Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC039248 Inspection date 04/10/2012 Inspector David Martin Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to provide a service for six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and is run by a local authority.

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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 service provides young people with high quality care and excellent outcomes. Young people’s school attendance and academic achievements are impressive. Young people are confident and sociable and benefit from strong, constructive relationships with staff. The home has a settled, relaxed atmosphere in which young people are thriving. Young people rarely go missing and respond well to guidance and support aimed at keeping them out of trouble. The staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities to protect young people from harm and to keep them safe. The home is well managed and there are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff. This enables them to work effectively with young people in acquiring positive social skills and preparing for adult life. Two requirements are made concerning the improvements to the external appearance of the home and the reporting of registered provider visits.

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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 the home is kept in good structural repair externally (Regulation 31 (2) (d)) 31/12/2012 (2001) ensure that the written report on the conduct of the home, prepared following registered provider visits, includes the opinion formed of the standard of care provided. (Regulation 33 (4)) 31/12/2012

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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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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are confident and self-assured. They have strong relationships with staff which provides them with the foundations to safely explore their individual backgrounds. Young people have high aspirations for themselves and are looking to the future positively.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s health care needs are met well. Young people live healthy lifestyles and understand the benefits of eating well. They have good access to primary health care and more specialist services as the need arises. None of the young people are involved in the misuse of drugs or alcohol. The home’s approach contributes to young people’s sense of wellbeing.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have excellent school attendance. This is to the credit of the young people and the staff, given the fact that some of the young people have long histories of non-school attendance. All young people are achieving well academically and some are hoping to go on to university. Valuing education is embedded in the culture of the home and young people respond very positively to it.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are strongly encouraged to contribute their views to the running of the home and day-to-day decision making, through house meetings and key worker sessions. They have reviewed their care plans with staff and have made written contributions to other records. This is very good practice. Young people have a voice in the home and their views are taken seriously.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people have contact with their families in accordance with their wishes. This helps them to maintain strong relationships with people who are significant to them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making very good progress with their transition to adulthood. They are well supported by staff in acquiring the practical skills for daily living and learning to think independently. The home’s approach enables young people to look forward to their adult lives with confidence.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy warm, positive relationships with staff. This makes a significant contribution to the calm and relaxed atmosphere in the home. It also enables staff to support the young people through a wide range of positive and negative experiences. Young people are actively engaged with life in the home and the people around them. One county councillor, who is a regular visitor, commented: ‘It’s lovely the way the home is set up and when the young people come in from school they can sit in the warm kitchen with staff and chat about their day.’

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Quality of care

The home actively encourages young people to express their views and wishes. Young people have played an active role in redecorating much of the home and have made their own choices about colour schemes in their bedrooms. Their views are taken seriously and the home implements their suggestions as and when it can.

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Quality of care

Complaints from young people are rare. However, when a complaint is made the home takes appropriate action to investigate and resolve it. Young people are involved in the outcome. Young people are confident that they can raise their concerns and that the home treats any issues with due seriousness.

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Quality of care

Placement plans are maintained to a high standard and are clearly designed to be live documents that are subject to regular review. This ensures that young people’s individual needs can continue to be met and that the strategies to support and guide them continue to be effective. To their credit, young people are fully engaged in this process.

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Quality of care

Since the last inspection, the home has responded positively to a recommendation to improve the internal décor of the home. The premises are warm and comfortable and provide young people with a homely environment. However, the exterior of the property is in poor condition in places, giving it an unattractive appearance. One of the young people said they had felt uncertain about the home when they first saw it. The external look of the home is unwelcoming to young people.

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Quality of care

Young people are very well supported to attend school and achieve the best they can. The staff have good links with educational colleagues and work hard to remove any obstacles that may prevent young people from doing well. As a result, young people are highly motivated and enthusiastic about making the most of their opportunities to learn and study. The home’s approach to the education of young people is an area of strength.

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Quality of care

All young people are engaged in constructive activities, both in the home and in the local community. Young people are making the most of their leisure time and are able to pursue their own individual interests and hobbies. This contributes to their personal development, confidence and overall sense of well-being.

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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 said they feel safe and well cared for by the staff. None are involved in risky or harmful behaviour. Staff have engaged young people in discussion about keeping themselves safe and they understand the importance of maintaining contact when they are out in the community. This contributes to the protection of young people from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have completed safeguarding training and are fully aware of their responsibilities to report any child protection concerns. Child protection matters are referred to the appropriate agencies as the need arises. Staff have a good understanding of issues, such as child sexual exploitation, and ensure they remain vigilant. The home’s approach helps to ensure young people are protected from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing from the home. As and when they do, the staff actively look for them and attempt to maintain telephone contact. This ensures that young people return to the home as quickly and safely as possible. The low frequency with which young people go missing is a clear indicator that young people are positively engaged with their placements.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are confident and sociable and relate well to each other and adults. None are involved in offending or anti-social behaviour. Physical intervention is rarely required. Staff are skilled in redirecting challenging behaviour and steering young people away from trouble. The use of sanctions is low and, as a matter of good practice, young people are encouraged to participate in discussion as to how they can best make amends for any misdemeanours. This approach ensures that young people are fully engaged with the positive and respectful culture established in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are robustly vetted prior to appointment and, thereafter, subject to periodic checks to ensure they remain suitable adults to be working with young people. This contributes to the overall safety and wellbeing of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The premises are safely maintained and all equipment is tested to ensure that it is safe to use.

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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 full-time, permanent Registered Manager. He is appropriately qualified and experienced and has high aspirations for young people and the quality of service they receive. The leadership of the home is valued by staff for being open and approachable. This ensures that any issues relating to the care and support of young people can be freely raised and resolved. The home rarely receives complaints but as and when it does they are quickly investigated and resolved. This ensures that young people and others can be confident that their views are taken seriously.

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Leadership and management

The home has taken action to comply with requirements and recommendations made in the previous inspection. Overall, it has a good track record of operating to required standards and providing young people with positive outcomes. The Statement of Purpose and children’s guide are up-to-date and accurately reflect the service that young people can expect to receive.

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Leadership and management

There are sufficient numbers of staff on duty for each shift. They are suitably qualified and have good access to training to ensure that they keep themselves up- to-date with developments. All staff have regular supervision which helps to promote professional development and reflective practice. The staff are skilled in examining the effectiveness of the way in which they work with individual young people and adapting their practice as the need arises. The staff are well motivated and relate to young people in a thoughtful way.

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Leadership and management

The home has internal and external monitoring processes in place. This contributes to the continuous improvement of the home and identifies areas for development and consolidation. However, external monitoring reports, prepared following registered provider visits, are more descriptive than evaluative and miss the opportunity to fully examine the effectiveness of the way in which the home is working with young people.

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Leadership and management

Care planning is of a high standard, promotes the individuality of young people and ensures that the home has effective strategies to meet the needs of young people. All records are stored safely ensuring that personal information is secure and confidential.

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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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