Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Unique reference number SC025745 Inspection date 29/05/2012 Inspector Sue Winson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 01/03/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is owned and managed by a charitable organisation. It provides a short-breaks service for up to five young people with learning disabilities, including autistic spectrum disorders.

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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

Children and young people make good progress in relation to their starting points across all aspects of their welfare and development. This is achieved through effective partnership working. There is excellent communication with parents, who have the main responsibility for the care of their sons and daughters and others involved in young people’s care. This provides consistency of care and informs comprehensive and detailed person-centred planning. The impact that the home has had in supporting this progress and achieving outcomes is not always fully evidenced. Improvements to recording are in progress to address this. There is a strong focus on young people’s needs. Their views are central to all aspects of how the home operates and develops practice.

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Overall effectiveness

Care planning and practice are highly personalised to meet the individual needs of children and young people. For many of the children and young people, consistency of care is central to their ability to progress. Staff are innovative and proactive in ensuring this is in place. In addition, many of the young people do not manage change well and the impact of arriving at the home is minimised in a variety of ways, tailored to individual need. Introductions to the home ensure that young people have time to familiarise themselves before staying overnight. The home has not been able to support all young people moving to adult service provision.

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Overall effectiveness

Leaders and managers understand the strengths of the home and areas for development. They have plans in place to maintain good progress and move their practice forward. Effective monitoring and auditing ensures that quality of care is continuously reviewed. The staff group are fully committed to continuous improvement to benefit children and young people. They know the young people well and positive relationships exist. Consultation with children and young people ensures that their views are central to the running of the home. However, the home has not been successful in gaining the views of parents and others, to contribute to development plans.

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Overall effectiveness

Children and young people were present during the inspection, but due to communication issues, they were not always able to convey their views directly. However, their confidence in approaching staff and abilities to make their wishes known was evident, as was staff responsiveness to their needs.

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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 that the views of others with an important relationship to the child are gathered and taken into account (NMS 1)  ensure that all young people are supported during transition to adult services (NMS 11.8)

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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

Children and young people make good progress in the home from their starting points, sometimes in small steps over considerable periods of time, depending on the frequency of their short breaks. Well-planned and monitored introductions are made at their pace, to ensure that they are confident and secure in their time away from home. Children and young people develop a positive self view through routine praise and a focus on their abilities and skills rather than their disabilities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people, including those with special communication needs, are able to actively participate in day-to-day decisions and exercise choice. For example, they choose which bedroom they use, decide which activities they would like and what they wish to eat. Communication aids are available to them so that they can use pictures to indicate their wishes. Some have their own signs and symbols with which they indicate their choices. Where possible they are supported to attend meetings and share their wishes and feelings about more complex decisions in their lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Health promotion in the home ensures that young people understand the importance of health eating and lifestyles. They have the opportunity for regular exercise and healthy snacks are available to them. They have access to a wide range of stimulating and appropriate leisure activities, some of which may not be available to them otherwise. These include involvement in community activities and specialised resources. This ensures that they make progress in developing their skills and confidence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people develop life skills, including cooking, shopping and self care. Consequently, their independence is maximised and promoted. Children and young people are largely well-supported when they move to other placements; for example, many have the opportunity to visit beforehand. However, young people approaching adulthood do not always have their transitions to adult services consistently well planned by their local authorities. For some young people, appropriate adult respite placements have not been identified by the time they reach 18.

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Quality of care

Children and young people enjoy sound relationships with staff, who have high aspirations for them. There is effective communication and positive working relationships with parents and others involved in their care. This highly consistent care benefits the young people, who respond well and make progress. The wellbeing of children and young people is at the centre of practice in the home. This applies irrespective of the challenges they present. Their achievements, however small, are praised and celebrated, which increases their confidence and self-esteem.

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Quality of care

Individualised and highly detailed care planning benefits children and young people and ensures that they make progress. Staff visit them in their homes and schools before placements begin. They work with parents, teachers and other professionals, including speech and language specialists. This ensures that the staff have full information about individual likes, dislikes and behaviours, to inform care planning and provide consistency of care. Introductory periods ensure that children and young people familiarise themselves with the house and the staff before staying overnight.

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Quality of care

Staff contact parents prior to each visit, to ensure that they are updated on any aspects of the care, including medication. When children need to know who will be in the house when they arrive, photographs of the staff who will be on duty are emailed to parents. Robust systems for dealing with complex medications ensure that children are safe. All staff are appropriately trained in medication handling. Management audits and checks on staff competence in the administration of medication take place regularly.

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Quality of care

High quality planning for short stays ensures that children and young people’s diverse needs are met. Effective shift planning ensures that support is available to individuals at the required levels. Staff work together to ensure that children and young people are safe and enjoy their short breaks. These plans allow for flexibility to meet individual wishes and choices.

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Quality of care

Clear behaviour management plans inform day-to-day care of the children. These are compiled in conjunction with parents and are updated as behaviours change. Much of the behaviour management is proactive, for example, young people who may become distressed when the house is busy at staff handover times, are taken out beforehand. Where necessary, reviews take place regularly to discuss the effectiveness of strategies, monitor progress and ensure that children are benefitting from all those involved in their care providing clear guidelines and consistent responses.

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Quality of care

Staff are skilled, committed and patient. This ensures that young people can communicate their wishes and feelings and exercise choice through a variety of communication strategies, many of which are individualised. Young people are well supported to enjoy a wide range of activities, which meet their needs and promote development. Staff are knowledgeable about community and specialist leisure facilities in the area and give young people choices about how they spend their time. The home has transport provision, but staff also encourage children to walk to local parks and shops, or use trains and buses, which many of them enjoy.

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Quality of care

Staff support young people to develop life skills and exercise appropriate independence. These aspects are included in their care plans, as is their transition to adult short break services at the age of 18. Despite some advocating on their behalf, the managers and staff have not been successful in ensuring appropriate transitions for all the young people, some of whom need considerable time to adapt to changes in their lives. Occasionally, young people’s funding ceases before an alternative placement is identified.

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Quality of care

The house is appropriately located, designed and maintained to meet the needs of the children and young people. It is large and allows for them to have personal space, or quiet times when they need to. Where possible they choose which bedroom they use and it is personalised prior to their arrival. They enjoy the computer room and the sensory room, both of which are well equipped. Safe access to the garden allows for outdoor play.

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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

Young people are confident in the home, readily approach staff and are able to make their wishes known. Appropriate levels of supervision, geared to individual needs, ensure that children are safe. This is underpinned by robust risk assessment and highly effective risk management planning. Staff are highly alert to the vulnerabilities of the children and young people and work with them on understanding road safety, stranger danger and bullying. Examples were given where work with young people has been carried out to enable them to go out safely with staff into the community. Staff are able to maintain a reasonable and safe balance between young people’s needs for protection and independence.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Although intentional bullying does not happen, any incidents of aggression are logged, in order that patterns of behaviour can be monitored to protect children. High levels of supervision ensure that children and young people do not go missing. However, staff are aware of procedures and protocols and know what to do in the event of this happening.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is minimal use of physical restraint and the home can demonstrate that this is only used to protect children and young people. Staff are suitably trained and their competence in positive behaviour management is very well monitored. Highly effective behaviour management planning and knowledge of individual signs and triggers, ensures that staff are able to take action at early stages to prevent behaviour escalating. Excellent communication within the staff team ensures that changes in behaviours or triggers are known to all staff.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Robust selection and vetting of staff, including agency staff, protects children and young people. Allegations and concerns about children are handled fairly and in a timely manner, for the protection of all concerned. Notifications about significant events are provided to all the necessary people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The house is physically safe and appropriately secure. Systems are in place to ensure that all young people have regular opportunity to practice leaving the home on fire drills. Where they have not responded appropriately, work with young people has been successful in ensuring they leave the home when necessary. The fire service has inspected the home and remedial work has been done to ensure compliance.

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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

Effective and efficient managers support staff well and provide leadership and guidance to the team, which assists their work with children and young people. Staff are well supported and supervised. They have training opportunities which equip them to meet the children’s needs. They are positive about the management and leadership of the home and describe the managers as approachable and helpful.

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Leadership and management

There is a stable, experienced and skilled staff team who are enthusiastic and committed to meeting the needs of the children and young people. They work together well and can ask each other for support or guidance in demanding situations. Good communication is evident. The home employs an administrator who is very much valued as an effective part of the team.

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Leadership and management

There is robust monitoring of the home and a clear agenda, aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people. Reflective practice is well embedded and staff are constructively critical and open in examining their own practice. The manager makes use of information from monitoring reports and ensures that any necessary improvements are addressed in a timely manner. Monitoring of the progress that children and young people make has been identified as an area for improvement.

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Leadership and management

Records are generally clear, well organised and securely stored. The manager has started to implement better recording systems to evidence the sometimes small steps of progress that young people make after work has been carried out with them over a considerable period of time. This is now evident in some young people’s files, but is not yet consistently recorded.

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Leadership and management

One requirement from the last inspection has been acted upon in a timely manner. Despite a range of initiatives, difficulties persist in gaining the views of parents and other interested parties to aid development.

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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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