Children's Home run by Frances House Ltd in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC403462 Inspection date 14/08/2012 Inspector Graham Robinson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 25/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is operated by a private organisation and is registered to care for up to five young people, of both genders, between the ages of 11 and 17 years. The home cares for children with emotional and 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 outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

Based on their starting points, young people are currently making excellent progress socially, emotionally and educationally. As a result, outcomes in all areas are outstanding. They benefit from a nurturing, supportive environment, underpinned by the proactive, safe working practices adopted by the home.

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Overall effectiveness

A resilient and child-centred staff team works with consistency and a clear focus to meet young people's needs in a non-punitive way. Boundaries are clearly defined allowing difficult and challenging times to be worked through supportively. Challenging and unsafe behaviour is well managed by a staff team that has the knowledge and ability to initiate safe working practices. They work proactively to keep young people safe, whilst continuing to promote and encourage them towards more appropriate decision making as they grow and mature.

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Overall effectiveness

High aspirations for young people, linked to the strong relationships formed with staff, provide young people with a template which allows them to follow a more socially acceptable lifestyle. Young people reconnect well with their education and develop emotionally and socially as they grow in confidence and progress. Personalised plans and strategies to meet individual needs and promote greater independence are revised and updated to keep these current and reflect progress.

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Overall effectiveness

Effective management, supported by diligent monitoring and oversight, has assisted in the home continuing to progress since the previous inspection. Its strengths and weaknesses are quality assured and assessed, with suitable plans in place for continued development. As a result, young people's welfare is promoted positively in an environment where staff work alongside external agencies to keep them safe.

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Overall effectiveness

This inspection has not raised any major areas of concern, although two areas for future development have been identified. The first is for evidence to be held on site which reflects the procedures taking place during staff recruitment, to confirm the right to work in the United Kingdom. In addition, the evidence should also reflect if any further checks were considered for those people who have lived outside the United Kingdom. The second area links to the submission of internal monitoring reports to Ofsted, which require submitting every six months rather than monthly.

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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 when recruiting staff, evidence is available on site which reflects the procedures taking place to confirm the right to work in the United Kingdom and if any further checks were considered for those people who have lived outside the United Kingdom (NMS 16.3)  ensure that reports from internal monitoring are sent to Ofsted at six monthly intervals. (Volume 5, statutory guidance, paragraph 3.14)

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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

Based on their starting points, young people are achieving outstanding outcomes in all areas of their lives. They receive high levels of support which allows them to stabilise their lifestyle and go on to prosper socially and educationally. The ethos and practices of the home are supportive and encourage young people towards setting and achieving personal goals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s individual needs are identified and these are reflected in the plans and strategies in place for them. This allows young people to grow in confidence and develop strong relationships, which enhance their ability to form attachments and develop their resilience. This is reflected in the views of one young person who says the home 'supports me throughout my daily life in a family environment with structure'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are benefiting from contact with family, friends and other appropriate adults. Although contact arrangements can be complex, young people confirm they feel well supported by a staff team that encourages and facilitates appropriate contact. As a result, young people’s needs are well met.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Compared with their starting points, young people's educational outcomes are outstanding. All young people have re-engaged positively with their education following long periods of rejection. Attendance and attainments are high, reflecting the commitment and high expectations of staff for young people to succeed educationally. As a result, young people experience not only educational achievement, but a level of personal achievement and adult approval not often experienced previously. This improves their confidence and self-esteem. It also provides them with an added outlet to extend their social network.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and their health needs are positively promoted. These are reflected in their health plans which are updated regularly to ensure their specific needs are assessed and met. All young people are registered with community-based health services to provide day-to-day health support. The home has excellent links to more specialised services, which are accessed regularly to meet individual needs and provide added support. Young people are encouraged to improve their lifestyles through diet and exercise. They are provided with information and given every encouragement and practical support to modify certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as tobacco, drugs and alcohol. As a result, they enjoy improvements to their general health and fitness levels.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home is well established within the community and has developed excellent relationships with neighbours and community leaders. For example, the local Inman often calls into the home which has given young people an insight into what is taking place around them during Ramadan. Photographs displayed around the home give an insight into the community based activities taking place.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Planning for transition and independence commences early with young people's participation in the home’s own independence training programme. Staff promote young people's independence and encourages them to take some responsibility and become involved in aspects of the home's life and development. For example, young people assisted in a recent staff recruitment exercise. Individual plans and strategies reflect areas where young people are encouraged to take more responsibility for themselves, which helps develop self-esteem and gives them practical skills and experiences in preparation of what to expect once they move on.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The quality of care provided to young people is outstanding. Staff excel at developing and maintaining positive relationships with young people, which encourage them to settle and develop trust. Feedback from a range of external stakeholders endorses this view fully. For example, one professional describes staff as 'dynamic, upbeat, warm and nurturing.'

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Quality of care

The ethos and working practices of the home are based on developing and maintaining positive relationships with young people, something that staff are skilled in. The strong relationships formed, allied to the high aspirations staff have for young people, are used positively as a tool to reduce tension, unrest and develop trust. This contributes significantly to reducing the number of serious behaviour management incidents that occur in the home, as well as persuading young people to adopt lifestyles that helps to keep them safe.

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Quality of care

Relationships are usually strong enough to survive testing times, which encourages young people to settle and develop trust. A range of planned strategies addressing individual needs and concerns are used to support young people. In practice, this means young people settle into the home and reinvest into a more ordered lifestyle, allowing them to develop socially, emotionally and educationally. This in turn leads towards them developing a more positive view of themselves and others, with significant improvement to their emotional resilience and knowledge gained.

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Quality of care

Young people understand how they can make a complaint and are confident to do so. Complaints are taken seriously and acted upon in a timely manner. Appropriate information about the complaints procedure and their rights is readily available to young people, giving them guidance and creating the confidence to follow appropriate procedures when feeling unjustly treated.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm their views, wishes and feelings are actively sought by staff, giving young people's meetings and key worker sessions as examples. They confirm they are consulted regularly and can influence certain aspects of the home’s daily functioning such as the choice of food, weekly activities and future leisure breaks. Staff make every effort to encourage and integrate young people into all aspects of life within the home. For example, one young person described how she was involved in revising and updating the young person's guide to the home. Regular consultation and acting upon it, gives young people a feeling of worth and a sense that their opinions and views do matter. It also gives them empowerment to control certain aspects of their own daily lives.

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Quality of care

Young people and staff actively enjoy being in the company of each other. The well- being of young people creates the hub of the home’s daily functioning, which fosters and enhances the excellent levels of daily communication. This encourages and supports young people towards making appropriate relationships with others, allowing them to grow in confidence and develop socially.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit and thrive in a supportive and nurturing environment. Excellent, detailed care plans clearly identify individual need, which includes their identity, religious and cultural needs. Regular review ensures young people’s individual needs are current as they progress and develop. Young people discuss their plans and demonstrate good insight into how they are cared for, giving them a sense of direction, along with agreed and achievable targets to aim for. They benefit from excellent relationships with staff who work openly, transparently and communicate positively with them. As a result, young people live in a relaxing environment, where they receive care in a trusting atmosphere which helps them to engage with adults in a positive way.

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Quality of care

Young people make it clear they like the home and are comfortable in their environment. There is a calm, relaxed atmosphere, giving a good impression of the home and the people living in it. It is well kept, with good standards of repair, equipment, fixtures, furnishings and décor. Young people have their own bedrooms, which are personalised to suit the tastes and interests of the occupant. Photographs and mementos on display reflect young people’s positive experiences.

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Quality of care

Staff promote healthy lifestyles in a variety of ways. Young people actively engage in a wide range of group activities, individual interests and leisure pursuits. For example, individuals have opportunities to regularly attend community-based projects and activities that serve their individual needs and help to get them accepted into the local community. In addition, staff and young people enjoy a range of purposeful, shared activities that are designed to be enjoyable, but also serve to develop and sustain relationships.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from healthy meals and take an active role in shopping, planning menus and food preparation. They are encouraged to try unfamiliar foods, appreciate different cultures and try international cuisine. Festivals and religious events are regularly celebrated.

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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

The arrangements in place to safeguard and protect young people are outstanding. Young people confirm they feel safe and that the home is a safe place to live. Strong links are in place with a range of external agencies, who report excellent levels of communication along with collaborative and cohesive working practices between themselves and the home. Staff work proactively to reduce risk and they understand their responsibilities and duties in promoting young people's welfare. Individual knowledge of young people's needs, coupled with a detailed knowledge of the surrounding community, provide a sound mechanism for responding to young people's changing needs for safety and protection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Bullying is not an area of concern for young people currently. They confirm staff quickly challenge and intervene should an incident occur, which gives them a feeling of security and general safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are focused and work hard to stop young people from going missing. Close links and excellent working practices with community support officers and the police missing from home co-ordinator, ensure staff respond appropriately to any incidents that do occur. This multi-agency response to missing young people minimises situations where they can become vulnerable or put themselves at risk. As a result, the number of incidents of young people missing recently has significantly reduced.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported to work positively through difficulties and say that any sanctions or punishments imposed are usually fair. However, they recognise that good behaviour is rewarded. Staff are extremely skilled at diffusing difficult situations and confrontational incidents. Staff are clear that physical intervention is used only as a last resort, with few incidents having taken place since the previous inspection. The monitoring of incidents ensures young people’s individual strategies are kept under review and adapted as required. This ensures that serious behaviour management incidents, while rare, are safely managed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff team has expanded since the previous inspection. Appropriate recruitment policies and practice are in place to ensure that any new staff are suitably recruited and cleared, prior to taking up their posts. This ensures that only suitably checked people have contact with young people. However, evidence is not available on site which reflects the procedures taking place to confirm the right to work in the United Kingdom and if any further checks were considered for those people who have lived outside the United Kingdom.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected through a range of risk assessments identifying hazards in and away from the home. They participate in regular fire drills and can safely exit the home if needed. Safety checks to maintain a safe environment are regularly undertaken. Individual risk assessments, coupled with coping strategies, promote a safe environment for all young people. Individual strategies are updated in light of reviews of young people’s risks and progress.

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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 management of the home, both internally and externally, is outstanding. Young people benefit from a practical, child-focused management team, who have a clear vision on how the home should progress and develop. The staff team bond well and are committed to the ethos, aims and working practices developed by the home. They understand their role and responsibilities and work with the support of managers to address young people’s needs.

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Leadership and management

The staff team receive good support, along with regular supervision and appraisal, which helps to improve their knowledge and working practices. They regularly update their core training to revise their knowledge and skills. This ensures they possess the competences and skills to effectively meet young people’s diverse needs. There is a commitment to professional development, with recently recruited staff following an appropriate induction programme and all longer serving staff having either gained, or about to gain, an appropriate professional qualification.

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Leadership and management

Both the internal and external monitoring of the home is taking place regularly. Reports appropriately review and evaluate performance, with areas for improvement clearly identified. Young people contribute to monitoring and can discuss their views. The manager and management team demonstrate an understanding of the strengths of the home and areas in need of improvement, which are reflected in the home's written development plan. Currently the manager is submitting internal monitoring reports to Ofsted monthly. However, the current requirement is for submissions every six months. The home has a good record of compliance and no requirements or recommendations were carried over from the previous inspection. The home continues to demonstrate its capacity for continued improvement. For example, recent developments have included the revision and update of the home's own placement plan format which has been made more child-friendly and staff have

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Leadership and management

introduced house activity nights following consultation with young people, to provide improved structure.

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Leadership and management

Young people live in an environment where their needs are clearly identified, with suitable plans and strategies in place to meet them. They are looked after by a highly motivated management and staff team that demonstrate a genuine desire and commitment to improve young people's outcomes and prepare them for transition into adult life. The home has an excellent record at keeping young people safe. As a result, young people are re-introduced to a more age-appropriate lifestyle from the one they experienced previously. As they settle and progress, young people form a more socially acceptable view of life, which is reflected in their plans and aspirations for the future.

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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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