Children's Home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC410537 Inspection date 20/06/2012 Inspector Andrew Hewston Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 17/01/2012 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 provides residential accommodation for two young people, male or female, who have emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home is privately run and forms part of a group of four children's homes.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality 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 extremely positive about the care that they are given at the home and are able to discuss improvements in their lives while they have been there. Care is well planned and individualised, taking into consideration a wide range of the young peoples' needs and highlighting how these are able to be met. Robust and detailed systems are in place to assess, monitor and review care needs ensuring that care delivered is of a very high standard.

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Overall effectiveness

Relationships between staff and young people are consistently professional and proactive, allowing the adults to be positive role models. Young people are able to discuss how staff have helped them at the home and how they feel safe there. On- going educational support is given to the young people and they continue to achieve within schools where there have been challenges previously.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff are well trained, supervised and knowledgeable about the young people for whom they care. Recommendations made relate to supervision documents and information being received by Ofsted rather than any failures of care practice within the home.

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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 completed Regulation 33 visits are forwarded to Ofsted (Regulation 33.5) 31/07/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure a report in respect of a review of monitoring is forwarded to Ofsted on a six-monthly basis. (Regulation 34.2 and Volume 5, statutory guidance, para 3.14) 31/07/2012

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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 a written or electronic record is kept by the home detailing the time and date and length of each supervision held for each member of staff, including the registered person. (N.M.S. 19.5)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are consistently positive about the care that they receive at the home from an experienced staff team, with one stating that they, ‘wouldn't know where they would be today if it wasn’t for the staff; they have really helped me and my life.’ Young people are supported with developing an awareness of their backgrounds and an understanding of future plans.

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Outcomes for children and young people

A culturally diverse staff team provide positive role models for the young people. Young people have formed appropriate and engaging attachments with staff who show a professional and caring approach.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are fully involved with their education. Staff's on-going support for young people's education has ensured that educational placements have continued and that young people achieve very well while they are in school. The home has thorough health planning and a consistent approach to areas such as the promotion of healthy life styles and regular medication administration. This has resulted in young people being healthier and more aware of their well-being than when they are first admitted.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All planning relating to the young people is highly individualised and responds to their differing needs. This means that areas such as menus, activities and behaviour management are geared towards their specific likes and dislikes, as well as making sure that the young people themselves are involved in their own care. Young people contribute to day-to-day and key decisions about the care they receive. Their views are always considered and acted upon where appropriate. Staff respond positively to young people's views and explain fully when requests are unable to be met.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's contact arrangements are well managed by staff. Where appropriate, contact with friends and family is encouraged and facilitated in a safe and sensitive way. Young people are supported to continue to communicate with those who have played an important role in their life. This means that young people keep in touch with people important to them while their welfare is protected.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy spending time with the staff team. The atmosphere within the home is calm and relaxed, with young people getting on together supported by the guidance of staff. This is particularly positive due to the differing needs of the young people. One young person stated, ‘I like all the staff, they are good at looking after you… They really try to help you to behave.’

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Quality of care

Full recordings are in place of differing ways that young people's views are sought and acted upon. These range from more formal weekly meetings, which include a standing agenda item relating to promoting equality and diversity, to records of key worker sessions where young people state what they would like to change. Young people are aware to whom they would speak if they were unhappy; this includes staff, social workers and a children's rights advocacy group. No complaints have been made at the home since the last inspection. Staff have enabled young people to attend an event run by the advocacy group to develop their awareness of differing agencies that could support them. Information regarding Ofsted is available within the young people's guides given to young people on admission.

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Quality of care

Placement plans are fully completed through consultation with the placing social workers and the expertise of the staff within the home. The plans assist in guiding staff in the most appropriate ways of working with the young people and highlighting specific needs and how these are to be met. Young people are fully involved with reviews relating to their placement plans and their views are fully supported by staff. A social worker stated that the staff's planning is thorough and shows that they really know the best way to work with the young people.

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Quality of care

Young people's on-going contact with their families is a high priority. Staff support differing contact arrangements well, including supervised contact which is fully recorded and more infrequent contact with family members, where the whole contact experience is promoted as being a highly positive 'event' in the life of the young people. Family members report such events as ‘going really well, you know that they are in the right place and are looked after properly’. Family members state that they are kept in touch with issues that have happened in the home and this helps relationships between them and the young person.

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Quality of care

Health plans are in place for all young people and are of a high quality showing the involvement of all health professionals with whom they are involved. Staff have sought out past vaccination records to ensure that young people are up to date with their inoculations and regular appointments are kept with the dentist and opticians. Robust medication administration is completed on time and fully recorded. Auditing of medication is in excess of expectations to further ensure that appropriate medication is administered. Some young people's health related concerns have decreased due to regular medication administration and there is an on-going staff promotion of healthy living. This includes supporting young people in choosing healthier meals and being enthusiastic about activities.

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Quality of care

Excellent work is undertaken prior to a young person coming to the home to ensure that the placement is appropriate for their needs. This ensures that a full picture of a young person’s previous care and education, their needs and future plans can be identified.

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Quality of care

Young people discuss positive and negative aspects of their education and staff are fully aware of challenges the young people face within their differing schools. Staff strongly support young people's attendance and have previously been with them at school during periods that have created problematic behaviours. Staff also support the ability of young people to complete their homework, to further enhance their educational achievements.

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Quality of care

Activity planners show that young people are fully involved in both the organisation of and involvement in their activities. Thoughtful consideration is given to the activities in which young people are involved to ensure that they are appropriately safeguarded and full risk assessments are completed prior to these. An excellent balance is given between organised activities and allowing young people their own space and time.

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Quality of care

The individualised planning and awareness of differing needs allows young people to be aware of each other’s differences, likes and dislikes. The staff promote regular equalities and diversity raising events, including visits to different festivals and celebrations as well as meals specific to different nations.

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Quality of care

The home is exceptionally well maintained, offering a comfortable and pleasant environment to both young people and staff. All areas are well decorated and photographs of current and old residents are displayed. A young person was proud of the fact that the staff had taken them to a studio to have their picture taken for a photograph on the mantelpiece. Young people are proud of their bedrooms which are highly personalised and further support positive links with family and close friends.

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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

The home effectively promotes each young person's welfare and ensures their safety is paramount. Staff are provided with a wide range of policies that specifically address staff recruitment, counteracting bullying, unauthorised absence, complaints, behaviour management and health and safety. In addition, all young people have risk assessments that link to their placement plans. This results in staff having a good working knowledge of safeguarding and health and safety practices. No safeguarding incidents have occurred since the last inspection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are robustly supported by a staff team who know them well. They are skilled at managing emotions, the environment and activities in ways that safeguard the young person, themselves and others. The structures in place result in young people feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

No young people have gone missing since the last inspection. There are clear and understood instructions within an absence plan if such an incident occurs. Staff are vigilant in promoting safety when young people are allowed unsupervised mobility and make the young people aware of the possible risks that being out on their own pose. A young person stated, ‘I understand that staff are strict with me being out; I know that they are just doing it to keep me safe.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

Imaginative behaviour management programmes are in place that primarily promote positive behaviours. These are specific to areas that young people are working on and rewards are achievable and well understood. All staff complete training in restraint although this is only used in the most extreme of circumstances. A young person stated, ‘I don’t need to be held because I have learned how to behave more.’ Sanctions used are proportionate and records allow young people to comment on each incident to ensure that they understand the reasoning behind the sanction.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Clear recruitment records show that arrangements for the selection of staff are strong, with all necessary checks being completed. This effective system of ensuring the right staff work at the home extends into staff's probationary period to allow managers confidence that the most appropriate staff are working with the young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All health and safety checks are regularly completed and ensure that both staff and young people are safe within the home at all times.

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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

Young people benefit from a well-managed service that is having an excellent impact on their outcomes and life experiences.

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Leadership and management

The home’s Statement of Purpose accurately sets out the home's overall ethos, values and principles, which promote the safety and welfare of young people. It is child focused and able to demonstrate how the care offered to each young person by the home will address their social, emotional, educational and behavioural needs. As well as the Statement of Purpose, there is a young person's guide. This is age appropriate, accessible and worked through at the point of placement, with the young person, by a member of the staff team.

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Leadership and management

There were three recommendations made at the last interim inspection. All of these have been responded to with a development plan being in place for the home, increased evidence of activities and increased monitoring of behaviour management records.

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Leadership and management

Staff work effectively as a team and they are all involved in a rolling programme of training courses. Monthly staff meeting minutes show that all pertinent information relating to the young people is shared alongside discussions of best ways to work with them. Staff state that they are fully supported through both discussions about their role and more formal supervision. Records relating to supervision are not fully up to date however.

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Leadership and management

The home is monitored internally through a thorough examination of recordings and trends in young people’s behaviours. However, there has been no assessment of these, relating to Regulation 34, sent to Ofsted. External monitoring of the home is completed by the provider. These include discussions with the young people about the home and their own development. This is then used to inform the development of care practices within the home. Again, this monitoring is completed and fully recorded, but not regularly received by Ofsted.

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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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