Children's Home run by Potton Homes Limited in Southend on Sea

Unique reference number SC438764 Inspection date 25/07/2012 Inspector Susan Southey Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/12/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home provides long-term and task-centred care to a maximum of six young people of either sex who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. This is one of two residential services operated by the organisation in addition to a school adjacent to this home.

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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 registered in October 2011. Managers have made good progress in developing an effective service that supports young people well. They make efficient use of monitoring systems. Additionally, development plans are in place to improve the service. Seeking the views of others and developing plans for the future demonstrates an ability for continued improvement.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make good progress forming attachments and developing a positive self-view. They respond well to consistent boundaries and positive behaviour strategies, which show positive results over time. When sanctions are issued young people’s comments are not recorded. However, this has minimal impact on their outcomes as they are afforded extensive opportunities to have their views heard.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people in education make good progress. Staff work hard to encourage young people to achieve in school. They make headway in academic achievement responding well to creative educational techniques.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from highly individualised care plans that are reviewed regularly. Staff consistently execute these plans encouraging young people to achieve optimum success in all areas of their development.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people say that they feel safe. Intensive interagency working has significantly improved the incidents of young people missing from home. Recruitment processes show some minor shortfalls in relation to checking gaps in employment. However, this is rare with most staff recruited using robust recruitment processes.

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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 for the purposes of paragraph (1) a person is not fit work at a children's home unless - full and satisfactory information is available in relation to him in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2, with particular regard to a full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment. ( Regulation 26 (b)) 24/08/2012

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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 where any sanctions are used children are encouraged to have their views recorded in records kept by the home. (NMS 3.18)

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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 make good progress in developing a positive self-view. They respond to consistent boundaries and frequent praise for their achievements. Young people who have struggled to make attachments form relationships with caring staff. A reviewing officer said of a young person, ‘he has moved from several placements and this is the only placement he has wanted to stay’. Young people benefit from committed staff that lead by example and endorse constructive and sustainable relationships with others.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people in education make significant progress from their starting point. Those engaged attend regularly and are sitting exams. Young people with long histories of non-engagement make good progression. Staff are imaginative in creating opportunities for young people to take education modules on line. Young people have responded well to this learning and have achieved positive results, completing modules to meet key stages. Young people who engage in education have improved opportunities in future life.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff are proactive in encouraging young people to have contact with family members and those that are significant to them. Suitable contact is encouraged and staff consistently give young people support to maintain relationships. They provide transport, finance and, when required, they facilitate supervised contact. Young people benefit from positive relationships with family and others that are important to them. Promoting appropriate contact gives young people a sense of belonging and develops an understanding of their identity.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people have exceptional relationships with staff and say they are happy. One young person said, ‘I love it at the home and the best thing about it is the staff.’ Young people have not known each other long and staff support new young people who come into the home to feel welcome. Young people demonstrate that staff encourage them to make positive relationships; a young person said in a residents’ meeting, ‘a new young boy is coming and we have been asked to make him feel welcome.’

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to access appropriate medical care by committed staff. They seek appropriate intervention and make routine appointments to meet young people’s medical needs. However, some young people refuse dental and optician’s appointments. Staff use incentives to encourage the maintenance of good health. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘they do very well and try different ways to encourage the young person’s health attendance.’ Young people also benefit from additional resources, commissioned by the organisation to meet their psychological requirements. Young people who access appropriate medical support maintain good health.

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Quality of care

Staff have an ethos where young people are at the heart of their practice. Regular residents’ meetings and key worker sessions give young people the opportunity to have their views heard. Young people benefit, knowing that staff listen and their views are respected. They are involved in their menu planning, activities and choice of incentives.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from appropriate care to meet their individualised needs with care plans that are effective and relate to their needs. Staff build exceptionally good relationships with other agencies to promote optimum outcomes for young people. Professionals praise the staff saying, ' when given feedback they put things in place urgently and adapt care plans to suit young people's current needs.’ Young people are aided to participate in their care planning with the introduction of child-friendly formats. Templates that support young people’s understanding of care planning gives them opportunities to be fully involved in issues that affect their lives.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to share new experiences and increase their social opportunities. They have extensive access to a range of purposeful and enjoyable activities. Visits to theme parks, go karting and holidays to the home’s caravan are examples of opportunities young people enjoy. In addition, they are encouraged to participate in physical activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A social worker said that, ‘they go way above and beyond what is expected to support young people.’

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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

Vigilant staff support young people who engage in risk-taking behaviour to stay safe. They are afforded regular key worker sessions to demonstrate the possible consequences of their risk taking and promote solutions. Furthermore, vigilant staff facilitate good communication with other agencies to complete risk assessments. Young people are encouraged to stay safe with effective multi-agency risk assessments in conjunction with keeping safe information.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff recruitment processes meet most of the requirements to promote the safety of young people. However, in rare cases gaps in employment are not satisfactorily established. It has to be acknowledged that in most cases recruitment processes are robust, although breaches in relevant recruitment regulations do not fully support young people to be kept safe from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people respond very well to positive behaviour incentives. All young people who make improvements in their behaviour receive rewards tailored for their individual wishes. Examples include additional clothing allowance or social activities. Staff encourage young people to reflect on their negative behaviours and put sanctions in place to promote good behaviour. However, recording of such measures does not demonstrate young people’s views on the action taken. Nevertheless, this has minimal impact on behaviour management of young people. Physical intervention is very rare and behaviour management strategies are effective.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people who persistently go missing show marked improvement from their starting point. Committed staff forge partnerships with local police and social workers to design protocols to keep young people safe. Agreements are set in accordance with local authority missing from home procedures. Individual protocols encourage young people to take responsibility to return home in agreed timescales with effective risk assessments in place. Staff who are able to explore innovative ways to reduce incidents of young people missing from care support the safety of vulnerable 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

Managers demonstrate a capacity for continued improvement with development plans in place to improve the outcomes for young people. Experienced staff have been employed in this recently registered home. They have a variety of skills and knowledge. Young people benefit from the expertise of the staff. In addition, managers have plans for all staff to undertake further training to optimise good quality care for young people. Recognised qualifications support staff to enhance their individual skills and keep them up to date with professional and legal developments.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive regular supervision to support them in their new role. They say they are a supportive team and value the guidance from senior staff members. Formal supervision, in addition to good communication, assists staff to manage difficult situations and promotes competent practice.

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Leadership and management

Young people enjoy a comfortable home, which is spacious and well maintained. Comfortable and homely environments support young people to have a sense of well-being. Where damages occur managers take prompt action to rectify. Young people are encouraged to take pride in their home, which supports their sense of ownership and encourages respect for their house.

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Leadership and management

Committed staff seek to form good relationships with all stakeholders prior to young people’s planned admissions. Regular meetings with young people, families, and professionals take place. In addition, robust placement plans are completed. Young people benefit from an excellent pre-placement process. Effective collaborative working promotes a smooth transition for young people changing placements.

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Leadership and management

Managers are committed to making continued improvements. Regular monitoring takes place in the home with Regulation 33 visits and internal monitoring. Prompt action is taken to address any shortfalls identified. Managers also seek the views of stakeholders through quality assurance surveys and facilitating quality monitoring conferences. Seeking the views from families and professionals assists mangers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Robustly monitored services show aptitude for continued improvements.

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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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