Children's Home run by First 4 Care Limited in Doncaster

Unique reference number SC390293 Inspection date 21/09/2012 Inspector Russell Shackford Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 05/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The setting is operated by a private organisation and registered to provide care for three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties between 10 and 17 years. The Statement of Purpose specifies placements are medium to long term.

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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 living in this home benefit greatly from an experienced staff group who enthusiastically demonstrate their commitment to addressing welfare issues. Outcomes for young people are good because staff are persevering and energetically supportive, creating opportunities for young people to reach their full potential across all areas of their welfare and development.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people confirm that their views are genuinely sought and acted upon. The staff encourage them to make decisions about their lives and influence the way that the home is run.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff try to ensure that young people are looked after in a way that is particular to how they are and want to be. Educational needs are very well met with young people making good progress. The young people benefit greatly from the efforts of the staff to promote the value of education, and encouragement of good attendance.

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Overall effectiveness

A notable area of strength is the staff's ability to work closely with other services and support young people to engage with them. Placement planning is good and it is well recorded and reviewed. The facilitating of contact is very good.

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Overall effectiveness

Good risk assessing and fire safety practices help to keep young people safe. Staff are experienced, well trained and competent. Young people clearly benefit from the good leadership provided by the manager to a cohesive and adaptable team.

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Overall effectiveness

There are some recommendations for improvement. These are about the quality of the records about restraint, staff training updates and the monitoring of the quality of care at the home.

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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

 apply the written policy on managing behaviour, in particular by recording any incidence of control and discipline in sufficient detail to enable effective monitoring and evaluation of the content (NMS 3.3)  ensure all staff attain a level 3 Children and Young People’s Workforce Diploma (NMS 18.5)  ensure that all staff are trained in the use of physical restraint techniques and only use the home’s agreed techniques (NMS 3.15)  ensure effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home. In particular, that monitoring systems identify omissions and deficiencies and thereby assist in improving on the quality of care (NMS 21.1)  review the homes Statement of Purpose, specifically to ensure that it is up to date and accurate. In particular, to show details of the different approaches to both emergency and planned admissions to the home, staffing levels in the home and the correct details of the regulating body. (NMS 13.3)

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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 are making remarkable progress because of the dedicated support they receive from staff. Opportunities to talk with staff enable them to develop their confidence and build emotional resilience. As a result, young people gain good knowledge and understanding of their own backgrounds; they adapt well to new situations and their view of themselves is positive.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health because their health needs are effectively identified and services are provided to meet them. Young people keep appointments with the doctor, dentist and optician and they take some degree of responsibility for managing their own health. They have contact with specialist health workers to promote good health and discourage unhealthy behaviour, such as smoking. Young people make choices about their food and enjoy planning, shopping for, cooking and eating healthy, nutritious meals and snacks.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Educational needs are very well met with young people making good progress in attendance and achievement in their education. Young people experience continuity in education placements where possible. They respond well to vigorous staff support and incentive schemes and consequently attend and achieve in education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people confirm that they are helped to keep in touch with people that are important to them and that they can have friends and family come to visit them. This is supported by staff who encourage contact and facilitate visits very well. This is done safely and sensitively. One parent said, 'my contact with my child is absolutely fantastic because of the good support given by the staff'.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy warm relationships with staff in the home and there is good rapport between them. Staff discuss difficult issues with young people and challenge inappropriate behaviours consistently and sensitively. One young person said, 'I get on really well with all of the staff and I feel really well looked after here'.

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Quality of care

Staff are pro-active and challenging when seeking out appropriate education provision for young people. Staff actively encourage young people with their school attendance, assisting them by accompanying them there and settling them in. Contact between the home and school is frequent and effective, enabling staff to support young people successfully with homework or personal targets. Staff support young people well in education planning meetings or represent their views if they choose not to attend.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm that their views are genuinely sought and acted upon. This includes making decisions about their lives and influence the way that the home is run. Staff provide opportunities for daily group and one-to-one discussion, key- worker sessions and visits from independent advocacy services. Quality assurance monitoring by the registered person includes 'let’s talk' opportunities for young people to comment upon the quality of care at the home. Examples of young people's choices acted upon include: activities, food and personalising bedrooms. One parent said, 'the best thing about the home is the way that they keep me informed, ask my opinion and work in partnership with me'.

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Quality of care

Young people say they know how to complain and are confident to do so. Staff ensure that the young people know how to complain if they wish by explaining what to do. There is also good, clear information in the children’s guide about how to complain. The staff assist young people in making complaints if necessary and they understand their role as advocates. Young people confirm that staff make it clear to them that they can tell people outside of the home if they are unhappy and provide information and contact details of independent advocate services. Complaints are clearly recorded to reflect the action taken by the staff and the outcomes.

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Quality of care

Young people are able to move into the home in a planned and sensitive manner. The home's referral system enables the manager to fully assess the needs of the young people concerned. Admissions to the home are not always planned, but where possible the young person and their family are involved in that planning. Young people can visit the home before they move in.

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Quality of care

Young people’s needs are well assessed, including having placement plans which hold sufficient detail to inform existing and new staff over agreed ways to meet their identified needs. Young people also benefit from focused one-to-one work which provides them with guidance, advice and support. Daily records and one-to-one notes clearly show the action taken by the staff to meet the identified needs of young people.

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Quality of care

Continuous assessment and reviews of young people’s needs are carried out to ensure they sustain good progress whilst living at the home. For example, statutory case reviews take place within required timescales. Following these reviews, the placement plan is updated to ensure any new recommendations are implemented.

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Quality of care

Young people receive very good individualised support appropriate to their needs. A notable area of strength is the manager and staffs ability to quickly and successfully support reluctant young people in engaging with other support agencies.

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Quality of care

Young people are able to pursue their particular interests and are supported and encouraged by staff to engage in leisure activities. In an attempt to enable young people to socialise and to build their esteem and confidence, young people's involvement is well supported by staff who explore individual choices, likes and dislikes. Young people regularly attend clubs such as air and army cadets. The staff have established very good links and relationships with community based activity providers. Examples of organised activities include: paintballing, cinema, snooker and bowling. There is also a computer and a good range of books, DVDs and games available for education and entertainment.

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Quality of care

The young people live in a home that is appropriately located near to shops, leisure, education and employment opportunities. It is on a main bus route to the nearby town centre and surrounding townships. The interior and exterior of the home are maintained in a very good state of structural and decorative repair. The garden is well maintained and safe. The home is kept clean and there are homely touches throughout. A parent said, 'the home is always lovely and tidy when I visit'.

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Quality of care

Good policies and practice around the storage, handling, administration and disposal of medication safeguards young people's welfare.

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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

Young people's welfare is very important and central to practice. Young people confirm that they are supported to learn how to keep themselves safe and learn about risks. Where particular risks are identified, consistently well-written risk assessments are recorded to help the staff understand what action to take to minimise the identified risks. In addition, the manager has established good links with the local safeguarding service from whom she can seek advice if necessary. The manager considers what local resources may further support young people, for example, community police and therapeutic services. A notable area of strength is staff ability to engage the young people in talking through any identified concerns to develop their own understanding of these and the reasons adults are concerned. As a result young people's risk-taking behaviours reduce and they feel cared for and protected. Young people confirm this with examples such as, 'the staff talk to me all

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Safeguarding children and young people

the time about keeping safe and sticking to my agreed coming in times'. A parent said, 'I don’t have to worry about my child's safety, they keep children very safe'. An information display area has details of local safeguarding agencies so that young people can access them for advice and information.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The provider has very good safeguarding systems and procedures for staff to follow in the event of any allegation or suspicion of abuse. The manager and staff have received child protection training which includes elements of child exploitation and on-line protection. Staff demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding procedures to promote and protect young people’s safety. Anti-bullying messages are displayed and the subject is regularly discussed at young people's meetings. There is good written guidance for staff to follow in the event of unauthorised absence. This is supported by individualised risk assessment records. The manager secures good multi-agency working and protocols to ensure a holistic approach to safeguarding. Monthly professionals meetings are held to help ensure that all agencies are vigilant and work to current plans to offer protection for young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Personalised behaviour management plans are used. They contain good, individualised details for staff to follow when managing young people's behaviour. Sanctions are relevant and reflect the age and understanding of the young people. They are reviewed regularly for effectiveness. Physical restraint is rarely used to manage behaviour. However, not all staff have received up-to-date training in the provider’s policy and authorised techniques and recordings are not clear or detailed enough to identify patterns or trends that can be used to support young people further. Physical interventions quickly cease to be a strategy with young people once they settle in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff working at the home have received up-to-date fire safety training to enable them to minimise the risks to young people in the event of a fire at the home. This is supported by regular fire safety checks to help ensure that young people's physical safety from fire in the home is well protected. Good checks and maintenance arrangements ensure the home is physically safe and is kept safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff have been appropriately recruited and undergone suitable Criminal Records Bureau checks to ensure that they are suitable to work with young people and staff confirm this.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate . A Statement of Purpose is available to inform professionals and members of the public about how care is provided at the home. However, there are omissions around staffing levels and admission policies and procedures. There is a good children’s guide to the statement which is appropriate to the age and understanding of the young people accommodated. Young people receive a copy of it before they come to live at the home so that they know what to expect if they choose to live there.

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Leadership and management

There is a consistent core staff team which is supported when necessary by occasional workers employed by the provider. Staff describe how they have received good quality induction training before commencing work with the young people. Staff refer to written guidance and on call help frequently during discussion and give examples of how it is implemented in practice. Management support and supervision are described as, 'one of the best things about the home' by staff who clearly value the beneficial contributions of the manager.

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Leadership and management

All staff are trained in a wide variety of safety and childcare subjects. An on-going programme of regular refresher training is provided in a range of subjects to enhance the staff team's competency to meet the needs of the young people. However, not all staff training is up-to-date, for example, physical intervention. Not all staff have completed an appropriate course at level 3 in caring for children and young people to help ensure that young people are receiving care from competent staff that are appropriately trained to meet their needs.

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Leadership and management

The manager has a system to monitor, report and evaluate the administration systems of the home. However, the recordings are brief in detail and do not fully aide evaluation of the findings. Therefore, there is only adequate monitoring of the quality of care for the young people in the home.

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Leadership and management

Young people's general case file records and other written documentation are of a good standard. This facilitates good communication with other professionals as well as ensuring young people have a permanent and secure record of their history. Young people's individual case files are confidentially stored and are arranged in a manner that makes them useable by staff and yet accessible to young people. The young people know that they can have access to their records. The young people’s individual case records reflect their development and progress.

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Leadership and management

Action has been taken to address some of the previous recommendations made. Personalised behaviour management plans have been developed and implemented. They contain good, individualised details for staff to follow when managing young people's behaviour. However, not all staff have completed an appropriate course at level 3 in caring for children and young people to help ensure that young people are receiving care from staff that are appropriately trained to meet their needs and the monitoring of the quality of care at the home remains only adequate and needs to improve.

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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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