Children's Home, Residential special school run by Hopscotch Solutions Limited in Rutland

Unique reference number SC065071 Inspection date 04/07/2012 Inspector Katarina Djordjevic Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This is a privately owned residential special school that provides care and education to young people diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. The school cares for children for more than 295 days each year, therefore is registered as a children’s home. The home can accommodate up to 11 young people.

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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 outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

This was an announced inspection and was aligned with the education inspection of the school. Young people continue to receive an excellent level of care and education based on their assessed needs. This can be attributed to the whole staff team who are totally committed to improving the quality of lives for all young people and their families. Young people are happy living at the home and have very good relationships with staff. Comments received from parents and carers are very positive about the care and education their child receives. One parent commented, ‘I am very happy overall with the care and support my child is getting.’

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Overall effectiveness

Some shortfalls which are for isolated incidents have been identified but they have no impact on the positive outcomes for children. These include ensuring the home notifies Ofsted about all significant events; reviewing the locks on young people’s bedroom doors and updating the statement of purpose.

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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) notify without delay the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5. This is with specific reference to notifying Ofsted of serious incidents necessitating the police coming to the home. (Regulation 30 (1)) 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

 update the home's statement of purpose to include the new staffing structure and the current regulatory body with regard to the notification of significant events (NMS 13)  replace the current locks on young people's bedroom doors. (NMS 10)

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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

Outcomes for young people are outstanding. Young people benefit greatly from living at the home. They receive an excellent standard of individualised care which takes into account their age, gender, race, religion, culture and level of ability and disability and communication and language needs. Young people make exceptional progress during their time at the home. This is particularly evident in the management of young people’s behaviour which in turn enables them to make real progress in education, developing independence skills and accessing an increasing range of activities. Young people’s self-esteem improves as well as social and daily living skills. Feedback from one parent included the comment: ‘We could not wish for a better placement, my daughter continues to receive the highest standard of care from very capable, approachable, caring staff’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Comments received from Independent Reviewing Officers and from visiting health professionals were extremely positive and confirm the exceptional progress young people make during their time at the home and school.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from improved health and healthy lifestyles. Young people have regular health checks including dental and optical checks. They also have access to a range of other health professionals according to the individual needs of young people, for example, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from attending the on-site school and they make very good progress based on their levels of disabilities and starting points. For example, one young person who has been at the school just under a year has learnt to both read and write. This has given the young person greater independence and self- confidence and helped them to learn about safety and how to self-manage their behaviours.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with parents. Young people and their families receive immense practical and emotional support from staff. This enables young people and their families to have regular contact where appropriate. In some cases, family relationships improve and, for some young people, they are able to re- establish family contact and relationships. One feedback survey sent out by the home earlier this year included the comment from a parent ‘ Without The Shires’ support and dedication we wouldn’t be the family we are. Life would be a lot more difficult’.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s views and opinions are listened to and acted upon where practicable. Young people have a wide range of communication needs and staff work tenaciously to ensure all young people are able to communicate their needs and wishes as much as possible. Every effort is made to provide opportunities to enable them to make positive contributions to their daily lives, the running of the home and the school. This helps them to feel valued, increases their trust in adults and builds up their confidence.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Positive relationships exist between young people and staff which help young people to develop in a safe and nurturing environment. Staff have high aspirations for young people and are totally committed to helping them make progress as much as possible in preparation for adulthood.

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Quality of care

Individualised care and the promotion of equality and diversity is embedded in the day-to-day practice of the home. Young people’s cultural and religious backgrounds and needs are well respected. Young people are fully supported to practice their faith and special dietary needs are catered for. Diversity is highly celebrated and young people and staff have a range of opportunities to learn about other cultures and religions. This includes visits to a variety of religious and cultural buildings and attending various festivals throughout the year. Young people receive care, support and education from a diverse staff team which is comprised of a good mix of gender, race, age, and experience. This helps young people learn about differences and they benefit from shared experiences such as different cultures and foods.

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Quality of care

Detailed care plans, risk assessments and associated records plus excellent working partnership with parents/carers and other professionals ensure staff have excellent knowledge about young people’s individual needs and how to work with them. This helps to protect young people from the risk of harm and promotes their well-being. Furthermore, young people benefit from care and education staff working closely together which creates a seamless service and promotes consistency for young people. Key workers (known as primary carers) meet regularly with education staff to discuss young people’s needs, targets and working strategies which helps to ensure young people’s holistic needs are met. One IRO commented ‘Shires staff have worked alongside me to make some very difficult situations possible. They show great professionalism and are very child centred’. Staff work hard and have to challenge a number of barriers to ensure young people’s health needs. This involves

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Quality of care

working closely with parents, carers and health professionals to meet individual needs in a dignified and sensitive manner. Individual programmes produced by health professionals are effectively implemented and help young people make progress in areas such as the management of personal care. One IRO commented ‘I have been impressed with the support to enable X to attend health appointments, so much has been achieved in this area in a very short time’. Robust and effective medication practices ensure that young people’s needs are met and that they are protected from the risk of harm.

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Quality of care

Staff are extremely dedicated and resourceful in providing young people with a range of leisure and social activities based on individual needs and abilities. Young people enjoy the activities and daily living opportunities which many of them would not normally have access to. They learn and develop social skills wherever possible including how to relate socially to others around them, how to share with others and how to develop positive and respectful relationships. The range of activities also helps pupils develop self-care and independence skills.

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Quality of care

Young people live in accommodation which has been well designed and furnished to meet their individual, as well as, group needs. All young people have their own bedrooms which are organised and decorated to suit their specific needs and reflect their personalities, likes and interests. The locks on bedroom doors are mortice locks and this means young people, who have the capacity to lock their doors, have to rely on staff to do this.

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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

Safeguarding is at the forefront of practice within the home and school which helps to protect young people from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff practice takes into account the individual’s levels of understanding and disabilities. This ensures that young people are able to develop and take controlled risks based on their individual needs in a safe and supportive environment. Staff receive a range of training including child protection; behaviour management and health and safety. As a result, staff are able to work in a safe manner which helps to ensure young people’s health and well-being is promoted. Young people who are able to express an opinion say they feel safe at the home. Parents and carers confirm that the staff keep their children safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people living at the home have complex needs including presenting extremely challenging behaviours. The management of behaviour is excellent and young people make real progress during their time at the home. This can be attributed to the skills and commitment of the whole staff team who work tenaciously with young people and other professionals to help young people change their behaviours. Some young people are able to learn how to ‘self-manage’ their behaviours. Records of restraint and sanctions are kept and these are monitored monthly by the registered manager. This helps to ensure that the management of individual’s behaviour is appropriate and safe; and helps to identify any patterns or triggers.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The management of health and safety is excellent which helps to protect young people and staff from the risk of harm or injury. This can be attributed to the regular testing and servicing of equipment and installations; a range of generic and individual risk assessments which are regularly reviewed; staff training in fire safety and regular monitoring of practices. There is a designated staff member to oversee the management of health and safety. However, shared ownership by the whole team for this area prevails which helps to provide a safe and secure environment for young people and staff.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are further protected by robust and effective recruitment practices and the vetting of visitors which well exceed the minimum requirements set out in legislation.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

The home’s Statement of Purpose gives details about the services provided in the home which informs parents, carers and placing authorities about what to expect. However, it does not include the new organisational staffing structure and it refers to the previous regulator regarding notifications. These minor shortfalls do not impact on outcomes for young people. Practice in the home is in line with the Statement of Purpose. Children’s guides are individually produced to meet the individual communication needs and levels of understanding of young people.

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Leadership and management

The management of the home is excellent and as a result young people receive a very high standard of individualised care, education and support. The senior management team provides clear leadership and direction which is motivational. There is an unquestionable commitment to continual improvement and development. This is particularly evident in: the home’s development plan which has clear targets and is reviewed regularly; and the commitment to staff development and training. This ensures young people’s individualised needs are met by a knowledgeable, skilled and well-motivated staff team. For example, due to the development of the post-19 provision, a number of existing staff have been promoted. These staff have benefited from an excellent training package which has helped them take on the additional duties related to their new roles.

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Leadership and management

Staffing levels are based on the individual needs of young people and there is flexibility to increase staffing should the need arise. All staff have clearly defined roles and responsibilities although shared ownership is promoted. Staff feel valued and are well supported by the senior management team. Staff receive regular supervision and have access to a range of training which they really appreciate. New staff receive an effective induction and feel really supported during their probationary period by their colleagues and managers. This ensures young people’s needs are met in a safe and consistent manner.

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Leadership and management

The desire for continual improvement and development is aided by a range of robust quality assurance systems. The Registered Manager uses information from his monthly checks to: ensure young people’s needs are being met; monitor progress made by young people; and identifying any barriers to young people making progress. Surveys to parents and carers are also sent out to obtain their views about the quality of care and education their child receives. This information is used to inform future practices and developments and to address any shortfalls if identified.

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Leadership and management

There is a system in place to notify appropriate authorities of all significant events relating to the protection of young people. Although placing authorities and safeguarding teams are always notified, there are occasions when Ofsted has not been notified about certain incidents. There is no evidence that this has impacted on the lives of young people.

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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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