Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Unique reference number SC357979 Inspection date 24/05/2012 Inspector Anthony Kyem Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 31/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This local authority children's home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or 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

The home's overall effectiveness is one of a good service with outstanding features.

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides young people with highly individualised care that promotes their needs effectively. Young people's needs are assessed comprehensively. This enables staff to promote their daily routines with a high level of awareness and consistency. Young people benefit from excellent relationships with staff. As a result, they trust and value the adults who support them.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people confirm they are able to influence the way in which their daily lives are managed as their views and opinions are taken seriously. Young people enjoy living at the home where they feel safe and well supported. Young people say, 'The home is a lot quieter; it's an easier environment to be in’ and ‘everyone gets on here and there's no problems really at all. I would definitely give the home 9 out of 10. I have lived here for a year now and nothing’s ever happened to me that doesn’t want to make me be here. I feel settled here; it's a safe and comfortable place to live.'

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Overall effectiveness

Feedback from young people's families and social workers shows a high level of satisfaction with the quality of care. 'I am delighted with the management of X's care and well-being. Those involved with X seem genuinely concerned for his safety, education, development and happiness and are obviously keen to encourage him to develop his own interests and skills in life’ and ’his general outlook has improved dramatically and he is clearly very happy with his living arrangements and relationships with staff, the home is clearly doing an excellent job.'

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this inspection there are a small number of recommendations and requirements made in relation to improved attendance at school to promote young people's educational achievement. The home is also asked to set itself more challenging targets, to secure the sustained improvement of the service.

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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) ensure the routine of the home is organised so as to further children's participation in education, including regular attendance at school. (Regulation 18.1(b) 25/06/2012

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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's development plan demonstrates the home's true capacity for the continued improvement of the service.(NMS 15.2).

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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 supported to develop their emotional resilience, to enable them to cope with life's ups and downs. They are taught to recognise and value their own positive attributes to develop their positive self-view. Young people receive excellent support across all aspects of their lives to support their positive growth. Young people make extensive progress in relation to their starting points.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s health needs are promoted effectively. They receive the support they need to enjoy positive health and they receive advice and support, to promote their emotional well-being. Young people are supported to attend their health appointments. They benefit from specialist support, where necessary, to promote their psychological well-being. Young people are supported to lead a healthy and responsible lifestyle, which enables them to take greater responsibility for their own physical and sexual health.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from well-tailored plans to promote their educational achievement. Staff have high aspirations of young people and most young people respond positively by attending school or alternative provision. However, not all young people attend school despite continued encouragement from staff. Consequently, not all young people are achieving or making positive educational progress. Staff continue to support those young people who struggle with school to help them overcome their fears, concerns or anxieties.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community. Their interests and hobbies are actively encouraged so they benefit from a broad range of positive and enjoyable activities. Young people learn to develop their life skills so they have the knowledge, self-confidence and skills they will need in later life. Pathway plans are used to support eligible care leavers, to promote their successful transition to independence. Daily life within the home encourages independence and young people are supported to take 'reasonable risks' to promote their growth and natural development.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from contact with their families and friends so they can sustain their positive attachments with those people who are important to them. Staff work with young people's families. They recognise the importance that contact plays in securing young people's support networks for the future. A member of a young person’s family says, 'I would like to thank both staff and X for involving me in his everyday life.'

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The happiness, safety and well-being of all young people is at the centre of staff's practice. This ensures young people enjoy their childhood and they feel safe and are well cared for and supported. Young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff, which enables them to develop positive attachments and trust in the people who care for them. These relationships are instrumental to young people's success and their positive outcomes.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm that their views about their care are taken into account to enable them to have a positive influence in how the home is run and their daily lives are managed. As a result, young people can influence how they are cared for. Young people know how to make a complaint and their concerns are acted upon to resolve any issues or concerns they might have. No complaints have been made by young people since the previous inspection and young people confirm they have no issues with the quality of their care.

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Quality of care

Staff promote young people's needs very effectively. They work enthusiastically and they channel their efforts to help young people overcome their past difficulties, to enable them to move forward with their lives. Staff dedication and commitment is commendable. Extensive efforts are made to give young people every possible opportunity to make the right decisions and choices, to improve their lives.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from well-tailored plans which are used by staff to address their needs, effectively. The content, layout and structure of their plans is thorough and young people's views about their plans are frequently ascertained, to involve them. As a result, young people feel fully involved in the decisions made about them. Young people's needs in relation to identity are addressed positively both within care planning and daily living which ensures their needs as individuals are met, comprehensively.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from high quality living accommodation. The home is not recognisable or distinguishable as a children's home. As a result, young people do not suffer from stigma or disadvantage. There is a family like atmosphere within the home and the accommodation provides young people with a homely environment. Careful attention has been paid to the physical environment. Staff recognise the importance that the physical environment brings in promoting self-esteem and placing value on young people's lives. The location of the home ensures young people benefit from good access to local amenities, public transport, as well as local places of interest.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff adhere to safe working practices to protect young people and keep them safe from the risk of abuse, accident, bullying and exploitation. Young people are taught to keep themselves safe so they do not place themselves at risk of significant harm. There are no issues with bullying, anti-social behaviour, offending, or with young people going missing from the home. Risk assessments and clear behaviour management strategies are used very effectively to promote young people's safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a physically safe, nurturing and highly supportive environment. Staff are trained in child protection so they how to recognise and respond to suspected abuse and deal with any allegations or concerns. Staff are carefully vetted to ensure those who work with young people are safe and suitable people. As a result, young people are protected through robust recruitment and vetting procedures.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Positive behaviour management strategies are applied consistently and there is a calm, consistent and sensitive approach towards the use of behaviour management. Staff treat young people with positive regard and they use their positive relationships to maintain a calm, harmonious and healthy environment. Positive relationships and a skilled approach negate the use and need for restraint. Staff provide young people with excellent support to help them to overcome any negative behavioural patterns. As a result, young people learn to manage their negative feelings with constraint and they learn to take responsibility for their own actions and behave responsibly.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a physically safe environment. They are protected by a broad range of systems that staff use to promote their safety. Staff undertake routine health and safety checks, including regular fire drills to ensure young people are kept safe and they know what to do in the event of fire. As a result, young people are protected from all forms of environmental hazard.

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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

There were no requirements or recommendations made at the previous inspection. Equally, there have been no allegations, complaints or concerns that have arisen since the last inspection.

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Leadership and management

The home has a proven track record. It can demonstrate the positive difference it has made to young people's lives and how their outcomes have improved, as a result, of their time here. An ex-resident says, 'this is a quick message to say thank you for the past three years, you changed me into a better person, I can’t thank you enough.' The home has a permanent manager employed and this ensures there are clear lines of accountability.

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Leadership and management

Managers stimulate the enthusiasm of staff and they channel their efforts effectively. Staff are extremely dedicated, motivated and skilled, they are well-trained, experienced and qualified. As a result, young people benefit from a capable staff group who are prepared to go the extra mile to achieve their positive outcomes. Staff receive highly quality training to enable them to develop their professional practice and they receive regular supervision to support them in their work.

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Leadership and management

The home meets the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose and young people benefit from a home that is managed efficiently. Independent monitoring visits are undertaken consistently and the views of young people and those significant to them are taken into account to enable the home to take action on their views. Sufficient staff are employed to meet the needs of young people living at the home. As a result, young people receive the support they need, when they need it.

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Leadership and management

Quality assurance systems are used to monitor the performance of the home and this enables the manager to understand the home's strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, action is taken to rectify identified shortfalls. The manager scrutinises internal systems and they monitor performance to promote the smooth operations of the home.

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Leadership and management

Realistic targets for the service are outlined within the home’s development plan. However, areas for the future improvement of the service are not challenging and the home's development plan is brief. Consequently, the home's true capacity to improve is not fully recognised.

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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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