Children's Home run by Barnardo’s in Oxfordshire

Unique reference number SC013143 Inspection date 10/12/2012 Inspector Maire Atherton Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/05/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This service is run by a national children's charity. It provides care for up to 5 young people aged from 5 to 18 years who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 satisfactory progress .

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Progress

At the full inspection in May 2012 the overall quality rating for the service was judged good, with one requirement and two recommendations made.

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Progress

The sole requirement and both recommendations were in respect of areas outside the direct control of the Registered Manager. One recommendation has not been met and the other, along with the requirement, has been partly met. The progress in meeting these has been limited by organisational issues. The frequency and location of safeguarding training (as arranged by the national provider) means that not all staff receive refresher training annually, with some staff significantly exceeding this time frame. The manager ensures that safeguarding discussions are given priority in the individual supervision of staff and in team meetings. Thus staff know how to identify and respond to any safeguarding issues that may arise. There is training scheduled for February 2013 and the deputy manager has spoken to the trainer about tailoring the content so that it takes into account the special needs of the children and young people who live in the home. However the requirement is

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Progress

repeated as the current programme will not ensure that all staff receive refresher training annually, necessary to keep staff up to date with current practice. It remains unclear if the organisational induction process for new staff incorporates the Children's Workforce Development Council's induction standards. No new staff have started since the last inspection but in light of the recruitment drive underway at the time of this inspection, this recommendation is repeated. There has been some success in obtaining copies of review minutes. This continues to require active follow up by the home with independent reviewing officers, some of whom respond more quickly than others. This delay may mean that staff are not working with the current placement plan.

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Progress

There is evidence that individual children and young people have made significant personal progress. The introduction of life story books and timetables developed in accordance with individual needs have proved highly beneficial. They have proved effective in supporting some young people to make choices and accept change within a structure that provides consistency in staff approach, leading to a reduction in challenging behaviour. A relative said 'We can now go out more, to town for example, without any difficult behaviour which is really good.’ Children and young people are able to choose from a range of activities on offer using a variety of communication systems, promoting inclusion regardless of disability or language skills. Young people take part in a range of purposeful activities to encourage social and emotional development, such as leisure trips and involvement in community activities supported by staff.

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Progress

Children and young people's views are taken into account and staff are skilled at interpreting behaviour as a form of communication. Children's negative behavioural responses to events or situations are regarded and responded to as complaints and changes made to prevent recurrence as far as possible. The new two tier system introduced by the organisation across a wide range of services for recording incidents does not meet the needs of the service. For example, minor injuries to staff are recorded on a sheet headed 'superficial injury to child'.

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Progress

There is an established staff team supplemented by a bank of ‘as and when' workers to fill shortfalls, with agency staff. The staffing levels are determined by the needs and activities of the young people, with one-to-one for all young people and one or two additional staff on each shift to provide extra support in the provision of personal care and activities in the community. The manager has created three part-time posts to increase staffing numbers and build in additional flexibility to respond to emerging needs. The recruitment process for these is underway.

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Progress

There is good monitoring of the outcomes for children and young people demonstrated in the detailed quarterly reports sent to commissioners. The management are actively working on obtaining access to advocacy services that meet the needs of the children and young people.

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Progress

Children and young people appear happy, relaxed and comfortable in the home, interacting with staff confidently and enthusiastically. A relative who visits very regularly said 'I can't think of anything they could do better.’

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed receive training within appropriate timescales. (Regulation 27 (4)(a)) 31/03/2013

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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 the induction process for new staff incorporates the Children's Workforce Development Council's induction standards (NMS 18.3)  develop a system for the timely request of minutes of reviews held for children and young people (NMS 25.8)  review the system for recording incidents to ensure the format is fit for purpose. (NMS 3.21)

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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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