Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC359836 Inspection date 18/10/2012 Inspector David Martin Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This is a children's home operated by a local authority. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six 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 good .

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Overall effectiveness

This setting continues to operate to a good standard and is supporting young people to make the most of their opportunities to develop and mature. Some young people are making very good progress in relation to their educational and training needs. Others, however, do not always find it easy to engage. There is a similar, variable picture in the way young people respond to healthcare issues. Nonetheless, the staff are committed to working with young people to find individual solutions. The home has effective behaviour management strategies and is establishing restorative practices. It has had notable success in keeping young people away from criminal activity and missing from home incidents are infrequent. The staff understand their responsibilities to protect young people from harm and are proactive in keeping them safe. The home is managed well and the staff are beginning to form a cohesive team following a prolonged period in which there have been enforced staff changes. This

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Overall effectiveness

is in young people’s best interests. Three recommendations for improvement are made as a result of this inspection. They concern young people’s consultation with their independent reviewing officers, the stability of the staff team and monitoring of the running of the home under Regulation 33.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  make every effort to achieve continuity of staffing (NMS 17.8)  assist young people to put forward their views, wishes and feelings in each review process, specifically arrange for young people to consult their independent reviewing officers (NMS25.4)  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. (NMS 21)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making steady progress in understanding their personal histories and backgrounds. They have positive relationships with staff which enables them to explore difficult issues safely and at a pace with which they are comfortable. Young people are not always ready to engage but staff makes constructive efforts to keep them motivated. One social worker acknowledged the ‘creativity’ of staff in addressing young people’s needs positively.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s general health care needs are met well. Young people have participated with varying degrees of success in smoking cessation courses and have engaged positively in discussion about illicit drug use. Both issues remain a priority for staff. Young people understand the benefits of healthy eating and leading healthy lifestyles but some require high levels of support to keep on track. Young people are beginning to take their health care needs seriously.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making variable progress in their on-going training and education. Some are actively engaged with placements in alternative provision and college and are looking forward to securing apprenticeships. Others, however, have particularly low starting points and are resistant to approaching their learning positively, despite considerable input from staff. The home values education and training and has promoted this message with some success.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are able to contribute their views through a range of forums. This includes regular house meetings, keyworker sessions and reviews. Young people feel their views are taken seriously and acted on. One young person said they felt very confident about having their say in review meetings. Young people’s opinions are welcomed by staff and contribute to decision making in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Contact arrangements are included in placement plans. Young people have contact with their families in accordance with their personal wishes. The home actively facilitates contact and this ensures that young people are able to maintain relationships with people who are significant to them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are set to reach adulthood in the near future and are making variable progress in acquiring the skills and confidence to live independently. Some are actively engaged in this process and are making the most of their opportunities to learn. Others, however, are more reluctant to participate fully and need a great deal of support to face the future positively. Young people are making the transition to adulthood with guidance and direction which reflects their individual needs.

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Quality of care

Young people have positive relationships with staff and their interaction is relaxed, good humoured and mutually respectful. The staff provide good role models and are able to steer young people away from negative behaviour. Despite presenting many challenges, young people respond well to guidance and support and are developing more mature social skills. Young people are learning to be resilient in the face of setbacks. One social worker observed that some young people have ‘Completely turned their lives around and are working well towards the future.’ The home recognises the importance of strong relationships in assisting young people to make progress.

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Quality of care

Young people are able to make a positive contribution to decision making in the home and their opinions are taken seriously. Young people have made meaningful choices about their holidays, activities and menus. They are also actively consulted about their wishes for the future and regularly contribute to their personal records. The young people have recently made individual choices about which bedrooms they want to use and some have taken the opportunity to redecorate. With staff support they have made excellent job of this. The home’s approach ensures that young people can share their views and where possible they are acted on.

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Quality of care

Young people have access to complaints information but very rarely choose to complain. Any complaints that are made are investigated and resolved appropriately.

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Quality of care

Placement plans and case files are well maintained and are up to date. They are adapted to reflect the changing needs of young people and are modified when agreed strategies are working less effectively. Placement plans have been shared with young people. This is good practice. Staff are thoughtful about addressing the individual needs of young people and placement plans provide a good foundation for delivering consistent care and support.

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Quality of care

As noted above, young people are making variable progress in their preparation for the future through education and training. Nonetheless, staff have high aspirations for young people and are well motivated in supporting them to achieve success. This was best exemplified by the practical support received by one young person who was preparing for an interview for an apprenticeship. The home is committed to supporting young people in their education, work and college placements.

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Quality of care

The premises have been subject to a relatively high degree of damage in recent months and repairs are on-going. Young people are actively engaged in the maintenance of the home and, to their credit, have strongly expressed the view that they want each other to respect the property. The premises are well decorated and comfortably furnished. The home provides young people with an attractive and welcoming environment.

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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 feel say and enjoy living in the home. They benefit from regular discussion with staff on issues such as bullying, personal safety and the damaging effects of smoking and drug use. This helps to raise young people’s personal awareness of the steps they can take to keep themselves out of harm’s way.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff have a good understanding of child protection and safeguarding and are confident about their individual responsibilities to report any concerns promptly. They are proactive in protecting young people from harmful or risky situations and have worked very effectively with partner agencies to remove the potential for the sexual exploitation of young people. The home ensures that, as far as possible, young people are protected from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing from home. This is a strong indicator that young people feel that the home is meeting their needs. As and when incidents occur, staff are proactive in their attempts to locate young people and to keep in contact with them. They liaise effectively with partner agencies and have well-established debriefing interviews in an attempt to identify triggers. The measures in place ensure young people return quickly and safely.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are developing good social skills and, generally, behave in a positive and acceptable way. The need for staff to use physical intervention rarely occurs. Staff are skilled in implementing behaviour management strategies that avoid confrontation and the escalation of anti-social behaviour. Individual incentives are used creatively and restorative practices are becoming embedded in the culture of the home. The home has had notable success in helping young people to steer clear of criminal activity. The home’s approach strongly promotes positive behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All prospective staff are subject to rigorous vetting prior to being offered employment. Existing staff are checked periodically to ensure they remain safe to work with young people. These processes ensure that the home is staffed by suitable adults. This protects young people from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The premises are maintained safely, and equipment and appliance are checked at regular intervals.

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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 Registered Manager who is employed on a permanent basis. This ensures continuity of leadership and promotes a consistency of approach. The manager is held in high regard by the staff team and fellow professionals who acknowledge her commitment to working effectively with young people.

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Leadership and management

In the last 18 months the staff team has been subject to a high degree of enforced personnel changes as a result of restructuring, redeployment and voluntary redundancies. The management team has had to work hard to ensure that new staff absorb that home’s ethos and preferred working practices. While this has in large part been effective, it has, nonetheless, been disruptive. The high turnover of staff does not assist in providing young people with a settled, stable environment.

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Leadership and management

The staff are suitably qualified and experienced and are employed in sufficient numbers to enable them to meet the individual needs of young people. Staff have good access to training. They also have regular supervision which promotes their professional development needs and provides opportunities to reflect on practice. Staff handover meetings are used very effectively to plan for the shift ahead. The day-to-day staffing arrangements ensure that young people are supported safely.

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Leadership and management

The home has a strong track record in meeting required standards. It has always promptly implemented recommendations and requirements made in inspection reports. It has implemented detailed monitoring of the home under the provisions of Regulation 34. Through this process the home has clearly identified effective working practices and areas for improvement and consolidation. The most recent report is evaluative and demonstrates the home’s capacity for continuous improvement. Regulation 33 visits are undertaken at regular intervals but the subsequent reports offer limited evaluation and are not fully contributing to the improvement of the service.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose and young people’s guide are well written and provide an accurate description of the home. This ensures that young people and their representatives know what to expect and can hold the service to account.

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Leadership and management

Case records are maintained well and are stored securely to protect confidential information. Young people attend their review meetings and most are confident about sharing their views. While the majority of young people have opportunities to consult their independent reviewing officers prior to and post review, this is not always the case. This does not fully assist young people in understanding the reasoning behind decisions about their care.

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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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