Children's Home run by North Lakes Children’s Service Limited in Cumbria

Unique reference number SC356907 Inspection date 18/10/2012 Inspector Gillian Walters Type of inspection Full Provision subtype

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Date of last inspection 18/10/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is operated by a private provider, who has a small number of other children's homes in the locality. It provides a service to nine young males, between the ages of 10 and 17 years. The home cares for young people who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties. The organisation also operates a school, registered with the Department for Education, providing fully-integrated programmes of care and education.

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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

This home provides highly personalised care to young people that enables them to make significant progress in their placements. Staff are attentive to young people’s needs and are thorough in ensuring that they are successfully addressed and responded to. Young people feel safe in this home and know that staff care about them.

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Overall effectiveness

The home promotes an inclusive approach successfully engaging young people to contribute and play an active role in developing and improving their home and the service it provides. Examples of this are the young people’s contribution to staff appraisals and their input in developing their home environment. Young people recognise that this has taken on a more homely feel and show pride in living here.

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Overall effectiveness

Outcomes for young people have noticeably improved. Young people are making significant progress in all key areas of their development. As a result an increase in their confidence and self-esteem is apparent. Young people and their carers share successful and trusting relationships that enable them to live in harmony. This has had a significant impact on young people’s behaviour which is noticeably more positive and constructive.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff maintain excellent communication with young people’s families and relevant professionals involved with their care. One parent commented, ‘Staff have been excellent;' ‘They report everything that happens with my child and talk over all my concerns;' ‘I am fully involved.'

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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 benefit from living in a home where their inclusion is an accepted priority. Young people are routinely consulted about matters affecting their care and improvements that can be made to their living environment. Young people have contributed to a number of developments in the home, including new music and games facilities and redecoration. As a result they know their views are highly valued and have significantly influenced the changes that have occurred. Young people feel pride in their home and appreciate the improvements that have been made.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people share excellent relationships with the staff group, who are committed to raising and achieving high standards of care. Staff are warm and nurturing in their approach and fully supportive of the young people in their care. Young people have a thorough knowledge and understanding of their backgrounds. They have been encouraged and supported to reflect on previous difficulties and challenges and learn from them. This has enabled them to make better informed choices and decisions about their future. The home provides a settled and consistent environment enabling young people to flourish and achieve. One social worker commented, ‘young people flourish socially and educationally, health too. I have used the success of young people I have placed here as evidence to promote other placements.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy regular contact with family and friends. Such arrangements are actively supported by the home and young people can identify the efforts made by staff to facilitate this. One young person commented, ‘I am always very happy to see my family, they come and stay overnight in a hotel. Staff are very good and book this for them.' This means that young people know that their families are important and that staff are eager for them to sustain those relationships that are most significant to them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have developed confidence in their abilities and can identify what they have accomplished since their arrival at the home. They are clearly aware of their educational achievements which can be viewed as substantial given their starting points. Young people have made on-going and consistent improvement across national curriculum subjects with some young people having already achieved recognised qualifications and moving on to further education. One young person commented, ‘I am doing well, I should get GCSE’s in science, English and ICT and I am hoping for good grades too.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and are well supported in ensuring that their needs are appropriately met. Comprehensive health care plans are regularly reviewed and updated and provide a thorough assessment and evaluation of young people’s needs. Staff are particularly attentive to the promotion of good health care routines and steering young people away from activities that may pose risks to their health. Young people fully accept the home’s zero tolerance stance on smoking and adhere to this. One young person in acknowledging their use of cigarettes before coming to the home said, ‘Staff helped me, I got an e-cigarette for a while and then patches, and I haven’t smoked since coming here.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to develop self-care and independence skills appropriate to their age and readiness. Some young people travel independently, others assist with household tasks such as washing dishes, tidying rooms and vacuuming. The home has identified the need for some young people to enhance their independent skills and as a result has plans in place to move those young people on to a new home they plan to open and have registered with Ofsted. Young people are fully aware of such plans and are encouraged and excited about the changes proposed.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Staff provide an excellent quality of care, valuing young people’s opinions, wishes and views. Young people enjoy the close relationships they share with staff and appreciate that they are there to support and care for them. Young people have made such comments as, ‘Staff are really good, if I am sad I can speak to staff and they listen;' ‘Staff look after you better here, they give you options;' ‘Staff trust you and we trust staff.'

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Quality of care

The home works hard to ensure that young people feel that they are living in an inclusive environment, where their views and wishes are valued and respected. Young people are regularly involved in contributing their ideas to improving the home. Staff are proactive in encouraging educational achievement and supporting young people to develop their particular skills and interests.

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Quality of care

Young people have recently benefited from the construction of a new sound and recording booth that promotes their interest in different styles of music. Opportunities have also been offered that include young people having additional music tuition in the home. For some, this has also included the new experience of working with professionals in recording studios away from the home. Young people have gained enjoyment and success in their musical endeavours.

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Quality of care

The home provides a wide-ranging programme of activities for young people to become involved with and pays close attention to resourcing events and activities that will meet young people’s specific and individual interests. This enables young people to engage with new opportunities and provides the enjoyment of pursuing interests that they may not have previously been able to access.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from comprehensive care planning that takes account of all key aspects of their care. This ensures that their needs are well understood and catered for. Staff are particularly attentive to ensuring young people’s individual diverse needs are addressed. Life events, culture and religion are routinely explored and arrangements made that meet young people’s needs. This ensures that young people know that what is important to them is respected and supported by staff. This includes such as creating memorials and remembering family members no longer living.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to follow healthy lifestyles. Importance is placed on wholesome nutrition and plenty of activity and exercise. Young people have choice in their diet and are guided by the home’s chef who offers advice and guidance on healthy food options. The home also employs a healthcare professional that provides substantial oversight of the young people’s health care needs and contributes to their planning. Young people are routinely registered with general practitioners, dentistry and optical services and have excellent access to specialist services as required. As a result young people enjoy good health and have their needs appropriately met.

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Quality of care

The home is located in a quiet rural village. It provides a peaceful and safe environment for young people that in many cases differs from their place of origin. The location in itself is significant in reducing some of the risk taking behaviour that young people had been involved with before coming to the home. This includes gang culture, drug and alcohol misuse. The home is maintained to a high standard with young people’s bedrooms and communal areas influenced by their own individual preferences and tastes.

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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

Young people in this home feel safe and protected. They can easily identify a number of staff they feel comfortable to speak with should they have any worries or concerns. Bullying is not an issue that concerns young people in this home. Young people are aware that staff take the issue of bullying very seriously and would intervene should such a problem arise. One young person commented, ‘I have no worries here.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people generally do not engage with risk taking behaviours. There have been no recent incidents of missing from home and previously incidents have been minimal. Staff are well prepared for such events. They have a clear understanding of the home’s protocol and keep relevant information on each young person readily available should such an event occur. The home has established an effective working partnership with local police, and managers meet with designated officers on a regular basis.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home maintains comprehensive risk assessments and detailed behaviour management plans that are reviewed and updated on a regular and frequent basis. These ensure staff have an accurate understanding of each young person and know how best to respond to any challenging behaviour presented.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Positive behaviour is promoted and the use of physical intervention is rare. In relation to such events one young person confirmed, ‘they don’t happen often any more’ and described the home as ‘The best behaved house.' Young people are aware that staff are fully trained and familiar with physical intervention techniques. They understand that their application must only be used in accordance with the legal framework. Another young person confirmed this saying, ‘Staff are fair with restraints, but they hardly ever have to restrain anyone.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home applies sanctions for less desirable behaviour. However, incentives schemes are also in place to encourage positive behaviour and enable young people to make reparation when it is appropriate to do so. This provides young people with helpful opportunities for reflection and to understand that they can make choices.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home maintains fire fighting equipment and utilities and regularly reviews the health and safety risk assessments and action plans relevant to the home environment. Fire drills are practiced regularly within the home to ensure that young people are familiar with escape routes and know what to do in the event of a real emergency. Medication is securely stored within the home and detailed records are maintained to ensure the safe administration and disposal of medication entering the home. All these measures ensure that the environment is physically safe and secure.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is has robust procedures for the recruitment and selection of staff. All checks are appropriately completed before a new member of staff commences work within the home. The home ensures the identity of all visitors, checking their credentials on arrival and signing in, providing a reason for the visit. All unchecked visitors are appropriately chaperoned within the home. These measures ensure that young people are not exposed to unsuitable persons who may do them harm.

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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

This home is effectively managed and led with the result that young people are successfully safeguarded and receiving a high standard of care. This enables them to make exceptional progress in their placements. The recently appointed Registered Manager has successfully built on established practice within the home and has shown commitment to maintain and improve the professional high standards set by the previous Registered Manager and Head of Care.

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Leadership and management

The staff team is highly motivated to improve outcomes for young people and feel extremely supported by the management team. Staff have commented of the Registered Manager that, ‘She is hands on’ and that ‘She leads by example and has clear expectations of her staff.'

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Leadership and management

The staff team benefit from extensive training opportunities made available to them and feel their views are valued in terms of the quality and range of opportunities offered. Staff have commented, ‘I have had masses of training, some has been more relevant than others;' ‘management have listened to what was good and have used trainers that we felt were better.' The investment in staff training, regular supervision and annual appraisal ensures that staff have comprehensive knowledge and an effective range of skills to equip them for their roles. Staff say they enjoy coming to work and spending time with the young people.

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Leadership and management

The home shows considerable commitment to quality assuring the service it offers. Stringent checks and evaluation is achieved in both the Registered Manager’s regular monitoring of the home’s function and regulation 33 visits that are routinely conducted. The Registered Manager has successfully completed and provided Ofsted with a regulation 34 report that examines practice within the home, identifies trends and details action taken to improve both practice and outcomes for young people. These measures inspire confidence that the home is regularly evaluating the quality of the service it provides and striving for continuous improvement.

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Leadership and management

Young people are central to all planning and developments and are encouraged by the management and staff to play an active role improving their home and how it operates. As well as contributing to recent physical changes in the home, young people have been encouraged to contribute their views on staff as part of the annual staff appraisal process. This has proved successful with young people providing thoughtful and considered responses that have been used during appraisal discussions. Young people have received positive feedback on their input and as a result have further affirmation that their views are valued.

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection there have not been any complaints received or any child protection concerns raised that have necessitated referral to social care teams. The home has a robust system in place for notifying Ofsted and other relevant bodies of any significant events that may occur. All records maintained within the home are well detailed, regularly reviewed and support a clear understanding of young people’s lives and the quality of practice within the home. Such records are stored securely, maintaining young people’s confidentiality and privacy.

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Leadership and management

The home is well maintained and resourced with clear plans in place for its future development and progression. The home meets its aims and objectives as detailed in their Statement of Purpose. Placing authorities and other professionals have expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the quality of service provided. One Independent Reviewing Officer commented of the home,’ Overall I have been very impressed with this home for some while.' Another professional said that she would describe this home as, ‘Outstanding without a doubt.'

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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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