Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Coventry

Unique reference number SC064117 Inspection date 22/08/2012 Inspector Andrew Hewston 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

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to seven children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

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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

Young people benefit from orderly and consistent care routines. Young people are safe and feel safe. Care is personalised and takes account of the individual needs of each young person. They benefit from the familiar surroundings and a strong team of staff. Good outcomes are achieved in terms of educational achievement, being healthy and emotional well-being in a safe and stable environment.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people view the home as a good home with a happy atmosphere. This is echoed by social workers. The quality of the relationships between staff and young people in the home are supportive. Staff are caring and inclusive and this helps young people feel valued and supported. Staff embrace equality and diversity in their day-to-day practice.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is well led and managed. The management team accurately know the strengths of the home and know where improvements need to take place. As a result of this visit, three recommendations are being made relating to behaviour management records, the need for a development plan and staff support.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure that all records, including behaviour management records, comply with the home’s policies and procedures (NMS 21.2)  ensure the registered person has a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future of the home (NMS 15.2)  ensure all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually. (NMS 19.6)

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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 move forwards at the home in differing ways. A social worker stated that they 'were really pleased with the level of progress the young person had made while being at the home', with another stating that they 'couldn't believe how well it is going so far'. Staff ensure that young people are supported with having an awareness of why they live at the home, and developing young people's self-esteem. This is done through the use of life story work, records of their achievements while they have been at the home and colourful displays including photographs of all resident young people. Young people are able to point themselves out on displays and discuss positive events at the home, including fun days, cultural events and celebrations.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people have a key worker and this helps to maintain good consistency of care. They meet to ensure that they are being consulted, listened to and treated equally and fairly and some young people have access to visiting advocates. Young people have learnt to develop appropriate relationships with staff with awareness of boundaries and ways to communicate and interact.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The staff team ensures that young people's health needs are fully responded to. The priority of health planning has led to young people's medication being stabilised, improvements in young people's diet and weight, and the development of independence with their personal hygiene. The level of support given to promote education has allowed young people to develop within school and increase their level of communication and independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Older young people are fully supported with making the transition to adulthood and adult services. Arrangements are sensitive to the needs and understanding of the young people and allow for a successful move from the home.

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Quality of care

Positive relationships between staff and young people are achieved through an effective staff team and their good awareness of the differing needs of the young people. Placement planning is thorough, regularly reviewed and uses the information supplied by the placing social worker with additional knowledge gained while the young person is in placement. Plans include contact information and visits are fully supported by the staff to ensure that there is an on-going relationship between the young people and their families where appropriate.

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Quality of care

Young people's views are sought in a range of ways from larger young people's meetings to well organised key worker meetings that have a specific purpose. These are completed through the use of differing communication systems and thorough records, promoting young people’s ability to make choices. Information regarding areas such as complaints, reviews and bullying is gone through with young people within key work sessions to ensure that they are aware of aspects of their care. No complaints have been received at the home since the last inspection although appropriate procedures are in place. There is a comprehensive plan in place for the school holidays that has been drawn up through consultation with young people, including activities that they enjoy such as trips out and holidays away from the home when appropriate.

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Quality of care

The challenging and complex health needs of the young people are responded to well by the staff team, who are fully trained in the administration of medication. Medication is audited on a regular basis to ensure that young people are safe. All necessary health appointments are kept and there are good links with differing health professionals. Staff promote a healthy lifestyle for young people, developing young people’s diets with healthier options and being enthusiastic about activities. Individual needs relating to the child’s cultural background and personal identity are identified and positively addressed in both daily living and care planning. Young people have equal access to opportunities.

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Quality of care

All young people are involved with some educational provision. Staff fully support regular attendance and links between school and the home help to ensure a consistency in care including areas such as behaviour management.

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Quality of care

The home is appropriately adapted for disabled young people. The home is well maintained, with high-quality soft furnishings and furniture enhancing the homely aspects of the environment. Bedrooms are well personalised and reflect the likes and interests of the young people. Disabled young people benefit because the physical environment is designed for maximum comfort, safety and ease of use. Areas such as the sensory room are used well to respond to specific behaviours displayed by some 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

The safety of young people within the home is of a high priority and this is achieved through staff having a strong awareness of safeguarding procedures and young people being provided with a high level of supervision, support and guidance. No safeguarding issues or instances of young people absenting themselves from the home without permission have been raised since the last inspection. Appropriate risk assessments and procedural guidance is in place for both such occurrences. The promotion of appropriate behaviours from the young people is supported by clear reward systems and thorough behaviour management plans. All staff are trained in the use of restraint and there are well monitored systems to ensure that records of incidents are kept. Some incidents require additional information relating to how they have been resolved with the young people and others require signing off by staff and managers. Inventive ways of responding to young people's behaviours

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Safeguarding children and young people

are in place such as the 'worry box' to decrease their anxieties. Staff use positive interventions including, diversion, calming techniques and offering time away from the peer group under supervision. As a result, young benefit from this support.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The environment is physically safe and appropriately secure, taking account of the needs and characteristics of the young people. Health and safety is given a good priority. Documented risk assessments are simple and straightforward, and are reviewed as circumstances change. All activities properly consider the care, safety and security of children and young people. As a result, this actively promotes protection and welfare.

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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 service is effectively and efficiently managed and the provider meets the aims and objectives in the Statement of Purpose. This detailed Statement of Purpose sets out the service they offer to young people for parents and interested parties. The home now has a manager in post who is going through the process of registration.

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Leadership and management

The staff team have responded to the one recommendation at the last inspection and have improved records of young people's development at the home, through a 'what's changed this month?' section within monthly records. A social worker stated that communication from the home is of a high quality and the staff team are very responsive to the needs of the young people.

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Leadership and management

Robust and effective monitoring systems are in place to ensure that records are up to date and all necessary paperwork is in place to support young people's time at the home. These systems also support the manager’s awareness of on-going issues within the home. Although there is currently no development plan in place to move care practices forward. A good system of action plans for individual staff highlights any necessary action that key workers need to take to update their young people's files. Ofsted receives monitoring reports on a monthly basis.

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Leadership and management

The level of staffing currently meets the needs of the young people, although there is currently some reliance on non-permanent staff. This is in the process of being resolved and a full staff team will further enhance the care provision. Staff receive effective supervision and appraisals, however, these are not always completed within expected timescales. Staff do, however, state that they are well supported and regular full team meetings include discussions relating to staffing issues and are linked to care planning meetings where issues relating to young people are raised. This allows for all staff to become aware of differing young people's needs. A well organised system for training ensures that staff are kept up to date with all necessary training including additional courses to meet the individual needs of the young people.

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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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