Children's Home run by Cumbria County Council in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC034158 Inspection date 03/01/2013 Inspector Bill Drumm Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 04/07/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children's home provides short-break care for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The local authority owns and operates this setting.

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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

At the last inspection in July 2012, the overall rating of the home was good and the home has made good progress since then. Young people appear happy and have a good relationship with staff. They are polite, relaxed and have a friendly manner with visitors. One young person said, 'I enjoy it here, we do lots of things', and, 'staff are really friendly and helpful, I like them all'.

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Progress

One requirement and six recommendations were made at the last inspection. The requirement and five of the recommendations have been fully met. One recommendation is partly met and a new requirement is made about information within children’s records.

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Progress

The previous requirement was in relation to the home's admissions and discharge register. The register has been reviewed and the full details of each young person's legal status are now fully recorded. This means that staff know who is legally responsible for the care and welfare of young people living at the home. Two previous recommendations related to the health care of young people. One was to ensure that staff have up-to-date, signed consent forms in place from parents in order that young people can receive medical attention if necessary whilst staying at the home. These are now in place. This helps to ensure that staff can deal quickly with any medical emergencies as they arise and maintain the welfare of young people. The other recommendation was in relation to the administration of medication. Procedures have been reviewed and all staff have received appropriate training in the safe handling and administration of medication. Staff now know what

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Progress

is expected of them and have the necessary skills and competencies for handling medication.

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Progress

Two other recommendations related to the assessed needs of young people and their care planning. Procedures have been reviewed and staff now have access to the authority’s computer database which records the needs and of young people, as well as background information about their lives. This means that the home's manager, and staff, has full information about a young person prior to their admission to the home. The second recommendation was in relation to the home's care planning documentation. The home's manager has comprehensively reviewed and up-dated the home's care planning documentation. These now fully record the emotional and behavioural needs of young people and staff know what services they must provide in order to meet those needs.

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Progress

The recording of any sanctions or restraints used within the home has improved. Each young person's file now holds a written record of all their sanctions or restraints. This means that they have a complete record of their stay at the home on their file.

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Progress

The recommendation, which is only partly met, is in relation to the detailed information retained on young people’s file, particularly in respect of their education. Copies of school reports, personal education plans and statements of special educational needs are still not routinely retained. This means that staff are not able to fully support and reinforce the formal education of young people to achieve their maximum potential. The home's manager has, however, contacted the professionals responsible for providing this information and a meeting has been arranged to discuss this issue in the near future.

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Progress

In addition to the above, the home has made further progress and improvements that enhance the quality of the care provided to young people. Recent figures show that, over the last twelve months, there has been an increase in the number of young people who access the service. This means that more young people are helped to stay at home with their families. Young people are also very involved with activity groups, such as fishing and walking. This helps them to develop hobbies and interests and improve their self-esteem. In addition, the home's manager has reviewed the risk assessments used within the home and developed a system to help measure the progress made by young people and help them to fully understand the consequences of their behaviour and to appreciate the progress they are making.

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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) maintain in respect of each child who is accommodated in a children’s home a record in permanent form which includes the information, documents and records specified in Schedule 3 relating to that child. Specifically, documents relating to any statement of educational needs and every school report. (Regulation 28 (1)) 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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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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