Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC066428 Inspection date 26/06/2012 Inspector Mandy Williams Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 18/01/2012 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

The home is registered to accommodate up to five young people of either gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, physical or learning disabilities, mental disorders and sensory impairment. The home provides accommodation for up to four young people in the main building and one young person in an annex attached to the building. This is designed as a semi-independent living space.

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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

This is a very good home where young people say that they enjoy living and where they feel safe. Young people generally make good progress here both socially and educationally. Young people views are central to any decision making in the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people enjoy positive and respectful relationships with staff, who demonstrate a real commitment to improving the life chances for these young people. They have an extremely good understanding of the needs of the young people that they are caring for and of their individual circumstances. Young people are treated as individuals and their needs met accordingly.

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Overall effectiveness

The level of communication between staff with young people's families and involved professionals is extremely good. The home demonstrates that they can work successfully alongside others with the young person's interests being central to this.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager knows the home well and places a strong emphasis on providing a high standard of care with placement plans subject to regular review. Any changes are discussed at staff meetings, as well as any changes to routines or developments in the home. However, minutes of these meetings are not distributed to staff and it is not clear if all staff are aware of the issues discussed as there is no system for monitoring this.

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Overall effectiveness

The standard of décor in the home is good and there is a warm and friendly atmosphere in the home. Appropriate environmental safety systems are in place but no fire drills have been undertaken in night-time conditions for some time. This would ensure that staff are able to evacuate young people safely with reduced staffing ratios.

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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 there is an emergency escape plan that all staff and young people are familiar with and have practised so they know what to do in an emergency; this relates to the undertaking of fire drills in night-time conditions and the formulation of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans for those with a disability (NMS 10.9)  ensure that there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home; this is in relation to staff signing the staff meeting minutes so that the manager can ensure that all staff are familiar with any changes to plans for young people or actions planned for the home. (NMS 21.1)

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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 living in the home experience excellent outcomes in terms of their health, education and emotional well-being. Some young people have experienced many changes of placement and inconsistencies in care prior to admission and some have complex health needs. Staff work hard to develop trusting relationships with young people and value their individuality. This in turn helps young people quickly feel valued and they soon settle into the lifestyle within the home. The high staffing levels ensure that individualised care plans can be followed and young people learn that staff are available for them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have access to a range of health care practitioners required to meet their needs. Health care plans clearly outline their needs. However, these are regularly reviewed and reassessed to ensure that they remain suitable and all opportunities are considered to improve any health related outcomes for young people. Young people are encouraged to eat a healthy diet and some young people have successfully lost weight as a result of this. Young people are involved in menu planning and cooking in the home, which will assist in their preparation for independent living in the future. Staff are also willing to alter meals appropriately if young people express a dislike of a certain meal; for example, making a vegetarian alternative to a minced meat dish. All young people of school age are engaged in education and attendance is excellent. Some young people have made considerable progress in terms of their education and

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Outcomes for children and young people

have recently completed a number of national examinations. They have coped well with the additional stresses resulting from this, demonstrating their increased level of maturity and confidence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people report that they get on well together and they are encouraged by staff to value each other's differences. Some young people have undertaken projects aimed at improving opportunities for others; for example, a gardening project that opened up this hobby to a young person with mobility difficulties. This resulted in a real sense of achievement for both the young people involved.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The young people enjoy being engaged in projects that improve their living area and in turn help them learn the skills of negotiation and compromise. The staff and young people recently held a Jubilee party and the young people invited family members, friends and involved professionals. All the young people were involved in the preparation that consisted of planning, shopping and cooking the party food, decorating the home and organising activities. They also raised money for a charity at this event by organising a number of raffle type games. The young people really enjoyed this project, which resulted in a great deal of satisfaction for the young people and a real sense of achievement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to maintain contact with those important to them; such as family members and friends. The home appreciates the significance of these relationships and work hard to ensure that these important connections are not lost as result of a change of placement. One parent commented, 'The home has been fantastic with contact. They have gone the extra mile. They really respect that I am X's mother and that they are looking after someone very precious to me. This understanding has made things feel less painful. The staff really care about X'. They also try to keep in contact with young people when they have left the home. This is important as young people who are still living in the home learn that staff really are interested in their future and many young people that move on are appreciative of the on-going support offered. Young people learn the significance of sustaining relationships as a result.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The staff team work cohesively and provide consistent messages to young people. Staff try to act as positive role models. Young people enjoy very positive relationships with staff and they are thriving in this nurturing environment. One young person commented, 'there are many good things about this children's home, including the care, the variety of activities and the family atmosphere'. Young people that have lived in other children's homes report this to be one of the best. Young people enjoy spending time with staff and demonstrate respectful relationships with them. Staff demonstrate a real commitment to improving situations for young people and steering them towards a positive future. One social worker commented, 'staff are very supportive of X. I have found them very open to any suggestion I have made and follow through with any practical decision, such as making referrals to other agencies'.

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Quality of care

Young people's views are actively sought and they influence the running of the home. Young people's meetings are held weekly, where consultation takes place on issues such as menu planning for the week ahead, changes within the home and activities. These meetings are also used to reward young people for their achievements, where they may receive a small gift or a certificate of achievement. The recent introduction of a young people's suggestion box means that young people can also write things down when they think of them and put them into the box. Some young people adopt a more formal approach and write a letter to the manager when they have issues to raise. These are responded to promptly and young people receive a clear explanation for any decisions made that are not what they would have hoped for. The home is, however, good at reviewing situations and young people accept that a suggestion may not be able to be implemented now but that it

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Quality of care

will be subject to review. Young people confirm that they feel involved in decisions made about the operation of the home.

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Quality of care

Young people say that they know how to make a complaint. Information is available in the children's guide and also on the notice board in the home. The home is in the process of introducing the role of an advocate to the home who will visit the young people on a regular basis. This will ensure that young people have easy access to someone to express any concerns to and someone who can take up any issues on their behalf. There has been one complaint from a young person since the last inspection. They raised this in discussion with their social worker but then later withdrew this. However, the manager was mindful of the issues raised and made amendments to the young person's placement plan as a result. Thus, demonstrating that the home is keen to listen to the comments of young people and willing to action change.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from individualised placement plans, to which they contribute. These clearly outline the needs of the young person and are subject to regular review. Any revisions made are highlighted in the report, to ensure that staff are able to identify any changes quickly and everyone is working towards the same objectives.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from a regular routine and a weekly planner that outlines their activities and appointments for the week ahead. Staff encourage young people to engage in any hobbies or interests that they already have or in the development of new ones. High staffing ratios ensure that young people are able to attend clubs and activities outside of the home. One young person is a particularly skilled chess player and staff regularly transport this young person to tournaments around the country, sometimes involving staying overnight. Other activities include attending scouts, going to the gym and to the cinema. Those with a disability receive equal access to such activities. This ensures that the imagination of young people is stimulated and they are given the opportunity to develop new skills and friendships. The home is located in a quiet residential area and is decorated and furnished to a high standard. It is homely and welcoming and has the atmosphere of a family

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Quality of care

home. Young people are able to personalise their own bedrooms by choosing their own colour schemes and putting posters on the walls. This helps them develop a sense of belonging to the home. There are also plenty of games and books available in the home for young people to play with if they choose.

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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

Young people are well cared for and say that they feel safe living in the home. Staff undertake safeguarding training as part of their induction to the home and refresher training is part of the home's core training programme for staff. This ensures that staff are aware of the correct procedures to follow should they have to deal with any safeguarding issues. The organisation has a bullying policy and any incidents that do occur are recorded in the home's records. However, generally young people say that they get along together well and that staff encourage them to respect each other's individuality. Positive interactions were observed between young people during the inspection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home complies with the locally agreed protocol for young people that go missing from home. There have been a number of occasions when young people, some no longer resident in the home have been missing since the last inspection. However, staff do try to locate the young person and the home have developed a good relationship with the local missing from home co-ordinator. The manager keeps them updated in relation to the young people who are resident in the home. Some of the terminology in the home's records does however require updating.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in behaviour management, including the need to use physical restraint. This training is regularly updated. Staff have unfortunately needed to implement restraints on a regular basis to protect the individual young person and other young people resident in the home. There has been a reduction in incidents of late as the group of residents has changed. The home maintains appropriate recordings of any incidents in a volume designed for this purpose.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The ethos within the home is to reward good behaviour rather than sanction poor behaviour. The home does not make excessive use of sanctions. The effectiveness of any sanctions administered is reviewed and many are appropriately based on reparation; for example, dirtying the car windows deliberately resulted in cleaning the car windows. Young people report that sanctions are fair.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The organisation ensures that staff recruitment processes are thorough. Staff are suitably vetted prior to commencing work with young people. Staff records are clear and well maintained. Visitors to the home are required to produce identification and are required to sign the visitor's book on admission. This helps to ensure that the home safeguards young people from those that may pose them harm. Young people live in an environment that is physically safe, as regular safety checks are undertaken on equipment within the home. Daytime fire drills take place on a regular basis and young people are able to explain the procedure for exiting the building in an emergency. However, no fire drills have taken place in night-time conditions for over a year. This would ensure that young people are able to exit the building safely when being woken from sleep and that staff are confident that they can do this with night-time staffing levels. This is important as some young people

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Safeguarding children and young people

with physical disabilities will require assistance and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans have not been developed for these young people.

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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

The manager of the home successfully completed their interview for formal registration purposes at the start of this inspection. Although not an experienced manager, they have some considerable experience of working in this home, as well as experience as the deputy manager in this setting. They are held in high regard by the staff team, which is relatively stable and committed to making positive changes for young people. Staff report that their strength is working well together and providing consistent messages for young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people live in a home that is well organised and efficiently managed. The home meets the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose, which has received recent review. However, it was not clear how many young people the home was registered to take, although this was rectified during the inspection. The children's guide is an attractive and user friendly document. This outlines the care young people should expect to receive and how to make a complaint or access other professionals should they need to do so.

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Leadership and management

The home is well resourced in relation to staff numbers during the evenings and weekends. This in turn ensures that there is a great deal of flexibility for staff to engage with young people and provide individual support. Staff on duty are clear which young person they are assigned to support on any shift and there are clear lines of accountability. Staff receive formal supervision on a regular basis, from a consistent named supervisor and staff receive annual appraisals. The manager is keen to promote the development of the staff group and is eager to consider suggestions that are made. There is an ethos of team work in the home.

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Leadership and management

Both the internal and external monitoring of the home take place as required and both reports are forwarded to Ofsted routinely. Historically these have not been undertaken with due rigor and the completion of any identified actions has not been clear. However, the organisation has just introduced a new format for both reports that is considerably improved. This demonstrates their capacity for continued improvement. Since the last inspection the manager has also introduced a volume for recording any discussions that she has had with young people, as well a project file for documenting progress with any projects that the staff or young people are engaged in. Staff meetings take place regularly. These serve to ensure team cohesion, provide a venue for any issues to be shared and an opportunity for staff to be updated on changes to young people's placement plans. However, minutes of these meetings are not distributed to staff and it is not clear if all staff are aware of the issues raised as

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Leadership and management

Records are appropriately updated and kept securely in the home. Each young person has a 'progression file' so that it is easy to see how young people have progressed since moving to the home. Staff produce monthly summaries on each young person that are forwarded to their social worker and family, providing a clear picture of the challenges and achievements for the young person. Both social workers and family members value these.

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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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