely and cohesively with external agencies when incidents occur. Any vulnerability a young person may have is recognised and well practiced routines to keep them safe are implemented quickly. Young people are cared for on their return, rather than automatically sanctioned. For example, young people are given the opportunity to speak with someone independent of the home. This adds to the practices in place designed to keep young people safe. Young people are supported to work positively through difficulties and they recognise sanctions as being fair. Reward systems for good behaviour are in place and young people say that rewards outweigh the number of sanctions imposed. Staff are skilled at diffusing difficult and potentially challenging situations, often with humour when

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Safeguarding children and young people

appropriate. Staff and young people recognise that physical intervention only take place as a last resort, with records showing that no incidents have taken place since the previous inspection. Good monitoring of incidents ensures young people’s individual strategies are kept under review and adapted as required. As a result, serious behaviour management incidents are rare.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a permanent and relatively experienced staff team. Appropriate recruitment policies, procedures and practice ensure all new staff are suitably cleared prior to taking up their posts. This ensures only suitably checked people have contact with young people. However, there is a shortfall in evidencing if staff have had their right to work in the United Kingdom checked.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected with a range of risk assessments. They also participate in regular fire drills and can safely exit the home if needed. Safety checks to maintain a safe environment are regularly undertaken. Individual risk assessments, coupled with coping strategies, promote a safe environment for all young people. Individual strategies are updated in light of reviews of young people’s risks and progress.

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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

The manager is relatively new to the post and has recently submitted an application to be registered by Ofsted. However, the manager has quickly settled into the role and receives good support from the staff team. The manager is child focused and has a clear vision of how the home should develop and progress. The staff team work cooperatively together, are child centred and supportive of the ethos, aims and working practices being developed. They understand their role and responsibilities and work with the support of the management team to address young people’s needs.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal to improve their knowledge and working practices. All staff have either completed, or are undertaking appropriate professional qualifications. Staff regularly participate in core training events to update their knowledge and skills. This ensures they possess the competences and skills to effectively meet young people’s diverse and individual needs.

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Leadership and management

Both the internal and external monitoring of the home are taking place regularly, with reports from monitoring visits in place. Reports appropriately review performance and identify areas for improvements. Young people contribute to monitoring and can discuss their views.

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Leadership and management

The manager is well supported and demonstrates an understanding of the strengths of the home and areas in need of improvement. The home has a good record of compliance and has successfully addressed the one recommendation carried over from the previous inspection. This has resulted in young people being given improved opportunities to see someone independent of the home when they return from being missing.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home that is stable, well managed, organised and striving for continued improvement. This gives them a sense of security and belonging. Young people see their immediate future as remaining in the home, with staff being supportive and where necessary, challenging of placing authorities looking to move young people for financial reasons. Young people recognise that staff have a genuine commitment to support them through troubled times so they can look to the future with some positivity.

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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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