Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Southampton

Unique reference number SC389180 Inspection date 22/10/2012 Inspector Brian Mcquoid Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately run children's home is registered to accommodate up to six young people aged 9 to 17 years with multiple disabilities that can include a learning disability, a physical disability and in some cases a sensory impairment.

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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

The overall effectiveness of the home is outstanding with parents having a very high regard for the service and the quality of care provided for young people. 'Staff do a fantastic job, they see the child and not their disability' was a comment from one parent. High quality and personalised care is delivered to young people with complex needs within an extremely caring and supportive environment. Staff successfully promote positive outcomes for young people and maximise their potential and the progress they are able to make.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are very much valued as individuals and have meaningful relationships with the staff who care for them. Their welfare is central to how the home operates and they clearly feel safe and enjoy living at the home. Staff have an acute understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and are extremely vigilant in ensuring young people are suitably safe and protected from harm at all times. Seeking the views of young people and providing choice in their lives is an integral aspect of the care provided and staff work extremely closely with parents, and with the external agencies involved in young people's lives.

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides excellent accommodation which is maintained to a high standard and which is extremely well equipped to meet the needs of young people being cared for. The manager of the home provides very clear and effective leadership and demonstrates a strong commitment to the continuing improvement of the service. There are no breaches of regulations identified and all national minimum standards are being met.

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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

Outcomes for young people at the home are really good. They receive excellent care and make good progress when considering their starting point at the time of placement. They develop and sustain meaningful relationships with the staff caring for them and enjoy living at the home. Their varied and complex health needs are being extremely well met and each young person's potential for good health is being maximised with support from external professionals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

School attendance is excellent with ill health being the only reason for any young person not attending, and staff providing excellent support to enable young people to benefit from their educational experiences. Young people are regularly consulted for their views about aspects of living at the home and staff routinely provide them with choices as much as possible in their daily lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from their engagement in a variety of recreational and leisure activities both within the home and in the community. They enjoy spending time in a newly developed sensory area within the home and have individual and preferred pieces of sensory equipment within their own rooms. Staff have an excellent knowledge of each young person and ensure that they are able to participate in activities they enjoy doing. Excellent provision is made to ensure young people are able to maintain contact with their families and other important people in their lives. 'Very welcoming ' was how one carer described the home when visiting, and 'terrific' was a comment from a parent about how staff supported her child to make home visits.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The home provides an outstanding quality of care for young people which is highly personalised and extremely effective in addressing the varied and complex needs of young people being cared for. There is an excellent consistency of staffing at the home which has seen positive and meaningful relationships develop between young people and the staff caring for them. Staff are able to communicate remarkably well with young people, the majority of whom have severe communication difficulties. They deliver care in a professional manner but are also highly instrumental in creating a homely and relaxed atmosphere within which young people are clearly happy to be living. Individual care plans are highly detailed and regularly reviewed with parents feeling wholly involved in the care of their child. 'It's a great service, my son is very happy there and does lots of things he enjoys doing,' commented one parent.

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Quality of care

Parents and placing authorities are provided with regular updates on a young person's progress and staff produce comprehensive written reports for statutory reviews which comment very favourably on the service and how it meets the needs of young people. The home have excellent close and established relationships with external agencies which benefit young people greatly. All young people are subject to regular review by their consultant paediatrician, there is open access to the local hospital for some where it is necessary, and there are strong links with the local community health team. Arrangements for the management and administration of medication are excellent with staff being trained and further assessed for competency. Young people's school attendance is excellent and staff provide excellent support for young people to attend enrichment activities such as choir performances at a local theatre. 'I'm impressed, I feel they do a really good job,' was

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Quality of care

a comment received from the head of one school attended by young people. Extremely positive links with school nurses and other specialist services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy, help to promote good health and to ensure a continuity and consistency of care for young people.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy lots of opportunities to do things they enjoy doing both within the home and in the community. Going for a walk in the dark and to the theatre for a musical performance are examples of stimulating and enjoyable sensory experiences specific to individual young people that they have benefitted from. Having a meal out in the local community is also a weekly activity that young people enjoy. The home is located extremely well for access to community facilities and the accommodation provided for young people is excellent. Specialist equipment is available to meet young people's individual needs and the premises are being maintained to a very high standard. Young people and their parents are consulted about the décor of individual rooms and one member of staff has created a mural on the bedroom wall of the most recent admission, at the request of his parents.

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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

The home makes outstanding provision for ensuring the safety and well-being of young people at all times. The premises provide a safe and secure environment where young people are happy to be living, where they feel safe, and are being well cared for. Young people are highly dependent on others to meet their everyday needs, as well as those associated with their health conditions. Staff have an acute awareness of each young person's specific health needs and are well trained in order to be able to address them and to respond appropriately to any emergency situations. High staffing levels and vigilance from staff contribute extremely effectively to ensuring young people's welfare is remarkably well safeguarded. There is an open and transparent culture within the home where young people's welfare is paramount and any concerns are dealt with swiftly and according to procedures. Child protection training for all staff is refreshed annually and staff have an excellent

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Safeguarding children and young people

understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. Parents are totally confident that their children are being safely cared for at the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is a positive culture within the home where social interaction is facilitated and young people's success is routinely celebrated. Any challenging behaviour is managed extremely well and sanctions and physical interventions are being used appropriately but very rarely. Young people's views are sought regularly about living in the home and the one complaint received since the previous full inspection of June 2011 was seen to be satisfactorily resolved.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Arrangements for health and safety and the management of risk at the home are excellent. Health and safety checks are carried out and recorded monthly and comprehensive audits take place twice yearly. Records of any untoward events are collated weekly and forwarded to the provider organisation for monitoring purposes. Gas and electrical installations are inspected regularly and all specialist equipment is being serviced at appropriate intervals. Fire safety arrangements are excellent with a sprinkler system installed throughout the home and all young people having a personal evacuation plan. Detailed risk assessments are reviewed regularly and ensure young people are safe within the home and while out in the community. Recruitment procedures provide the necessary safeguards for the welfare of young people and are being implemented appropriately.

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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

The home's manager is very well qualified, highly experienced, and provides outstanding leadership and management of the service. Comprehensive information outlining the home's purpose is provided for young people, parents, and placing authorities, and includes a recently developed DVD showing a virtual tour of the home and its facilities. Parents have extremely positive views about the service and young people's reviews reflect clearly that the home is achieving its stated aims and objectives. 'Absolutely fantastic, they work really well with other professionals,' was one comment received from a parent. The home has a good track record of addressing requirements and recommendations from previous inspections and there is a clear enthusiasm and commitment to the continuing development and improvement of the service. There is rigorous monitoring and a current development plan linked to the evaluation schedule which is being effectively implemented.

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Leadership and management

Improving sensory provision, producing a DVD, and installing a spa, are all developments since the previous inspection which have benefitted young people.

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Leadership and management

The home is well resourced and provides an environment for young people that is maintained to a very high standard. Staffing levels are sufficient to meet the needs of young people at all times including night waking staff and two to one staffing for some young people. High quality training is provided for staff. They receive excellent support and regular supervision which identifies individual training needs and caters extremely well for their personal development. Established close working relationships with the local hospital, specialist services, and the community health team ensure the complex health needs of young people are being met effectively.

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Leadership and management

Parents confirm that they are fully involved in the care of their child and that any concerns are dealt with promptly. There have been no complaints received by the home since the previous inspection. Up to date policies and procedures support and promote good practice and young people's individual records are being well maintained. Regulation 33 reports are being forwarded to Ofsted as required and the appropriate authorities are being duly notified of any significant event relating to the protection of 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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