Children's Home run by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Bolton

Unique reference number SC040723 Inspection date 05/12/2012 Inspector Lynn O'Driscoll Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 29/05/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This is a local authority children's home offering care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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

Overall, this home was judged to be good at the last full inspection on 29 May 2012, with outstanding features in respect to outcomes for children and young people and the quality of care provided. The two requirements and one recommendation made have been satisfactorily addressed.

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Progress

Consequently, sanction records now clearly demonstrate that the relatively few sanctions imposed are always relevant and proportionate to the particular misdemeanour and evaluated for their effectiveness. The behaviour leading up to the sanction is recorded in much more detail and the actual sanction imposed is very clear, including its duration. Children and young people continue to have the opportunity to talk through these incidents and record their views. These entries confirm that they feel they are fair. Examples include, 'I am sorry and agree to the sanction', and, 'I am fine with this.'

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Progress

Restraint records now consistently include the actual technique used, the duration of the restraint, any injury sustained or medical treatment required.

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Progress

All the staff are now fully up to date with their required training. They also benefit from monthly formal supervision and team meetings with open and honest debates. Moreover, timely annual appraisals are undertaken to fully explore continued personal development and on-going training needs. However, this process does not include the views of children and young people living at the home.

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Progress

Consultations with stakeholders have markedly increased since the last inspection and the feedback is very positive. Many describe the 'friendly and welcoming atmosphere' every time they visit. The staff are described as 'very creative', 'extremely professional and knowledgeable', and, 'fantastic advocates’. They say they go 'above and beyond' and provide, 'a very caring environment’.

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Progress

Consequently, the children and young people are very happy and settled at the home and making good progress. They enjoy sound, trusting relationships with the staff and so they feel able to approach them about any concerns they may have. Their individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported which further increases their confidence and competencies. Examples include boxing, fishing and football. One young person said, 'I am a really good goalkeeper now.'

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Progress

Good behaviour is actively encouraged and rewarded at this home and is having the desired effect. At the last inspection, the children and young people were specifically working towards a helicopter ride. This was realised at the end of the summer holidays and they had, 'a fantastic day’. They have also recently attended an annual awards evening where individual achievements are publically acknowledged. This significantly increases their self-esteem.

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Progress

Staff benefit from strong leadership by an extremely child-focused manager with an extensive background in social care and education. Since the last inspection he is now successfully registered with Ofsted and has proven he can successfully drive continued improvements.

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Progress

The main development since the last inspection is establishing very positive working relationships with families to better safeguard and promote their child's welfare. Staff at this home are also particularly pro-active in supporting contact arrangements. Consequently, the children and young people are really happy with the current arrangements in place. Most notably, they will all benefit from some contact with their families on Christmas day. One parent telephoned the home specifically to say he is really proud of his child's progress since moving to this home. Staff are well supported to facilitate and supervise contact, but are not specifically trained to undertake this role.

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Progress

Since the last inspection every child or young person now has two keyworkers. This ensures continuity of care at all times and that all the required documentation is up to date. Managers also now specifically record their discussions with children and young people, which informs their monthly progress reports.

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Progress

A key strength of this home is ensuring a wide range of relevant specialist services are provided in a timely manner, to best meet children and young people's unique and complex needs. Moreover, children and young people are positively engaging. The staff have established highly effective partnership working. They are also excellent advocates for the children and young people. This has resulted in school placements being maintained. Their attendance is good and they are progressing very well, especially given their starting points.

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Progress

An on-going programme of redecoration ensures this home is always maintained at a good standard throughout. Currently the kitchen is being completely refurbished and the children and young people have been actively involved. This shows they genuinely care about their environment and have a strong sense of belonging. In preparation, the staff also had a cooking day, making a good range of their signature dishes. This means the children and young people are still benefiting from homemade, nutritious meals despite the temporary disruption.

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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 the views of children and young people living at the home are taken into account as part of each member of staff's annual appraisal (NMS 19.6)  ensure staff have the appropriate training to supervise and facilitate contact. (NMS 9.2)

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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.

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