Children's Home run by Cornerstone Children’s Homes Limited in Stockport

Unique reference number SC394478 Inspection date 08/10/2012 Inspector Maria McGranaghan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 21/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is privately owned and provides care and accommodation for no more than three young people 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

Young people live in a safe, caring and structured environment that supports sustained progress in all aspects of their lives. Young people achieve excellent outcomes in education, healthy lifestyles, safety and emotional resilience while making a positive contribution within the community.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe and feel protected from significant harm. They are extremely positive about the care they receive and the relationships they have formed with staff. Young people succeed in a home that provides a nurturing and safe foundation.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from exceptionally well planned and individualised care. Highly detailed placement plans ensure that young people are cared for consistently and in line with their individual needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from a strong and stable staff team. Staff receive consistent supervision and training ensuring high standards of care are maintained within the home. Young people have excellent relationships with staff that understand their needs and are consistent in offering a nurturing environment for young people to thrive and grow.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is effectively managed with a strong emphasis on providing a high standard of child care practice. Robust monitoring systems ensure that all aspects of the care provided in the home is closely scrutinised and the appropriate action taken to enhance performance within the home.

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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 make excellent progress in education, emotional resilience and their trust in the staff who work with them. Exceptional residential care plans work hand in hand with therapeutic services in order that young people can begin to make sense of their lives. Consistent keywork and consultation sessions ensure that young people’s views are listened to and acted upon in all aspects of their lives. An observation of interaction between young people and staff clearly demonstrates mutual respect and a genuine regard for individual need and aspirations.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people live in a home where their views and opinions are valued and respected. Consultation with young people is daily practice, from discussions around the breakfast table to more formal young people’s meetings. A young person said, “It’s really nice, we have good food and a good chat. We don’t rush. It’s just a nice time it’s really good”.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from well planned and supported education. Through careful assessment and consultation education is provided at a level sustainable for individual needs. As a result, school and college reports highlight exceptional progress including young people undertaking GCSE and Diploma examinations. Young people’s enthusiasm about education demonstrates the home’s commitment to enabling young people to view education positively.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Planned and unplanned activities take place within the home. Individual interests are promoted and this ensures young people’s personal aspirations are valued and supported. Likewise, young people have forged excellent relationships within the community. Friends and neighbours are regular visitors to the home and this has enabled young people feel a strong sense of belonging. Consequently, young people’s confidence and social skills have excelled in the home and surrounding area.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from effective and consistent health care. Regular consultation with health professionals supported by targeted keyworker sessions ensure young people have a good understanding of their personal health matters and the effects of poor life choices. It is evident that this process supports and encourages young people to make informed decisions in their lives in order to create positive change.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff encourage young people to develop independence skills in accordance with their developmental age and abilities. Detailed assessments coupled with focussed keyworker sessions help to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to maximise individual potential. The person centred approach practiced within the home assists young people to prepare for adulthood while suitably equipping them with essential life skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from exceptionally well planned and supported contact with friends and family. Staff maintain close links with families and involve them where appropriate in the overall planning of the young people’s care. Detailed placement plans ensure contact only takes place with only those whom it has been agreed and arrangements are reviewed regularly.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people thrive in a stable, nurturing and supportive environment. Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to young people and this is evident in the excellent relationships they have established. Young people and staff enjoy appropriate banter and are clearly relaxed in each other’s company.

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Quality of care

Young people’s placement plans are excellent. They ensure that young people receive an individual service designed to meet their personal needs, cultural background and personal identity. Interagency services ensure that young people are afforded professional support in order to maximise their overall potential. Consequently, young people make consistent progress in all areas of their lives.

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Quality of care

Staff effectively address young people’s educational needs through proactive relationships with partner agencies. Young people’s accomplishment within education demonstrates the commitment and effort of a focussed and child centred team.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to demonstrate socially acceptable behaviour. Individual behaviour management plans supported by comprehensive risk assessments identify triggers for negative behaviour and effective strategies for positive behaviour management. Methods such as daily incentives and rewards encourage young people’s participation and have proved to be successful. Likewise, young people are supported by an interagency counselling service. This helps young people to understand their individual circumstances and take positive steps to make necessary changes in their lifestyles. As a result, all young people actively engage with staff and make valuable choices in their lives.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to complain. Information is provided in the young people’s guide and organisational complaints documents. One young person said, “I know how to complain, but I’ve no need to because it’s really great here”. Procedures for managing complaints ensure they are handled fairly and investigated thoroughly by the manager or external nominated person. The positive relationship between staff and young people ensures that young people’s views are valued and that they feel confident to raise matters.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a spacious, well maintained home that blends into the residential area. Young people are central to making the house into their home and say, “I couldn’t believe it when I came, it was a normal house in a nice area, and I feel like I am just the same as my friends and that means a lot to me”.

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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

Staff undertaken child protection training in order that they are able to respond to suspicions or allegations of abuse. Clear and focussed risk assessments are in place and encapsulate individual risk factors for young people. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed with young people. As a result young people are afforded the opportunity to understand where risks have reduced or indeed escalated. Together with the homes safeguarding champion and individual keyworker, young people are encouraged to offer an overall evaluation of successful strategies used to reduce risk and identify where further support is required. This process assists them to develop ownership of their behaviour and supports them to understand how to make positive change in their lives.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people confirm that bullying does not take place in the home and if matters arise they feel satisfied that this would be managed appropriately and in their best interest. The staff support a zero tolerance approach to bullying in the home and say, “we try to make it like a family environment, they can have their squabbles like all young people but we make sure that they are supported to resolve their issues in a fair and open manner”. Consequently there has been no issues regarding bullying in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a home where their safety and well-being is protected. Detailed individual missing from home plans and co-ordinated risk assessments are in place to ensure the correct procedures and strategies are implemented without delay. Likewise, external agencies work with staff and young people to ensure a consistent approach is maintained should a young person go missing from home. The seamless approach to the continued protection of young people is evident in the distinct reduction in young people being missing from the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff receive appropriate training in order to appropriately manage physical intervention within the home. Staff are clear that physical intervention is only used to prevent a young person harming themselves or others, and as a result this intervention is minimal. Where physical intervention has been applied, records detail the action taken, the length of time and the debrief offered to young people. Keyworker sessions are used to explore behaviour and assist young people to express their views on the management of the event. The transparency of this practice ensures young people are supported to express their feelings in a safe and caring environment where physical restraint is only ever used as a last resort.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff promote young people’s on-going protection by undertaking regular fire drills and service tests making sure that all faults are efficiently addressed. Clear evidence highlights stringent monitoring of all systems within the home including the appropriate storage, administration and recording of medication.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are vigilant when managing visitors to the home and take appropriate steps to verify visitors identity in order to protect the young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Recruitment and selection of staff is thorough and ensures young people are only looked after by staff that are appropriately checked in order to work in the home. Young people’s views and opinions are central to the recruitment process. Young people receive training in interviewing skills and this assists them to fully participate in the recruitment procedure. This process enables young people to feel valued while promoting their self-esteem and confidence.

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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

Young people live in a home that is effectively managed. The home meets the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose and young people, their families and social workers are clear about the support the home provides.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff clearly demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering exceptional child care practice tailored to the individual and personal needs of the young people they look after. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the excellent progress young people make.

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Leadership and management

The manager has a clear and realistic understanding of the strengths of the service and areas for further progression based on consistent auditing and monitoring practices. The manager makes exceptional use of reflective practice ensuring excellent communication and consultation which aids the direction and future progress of the home.

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Leadership and management

External monitoring of the home is thorough. Evidence indicates clear lines of enquiry and focus based reporting. The manager is effective in demonstrating efficient responses to areas for development.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by highly competent staff that have a wide range of skills and experience that are well matched to the needs of the young people. The numbers of staff on duty are sufficient to meet the needs of young people in the best possible way. Staff have access to a comprehensive training programme suitably matched to the needs of young people. Likewise, staff receive effective support and supervision in order to maintain the high standards of care practice in the home.

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Leadership and management

The standard of management within the home ensures the effective person centred practice is consistently maintained to a high standard.

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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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