Children's Home run by Building Bridges Care Homes Ltd in St Helens

Unique reference number SC063284 Inspection date 13/06/2012 Inspector Maria McGranaghan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 26/03/2012 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

The home is provided by an independent company and provides care for up to five young people of either gender 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 adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people live in a caring environment that enables them to take positive steps forward. Improvements in education, behaviour and social integration are being made and provide adequate outcomes for the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe and feel protected from significant harm. They are positive about the care they receive and the relationships they have formed with staff. Young people are settled in a home that provides a nurturing and safe foundation.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from planned and personalised care. Placement plans include information that ensures young people are cared for consistently and in line with their needs. Staff work together with external services and this ensures young people get the right help, guidance and support they need.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from good relationships with staff. Suitable staff ratios ensure that young people are afforded the care and attention they need in order to feel safe and secure in the home. Staff receive training, supervision and support that enables them to have a better understanding of young people’s needs and how they are to be met.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is adequately managed. Monitoring systems are in place and where safety is a concern appropriate measures are taken to minimise risk.

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Overall effectiveness

Despite these strengths there are weaknesses. Suitable education provision is not available for all young people. Consequently, some young people are not in receipt of any formal education required to increase life chances. Placement plans and supporting documents are in place in order to identify the needs of young people. However, young people are not consistently involved in the development or review of their plan including keywork sessions and risk assessments in order to effectively contribute to it. External agencies are in place to support the management and review of risk taking behaviours. However, records of significant meetings and plans are not available within the home to ensure a consistent approach to the management of risk. Young people know how to complain. However, there is no system in place for young people to access complaints forms independently in order to support privacy. As a result, one requirement and four recommendations are

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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 registered person promotes the educational achievement of children accommodated in the children’s home; in particular, by ensuring that children make use of educational facilities appropriate to their age, aptitude, needs interests and potential. (Regulation 18(1)(b)) 09/07/2012

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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 views of the child, the child’s family, social worker and independent reviewing officer are sought regularly on the child’s care. Specifically, ensure young people are actively encouraged to participate in the development and review of their placement plan (NMS 1.4)  ensure children can take up issues in the most appropriate way with support and without fear that this will result in any adverse consequences (NMS 1.6)  ensure children understand within their level of understanding, the purpose and content of their plan and the reasoning behind any decisions about their care (NMS 25.1)  ensure information about the child is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to the child when they access their files now or in the future. Children are actively encouraged to read their files, other than confidential or third party information, and to correct errors and add personal statements. (NMS 22.5)

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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 have developed trusting relationships with staff and external services that support them to take positive steps forward. Staff promote young people’s independence and encourage them to take informed risks and responsibility suitable for their age, understanding and in accordance with their plan. However, although detailed plans and risk assessments are in place, these have not been completed with young people or partner agencies, to ensure a consistent approach to the management of individual risk.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are consulted about the running of the home and take part in young people’s meetings and individual manager discussions. One young person said, ‘I chose the colour of my room and help to do the menus. Staff always ask me what I like and don’t like, so it makes me feel happy here.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Most young people are supported to attend appropriate educational settings. On the whole school reports highlight progress and recognise the support offered by staff in helping young people to engage positively. However, some young people have not attended education for a considerable time and do not have an education placement. The manager said, ‘the placing authority has refused funding for a specialised provision and we have been unable to secure a suitable placement locally, this is an ongoing issue.’ As a result, young people’s rights to education and increased life chances are compromised.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to take part in individual and community activities and attend swimming, drama and fishing on a regular basis. One young person said, ‘I love going shopping and for meals out, that’s what I like best. Staff take me out all the time.’ It is evident that the commitment of the staff team has enabled young people to take small steps into the community serving to maximise potential.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from planned and supported contact with family and friends. Staff maintain close links with families and involve them where appropriate in the overall planning of the young people’s care. Detailed contact plans ensure that contact only takes place with whom it has been agreed and this is reviewed on a regular basis.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a supportive environment. One young person said, ‘I feel safe here and I am happy.’ Young people have built trusting relationships with staff and this can be seen through appropriate banter and discussion staff have with young people. Observations confirm that young people are genuinely happy and confident in the company of staff. Young people’s positive behaviour and their smallest achievement is celebrated within the home. Praise and special rewards are consistently recorded, assist young people to develop an understanding of what is acceptable behaviour and provide a useful tool for addressing some negative behaviour. Similarly, young people benefit from individual behaviour management plans that identify strategies for the management of negative behaviour. As a result, the use of negative consequences in the home is minimal.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm they know how to complain. Information is available in the young people’s guide and includes contact numbers for external agencies. Visits by independent advocacy services ensure young people are given opportunities to discuss matters of concern independently of the home. One young person said, ‘I know how to complain and I can talk to staff or my social worker if I am unhappy with anything.’ However, young people do not have direct access to complaints forms. Likewise, there is no procedure for making an anonymous complaint. As a result, the privacy of young people is compromised should they wish to make a complaint.

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Quality of care

Individual placement plans and residential care plans are in place and encapsulate a clear picture of individual needs and how they are to be met. However, young people have little involvement in the development and review of the plans. One young person said, ‘staff talk to us all the time about stuff, but I’m not sure what my plans is yet.’ Consequently, a lack of evidence fails to support young people’s overall involvement ensuring their views and opinions are actively sought, recorded and responded to.

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Quality of care

Most young people have suitable educational placements. Staff have secured good relationships with partner agencies and offer consistent support to young people in order to maintain their placements. However, some young people do not have an educational placement. As a result, some young people’s life chances are being compromised.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a homely environment that blends well into the residential area. Individual bedrooms are decorated and personalised according to the wishes of young people, thus promoting a sense of ownership. Young people benefit from a private meeting room, games room and large external gardens where they grow fruit and vegetables for their home.

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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

The home maintains policies and procedures for the protection of young people living in the home. Staff are appropriately trained in order to respond quickly and efficiently to allegations or suspicion of abuse. As a result, young people are closely monitored and changes in behaviour recorded. Communication with external agencies involved in the care of young people promotes a holistic approach to maintaining the safety and wellbeing of young people. However, formal safeguarding plans and meeting minutes highlighting levels of concern for some young people are not on file and this serves to compromise the effectiveness of risk management processes.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people confirm they feel safe in the home and have good relationships with staff in order to report any matters of concern. Young people receive appropriate support in order to maintain their overall safety and well-being resulting in a significant reduction in young people missing from home. Where young people are missing, appropriate steps are taken including consistent liaison with partner agencies to secure their safe return. Positive behaviour is promoted and rewarded within the home enabling young people to recognise their own personal achievement. Behaviour management plans and risk assessments are in place and assist to capture individual triggers for young people taking into account their individual needs. However, young people do not fully engage with the development of the plans and were unclear about its purpose. Consequently, young people’s views and opinions are not consistently sought in order to develop a plan that is owned by

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff focus on de-escalation and re-direction techniques in order to defuse situations between young people. This has proven successful and, as a result, there has been no physical intervention since the last inspection. A staff member said, ‘although we are all trained we don’t use restraint unless it is a real emergency or potential risk.’ Comparatively, young people confirm that bullying does not take place in the home. Staff demonstrate they are vigilant in monitoring any bullying in the home and efficiently promote a zero-tolerance approach to this matter ensuring the continued protection of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff promote young people’s ongoing protection by undertaking regular fire drills and service tests, making sure any faults are efficiently addressed. Similarly, good monitoring systems ensure medication is appropriately stored, administered and recorded

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has a suitable recruitment procedure to ensure young people are looked after by staff that are appropriately checked in order to work in the home. Visitors are vetted appropriately and this helps to make sure that young people are protected while in their home.

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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

The home meets the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose, and young people, social workers and families are clear about the service and support the home provides. A development plan is in place to secure future improvements, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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Leadership and management

Internal and external monitoring systems provide the home with an adequate approach to the overall monitoring of care. However, the monitoring of the quality of work being undertaken with young people is inconsistent. As a result, young people are not clear on their individual plans, goals or targets.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive suitable support from the manager. Supervision takes place on a regular basis and serves to identify training needs and personal development targets. Staff receive regular training and this ensures that young people are looked after by the most suitable staff.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff demonstrate commitment to delivering child care practice tailored to the individual and personal needs of young people. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress some young people have made, such as education, personal safety and behaviour management.

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Leadership and management

The manager ensures the views of external services and families are taken into account to make sure young people’s needs are appropriately met. The home shows the capacity to improve, based on the progress that young people have made to date.

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Leadership and management

The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents under Regulation 30, Schedule 5 and has been consistent in the reporting of incidents occurring in the home. This practice ensures that information is shared with the regulatory agency in order that the actions and outcomes for young people can be suitable assessed.

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Leadership and management

The home has made good progress in addressing three recommendations made at the last inspection. Specifically, a Registered Manager is now in post offering a consistent approach to the care of young people. A risk assessment has been completed with regard to the use of an electronic key fob and all washing facilities are now in full working order.

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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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