Lower Roach End Farm

Unique reference number SC005048 Inspection date 07/11/2012 Inspector Amanda Ellis Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 20/06/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for eight young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private company.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

At the full inspection in June 2012, the overall quality rating for this home was judged as outstanding with no requirements and one recommendation. At this visit the home is judged as making good progress.

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Progress

This home continues to deliver exceptional standards of individualised care and support. This means children receive excellent quality of care and experience greatly improved outcomes. Since the last inspection one of the positive outcomes for the children is continued educational achievement and excellent attendance. A significant strength of the home is enabling children to pursue positive pursuits in place of risk- taking behaviours. The development of positive behaviours greatly enhances outcomes for young people.

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Progress

Children receive health care appropriate to their individual needs to ensure they achieve good health outcomes. Their physical, psychological and emotional needs are met because the home provides an environment with integrated social, education and therapeutic professionals. Children benefit from a healthy lifestyle promoted by a skilled and knowledgeable staff team. Children receive support from a skilled and stable staff team. They develop positive attachments and relationships with carers. As a result their behaviour becomes more positive and productive. Children benefit from consistency in care and clear boundaries. This results in planned placement endings and positive transitions for young people to future and permanent placements.

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Progress

Care planning, risk assessments and behaviour management plans are individualised and comprehensive. Children receive consistent care because their care planning is clear and detailed. This provides staff with clarity to enable effective support to young people.

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Progress

Children are safe and are clear that they feel safe. They are kept safe through excellent working practices and comprehensive risk assessments which are regularly updated.

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Progress

Leadership and management arrangements are robust. Continual improvement is planned systematically within the home’s development plan. Children benefit from effective management and monitoring of the home. Rigorous routine monitoring activities, in addition to independent monitoring visits ensure that children receive a consistently high quality of care. Children and stakeholders routinely feed back their views on the care provided and outcomes achieved to inform potential improvements and shape the service.

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Progress

The maintenance of the home is of a generally high standard, with artistic and creative décor both internally and externally. Young people’s bedrooms are individualised and young people have choice in their decoration preferences. The home is comfortable and provides a homely and non-institutionalised environment. This is consistent with family living, which means that young people feel relaxed and value their surroundings. At the last inspection a recommendation was made in regards to the minor issues relating to the maintenance of the home. The providers have addressed this as far as could be reasonably expected but some areas still require attention, such as replacing carpets in hallways and maintenance to bathroom areas.

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Progress

The home offers opportunity for both privacy and social engagement. The external area of the home provides plenty of space for play and exercise. However, it does not have sufficient recreational activities or equipment to fully meet the children’s needs. Children commented during the inspection on this issue. As such, a recommendation has been made to address this area.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. Avoidable hazards are removed as is consistent with a domestic setting (NMS 10.3)  ensure the home is situated in a location that supports its aims and objectives and proposed models of care for children and young people. This includes children being able to access external services and recreational activities, specifically in relation to the provision of playground equipment. (NMS 10.1)

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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