Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Unique reference number SC356929 Inspection date 09/10/2012 Inspector Alicea Churchward Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 13/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This service provides residential accommodation for up to three looked after young people, aged between 10 and 17 years old, who have complex emotional and behavioural needs.

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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

The home is very effective in ensuring that individual young people have outstanding outcomes. This is done by effective planning and partnership working. Young people make excellent progress in relation to their starting points across all aspects of their welfare and development, underpinned by effective support from staff to meet children’s individual needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people report feeling safe and protected. Staff and specialised services have done some excellent work with young people to ensure that children can build upon their emotional resilience and self-esteem. Young people are happy and settled in their placements they report having good relationships with the staff and management of the home. Young people can identify people they can speak to about any worries or concerns.

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Overall effectiveness

The views of the young people, parents and social workers provide positive feedback to enhance the development of the service. The management and staff of the home are ambitious, energetic and strive for continuous improvement. Comments from young people are ‘it’s alright here’ and ‘they treat you nice’. Professionals also report very positively about the quality of care offered and the professionalism of the staff team.

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Overall effectiveness

Matters requiring attention at the time of this visit include a revision of the visitor’s policy to ensure in practice that staff always request identification of professionals, particularly when they have not met them before; this will further serve to protect young people. The young people’s telephone is in need of repair. Consideration must also be given to relocating the phone so that unless there are any safeguarding concerns, young people can make and receive calls in private. A review of sanctions should be undertaken for ensuring that young people are only given sanctions which are included in the home’s behaviour management policy.

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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 Regulation 33 visit reports make specific reference as to whether young people and staff are given the opportunity to meet with the visitor in private (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 14/01/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the young people’s telephone is repaired and moved so that young people can make and receive telephone calls in private; unless there are any safeguarding concerns (Regulation 15 (4)(a)) 30/11/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the visitor’s policy for the home is revised to include information for staff about requesting visitors identification upon arrival. (Regulation 11 (b)) 30/11/2012

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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 that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained; specifically replace the window frames in one young person’s bedroom and the damaged sofas in the lounge (NMS 10.3)  ensure that staff follow the behaviour management policy; in this case that they do not confiscate young people’s mobile telephones to manage behaviour. (NMS 3.3)

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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

Excellent planning has taken place to ensure that young people are enabled to develop self-esteem, emotional resilience and knowledge and there are ample opportunities to develop an understanding of their background. Young people benefit from regular individual work undertaken by the organisations own psychotherapist. This In addition young people have detailed placement plans that clearly link to direct work undertaken by staff with the young people; these are well recorded. This means young people benefit from a high standard of individualised care and support.

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Outcomes for children and young people

There is an excellent approach to promoting the physical and emotional well-being of young people. Young people benefit from access to a range of agencies and services to meet their assessed needs. Young people have been supported and encouraged to attend health appointments and all medical checks are up to date. Each young person has a detailed health plan; these offer a comprehensive outline of individual needs. Staff provide good role models to young people. In doing so, staff ensure that young people understand the importance of maintaining good health. Staff also encourage healthy eating and leading a healthy life style. Currently, young people do not engage in risk taking behaviours such as smoking or substance misuse.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s educational achievements are exceptional, taking into account both their attainment and progress from their starting point at the time of placement. Staff ensure that young people attend school and maintain close links with the schools. Staff attend any meetings held by the schools to ensure that they are kept fully up to date with any developments. This is excellent because it provides consistency to the young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home promotes positive contact which enables young people to sustain their relationships with their families and friends. Young people participate in the community in which they live to enable them to form friendships and pursue their social interests. The home provides access to a range of activities to develop young people's interests and promote their self-esteem.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make an active contribution to routine matters, their care plans and the overall running of the home. This is excellent because it ensures that young people are aware of their plans. Any matters affecting them in the home are addressed without delay. Young people benefit from regular house meetings and give feedback about the quality of their care experience.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy good relationships with staff which enable them to engage positively and make good choices. Examples include keeping themselves safe and getting the best from their education and placements. Staff are skilled and show insight and understanding of young people’s needs.

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Quality of care

Young people are confident in expressing their views in their statutory reviews. Staff ensure that young people have their views valued and young people are confident in expressing their opinions. Individual plans are of a high quality, reflecting young people’s needs and charting their progress. Young people say that they can talk to the manager or specific staff in the home about any worries or concerns. They know how to make a complaint, and when they do so, this is addressed in a timely manner. The home has an informative children's guide that includes contact details for the Children’s Rights Director. Young people benefit from staff having high aspirations for them and providing good advocacy on their behalf.

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Quality of care

Staff are motivated and skilled in helping young people achieve the objectives of their placement. Placement plans are comprehensive and written clearly which enables staff to provide young people with consistent care. Staff work very closely with placing authorities to ensure that young people’s individual needs are thoroughly addressed.

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Quality of care

There are good collaborative links with all health professionals and agencies; this allows helpful guidance and support to be provided when young people need it. The home provides a healthy environment where young people are able to access the services and support they need in relation to their physical, emotional and psychological health needs. There are clear policies and procedural guidance available to staff that are followed in practice. For example, medication is stored safely and accurate records are maintained on the administration of medication, including prescribed and non-prescription medication. This helps to ensure young people are protected from the risk of maladministration.

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Quality of care

The home is appropriately located and young people have access to local transport and amenities. The home maintains good relationships with the neighbours. The overall appearance of the home is good and the gardens are well maintained. Some minor repairs are necessary to window frames in one young person’s bedroom and two of the sofas in the lounge need repair or replacement; Although young people have access to a phone the dedicated telephone for young people needs repair: also its current location does not allow young people to make and receive calls in private or without recourse to asking staff. However overall this does not impact negatively on 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

Young people report feeling safe and protected both inside and out of the home. Arrangements for safeguarding young people are very good. The staff team are effective in promoting the safety of young people. They are aware of the limits of confidentiality and that any concerns about welfare must be reported. They have undertaken training in safeguarding welfare and know how to respond effectively to allegations, suspicions or evidence of harm. Policy and procedural guidance is consistent with that of the local safeguarding team's protocols. Good relationships are established with the local police.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Individual detailed risk assessments for each young person ensure that all staff know what action to take if any concerns arise about young people’s welfare. The management of risks protect young people while enabling them, as appropriate to their age, to take reasonable risks as part of their growth and development.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Instances of the current group of young people being missing from care are rare. The home has clear, comprehensive policies and government guidance and staff are aware of local police protocols should any young person go missing. Young people have detailed risk assessments which outline what action the staff will take to ensure that if young people go missing they are supported to return safely to the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people confirm that they feel staff treat them fairly and understand that boundaries are in place to ensure their safety and good behaviour. Sanctions and rewards for behaviour are clearly specified in a written policy. However, there have been times when young people have had their mobile phone taken from them as a means of managing behaviour; this is not included in the home's behaviour management policy. The home's dedicated telephone for young people is not working which means that young people have to ask staff to use the office telephone; this is a breach of regulation. The use of restraint is minimal and only deployed to protect young people from harm or prevent damage to property. While staff are trained in physical interventions, they see this as a very last resort, deploying other techniques as a means of de-escalating and managing behaviours.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a home where health and safety matters are considered in ensuring a safe, clean and secure environment. Written records show that staff carry out routine health and safety checks around the home and safety and insurance certificates are up to date. Regular fire drills take place for ensuring that young people and staff are aware of an emergency evacuation route in the event of a fire. Young people are also taken through the fire procedures upon admission to the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

No new staff have been appointed to the home since the time of the last inspection and at previous inspections, staff files inspected were found to comply with regulatory requirements. Arrangements for vetting of visitors to the home are not robust and the visitor’s policy for the home does not give guidance to staff about requesting identification upon arrival; this could compromise young people's safety.

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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 Registered Manager is suitably qualified and experienced and exercises effective leadership and good support to the staff team. Young people benefit from living in a home that is managed very efficiently and effectively. The home has a good track record of performance and it achieves and provides a good standard of quality care. Young people's outcomes are promoted very effectively.

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Leadership and management

At the time of the last inspection one requirement was issued in relation to revising the Statement of Purpose; this is has been fully addressed and now meets with regulation. In addition one recommendation was issued with regard to improving the kitchen and bedroom flooring. These matters have also been addressed. A new kitchen has been fitted and bedroom flooring has been replaced. This has improved the overall appearance of these areas of the home.

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Leadership and management

There are records of regular independent visits under Regulation 33 of the Children’s Homes Regulations, and there is evidence that young people are consulted during these visits. However, it is not made clear in the reports that young people are offered the opportunity to meet privately with the visitor and there is very limited feedback from staff noted in the reports. The manager regularly monitors records and practice in the home for any emerging patterns or trends. A good development plan is in place and some positive feedback has been gained from parents and placing social workers to inform the home’s progress.

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Leadership and management

Leaders and managers demonstrate a commitment to meeting the needs of all children and young people in respect of equality of service provision and understanding diversity. The responsible individual has devised a pledge for young people to improve their care experience.

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Leadership and management

There has been one complaint since the last inspection and records confirm that this has been addressed and resolved. All significant events have been notified to the appropriate authorities and the home ensures that appropriate action is taken following any incidents.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from a suitably qualified and experienced staff team. The numbers of staff on duty meet the needs of young people. This includes the support young people need for activities, visits and appointments. Young people are looked after by a staff team who have a range of skills and experience. The skills within the team match the needs of young people living in the home well. A suitable training programme ensures staff maintain and improve their skills. Staff speak positively about the support and supervision they receive.

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Leadership and management

Young people's records are clear, well organised and detailed. Records are stored securely. This means staff have good sources of guidance to inform how best to care for 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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