Children's Home run by One To One Crisis Intervention Ltd in Devon

Unique reference number SC003897 Inspection date 20/11/2012 Inspector Christina Maddison Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 31/08/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This service is operated by an independent organisation. Children and young people using this service have emotional or behavioural difficulties. The service is registered to provide residential care and accommodation for one child or young person.

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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 that took place in August 2012, the overall quality rating for the service was judged to be good. Two requirements and two recommendations were made at this inspection. These requirements and recommendations have been fully met.

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Progress

Young people placed at the home make good progress. A major area of improvement and progress has been the development of young people's social skills and trust in adults. As a result of this progress, young people are now ready to develop their educational placement and learn to make appropriate friendships with their peers. Young people said that they really liked living at the home and thought that the staff tried really hard to keep them safe and happy. Young people said that they enjoyed the wide range of activities on offer, such as cinema visits, holidays, the trampoline club and voluntary work at an animal rescue centre.

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Progress

Staff manage behaviour very well at the home and are pro-active in devising effective behaviour management strategies. As a result, since the last inspection there have been no incidents of restraint and a decrease in sanctions that have been imposed. Young people said that the sanctions were fair and they understood why they were given. Staff ensure that behaviour management is consistent and boundaries are fairly and consistently implemented by all staff. This means that young people learn to respect the boundaries through the consistent enforcement of them. For example, young people have learned to eat meals at the table using appropriate table manners. There have been no incidents of young people being missing from the home. Since the last inspection the home has liaised with the local community police officer and individual guidelines are now in place in accordance with runaway and missing from home protocols. This information ensures that staff

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Progress

are clear about the action that they should take if a young person goes missing.

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Progress

There have been no complaints since the previous inspection. Complaints procedures have been updated to ensure that a written record is made of any complaint and the outcome and the actions taken in response are now recorded. The views of young people, parents and social workers are sought through monthly monitoring visits by an independent person and by the regular use of survey forms. The outcomes of these surveys are collated to provide an overview and areas for improvement in the home. This system ensures that the quality of care is maintained.

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Progress

Staff commented that they felt well supported and well supervised. The home provides a wide range of training to ensure that staff are appropriately informed and skilled to effectively support young people. However, some staff do not have an up- to-date lone working risk assessment. The manager and staff were clear about all risks relating to young people and how they are to be managed, but these are not documented. The safety of young people is not affected by this omission as staff are clear and knowledgeable about what action to take in order to keep young people, themselves and the public safe.

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Progress

Staff have high aspirations for young people in their care and there is a commitment to provide a high quality service and care for them. The house continues to provide a homely and comfortable environment. Young people have personalised their bedrooms. Young people said ‘I like this house. I like my bedroom and I can have a pet.’ Internet access is now available in the home so young people are able to learn to use the internet safely and have access to internet educational facilities. Young people have educational placements. However, staff are working hard to ensure that young people continue to make progress with their education and gain appropriate educational placements in a mainstream school.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that where only one member of staff is on duty at any time, an up to date risk assessment has been carried out and recorded in writing, identifying any likely risks to children, staff and members of the public. (NMS 17.9).

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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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