Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC441553 Inspection date 17/07/2012 Inspector Ann-Marie Born Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 03/02/2012 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 is a local authority long-stay children's home registered to accommodate four young people of either gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 manager and staff team relocated to this property from another house, together with the majority of the young people, in April 2012. This, therefore, was the first full inspection since that move and there were no requirements or recommendations to address. Young people enjoyed participating in the move, choosing their bedrooms and deciding the colour themes and decoration for the home. As a result, young people's sense of belonging and investment in the home were promoted from the beginning of their stay.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people feel safe, are happy with their care and enjoy good relationships with staff and each other. One young person said, 'this is the best home I have been in because they treat me with respect,' and another commented, 'I feel secure and know that they will care for me.’ The experienced, warm and nurturing staff team works hard to develop effective, caring relationships with young people and address unsafe behaviours. They hold realistically high aspirations for young people's future. A young person expressed how 'proud' she was at 'how far she had come' in the home 'especially around managing her temper'. She said that she could, 'Ask for things and put my point across without getting violent although I do still shout sometimes.'

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Overall effectiveness

Care and placement planning is highly personalised and responsive to young people's needs, including safeguarding concerns. As a result, young people experience improved outcomes from their starting points across all aspects of their development. However, young people are not actively participating in the development or review of their care plans; therefore, they are not being provided with all opportunities to reflect on their progress. The manager provides strong leadership and sets high standards. Young people's needs are clearly identified and achievements acknowledged and celebrated. Effective monitoring processes ensure that strengths are built upon and areas for development or patterns of concern are recognised and addressed. However, there are some areas of development. This is particularly with regard to recording following episodes of missing and restraint to contribute to improving safeguarding

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Overall effectiveness

practice. This is reflected in the judgement for the safety of young people.

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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 that the person carrying out the visit shall interview young people's parents as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care in the home. (Regulation 33 (4) (a)) 24/09/2012

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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 that all children communicate their views on all aspects of their care and support (NMS 1.3)  ensure that where there has been physical restraint, children's homes must be able to call on medical assistance as required and children are always given the opportunity to be examined by a registered nurse or medical practitioner (NMS 3.16)  ensure that all children and staff are given an opportunity to discuss incidences of restraint they have been involved in, witnessed or been affected by, with a relevant adult (NMS 3.17)  ensure that where any disciplinary methods or sanctions are used, children are encouraged to have their views recorded in records kept by the home (NMS 3.18)  ensure that 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 good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people thrive within an effective care system where their needs and backgrounds are well known. This helps young people make sense of past adverse experiences and develop coping strategies for the future while promoting emotional and psychological health. As a result, this promotes young people's self-esteem, sense of belonging and the ability to form and sustain positive attachments. A social worker said, 'He is definitely making progress and building relationships he can work with.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have improved health outcomes as a result of enjoying a well-balanced diet, attending routine and assessed specialist health appointments, and being fully supported to develop a healthy lifestyle. Young people's knowledge and confidence in their ability to make positive health choices are much improved. Good working relationships with health agencies and a wide range of information available for them, particularly in relation to sexual health and substance misuse, allow young people to make positive choices. A young person stated: 'That was one of the things that impressed me about the manager and home, that they would guide me towards all of this information and then I could make my own decisions from a position of knowing what is there.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Education and training are highly valued and good liaison is maintained with the schools and placements young people attend. Young people excluded from mainstream education provision attend suitable alternative provision where their individual skills and abilities are met. As a result, young people achieve well from their starting points and complete and enter for nationally accredited examinations. In addition, young people have aspirations to continue in further education and find employment.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from very good arrangements to promote positive contact with family members. A social worker said: 'What I’ve been really impressed at is the way they have sorted out the contact so that he is happy with it, his mum can manage it and it is going well.' Supervised contact is sensitively managed by staff ensuring young people's safety and enjoyment. A parent said of a member of staff that, 'she was warm and wonderful ' and as a result she, 'couldn’t have asked for a couple of better hours.' Young people thrive within the security, stability and sense of belonging this provides, both now and for their longer-term relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy the increased independence their transition plans provide and take pleasure in discussing future changes with their key workers. Good, individual plans developed with young people, in line with their age and ability, have the effect of increasing their self-esteem and confidence in their self-care skills.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is good . A young person said, 'I like it here as it happens and I know they care about me.' Young people report that this is the best home they have lived in and enjoy good, constructive relationships with staff members and each other. Positive examples, promoting appropriate behaviours, are set by the warm, enthusiastic and experienced staff team that holds aspirations for young people's success. Young people feel valued and respected as individuals building their self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. A young person said: 'people saying nice things about me really throws me. I'm not used to that but they do it all the time here.'

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Quality of care

Young people confirm that their views regarding their care are sought and acted upon. A social worker stated, 'They have been very good at getting his views because he is not very good at talking.' The manager and staff provide opportunities for daily informal 'chats', one-to-one discussions, key worker sessions and residents’ meetings. Any cases where it is not possible to act upon young people's wishes are carefully explained to them, for example if this is to promote their safety. A young person said, 'There are people I can talk to if I want to and my link worker is a real laugh.' Young people's feelings of self-worth and self-assurance in their ability to communicate are enhanced by these measures. However, although the majority of these sessions are written up they are not read and signed by young people. Therefore, although young people are provided with a record of their life and experiences, opportunities to validate the experiences are being missed.

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Quality of care

Young people understand how to a make a complaint and are confident to do so. It is a testimony to staff and young people's abilities to express their views that issues are addressed as they arise and there have not been any formal complaints.

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Quality of care

Needs in relation to young people's cultural identity, sexual identity, beliefs and gender are comprehensively addressed in care plans and followed through in practice. Young people benefit from good, individualised daily action plans and behaviour management strategies that effectively address their needs. On occasion they disagree with aspects of their care. For example, this includes having to be home at a specific time. However, they are able to discuss this, including having the confidence to ask for a strategy meeting with other professionals, and accept that staff are acting as 'good parents'. A young person said that she 'knew staff worried about her’ and wanted to know where she was. As a result, young people feel, and are, empowered, valued and cared for. However, although written plans are regularly updated this is not done together with young people. Therefore, young people are not receiving the full opportunity to recognise and benefit from the progress they

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy participating in a range of inclusive activities and outings. Young people welcome their friends into their home and positive friendships are encouraged and supported by staff. As a result, young people effectively build social and life skills. A young person stated, ' I like being able to go on activities and feel I have freedom here to be myself.'

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Quality of care

Young people take pride in their home which is a large semi-detached house close to local amenities. Young people and staff moved in to this property from a previous building in April 2012, providing young people with more spacious and comfortable accommodation. Young people chose the decoration and colour schemes for all of the communal rooms and their own bedroom. Young people feel valued and respected in their comfortable surroundings. A young person said, 'This is the best home I have been in and better than the ones my (family members) are in.'

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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

Young people feel safe in the home where safeguarding is a priority. Young people do not report bullying as a concern and staff are vigilant to ensure bullying does not occur. Young people's welfare is central to practice. Not all young people take full advantage of all the support being offered to keep themselves safe. For example, this includes not returning to the home at agreed times. However, staff remain consistent in their approach. Young people are fully supported to learn about the risks and potential risks, behaviours and what actions may lead to as well as how to protect themselves. Where particular risks are identified, prompt communication takes place with social workers and specialist agencies to consider appropriate responses. A police officer stated: 'I am really liking the way the home is working. The communication and engagement between myself and the staff is very good. On a practical day to day level it is working very well.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are knowledgeable about young people’s specific vulnerabilities and ensure risk assessments and plans for their safety address their individual needs. This supports staff to ensure young people are safe at home and promotes their safety in the community. The manager and staff spend a great deal of time talking through any identified concerns to develop young people's own understanding of concerns and the reasons adults are worried. As a result, young people feel cared for, protected and are in the process of developing appropriate self-protection processes. However, there are still a number of episodes of missing from the home. Comprehensive locally agreed procedures ensure that staff know what to do when a young person is missing and staff will physically go and search for them. In addition, close working relationships with specialist police services and proactive practice to prevent missing

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Safeguarding children and young people

episodes provide further safeguards. A missing person's police officer stated: 'I think the home and manager is very conscientious. We bat things around, the staff will ring me. That is second to none if you can get that working relationship. I think we work very well together, they are doing everything they can to safeguard here.' Nevertheless, young people's views are not recorded on their return reducing the chances for them to learn from the consequences of their actions.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Clear individual management strategies, supported by close relationships between staff and young people, mean that positive behaviour is promoted and restraint is rarely used. Past negative behaviours exhibited in other care homes substantially reduce once the young person is settled in this home. The manager stated: 'She was found to be very violent and physically aggressive and had to be removed from the home. Yet while she has been with us we have had no physical assaults on staff whatsoever.' However, following episodes of restraint young people are not routinely offered the opportunity to be examined by a trained medical practitioner or discuss the incident with a relevant adult. Nor are they encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept by the home. Therefore, they are not fully safeguarded nor are they being given an opportunity to reflect on their behaviours.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are effectively protected by appropriate recruitment procedures supported by robust safeguarding procedures. The stable, committed staff team fully understands the whistle blowing procedure and take their safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. Young people are protected by these procedures. A member of staff said: 'There is a great bunch of staff who will go the extra mile for these kids. We do everything we can to keep them safe.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's physical safety is assured by efficient health and safety procedures. Established systems for the routine checking and servicing of all fire equipment and other appliances are supported by regular practise of emergency evacuations. This effectively promotes safety.

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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 home is efficiently and conscientiously managed by the experienced and nurturing manager. He has developed positive, trusting relationships with each young person and maintains a consistent day-to-day overview of their care alongside the general running of the home. Shortfalls are promptly identified and addressed. As a result, young people's progress is monitored and the demonstrable differences the home has made to their outcomes are identified. This promotes high standards while contributing to young people's experience of being valued.

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Leadership and management

The very good Statement of Purpose clearly outlines the aims and objectives of the home, the care to be provided and full staffing details. Details of how young people's equality and diversity needs will be met are comprehensively addressed. The Statement of Purpose is complemented by further information for young people in their individual packs. As a result, young people, their parents and professionals are aware of the care they will receive and young people are appropriately placed, thereby enhancing their life experience and opportunity for achievement.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from appropriate staffing levels and the care and attention they receive from the enthusiastic and committed staff team. Staff members receive regular training, strong peer and management support and benefit from a good, formal supervision process. All members of staff either hold or are enrolled on the National Vocational Qualification at level 3 or above or a diploma course. They also have the opportunity to attend further training. Young people are being cared for at all times by staff who are fully equipped with the skills to meet their needs.

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Leadership and management

As this is the first full inspection since this home opened there are no previous requirements or recommendations. Nevertheless, the manager assures improvement and further benefits to young people by the efficient use of monthly auditing processes to identify strengths and areas for development. Independent monitoring visits routinely contribute to improvements including ascertaining young people's views on their care and experiences. However, parents are not consulted; therefore, their opinions are not being obtained. The manager communicates with and notifies agencies, including Ofsted, of any significant incidents ensuring young people are protected by multi-agency decision making.

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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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