Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Calderdale

Unique reference number SC001016 Inspection date 11/07/2012 Inspector Stella Henderson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 20/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This is a privately run children's home providing accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.3

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

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people say they are safe at the home and think that they are generally well looked after, and social workers consider the standard of care at the home to be good.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from being looked after in a home with strong management and stable team, sufficient in number to provide a good quality service. The longevity and stability of placements enables young people to make progress across all aspects of their development. Effective support and intervention from an experienced, skilled and well-qualified staff team contributes significantly to these positive outcomes, underpinned by care planning that clearly identifies and meets young people's diverse needs.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Staff have clarity about their safeguarding responsibilities, policies and procedures and how to implement them. Behaviour management of individuals and the group as a whole is effective. This means that young people live in a calm and nurturing environment without the threat of intimidation.

p.3

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

p.3

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people feel that they have made good progress at the home and the majority enjoy very stable, long term placements in a home which has seen little change in the core staff team. Young people therefore have a sound basis from which to develop and sustain attachments with people who have close knowledge of their history and previous experiences.

p.3

Outcomes for children and young people

This stability and experience of positive relationships enables young people to develop emotional resilience and to better understand their past experiences. Young people benefit from the home working closely with their families who are made welcome at the home. In some cases, this has resulted in young people returning home to their families.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy very good health. They keep fit and well and need only routine appointments to ensure their dental, optical and physical health is maintained. The majority of young people are old enough to begin to manage some of their own health needs but continue to benefit from advice and guidance on healthy eating, exercise and substance misuse.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are in some form of education or training. Their development and achievement is good in relation to their starting points and they enjoy good attendance in these establishments. Young people who are new to the home avoid any disruption to their education as they are able to remain on roll at their current schools. This gives young people a strand of continuity and stability at a time of change and upheaval.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are fully involved in decisions which affect their future lives. Arriving at sensible choices and decisions forms part of young people's effective preparation for adult life. Alongside of which is their acquisition of practical skills, money management and career choices.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are of an age where they exercise a certain amount of choice about how to spend their free time. This ranges from taking part in activities where they have one-to-one quality time with staff, socialising with friends or being actively engaged in and taking positions of responsibility in local community groups.

p.4

Quality of care

Young people's needs are central to the running of the home. Effective use of individualised behaviour management strategies means that there are few sanctions and restraints are rare.

p.4

Quality of care

Staff use their knowledge and understanding of young people to effectively manage behaviour and identify 'trigger points'. They communicate well with young people and avoid any escalation of poor behaviours by negotiation, discussion and good humour. One social worker commented that the manager and staff give her client 'clear messages about behaviour and the reasons why they may be unsafe'

p.4

Quality of care

Staff recognise that young people are all individuals with different needs who able to make their own decisions, but that sometimes they may need guidance with this. They are good at getting the balance right between encouraging your independence and supporting young people.

p.4

Quality of care

Young people are routinely involved with their care plans and clearly express their views about these processes. They also make contributions to the running of the home. On occasion this has included young people assisting in the undertaking of Regulation 33 inspections.

p.5

Quality of care

Staff work well with a range of other agencies, as well as families, to ensure that the young people are able to achieve positive outcomes. This includes chasing up key information, liaison with key professionals and strong advocacy on behalf of young people.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Open dialogue and effective key working with young people helps young people to explore options and the possible impact of those decisions on their health, safety and well being. As a result young people say they feel safe at the home and in the community.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff understand the vulnerabilities which may expose young people to risk or exploitation and take action to minimise this. One social worker commented that on an occasion where a safeguarding issue was identified it was 'referred immediately by the manager to the local child protection unit under the Local Authority Designated Officer procedures'.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people know who to speak to if they have any concerns, but have not had reason to raise any complaints. One social worker noted that where parents or young people had raised any issues, 'these have been dealt with to an acceptable standard with what appears to be honesty and clarity'.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people confirm that there is no bullying at the home and although they may stay out later than allowed on occasion, they rarely choose not to go missing from home. One social worker noted: 'I have been happy with their response to any safeguarding issues, especially reporting the young person missing and ensuring that they inform the local authority of his return'. A protocol agreed with the local police is in place to deal with these incidents alongside well established safeguarding procedures.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected because staff make sure that equipment within the home is safe to use and that all young people know the escape plan. No new members of staff have been employed at the home for some time, but sound recruitment and vetting arrangements are in place to ensure that young people are protected from those unsuitable to work with vulnerable individuals.

p.5

Leadership and management

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

p.6

Leadership and management

The home is effectively managed. The permanent and highly experienced Registered Manager is a strong advocate for young people and the home in general. He makes sure that staff work effectively together and in co-operation with parents and other agencies for the benefit of young people.

p.6

Leadership and management

Staff are competent and have good support through supervision, annual appraisals and training. They are afforded the time to reflect on practice and how to make things better for young people. Staff say they enjoy working at the home and there is a very low staff turnover. This enables young people to receive consistent care from a very stable and skilled staff team.

p.6

Leadership and management

Young people's records provide them with an accurate picture of events, achievements and decisions made during their time at the home. Their views and opinions are clearly recorded throughout and demonstrate the progress they have made at the home. One social worker noted that: 'the documentation I receive on a monthly basis and for reviews is clear and gives a good picture of how the young person is progressing'.

p.6

Leadership and management

There are effective systems for monitoring the quality of care provided. The manager therefore has good insight into the home's strengths and where areas of practice or development may need to improve. This ensures that the home fulfils its Statement of Purpose and maintains high standards for young people.

p.6

Leadership and management

No requirements or recommendations were made at the last inspection.

p.6

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.

p.7

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.

p.7