Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC035976 Inspection date 20/09/2012 Inspector Catherine Honey Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/05/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is registered to a local authority. The home can accommodate up to four young people aged between 10 and 17 years with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making satisfactory progress .

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Progress

At the previous inspection in May 2012, the home received an overall judgement of Good. There was one requirement and one recommendation made. The home has taken action to meet both the requirement and recommendation. At this inspection, three recommendations have been made.

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Progress

The Registered Manager has made substantial progress towards meeting the requirement and recommendation made at the last inspection. Record keeping in relation to sanctions and restorative actions have been reviewed and has a changed format. The new format helps staff consider in more detail the reason why they are using a sanction. It also encourages staff to evaluate more frequently the effectiveness of a sanction. Use of sanctions in the home is still low and better recording helps improve the quality of care young people receive.

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Progress

At the last inspection, a recommendation was raised about internal furnishings and maintenance of the home. Since then a large part of the home has been refurbished. This has included wall decorations, new blinds and carpets as well as refurbished bathrooms. The garden area has also been improved. There remain some finishing touches to be completed in other parts of the home but overall the home now presents as much more modern, up-to-date and homely. Young people like the changes which complement the lounge area which was also refurbished recently.

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Progress

Young people continue to receive a high quality of care. They are cared for by staff who know them very well and are concerned for their welfare. Staff work closely with other professionals such as those in health and education to secure the best outcomes for young people. Young people who are not in education are offered different opportunities to engage in programmes which suit their needs. Young people are regularly consulted about matters that affect them such as menus, holidays, activities and their future. Young people are encouraged to voice their opinions formally and informally. The quality of care for young people provided by the home has been maintained.

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Progress

Young people who are approaching independence are encouraged to be as independent as possible. This might include managing their own money or going and getting a haircut by themselves. Occasionally, older young people are left in the home without staff supervision. Young people enjoy the freedom this opportunity gives them. Appropriate risk management strategies are put in place to ensure the safety of young people when this does occur. However, this assessment of risk has not been formalised in a written document meaning risk management strategies may not be consistent between staff. In addition, where staff work alone with young people, there is no risk assessment in place. This means that the risks to young people or staff or visitors have not been adequately assessed. These shortfalls have not affected outcomes for young people.

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Progress

There have been some small changes in staff since the last inspection. New members of staff are given a good induction to the home. They are offered numerous training opportunities and feel confident in their role. New staff have received fire induction training about their responsibilities in relation to a fire prevention. However, there has been a delay in new staff and new residents being able to take part in a fire drill. Therefore they may not be familiar with what to do in the event of an emergency evacuation.

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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 children’s safety and welfare is promoted in the home. This is in relation to formalising written risk management strategies in relation to older teenagers being occasionally without adult supervision (NMS 4.2)  ensure where only one member of staff is on duty at any time, a risk assessment has been carried out in writing, identifying any likely risks to children, staff and members of the public (NMS 17.9)  ensure there is an emergency escape plan that all staff and children are familiar with and have practiced so they know what to do in an emergency. (NMS 10.9)

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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