Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Devon

Unique reference number SC403234 Inspection date 21/06/2012 Inspector Linda Bond Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 07/02/2012 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 home is operated by a private company which also operates a number of other homes in the locality. The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have behavioural and emotional difficulties. The home provides planned or emergency long-term care.

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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

The home provides a good level of care. The outcomes achieved by the young people are good. Young people thrive in a warm and nurturing environment. A very committed and motivated staff team provides continuity of care. Young people say that they feel safe, and are well looked after and enjoy living at the home. A social worker stated, ‘They have only positive things to say about the home.’

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Overall effectiveness

Robust safeguarding policies are implemented by a vigilant, knowledgeable and well- trained staff team. Staff foster strong and positive relationships generating a culture of trust and openness. Systems are in place in order to provide highly personalised and well-planned care. Individual assessments are of a good quality and provide staff with an in-depth understanding of young people’s emotional and social needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff focus young people on their educational potential and promote positive outcomes and consistent progress. A strong management ensures that the home's performance is effectively monitored and the home is enabled to continually improve outcomes for young people. However, an area for development is to ensure the children's guide is made available in alternative formats and a recommendation to address this has been made.

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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 where a child requires it the guide is available when appropriate through suitable alternative methods of communication, for example in Makaton, pictures, tape recording, translation into another language. (NMS 13.6)

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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 in an environment where practice is good. All staff are committed to ensuring that the individual needs of young people are carefully planned, monitored and evaluated. These core principals are underpinned by a very comprehensive care-planning process which combines young people's holistic needs and planned interventions. The values of respecting, nurturing and understanding young people as individuals are strong and consistent. As a result, young people demonstrate a real growth in their view of themselves and the positive relationships they have formed with the staff team. Evidence can be found of this from discussions with staff members.

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Outcomes for children and young people

From the support provided by skilled staff, young people have been able to develop a strong sense of pride in their personal appearance and present as healthy. They engage in regular exercise and learn the disadvantages of smoking and misusing alcohol and drugs through key worker sessions and good role modelling by staff. Staff maintain excellent links with local health services and good access to specialist services is available. Members of the team are very knowledgeable and receive good guidance and training to meet young people's specific medical and dietary needs. They are assisted by a team of external clinicians who together monitor and track young people's physical, emotional and psychological health. This allows staff and other professionals to make informed judgements on a range of indicators, such as the development of young people's self-esteem, their emotional resilience and their view of themselves.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's psychological and emotional progress is consistent and continues over the time of their placement. They are exceptionally positive about their placement and confidently describe how they have benefited and developed.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Regular group discussions and house meetings provide forums for young people to be involved and proactive in the planning and preparation of nutritious, balanced meals. Young people talk of how the cooking of meals is a shared and social process which is enjoyed by all. These opportunities allow young people to develop the necessary skills and understand the importance of healthy living. As young people plan to move on to independence, care plans will detail how they can continue to improve these skills, emphasising the development of confidence and knowledge of independent living. Good and trusting relationships within the home result in young people developing an understanding of how to keep themselves safe, healthy and minimise any risk- taking behaviours. There are currently no incidents of anti-social or unsafe behaviour from young people within the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have excellent attendance at school and are achieving good results academically. They all have aspirations for their future. This includes obtaining an apprenticeship and undertaking GCSEs. Young people benefit from the strong working partnerships between the home and their educational establishments. This focuses on their best interests and assists them with maximising their potential. Young people develop a sense of achievement, skill and knowledge from the inclusion on bespoke training opportunities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Relationships and contacts with family and friends are strongly supported and every effort is made to maintain, restore and support contact with all people who are important to the young people. Restrictions on contact are well documented and agreed by all professionals involved. This is regularly reviewed and young people's views and wishes are taken into account.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy positive and strong relationships with staff and are encouraged to interact confidently with other young people within the home. Staff consistently have realistic expectations of the young people and, by good role modelling, foster caring and supportive relationships. The home provides a warm and nurturing environment allowing young people to reflect, relax and grow. Young people state that they feel safe and enjoy living at the home.

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Quality of care

Positive relationships generate an open and inclusive culture of consultation. Staff encourage young people to trust, be open and to contribute to the way the home is run. Young people confirm that they have opportunities to discuss any worries and concerns and that staff respect their views and wishes. Young people know how to complain and are fully supported to raise any concerns openly in line with the provider’s policies and procedures. Records show that complaints are well recorded, responded to and addressed without delay.

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Quality of care

A children's guide is provided to young people when moving in to the home. However, this document is corporate in style and comes in one format only and does not necessarily meet the individual needs of young people.

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Quality of care

Placement plans address the unique differences and strengths of the young people and document a wide range of imaginative approaches to their needs. The home's approach to placement planning is one of its particular strengths and is strongly supported by the provider. A placing social worker confirms that young people make progress and are supported in their environment by the home embracing the principles of normalisation, social inclusion and unconditional positive regard for the individual and that the home 'meets all the complicated factors of a placement, brilliantly'.

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Quality of care

Care plans are specific, individualised and include assessments of good quality and detail. This is achieved by additional input from external health professionals dedicated to this task. Staff are offered clear and outcome-focused guidance and are given good opportunity to consult clinical experts. Young people are fully involved and contribute to their placement plans. House meeting and development plans document well how young people's voices influence the running of the home and plans for improvements.

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Quality of care

Staff take an active part in the education of the young people and promote good educational and vocational opportunities. Achievement is celebrated and young people receive all possible support to make progress. Young people can feel proud from the memorabilia and paraphernalia around the home that chart the achievements and activities. The home maintains good communication with young people's educational placements and staff attend school reviews as well as parents' evenings and other special events.

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Quality of care

Relationships between placing authorities, families and carers encourage good outcomes for young people within the home. Agreement in the care of young people promotes consistency and continuity of care.

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Quality of care

The home is well-decorated, homely and promotes a caring environment. It provides young people with good facilities and is maintained to a good standard. There are pictures and paraphernalia of the young people throughout the home. Young people have their own bedrooms and are able to personalise them to reflect their individuality. The lounge and dining room provides areas where staff and young people can socialise and enjoy up-to-date and modern media equipment. The property is well maintained and is secure and safe. A development plan outlines improvements to the kitchen and bathroom which will further modernise the home.

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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

The home's approach to safeguarding helps young people to develop a strong sense of safety and well-being. Robust systems are in place to protect young people from significant harm. All of the young people confirm that they feel protected and are helped to understand how to protect themselves.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home promotes a culture of openness and trust where young people can feel confident in discussing any concerns or worries with staff. Staff are well trained in safeguarding and know what constitutes good safe care practice. They respond promptly to any allegations or suspicions of harm. A strength of the staff team is their understanding and knowledge of how to support young people that are vulnerable and unable to keep themselves safe. There are no reported incidents of the young people who currently live in the home, going missing. Excellent levels of proactive support and care are available to minimise the risk of young people going missing. Where a tendency to go missing has been identified, placement plans and dedicated risk assessments include appropriate prevention strategies. The home maintains excellent links with the local police and agrees protocols for working together and the reporting of young people

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Safeguarding children and young people

when missing. This demonstrates the home's wish to be pro-active in addressing such matters and to ensure that young people are safe and their well-being is safeguarded.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has developed robust protocols and guidelines in relation to the management of young people’s behaviours. Young people do not identify bullying as a problem in the home. A robust anti-bullying policy is constantly reinforced and the content and the meaning of the policy made clear to the young people. There are currently no reported incidents or concerns relating to bullying, physical intervention or restraints.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have the skills and experience to provide young people with the support they need to develop positive behaviour. They are trained to diffuse difficult situations and are able to deal with confrontations and challenging behaviour. All receive regular training on positive handling techniques and use these safely and effectively. Sanctioning is rarely used and only as a last resort and in line with the provider's policies and procedures. Good, individual behaviour management plans and a range of risk assessments provide staff with clear strategies for managing young people with challenging behaviour. Debrief sessions are held with young people in respect to any incident providing them with the opportunity to reflect on their presenting behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety policy and practice guidelines are well established to ensure that staff and young people are appropriately safeguarded. No specific health and safety issues were identified during this inspection. Risk assessments are carried out to identify potential sources of harm and ensure that staff and young people are safe from fire and other avoidable hazards. Young people and staff regularly practise fire evacuation procedures and the various health and fire safety records are accurate and up to date.

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Safeguarding children and young people

New staff are carefully screened and vetted to ensure that they are suitable to work with the young people. The criteria are wide ranging and help all applicants to assess their own abilities and attributes for wanting to work in an environment which can often be challenging and complex. Thorough vetting procedures are followed before offers of employment are made. This includes Criminal Records Bureau checks and the verification of written records.

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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

Following the previous inspection, all recommendations have been addressed appropriately.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose is reviewed annually and describes the home's overall ethos, values and principles. The children's guide provides young people, carers, social workers and their parents with a good level of information during and prior to their admission to the home. However, this document remains in one format only and presents as corporate in its style. All staff have an excellent understanding of these core documents and clear processes are in place to ensure that young people are familiar with the content.

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Leadership and management

Since the previous inspection, there has been no change to the registered home’s manager. The overall number and competence of staff meets the individual needs of the current residents and ensures that the home can fulfil the Statement of Purpose. Good staffing levels are maintained by day and by night. The current team has worked together for some time and provide young people with excellent continuity of care.

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Leadership and management

Staff present as confident and confidence is modelled by management. Staff present competently in their abilities to manage challenging and sensitive issues with the young people. Management and staff are genuinely enthusiastic about their work with young people. This is disseminated throughout and the dynamics of the staff team create a very safe and reassuring environment. The management team is very experienced and skilled in creating a home whereby young people can be themselves and staff feel they can develop their professional skills. The management structures in place are sound and management are accessible to staff, young people and others significant to them. The current team has worked together for some time and provide young people with excellent continuity of care.

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Leadership and management

Training opportunities for staff are extensive and wide ranging. Staff are supported in obtaining professionally recognised qualifications such as National Vocational Qualifications. The management team is proactive and responsive to staff development. Staff use their training wisely and can associate this with young people's support needs. Staff have excellent opportunities and access to supervision, support and training to develop their skills and understanding of children's needs and behaviour. Managers have substantial experience in supporting staff teams and in working with young people. Staff are supervised regularly and managers appraise performance formally. Training and development needs are identified and met. Staff feel valued and speak highly of the organisation. Within the home, the manager is organised and the home is efficiently run.

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Leadership and management

Excellent external monitoring procedures are in place to ensure that the conduct and the performance of the home are regularly evaluated. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and constantly drives improvement and better outcomes for young people. Well-documented monthly monitoring visits, on behalf of the registered provider, include meeting with the young people and provides space for dialogue and feedback. Young people's social workers are kept well informed and are regularly updated on their progress. Significant events relating to the protection and welfare of young people are routinely notified to all relevant parties.

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Leadership and management

Young people's records are stored securely. Staff understand the nature and purpose of the records. The home's management maintains and supports systems to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping.

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Leadership and management

The home’s development plan highlights continuing improvements and how these will positively impact on the outcomes of the young people. Further to this, there is evidence within the house meetings and group discussion forums of how young people are consulted and involved in any developments within the home.

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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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