Children's Home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Unique reference number SC034969 Inspection date 15/08/2012 Inspector Katarina Djordjevic Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 24/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home, which is provided by a local authority, is registered to care for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is a short-term assessment provision whereby needs are assessed and a suitable long-term placement is identified within a 12-week assessment period.

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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

This is a good home where staff work very hard to ensure young people’s needs are met during the short period they are at the home. Staff work quickly and effectively to ensure young people are safe, their needs are met; and that they are ready to either return to their family home or move on to their next placement.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have very good relationships with staff which enables them to make progress during their time at the home. They feel safe at the home and really appreciate the support they receive during their time at the home. Comments from young people include: ‘(Name of home) was and is a lovely place to stay’; ‘I’m more mature than I was’.

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Overall effectiveness

Since the last inspection a new Registered Manager has been appointed. The Registered Manager, who is very experienced, has been instrumental in making significant improvements in the home. She has provided clear leadership and direction to the staff who have welcomed her support and inclusive management style. The efforts of the Registered Manager and the staff team who are very experienced, have improved the quality of care for young people. This is reflected in progress made by some young people and comments they have made about their time at the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Comments received from parents and carers are extremely positive and recognise the work of staff in trying to improve the lives of their children and their families. One parent said about the staff team that they 'can’t praise them enough' and expressed their immense gratitude for the work they had done not only with their child but their whole family.

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Overall effectiveness

One requirement has been made and three recommendations which are good practice recommendations to help further improve the service.

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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 children accommodated in the home are provided at all reasonable times with access to a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private, which they may use without reference to persons working in the home. (Regulation 15 (4) (a)) 15/10/2012

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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 the minutes of young people’s house meetings include the outcome of previous requests and actions (NMS 1)  include in young people’s care plans how they are supported to develop practical skills, including shopping, buying, cooking and keeping food, washing clothes, personal self-care, understanding and taking responsibility for personal health care and developing financial capability, knowledge and skills (NMS 12.1(e)(f))  record in the home’s development plan when it is reviewed, any new objectives and any identified barriers to meeting objectives. (NMS 15.2)

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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 become more confident and their self-esteem improves during their time at the home. They learn how to interact socially with their peers and adults which helps them prepare for adulthood. Young people also learn to trust adults which helps them to listen and take advice from adults. The development of positive and trusting relationships has enabled young people to make improvements to their quality of life. Comments from young people include: ‘I think I have improved my communication skills - I can talk to people more easily without feeling like I’m being judged’; ‘’I just want to thank everyone from (name of home) for inspiring me about what I want to do when I’m older and help me get there.’ One parent commented that their child had become ‘more outgoing and positive’.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people feel safe and secure at the home due to the supportive and nurturing positive relationships that exist with staff. Young people know what to expect and what is expected of them as very clear boundaries are in place. This helps young people make good progress in changing their poor and, in some cases, risk taking behaviours.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive very good practical and emotional support to maintain contact and develop relationships with their families. This has enabled young people to make good progress with relationships that are important to them; and for some young people they are able to return to their family home. Most young people have mobile phones and they can use the office phone to contact family, friends and their social workers. However, a telephone is not readily available for the specific use of young people. Although there is no evidence that this has impacted on young people, it has the potential to limit young people’s ability to easily contact people who are important to them.

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Quality of care

Systems within the home empower young people to make decisions about the day- to-day running of the home and decisions which affect their future lives. Regular young people’s house meetings are held and there is evidence to support young people’s requests are listened to. For example, young people have been actively involved in choosing and making improvements to the home’s décor. However, minutes from these meetings do not always state if previous requests and actions have been addressed. Staff work very hard to ensure young people’s views and wishes for their futures are represented in their review meetings. Staff are proactive in enabling young people to access independent advocates when needed. Consequently, young people feel valued and listened to while at the same time learning independence skills.

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Quality of care

Young people receive a good quality of care which takes into account their cultural background and personal identity including their age, gender, religion, ethnicity, communication needs and their sexual orientation. This is possible due to good care plans, risk assessments and associated records which give clear details of the needs of young people and how to meet their needs. Records are regularly reviewed to ensure they reflect young people’s current needs.

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Quality of care

Individualised care and the promotion of equality and diversity is embedded in the day-to-day practice at the home. Staff work hard to ensure young people are able to develop and retain their individual identity; they are also supported to learn about their own culture and heritage. Young people are supported by a staff team which is comprised of a good mix of gender, race, age, and experience. This helps young people learn about differences and they benefit from shared experiences such as different cultures and foods.

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Quality of care

Staff are proactive in ensuring young people are able to access appropriate health services based on individualised needs. Young people receive both practical support in attending health appointments as well as emotional support. Staff work very closely with other health professionals including therapeutic services which help young people understand their backgrounds and histories. As a result, young people benefit from improved physical and emotional health during their time at the home.

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Quality of care

Staff are clear about the importance of education in young people’s lives. Many of the young people admitted to the home have been out of education for over a year. Staff work quickly, proactively and closely with the local authority educational provisions to encourage and support young people back into education, which is based on individual needs. As a result, young people’s attendance at educational provisions improves and is good, given their starting points. This not only helps to promote their academic achievement but also increases their social skills. This is reflected in a comment made by a young person whose attendance at school is excellent: ‘I know coming to (name of home) they helped me a lot about what I want to do when I’m older and how to get there, I never thought of my future before like that and it's helped me to get my head in track with my life’. Furthermore, the support and encouragement given by staff ensures young people sustain good

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Quality of care

attendance even when they have moved from the home.

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Quality of care

Since the Registered Manager has been in post, there has been an ongoing refurbishment programme which is also part of the home’s development plan. Significant improvements have been made to the home which has made it a more comfortable and homely environment and less institutional. Young people have been involved in choosing the décor and furnishings, and in some instances, involved in the decorating. All young people have their own bedrooms which have been completely refurbished to a very good standard. Young people are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms which reflect their individual personalities and interests. Improvements to the home are appreciated by young people; and their involvement has helped them feel valued as well as helping them develop independence skills.

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Quality of care

Young people, regardless of their age, are encouraged to become as independent as possible and acquire skills in preparation for adulthood. Young people help with shopping and cooking as well as domestic chores such as doing their laundry and ironing. However, for young people who do not have pathway plans for care leavers, their care plans do not include the development of independence skills.

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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

Safeguarding is at the forefront of practice. At the same time young people are able to develop skills and take risks in a safe and nurturing environment in preparation for adulthood. Young people feel safe at the home and learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff are highly skilled at recognising and responding to risk-taking behaviours which place young people at significant risk of harm and abuse. Close and effective multi-agency working is embedded in the day-to-day practice at the home. This helps to reduce the level of risk to young people and allows young people to live safer lives.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are skilled at managing young people’s behaviour. The existence of open and trusting relationships enable young people to make improvements to their socially unacceptable and risk-taking behaviour. This is because there are very clear boundaries in place which young people understand. They know what is expected of them and appreciate the need for, and the benefits resulting from these boundaries. One young person commented ‘I feel my anger has calmed a lot.’ For example, as young people’s behaviour improves they are able to have increased home visits. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on recognising and rewarding positive behaviour. This helps young people feel valued and learn how to change their behaviours and to take responsibility for their actions. Restraint is rarely used which is testament to the skills of the staff team.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff work very closely with other professionals including the police where young people frequently go missing. As a result, young people, who have put themselves at risk in the past due to frequently going missing, make good progress in this area. The number of incidents of them going missing reduces substantially given their starting points.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are further protected from the risk of harm and injury by the effective management of health and safety; and by safe and effective recruitment practices and the vetting of visitors.

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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 has a very detailed and comprehensive Statement of Purpose in place. This informs children, young people, parents, carers and placing authorities about what to expect. Practice in the home is in line with the Statement of Purpose.

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection a new Registered Manager has been appointed. She has instigated significant improvements in the home and has inspired staff to share her vision for the future. The Registered Manager, who is ably supported by the Assistant Manager, provides excellent leadership and direction. Staff have thrived from the inclusive style management; and they feel valued and listened to. Staff are extremely well supported by the management team. Staff and young people really appreciate the support and dedication of the Registered Manager. Staff receive regular supervision which is meaningful and helps with their professional development including identifying training needs. As part of staff appraisals and their professional development staff are being given the opportunity to spend time ‘shadowing’ other social care professionals who work for the local authority.

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Leadership and management

Young people receive a good level of individualised care and benefit from their time at the home. This is because staff are committed to improving the life experiences and opportunities of young people. Furthermore, this is because this is a home where ‘standing still’ is not an option and there is an outstanding commitment to ‘raising the bar’ in terms of improving the quality of care and life chances for young people.

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Leadership and management

The home demonstrates an excellent commitment and capacity to improve the quality of life for young people. At the last inspection the Registered Manager was asked to ensure Ofsted is notified about serious incidents necessitating the police being called. This has been addressed. Staff have welcomed and embraced changes and systems introduced by the Registered Manager since her appointment. As a result, young people live in a home where the environment has improved significantly; the décor is more comfortable and more homely. This helps young people feel more valued. A new filing system has been introduced which makes the recording and reviewing of young people’s information easier.

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Leadership and management

The home has a clear development/business plan which sets out the home’s objectives for the year and demonstrates the commitment to improving the care provided. Staff have been consulted about the development plan which encourages shared ownership of the home’s objectives. The Registered Manager regularly reviews the plan but does not always record this monitoring or any barriers to achieving the objectives.

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Leadership and management

The commitment of the home to continually improve services is clearly reflected in the robustness of the internal quality assurance systems. The Registered Manager carries out monthly checks of a wide range of records, systems and practices. The staff are informed of any shortfalls identified and these are addressed promptly. Staff meetings and staff supervisions are also used as part of the home’s monitoring procedures where areas for improvements including staff development are identified and discussed. The Registered Manager has effectively implemented the use of quality assurance questionnaires for young people and parents/carers. These are valuable tools for reviewing the quality of care provided, monitoring staff practice and informing future developments at the home. Questionnaires completed by young people regarding staff at the home are used to monitor staff practice and inform staff training needs and developments. The home’s internal monitoring systems are

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Leadership and management

further complemented by the monthly visits carried out by a representative from the company.

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Leadership and management

There is a clear system in place to notify appropriate authorities of all significant events relating to the protection of young people living at the home. This helps to further promote young people's well-being and protect them from harm.

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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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