Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Cambridgeshire

Unique reference number SC370910 Inspection date 17/05/2012 Inspector Rebecca Sharp Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 13/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children’s home, owned by a private company, is registered for three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, aged between 11 and 17 years. The home is domestic in style and set within a housing estate.

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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 benefit from highly personalised care, tailored to meet the holistic needs of individuals. As a result, young people are making positive progress from their starting points. Regular evaluation of individuals progress takes place to ensure sufficient support is being provided. Therefore, any issues are quickly identified, and a package of support is put into place. Young people are positive about their experiences living in the home and they feel safe and secure.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people receive consistent care from a proactive and passionate staff team. Strong relationships have been built between staff and young people which are based on trust and respect. Staff are committed to providing high quality care for young people and consult with them regularly to gain their views on how to improve the care they receive. As a result, young people feel that their views, wishes and feelings are listened to, and acted upon.

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Overall effectiveness

The leadership and management of the home is a particular strength. The manager monitors the home effectively and understands the strengths. Areas for development are clearly documented and plans are in place to address these. Staff feel that the manager is approachable and successful. They are supported well and receive high quality training. Therefore, staff are well equipped to meet the needs of the young people in their care.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good . In relation to their starting points, young people are making significant academic progress, both with their attendance and attainment. Young people are supported in maintaining education placements from prior to their admission which allows consistency in the evaluation of progress. One young person has made excellent progress in emotional literacy since being placed at the home. Staff offer effective emotional support and respect the young people’s individuality. As a result, young people are making encouraging progress in developing their emotional resilience and in their ability to sustain positive attachments. A social worker for one resident stated, ‘this is the longest period of stability for this young person and they have formed a good, trusting relationship with their keyworker.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

A particular strength of the home is the commitment to meeting the health needs of young people in their care. Young people are encouraged to be active and healthy. Physical health is promoted through gym membership and regular swimming trips, alongside a healthy and balanced diet. All statutory health appointments are made and young people are registered with local agencies upon admission. The home ensures they receive appropriate information from placing authorities in order to ensure they can meet the needs of each young person. Staff maintain constant support to young people who consistently refuse medical treatment through a dedication to their well-being. The home cares for emotionally vulnerable young people and support in this area is of paramount importance. Staff offer consistent boundaries which enables young people to feel safe. Referrals to the child and adolescent mental health service are handled quickly by staff through the local GP.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Therefore young people have access to appropriate services in order to meet their emotional and psychological needs.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community. As part of their care plan, independence work is completed regularly. Young people learn how to cook meals for themselves, complete basic chores and budget money. This work is evaluated effectively by staff to ensure individuals are developing their skills appropriately. Issues are identified quickly and additional support is put into place where necessary. As a result, young people have made a successful transition into adult life and independent living. Staff work with education provisions to secure work experience placements for young people. This enables individuals to develop new skills and confidence. Young people are supported and encouraged to have jobs in the local community which further promotes their independence. And by playing an active role in society this allows young people to develop a sense of belonging and a positive self-view.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with family and friends as per their individual care plans. Staff work with placing authorities and parents and carers to enable overnight stays with friends, and this is managed well. Risk management is used successfully by the home and trust is developed with young people to ensure their safety. Each young person is provided with a mobile phone and have access to a communal telephone in order to keep in touch with those important to them. Transport is also facilitated by the home to allow contact to go ahead; young people are encouraged to use public transport where appropriate in order to promote their independence.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy positive and inspiring relationships with staff. The staff team are dedicated to meeting the needs of the young people in their care and are consistent in their approach. Young people benefit from the security of this consistency. One young person commented that they, ‘like the security, safety and the care that is provided best about the home’. Strong and appropriate attachments are formed with key workers which enables constructive emotional support for young people. Staff have an intricate understanding of individuals and communicate effectively as a team to meet the needs of the young people. A social worker for one young person stated that they were, ‘confident that the staff are very skilled and professional in dealing with their young people’.

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Quality of care

Consultation with young people is evidenced well. Young people feel listened to and that their views and wishes around the care they receive are taken into account. Residents’ meetings are held weekly which gives young people the opportunity to influence the running of the home. Menu choices and activities are planned during these meetings, taking into account individuals choices. Achievements are celebrated and group issues are discussed with all young people. This contributes to the consistency of the care they receive. Staff advocate for the young people in reviews and consultation papers are routinely completed by all parties. This ensures the full participation of young people and those close to them in the planning and review of their care.

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Quality of care

Care plans are thorough and individualised. They identify each element of care precisely with plans to address them including identity, background and sexual orientation. Placing authorities are consulted with regards the care plans which are updated regularly. All necessary agencies are involved such as, health and education. This ensures young people’s needs are fully met. Young people have a daily living plan which runs alongside their care plan. This is an individual plan which sets out a daily routine for each young person which allows a greater understanding of the residents. Young people contribute to their own behaviour management plan. They tell staff what makes them angry and upset; what behaviours they exhibit, and what will help them cope during an incident. These plans are crucial for staff in promoting positive behaviour. The effectiveness is evident in the lack of physical restraint and

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Quality of care

Staff are proactive in their support of education. Strong links have been built with local learning provisions which have had a positive impact on the young people’s attendance and attainment. The manager ensures that each young person has a personal education plan from the placing authority and an individual education plan from the school or college. This equips staff with information to support young people to achieve. With support and guidance from staff, some young people have 100% attendance at school. This is immense progress from their starting point. There are a range of positive and purposeful activities on offer for young people. The home encourages their full participation in learning new skills, developing different interests and maintaining hobbies they enjoyed prior to their placement. Young people benefit from well-planned leisure time which contributes to the development of confidence and self-esteem, and the building of positive relationships with staff

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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 are safe and feel safe living at the home. Individual risk assessments are robust and comprehensive. They are used as live documents and are updated frequently in order to ensure the safety of young people on a daily basis. The manager is forward thinking with regards risk management. This allows young people to make their own choices and take age appropriate risks with support and guidance from staff and placing authorities. Incidents of self-harm have increased however all young people have access to the local child and adolescent mental health service. The home is working closely with placing authorities and health services to ensure the young people get the support they need.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are trained in safeguarding, child protection and whistle blowing procedures. This training is refreshed regularly alongside other mandatory training such as first aid and restraint, to ensure young people and staff are kept safe. There have been no restraints since the last inspection, however staff are aware of the legislation surrounding the use of restraint and recording procedures meet regulation. Behaviour management is successful and young people are developing strategies to deal with their emotional and behavioural difficulties. Staff enable this through debriefs with young people following incidents and regular key working sessions. Peer relationships are managed well and staff encourage open communication between young people. Instances of bullying are few, however handled quickly and comprehensively by the staff team. Local police have visited the home to discuss bullying to develop young people’s awareness.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Each individual has a tailored missing from care procedure which is developed with the placing authority, in line with the local police protocol. There have been several instances where young people have been reported as missing to the police. Each incident is recorded appropriately and reported to all necessary parties. Young people are spoken to upon their return in order for staff to identify triggers for their behaviour. Any issues are then entered onto the young person’s risk assessment and communicated throughout the team in order to prevent further occurrences.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Complaints are handled fairly and quickly, with an efficient audit trail to evidence actions taken and the outcome of the complaint. Young people are involved in the process and kept informed of progress made. Investigations are completed with precision and professionalism and reported as necessary.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager is innovative and highly motivated. As a result, the home is effectively managed and staff are well supported. The manager is passionate about providing excellent quality of care for young people. This passion is mirrored by the staff team who strive to meet the needs of the young people and are successful in doing so. Supervision of staff takes place monthly and it is planned in advance. This ensures staff receive consistent support from the management team. Appraisals take place annually however the manager reviews these with staff on a six monthly basis. This is to confirm that any actions set in the appraisal are on course for completion or identify further support needed for individuals. As a result, the support structure available for staff is well organised and exceeds minimum standards.

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Leadership and management

No requirements or recommendations were made at the last interim inspection where the home was judged to be making good progress. The manager has continued to develop the service, and as a result, no shortfalls have been identified at this inspection. Monitoring of training has improved and a new matrix has been introduced to ensure all staff have received mandatory training and necessary updates. The manager has also created a system by which young people’s outcomes are monitored and evaluated. This is used in conjunction with care plans, health promotion and independence training. It is an innovative tool in ensuring young people are making progress and identifies areas needing additional support. The introduction of this system guarantees consistency in the support of young people achieving optimum outcomes.

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Leadership and management

The managers monitoring systems are comprehensive and successful. Staff are skilled in their recording and cross referencing which allows for proficient monthly monitoring under regulation 33 and 34. There is a robust self-assessment document which is completed annually and identifies the strengths of the home, and the areas for development. This evaluation forms the basis for the home’s development plan. The home’s Statement of Purpose is in depth and placing authorities are clear about the aims and objectives; commenting that the home, ‘offers consistency and boundaries’ to young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people are consulted with regularly on all aspects of their care, and as part of the managers monitoring. Weekly meetings are held, review consultation papers are completed and individuals also have the opportunity to complete periodic feedback questionnaires. One young person feels they are, ‘always asked about plans for the future and decisions about my care.’ It is clear that young people’s views, wishes and feelings are taken into account by the manager and have an impact on the quality of care they receive.

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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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