Children's Home run by 2nd Nurture Limited in St Helens

Unique reference number SC413223 Inspection date 28/11/2012 Inspector Maria McGranaghan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 08/03/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

This privately-owned home is registered to accommodate one young person. The service can accommodate young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties or learning 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 live in a safe, caring and structured environment that consistently supports sustained progress in all aspects of young people’s lives. Young people achieve excellent outcomes in education, healthy lifestyles, safety and emotional resilience while making a positive contribution within the community.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are protected in the home. They are positive about the care they receive and have formed excellent relationships with the dedicated staff team. Young people succeed in a home that provides a safe and nurturing foundation.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from exceptionally well-planned and individualised care. Highly effective placement plans ensure that young people are cared for consistently and in line with their individual needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from a dedicated, enthusiastic and driven staff team. Consistent supervision and training ensure that the high standards of child care practice in the home are maintained. A skilled and experienced staff team who are qualified at National Vocational Qualification level three and above, provide excellent quality of care.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is efficiently managed with a strong emphasis on providing a high standard of child centred practice. Monitoring systems ensure that all aspects of the home is suitably scrutinised. Likewise, robust systems are in place to ensure young people’s safety is maintained at all times. Despite these strengths there are two weaknesses. Although Regulation 33 monitoring visits do take place on a regular basis, the information provided does not provide a suitable assessment of all matters in the home. Likewise, supervision records are not regularly signed by the member of staff. These matters do not impact on the excellent outcomes young people are achieving.

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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 visits to the home under Regulation 33 record all relevant checks as set out in regulations and guidance and include areas for improvement (NMS 21.7)  ensure records of supervision are signed by the supervisor and member of staff at the end of supervision. (NMS 19.5)

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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 make excellent progress in education, emotional resilience and have formed excellent trusting relationships with staff. Exceptional residential care plans are developed with external services and consistently inform practice. Likewise, regular keywork sessions and consultation meetings ensure young people’s views are listened to and valued by the staff. Consequently, young people receive the right support and guidance to achieve in their day-to-day lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from full-time, well-planned and supported education. Personal education plans are in place and this outlines the support required to assist young people to achieve their very best. Consequently, mentors and special educational needs co-ordinators work hand-in-hand with the home in order to provide young people with individually tailored support packaged. As a result, attendance and attainment has excelled and young people are very enthusiastic about their education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from effective and consistent health care. The health care plan provides details from birth to the present day and includes a summary of all practitioner appointments. Regular consultation with health professionals supported by keyworker sessions ensure young people have a good understanding of issues raised and this helps to support them to make informed decisions in their life.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Planned and unplanned activities take place within the home. Individual interests are promoted and this ensures young people’s personal aspirations are valued and supported. Young people attend army cadets and are proud of their special uniforms. In honour of Remembrance Day, young people were invited to lead the parade to mark this occasion within the community. Staff say, ‘we were all very proud and emotional it is something we will never forget.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from exceptionally well-planned contact with friends and family. Staff maintain close links with families and involve them where appropriate in the overall planning of the young people’s care. Detailed placement plans ensure contact only takes place with only those whom it has been agreed and arrangements are reviewed regularly.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff encourage young people to develop independence skills in accordance with their developmental age and abilities. Thorough assessments highlight individual tasks for young people to develop independent skills. Similarly, keyworker sessions help to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to maximise individual potential. This person centred approach assists young people to prepare for adulthood and equip them with essential life skills.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people thrive in a stable, nurturing and supportive environment. Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to young people and this is evident in the excellent relationships they have established. Young people and staff enjoy appropriate banter and are clearly relaxed in each other’s company.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to complain. Information is provided at a level understandable to young people and this assists them to access to procedure easily. Complaints are well managed. Outcomes are thoroughly recorded and include the comments and opinions of young people. Staff liaise with parents and placing social workers to ensure that any concerns raised by young people are shared and equally evaluated. The transparency in this approach ensures young people’s views and opinions are met with high regard.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to demonstrate socially acceptable behaviour. Individual behaviour management plans supported by comprehensive risk assessments identify triggers for negative behaviour and effective strategies for positive behaviour management. Methods, such as praise and reward, encourage young people’s participation and have proved to be successful. As a result, sanctions are appropriately used and assist young people to accept the consequence of their behaviour.

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Quality of care

Young people’s care is exceptionally well planned. Individual snap shots provide important information about young people and are an excellent quick reference tool. Likewise, placement plans recognise young people as individuals with different needs, backgrounds, interests and views. They insure that young people receive an individual service designed to meet their personal needs, cultural background and personal identity including gender, faith, disability and sexual orientation. Staff work closely with parents and have built up extremely good relationships. Consequently, the changing needs of young people are closely monitored and revised to maximise their overall potential.

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Quality of care

Staff effectively address young people’s educational needs through proactive relationships with partner agencies. As a result young people have exceptional attendance and make consistent progress, demonstrated by an array of certificates and post cards from school highlighting individual achievement. Young people’s accomplishment demonstrates the commitment and effort of a focused and child centred team.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a spacious, well-maintained home that blends into the residential area. Young people are central to making the house into their home and proudly display photographs, drawings and comments around the home.

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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’s safety is well managed within the home. Staff receive regular training and supervision in order to suitably manage risk taking behaviours. Appropriate procedures are in place and ensure where concerns are raised the appropriate action is taken without delay. The staff are vigilant at monitoring young people and clearly record any matters for concern as routine practice. Likewise, risk assessments are undertaken in partnership with parents and placing social workers and clearly encapsulate individual risk factors. This practice ensures that the correct level of supervision and support is made available to young people at all times. Consequently a seamless approach to the management of young people’s safety and welfare is embedded within the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people do not engage in risk taking behaviours such as being missing from home. However, clear procedural guidance is in place including a joint protocol’s with the local area safeguarding board and parents to ensure immediate action is taken should a young person’s safety become compromised. The proactive practice within the home ensures a highly consistent approach to all safeguarding matters.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff support a zero tolerance approach to bullying in the home. Young people are provided with good information and guidance to ensure their safety if maintained at all times. Staff advocate extremely well for young people. Where issues of bullying have arose outside of the home, staff have been proactive to ensure matters are addressed quickly and effectively. As a result, young people feel confident that should a concern arise, staff will respond quickly and effectively.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff receive appropriate training in order to appropriately manage physical intervention within the home. Robust policies and procedures ensure that staff are clear that physical intervention is only used to prevent a young person harming themselves or others. Techniques, such as diversion and redirection, are consistently applied and are a preferred method in the home. Consequently, there has been no use of physical intervention within the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff promote young people’s on-going protection by undertaking regular fire drills and service tests making sure that all faults are efficiently addressed. Clear evidence highlights rigorous monitoring of all systems within the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are cautious when managing visitors to the home and take appropriate steps to verify visitors identity in order to protect young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home employs a robust recruitment procedure and ensures young people are only cared for by staff that are appropriately checked and qualified in order to work in the home.

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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

Young people live in a home where staff are highly committed to meeting their individual needs. The home meets its Statement of Purpose, and young people, families and social workers are clear about the service and support the home provides.

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Leadership and management

The home provides excellent standards of care. The manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering practice that aims to stimulate and assist in the development of young people. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the outstanding achievements young people make.

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Leadership and management

Effective management strategies including the managers monitoring of the home serve to suitably assess the practice delivery within the home. Therefore the home’s action plan identifies the strengths of the service and areas for further progression. External monitoring is also evident in the home. However, records do not suitable address all matters in accordance with Regulation 33. This does not impact on the current outcomes for young people accommodated.

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Leadership and management

The home employs a suitable level of permanent staff to meet the needs of the young people. Supervision and training regularly takes place and this ensures that staff are effective in meeting the needs of young people. However, records of supervision are occasionally not signed by staff. Staff say they feel very well supported and say ‘the manager is very good. She drives the team to do the best for the young people and we get very good results. We are a happy team.’ The management practice within the home ensures effective care practice is consistently maintained to a high standard within the home.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff demonstrate commitment to delivering exceptional child care practice tailored to the individual complex needs of young people. Young people thrive and make excellent progress in the home.

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Leadership and management

The home has made good progress in addressing the recommendation made at the last inspection. The manager employs both female and male workers to ensure a suitable staff balance is achieved within the home.

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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 and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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