Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC035049 Inspection date 25/10/2012 Inspector Anne Bannister Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 22/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

A private organisation operates this children's home. This service is registered for up to three young people aged between eight and 17 years of age. The home cares for children 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 make exceptional progress whilst being accommodated in this home. They live in a nurturing environment where their individual needs are identified and addressed. They achieve positive outcomes in all areas of their lives. Young people's sense of self-worth, self-confidence and self-esteem increase significantly from the time of their admission. Young people are assisted to take control of their own lives and to develop emotional resilience. All aspects of care planning and practice are highly personalised to comprehensively meet the individual needs of each young person and take into account their characters and abilities. Young people appreciate the care and support they receive from a very committed and dedicated staff team and enjoy living at the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff work in partnership with other agencies to ensure young people have access to the services they need. Significant progress is made in re-engaging young people in formal education programmes that they were not enjoying prior to admission. Young people's health needs are well met and specialist support is provided to meet young people's assessed needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Robust safeguarding practices promote the safety and welfare of young people who feel safe and comfortable living at the home. This is reflected in the strong and positive relationships and trust that exist between young people and staff. The staff team focus on the needs of the young people and strive to make the home a happy, safe place to live.

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Overall effectiveness

The young people are routinely included in decision-making about how the home runs. This encourages them to feel that their opinions matter and encourages 'ownership' of the home. The staff are fair but firm; the young people benefit from an experienced, cohesive, staff team, who see the importance of celebrating diversity and encouraging young people to feel special. Feedback from quality assurance questionnaires is overwhelmingly positive. Professionals, parents/carers and young people are very happy with the care provided at the home and the positive outcomes young people achieve.

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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

Opportunities are provided for all young people to reach their potential based on their individual and diverse needs. A staff member said 'We don't label young people, we embrace their individuality and work with them and support them to reach their full potential.' Young people talk confidently about their achievements and show a good understanding of the progress they have made.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Throughout their placement young people grow in confidence, become more independent and show emotional resilience. Young people are emotionally secure, and as a result there is significant and continuous improvement in their behaviour, health, education, and where appropriate, quality of contact with their family. A young person commented 'It's brilliant; it's the best care home I have ever been in. It doesn't feel like a care home, it feels like a real home. Staff are really good at helping you achieve and feel positive about yourself.' A parent commented 'I am so proud of her achievements and of the work staff put in to get her to this point. I would recommend this home for any child. If it was a hotel I would rate it as 10 stars because five would not be a high enough rating.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well supported to attend and engage in education. Education arrangements are very individualised to ensure young people's differing range of needs and abilities are well met. Young people are proud of their achievements and believe that their future prospects will be assisted by their ability to leave school with some educational qualifications. They benefit from good communication between staff and education providers, which ensures any issues affecting young people's welfare are swiftly addressed. Young people are well motivated and want to develop their educational potential further. This is particularly evident for those young people who have recently moved on from the home and have been integrated into education programmes in their home area.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health needs are comprehensively assessed on admission. They have access to a full range of healthcare provision which supports both their physical and emotional development. The staff team maintain close liaison with health professionals to ensure a consistent response to young people’s changing needs. Young people are given opportunities to improve their lifestyles through diet and exercise. They are provided with information and given every encouragement and practical support to modify certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as the use of tobacco, drugs and alcohol. As a result, young people enjoy improvements in their general health.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to develop life skills that prepare them for independence. For example, they are routinely involved in the running of the house, planning menus, taking part in shopping, preparing the meals and keeping the home tidy. They are encouraged to develop confidence in using public transport. Their attainments in all these areas are always celebrated, improving both their self- esteem and self-confidence. On leaving the home recently a young person wrote ‘You showed me how to be confident, independent and how to look after myself and treat people right. You are like a family to me. You should all be really proud of yourselves.'

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

A high quality of care is provided which enables young people to develop their self- knowledge, self-help skills and improve their self-esteem. Staff are skilled in engaging young people positively and young people thrive in the supportive and nurturing environment. A social worker wrote that the home has 'exceeded all expectations and gone above and beyond expectations to help at times. Your service makes a difference to young people's lives.' A relative confirmed this stating that the young person had ' benefitted greatly from the good care and stability and guidance that has been provided by the home. She has been steered through some of the most difficult hurdles in her life and wouldn't have got through without their support.'

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Quality of care

Access to services appropriate for individual young people enables their physical, emotional and psychological health needs to be met. Staff are highly reflective of their practice and take feedback from young people and professionals seriously. There is a clear commitment to developing practices and knowledge to further improve outcomes for young people. A professional said that ' The staff team are consistently supportive, attentive and sensitive in their care of young people.'

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Quality of care

Young people receive individualised support which encourages them to make positive decisions about their future. The manner in which this will be achieved is contained in very individualised placement plans, which are developed in full consultation with young people and others important in their lives. Staff practice reflects a consistent concern for young people's welfare. Staff provide clear boundaries that young people understand and when they experience times of difficulty staff are fully supportive. Young people trust and feel comfortable with staff. They respond positively to staff intervention. Young people are encouraged to review incidents when they have not acted appropriately, learn from them, refocus and move forward. Young people are supported to develop a positive self-awareness and value diversity. Staff appropriately challenge young people's values and beliefs, which makes young people think about the impact of their behaviour on others. Regular monitoring and

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Quality of care

updating of placement plans and strategies for helping young people make positive choices ensures that young people are and remain aware of the positive achievements they are making. Developing educational potential forms a clear part of the home's philosophy of care. Staff emphasise the importance of gaining a good education and encourage educational attainment. They are in close communication with the education providers to ensure any difficulties young people are experiencing are promptly addressed. Staff ensure continuous learning and development opportunities are presented. Young people are enthusiastic about their education and have aspirations to complete GCSE examinations and complete college courses. This is a tremendous achievement considering the majority of young people entering the home have had limited or disjointed education experiences in the past.

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Quality of care

Communication between staff, young people and their parents, social workers and other professionals is highly effective. Key people in young people's lives report that information is shared with them in a manner that promotes positive relationships and celebrates young people's achievements. Other professionals confirm that placement in this home results in an increase in young people's self-esteem, self-confidence and resilience. Young people know how to make a complaint and have access to a significant range of information about how to raise issues with the home or alternatively seek support from independent organisations that champion young people's rights.

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Quality of care

Young people are relaxed and at ease within the home and are very proud of their living accommodation. Bedrooms are well personalised. Photographs of activities shared by staff and young people are evident throughout the home. These include recent photographs of a recent holiday and celebrate the full range of activities all young people have access to either as a group or as individuals. A young person noted ' In other placements its always been obvious I was living in a children's home. When you come here it just looks like you are coming in to a family home. I don't feel labelled as being in care living here.'

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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

There are excellent arrangements to safeguard young people. The management of the home and practices in place protect young people while enabling them to take reasonable risks as part of their growth and development. Young people live in a safe environment where they are effectively protected from harm and have a strong sense of safety and well-being. Staff give young people’s safety the highest priority and they are well trained in safeguarding. They are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse including issues relating to young people’s personal circumstances and vulnerabilities. Young people’s individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans clearly identify any risks they may face and outline effective strategies to ensure their welfare is promoted and protected. This enables staff to ensure young people are safe both in the home and in the community.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Strategies are in place to encourage each young person to take responsibility for their behaviour. They are revised and amended if they are failing to promote positive changes in young people's behaviours. Staff are clear that physical intervention is very much a last resort and effectively use the positive relationships built up with young people to diffuse difficult situations. All staff receive regular and refresher training in positive handling techniques. Staff are skilled in using a range of de- escalation techniques to help reduce the need to use physical intervention. When young people are struggling, staff will offer them support to help them take control of their behaviours. Young people are encouraged to reflect on any negative behaviour and to take responsibility for the consequences of them. This approach results in sanctions rarely being imposed as young people are encouraged to resolve

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Safeguarding children and young people

and manage their behaviour in a way that promotes positive relationships with their families and the wider community.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are very few incidents of young people going missing from home. On the rare occasions this happens, staff take action to ensure young people's welfare is protected. Risk assessments take account of a young person's potential to go missing. Young people always have an opportunity to reflect on incidents they are involved in. There is a proactive response in arranging return interviews to identify any potential safeguarding concerns.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Appropriate systems promote the safety of young people, staff and visitors within the home. There is regular servicing of electrical and fire safety equipment and young people are involved in discussions about fire safety. This ensures that they understand the importance of evacuating the building quickly to be safe. There is good promotion of appropriate risk assessment, both in relation to activities and to young people's presenting behaviours.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a well-established staff team. No changes had been made to the staffing structure between inspections. Recruitment practice remain robust ensuring young people are well protected. The manager ensures that staff have the skills and competencies to meet the needs of individual young people. There are also suitable systems in place to ensure that visitors to the home are suitably checked and supervised to protect young people.

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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 is effectively and efficiently managed by a Registered Manager who has taken up post since the last inspection. He is experienced and is highly thought of by both young people and staff.

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Leadership and management

There are established systems in place for the Registered Manager to monitor and develop practices further in order to enable continual improvement and better outcomes for young people. Communication between the manager and staff is very good, with staff very well informed of all aspects of the high quality of care they are expected to provide. The Regulation 33 monthly monitoring of the service is of a good standard and this also enables the home to reflect and move forward. There were three recommendations made at the last inspection. These have all been addressed. The manager is now registered as the Registered Manager with Ofsted. Staff have a good awareness of the new evaluation process by which the home's care practice is judged, and the home's development plan highlights areas for further development over the next twelve months.

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Leadership and management

The home meets the aims and objectives in its Statement of Purpose; it has been updated to reflect changes in the management structure. Staff succeed in meeting the aims of the Statement of Purpose by providing a stable and structured environment for young people. Young people benefit from staffing ratios enabling them to have the necessary individual attention. Young people are happy around the staff team and enjoy their company.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by competent staff who have all achieved a professional childcare qualification and all actively participate in the core staff training programme, which is ongoing. This allows staff to address the diverse needs of young people and ensures they possess and maintain the competences and skills required to work effectively with them. The numbers of staff on duty are sufficient to meet the needs of young people. This includes the support they need for activities, visits and attending appointments. Young people receive care from a staff team who are themselves well supported and enthusiastic about their roles. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal in a format that identifies their strengths and areas where developments in their knowledge and working practice can be made.

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Leadership and management

Young people live in an energetic, lively, forward-thinking home that works individually with them to address their needs. The staff group bonds well, is enthusiastic and fully committed to the aims and working practices of the home. Staff understand their role and responsibilities and work with a dedicated, team centred approach that provides young people with a high level of consistency and an outstanding level of 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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