Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Unique reference number SC421531 Inspection date 05/12/2012 Inspector Julian Mason Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 08/02/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides accommodation and care for up to three young people who have experienced emotional and behavioural difficulties. A private company owns and operates this setting.

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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

The home provides an exceptionally high level of individualised care and support for young people. Excellent management and staffing arrangements prepare the way for young people to make significant progress in relation to their circumstances on arrival. Young people’s needs and views are central to all aspects of how the home operates and organises its services. Young people are safe, comfortable and relaxed in the home. Placing social workers are extremely positive about the quality of care and support young people receive.

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Overall effectiveness

The strong, meaningful relationships that exist between young people and staff facilitate constructive ways of communicating about their everyday routines and future plans. All aspects of care planning and practice are highly personalised and tailored to consistently address each young person’s individual needs. The home is effectively managed for the benefit of young people. The Registered Manager’s monitoring of the service enables effective and on-going improvement to further develop the home and achieve positive outcomes for all young people. Experienced and skilled staff who are well supported provide young people with a stable, consistent and nurturing environment where they can thrive and prepare for their futures.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy positive experiences where care, therapy and education are uniformly child-focused. Young people who require intensive support at times of crisis or difficulty are offered a safe and nurturing environment that enables them to develop new skills, a positive self-view and improving emotional resilience. Young people benefit from a multi-professional approach that is coordinated and prioritised through the continuous assessment of young people’s needs. Because of this monitoring, the Registered Manager can track the outcomes being achieved and evaluate the progress being made. Improving outcomes for all young people are being achieved because of this approach.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress, establishing strong routines and clear boundaries that enable them to create effective strategies for managing their emotions and daily life events. Young people benefit from regular therapy sessions and intensive care and support which help them to explore their previous experiences and feelings. Structured but informal routines ensure young people are kept occupied and actively engaged within the home and local community. Young people are provided with good support to maintain and keep in touch with significant people in their lives. Arrangements follow agreed plans and are negotiated and arranged sensitively in consultation with young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from opportunities to develop age-appropriate life skills and knowledge. This supports their personal development and encourages independence and responsibility. Such skills include self-care, preparing meals and behaving safely and responsibly. Continuous education and practical help, tailored to individual needs, promote young people's confidence and self-esteem and effectively contribute to individual moving-on plans.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s education is well supported with established routines that help them get to school and maintain good levels of attendance. The value and importance of learning are strongly promoted and staff work closely with teachers to ensure any barriers to learning are tackled quickly. Staff are well informed about young people’s achievements and educational needs and this helps them provide tailored support.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff are well informed about each young person’s health needs because they have access to a comprehensive range of up-to-date information. Strong links with local health care services effectively support young people’s physical, emotional and psychological needs. Staff are confident in discussing a range of health-related topics with young people and in supporting them to access the services they need. Good records are maintained of health checks, treatment and outcomes so the manager can evaluate the on-going health and well-being of each young person.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Staff know and understand each young person well and there are some excellent relationships that exist in the home. Staff consistently provide a caring and nurturing environment that is underpinned by regular therapeutic guidance and support. This results in young people receiving consistent messages about their behaviour and how to develop new skills and strategies to reduce the harm or risks to themselves or others. Young people’s routines are well planned; the service is flexible and adaptable to ensure it consistently meets the needs of each young person.

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Quality of care

The Registered Manager pays particular attention to planning and coordinating young people's support to ensure that positive progress is achieved. Detailed individual placement plans are devised in conjunction with placing authority plans. Care provided in practice is consistent with the stated aims and objectives of the written plans. Risks are assessed regularly and are reflected in written information that staff use to guide the way they work each day. Staff are able to adapt and change their practice quickly to ensure risks are managed effectively. The home is excellent at tailoring its routines to ensure it carefully meets individual needs and manages risks safely.

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Quality of care

Young people's views and choices are central to practice within the home. They participate in frequent house meetings where matters important to young people are discussed. Examples include activities, menu choices and house routines through to peer and adult relationships. Levels of consultation and listening to young people are enhanced further because of the number of individual key worker and one-to-one discussions young people have with staff and managers. In addition, young people are very well supported to participate in their formal review meetings and share their views. This is because they can choose methods and ways of communicating that suit them. Young people feel fully consulted and involved in the running of the home and what happens in their lives.

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Quality of care

Young people’s rights are comprehensively promoted by the team; information and help to access external advocacy services are clearly available. Young people know how to complain if they are not happy about something. They are listened to and any complaints are resolved quickly; outcomes are evidenced through formal letters to young people from the Registered Manager. Because staff are very attentive and listen to young people, resolutions to concerns or grumbles are quickly found through negotiation and compromise. Staff highlight the use of these skills with young people as a way of helping them develop positive social interactions and respectful relationships.

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Quality of care

Young people participate in an excellent range of leisure and recreational activities that help them enjoy their free time. The home is well staffed so young people can do lots of different things. Staff actively consult young people about what they would like to do and they are instrumental in ensuring young people’s experiences are varied and diverse. For example, young people attend a local youth club, army cadets, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, they carry out voluntary work and have registered to complete a run for charity. Access and use of leisure and community facilities are also very good and this helps widen the interests and choices for each young person.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in a spacious, well-furnished and comfortable home that is kept safe and well maintained. Young people can use local services and recreational facilities with ease as these are located within easy reach of the home. Communal areas are nicely decorated and provide enough space for young people to spend time together or on their own. Young people are able to personalise their bedrooms and arrange their own space to suit their individual choices and tastes. The home provides a very stable, safe and personalised environment that successfully supports young people’s comfort and domestic needs.

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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 are safe and feel safe in the home because the Registered Manager and staff team have a clear focus on potential and actual risks facing each individual. Detailed assessments are in place, which identify areas of risk and vulnerability for each young person. Staff use this information to shape their daily practice and routines. They receive child protection training and know how to respond to allegations or suspicions of abuse or report concerns about a young person’s safety. The Registered Manager has well-established links with the local safeguarding team and police who work together for the protection of vulnerable young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff know what to do if a young person is away from the home without permission and they use individual risk assessments to inform their practice and reporting procedures. Some young people who have being missing from care are at less risk now because staff have successfully supported changes in their behaviour. Through the detailed work that staff undertake, young people are able to reflect and talk about their risky behaviours and find ways to behave that are safer.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported to behave well and say staff are fair when it comes to helping them with their behaviour. This includes a clear focus on supporting positive, improving behaviour as well as the use of de-escalation techniques to manage difficult or risky situations. Physical interventions are sometimes used but the need for this approach has reduced over time. Methods of behaviour management are regularly discussed in team meetings and with therapists and teachers, which helps formulate very consistent and effective practices. Young people receive frequent feedback about their behaviour and understand what is expected of them. Young people benefit from having individual behaviour management plans that include agreed targets that they set for themselves. Young people’s potential and ability to change risky behaviours are fully explored, encouraged and supported because of this approach.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s safety is further protected by the careful selection and vetting of all staff working with young people. New staff do not start work in the home until their suitability has been assessed and the Registered Manager is satisfied that all necessary checks have been completed. The home’s environment is assessed regularly to ensure high standards of health and safety are maintained. Fire equipment and prevention methods are also checked regularly. These checks and assessments demonstrate the home’s vigilance around maintaining a safe home environment.

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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 benefit from a service that is effectively and efficiently managed because there is robust, visible leadership that achieves high quality care and improving outcomes. Staff are managed in a way that encourages regular reflection of their work which in turn helps identify ways of improving the service. This approach is part of the Registered Manager’s wider practice that also involves consultation with other professionals including the in-house therapeutic and education teams. These partnerships exist solely to support staff in channelling their efforts and effectively shaping their practice for the benefit of young people.

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Leadership and management

Trained and well supported staff are deployed in the home in sufficient numbers and with the right experience to consistently meet the needs of young people. The stable staff team are very familiar to young people, who experience little disruption to their relationships or attachments. Any shortfalls in permanent staffing levels are covered by existing team members or staff from other homes who know young people well. The team are either appropriately qualified or studying to gain the necessary qualification consistent with their role and responsibilities. Staff have access to a high quality learning and development programme which equips them with the skills and knowledge required to meet the current needs of young people. Staff feel very well supported in their work and can access practical advice and guidance on a daily basis from a range of sources.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager can readily demonstrate the home’s capacity for continuing improvement, which is based on its record of previous outcomes and successes. Young people’s placement stability and continued good progress are regularly tracked and evaluated. The Registered Manager has a robust range of systems in place to ensure on-going monitoring occurs and that these systems inform improvement and development. Strengths and potential shortfalls of the service are clearly understood. This information is used to formulate the home’s challenging development plan which is reviewed and updated regularly.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager has systems in place to notify relevant agencies, including Ofsted of significant events which detail the actions taken to keep young people safe. Young people’s case files are kept up to date and provide a comprehensive record of events and progress. The files are safely and securely stored to support young people’s privacy and confidentiality.

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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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