Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Barnsley

Unique reference number SC363630 Inspection date 05/12/2012 Inspector David Martin Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 19/10/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This service is a privately run children's home. The home provides accommodation for up to three young people. It is registered to provide care for young people who have behavioural or emotional difficulties.

p.3

Brief description of the service

A separate building within the home's grounds is registered as a school with the Department for Education. The school facility is available to young people placed in this home.

p.3

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

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

p.3

Overall effectiveness

This home is operating to a good standard. Young people have good health outcomes and are making progress in their education given their low starting points. They are developing good social skills and benefit from positive relationships with staff. Case records are of a high standard and the approach to individual placement plans and behaviour management plans is excellent.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people are encouraged to share their views and opinions. They have good opportunities to contribute to decision making in the home and about their own personal wishes for the future. Young people feel safe and are learning how to keep themselves safe. They have completed a very good project on the risks of sexual exploitation. Staff understand their responsibilities to keep young people safe.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The home is managed well and staff are provided with the skills and knowledge they need to look after young people and make a positive difference in their lives. The home has successfully come through a period of transition and set down strong foundations on which to make further improvements. No requirements or recommendations are made as a result of this inspection.

p.3

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people admitted to the home have particularly low starting points in terms of their social skills and relationships with others. With strong staff support, however, they are developing a good understanding of their personal histories and get good support to explore earlier, traumatic experiences. This enables them to form a more positive self-view over time.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s individual get the good health care they need. There are good arrangements in place for them to access routine, urgent and specialist medical attention as the need arises. Young people are making good progress in understanding the value of leading a healthy lifestyle, being active and eating a well- balanced diet. Health care plans are comprehensive. The home’s approach promotes good health and contributes to young people’s sense of wellbeing.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

The in-house educational provision was subject to a separate, concurrent inspection and was judged to be satisfactory. Some young people are placed in external educational placements and have good attendance. This is a positive development in light of their previous poor engagement with schooling. Young people are achieving well in view of their earlier experiences and low starting points. The home is encouraging young people to value their education.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people give their views on a broad range of issues and are able to influence decision making in the home. Their opinions are taken seriously and their requests and suggestions are implemented appropriately. Young people contribute confidently to their review meetings and understand why some decisions are not possible. The home actively encourages young people to have their say.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Some young people have on-going, difficult and complex relationships with family members but get support to maintain an appropriate level of contact as clearly set out in individual placement plans and in their best interests. Professional colleagues appreciate the home’s positive approach and one reviewing officer observed that the home ‘Has gone to great lengths to promote and facilitate contact’.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people actively acquire skills for independence. They are learning to prepare meals, contribute to the household shopping and do their own laundry, for example. In key worker sessions they explore personal issues and these clearly help young people develop emotional resilience as they mature. The home effectively prepares young people for the future.

p.4

Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

p.4

Quality of care

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and feel that they benefit from this. One young person said confidently that, ‘I can get help if I need it and I can talk to people if I need to.’ Professional colleagues recognise the skill of the staff in developing constructive relationships with young people. A reviewing officer commented that they were, ‘Very impressed with the home – the young person has formed good relationships with staff in a short period of time.’ The staff are able to use their relationships to positive effect and help young people modify their behaviour.

p.4

Quality of care

The home proactively seeks the views of young people and is keen to ensure that they are contributing to decision making. This is evident in the way the home manages complaints from young people. Complaints are investigated and resolved promptly and the outcomes are shared openly and honestly with young people. Consequently, young people understand that their concerns are taken seriously.

p.5

Quality of care

Case records are maintained to a high standard. Individual placement plans, behaviour management plans and risk assessments, in particular, are thorough. They provide an excellent account of the way in which young people’s needs are met and prioritised. The plans have been shared with young people and their views are taken into account. This is very good practice and assists young people to understand the impact of their behaviour.

p.5

Quality of care

The home is suitably located and is maintained well. It provides young people with a homely, welcoming environment and is a safe place for them to grow up. There is a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. This enables young people to express themselves safely and contributes to their general sense of wellbeing.

p.5

Quality of care

The staff promote the value of education and have had good success in supporting young people to attend school. This is a considerable achievement given young people’s history of poor engagement with education. One young person spoke with pride about their, ‘good attitude to school’ and one social worker commented that young people are, ‘doing brilliantly’ given their starting points. Young people are effectively reconnecting with their learning.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people enjoy a wide range of activities. This provides them with positive experiences and good opportunities to use their free time constructively.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people feel safe and protected from harm. Staff are working proactively with young people to help them understand the implications of their risk taking behaviour. They are encouraged to keep themselves out of harm’s way and to avoid placing themselves in situations where they may be vulnerable. Young people have completed an excellent project on the dangers of sexual exploitation, grooming and social networking with strangers. This has contributed to young people’s understanding of risk and helps them to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and have completed safeguarding training. They are confident about reporting any concerns or disclosures and are familiar with safeguarding procedures. This helps to protect young people from harm. Prior to placement in this home, some young people have long histories of going missing frequently. It is to the home’s credit that it has had a significant impact on reducing this behaviour. Staff go to great lengths to follow young people when they are attempting to leave the home without permission. This is often successful and ensures that young people return without coming to harm. When young people are missing, the home makes strenuous efforts to locate them and actively seeks the support and guidance of the police and other agencies in raising the alarm. This helps to keep young people as safe as possible.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

The home manages negative and anti-social behaviour well, using agreed strategies that avoid the need for physical intervention. Behaviour management plans are comprehensive and have been shared with young people. Young people have also been consulted on interventions that work well for them as individuals. Young people benefit from this highly personalised approach.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

All staff employed in the home are subject to initial and on-going vetting to ensure they are suitable to work with young people. This contributes to the safety and wellbeing of young people. Any allegations against staff are handled sensitively and appropriately. The premises are safely maintained and all necessary safety checks are carried out at the required intervals. This provides young people with a safe, hazard free environment.

p.6

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

p.6

Leadership and management

The home has a permanent Registered Manager who is employed on a full time basis. Her leadership is valued by the staff and professional colleagues. During her time in post she has effectively overhauled the record keeping systems and established a consistency of practice. She has successfully taken the home through a period of transition and has put down strong foundations on which to make further progress in improving the way in which the home operates.

p.6

Leadership and management

The home has taken action to implement the requirements and recommendations made following the last full inspection and was judged to be making good progress at the last interim inspection. This positive response contributes to the home’s drive for improvement. The standard of internal and external quality monitoring and reporting is high and clearly identifies areas of good practice and action that is required to consolidate progress or make further improvement. The home is monitored well to ensure it continues to run in young people’s best interests. Records are held securely ensuring that information about young people is maintained confidentially.

p.6

Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose complies with requirements and provides a clear account of the way in which the home operates. Similarly, the children’s guide to the home has been produced in an attractive and easily understood format. Both documents are informative and prepare young people and professional colleagues for the level of service they can expect. The home uses a ‘measuring outcomes planner’ to evaluate the impact of the work it has undertaken with young people. This enables it to demonstrate measurable progress and to set realistic targets to further improve the lives of individual young people. This is very good practice.

p.6

Leadership and management

The home employs staff in sufficient numbers to meet the individual needs of young people. Staff are appropriately qualified and have a broad range of child and social care experience. Access to on-going training is good and all mandatory training is completed as scheduled. Staff value their supervision and feels that it provides them with positive opportunities to consider their professional development and to reflect on their practice. The staff are supported well and are provided with the skills and knowledge they need to look after young people.

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8