Children's Home, Residential special school run by SES Turnstone Limited in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC452461 Inspection date 13/12/2012 Inspector Stephen Halliley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

p.1

Date of last inspection 28/09/2012 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

The home is managed and run by a private company. It provides residential care for up to eight young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Education may be provided on the same site.

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

Young people have made significant progress in many areas since moving to this newly opened home.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Each young person has a highly individualised care and placement plan to which they have had significant input. This ensures individual needs are clearly identified and individual differences accepted and celebrated. These plans have helped promote positive outcomes in a very short period of time. Family relationships have been repaired and strengthened, and all young people now enjoy appropriate levels of family contact. Attendance in educational provision is excellent for most young people and very good for all, with improvements in attendance levels being noted weekly. Young people have begun to take responsibility for their health by reducing or completely stopping smoking, and they are aware of the importance of a healthy diet and appropriate exercise. They are beginning to plan their own appointments with social workers, showing an increased emotional maturity and level of responsibility.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Views of young people about the home are very positive. They are aware why they are living here and what the home offers in terms of helping them move towards an adult placement and independence. One social worker said: 'I think it is a fantastic place and we're so lucky to have this precious resource locally.’

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people are developing positive relationships with staff but these are still in the relatively early stages. Staff are consistent in their approach to young people and place meeting their needs and ensuring they are safe at the heart of their practice. Staff consistently role model appropriate behaviour, and positive behaviour is reinforced at all times.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people report they feel safe and state that staff work hard to keep them safe. They are aware that staff will not allow them to go missing and will do everything they can to ensure they are kept in sight and returned safely to the home.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager is well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of this new team. He feels they have bedded in well and that they are good at self-reflection and that their higher order care skills are far more developed than he had hoped they would be at this early stage.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Shortfalls were noted in the manager’s monitoring of the home and of the quality of care provided in line with regulation. The Statement of Purpose does not include mention of the use of door alarms to monitor young people at night and there are some major recording shortfalls with regard to both restraints and sanctions. Minor shortfalls were also noted in the regularity of fire alarm checks and the recording of work done with young people when they return to the home, having been absent without authority.

p.4

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.

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) compile a written Statement of Purpose to include all the matters listed in Schedule 1, namely the use of any mechanical or electronic means of surveillance of children; this specifically relates to the use of door alarms on bedrooms (Regulation 4 (1)) 31/01/2013

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline within a children's home a full written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose (Regulation 17B (3)) 31/12/2012

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals and improving the quality of care provided in the children's home. (Regulation 34 (1)) 31/01/2013

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.5

Recommendations

 ensure written records kept by the home when a child goes missing detail action taken by staff, the circumstances of the child's return, any reasons given by the child for running away from the home and any action taken in light of these reasons (NMS 5.10)  ensure management of the home ensures all staff's work is consistent with the Regulations, national minimum standards and the home's policies and procedures; this relates to fully completing documentation and the frequency of fire alarm checks. (NMS 21.3)

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have made significant strides in many areas of their lives despite only being in this home a matter of weeks.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have a clear understanding of their background, their place in their families and why they are living in the home. One social worker said: 'This placement fully meets his needs as it has structures and boundaries, is close to the family home and there is excellent therapeutic input, and it appears he has now developed a clear understanding of the importance of family.’ Young people are appropriately confident in their skills and have positive a self-view and high levels of self-confidence. One young person was happy to perform a song for the inspector she had written herself, showing a very high level of self-assurance in doing so.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health is given a high priority and there is regular access to health professionals as appropriate. There are good medical procedures in place and staff respond well to young people when they are unwell. Access to therapists employed by the organisation supports emotional and psychological health strongly and there are good links to local child and adolescent mental health services. Young people have developed a good awareness of their own responsibility for their health; all have drastically reduced their smoking since living here and some have stopped smoking completely. One social worker said: 'I spoke with the staff about addressing his smoking and the home bought an e-cigarette. This is clearly working and he says he has not smoked for six weeks.' This shows a good level of commitment by the young person and a quick and positive response to addressing the issue by the staff team.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Attendance levels in the learning centre have improved greatly and two young people have had 100% attendance for a number of weeks. The third has increased from non-attendance on arrival to 67% and climbing. Young people are achieving well in school and are reaching targets being set for them. They are also producing some good quality work in the more vocational activities, including woodwork and mechanics. Young people are actively involved in the day-to-day running of the home, and their views and thoughts are acted upon by staff. This has included preparing menus, shopping, buying items for their rooms and putting their activity timetables together. They are also fully involved in a number of activities within the local community. As they become more settled in the home and their relationships with staff continue to develop, their contributions in these areas may increase accordingly.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Contact with families has been a difficult area for many of these young people in their previous placements. All now have regular contact with their families and other people who are important to them. The home went out of its way to support a young person to visit family in Northern Ireland recently during a period of family crisis. This has resulted in regular contact being made and the mother being 'delighted with the home and it being absolutely the right place'. Another young person was described by his social worker as 'feeling he didn't belong in his family', but he is now having regular contact and has clear plans in place to spend Christmas with them.

p.6

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are able to follow a life-skills programme which develops self-care and independence skills. These programmes have been started but the current emphasis is on settling young people in to the placement. Planning for independence will follow at a time appropriate to the needs and understanding of each individual young person.

p.6

Quality of care

Despite this home having only been operating a short time it is clear that young people have good relationships with staff. Although these are continuing to develop, they are quite settled and respectful in the main. Staff talk respectfully and calmly to young people at all times and it is clear that young people's needs and meeting these as fully as possible are central to the work of staff. One social worker said: 'The therapeutic approach of the home is good for him and they are currently giving him the nurturing he has never had, including appropriate touch. He is finding the living culture difficult as he has never had structure to his day and he has never had someone to care for him, he has always been the carer.' This shows the staff have clearly identified the areas on which they need to focus to meet the needs of young people.

p.6

Quality of care

There have not been any formal house meetings as yet, with the focus being on developing relationships and settling young people into routines. Young people have been involved in choosing their rooms and choosing the furnishings, including mirrors, posters and the bed if they are not happy with the one provided. They are also fully involved in menu planning and compiling the activity aspect of their daily routine. One young person said: 'We have not had any house meetings but staff do talk to us, ask how things are, what we would like and they do listen and respond well to us.' He also said: 'The home is really good at doing activities though they do explain clearly why we cannot do things.' This was witnessed on several occasions during the inspection and discussions were open and clear. There was a definite expectation on young people to follow their agreed timetables. Each of these discussions included options to look at requests later in the day and they resulted in

p.6

Quality of care

young people going back to the timetable without issue. This ensures young people attend the learning centre and follow a defined structure and routine which is important to ensuring they settle well and feel safe within the home and its boundaries.

p.7

Quality of care

Young people know how to make a complaint but refer to this as raising concerns. They are very clear they could go to any member of staff but named their designated case coordinators and the Registered Manager first. This shows good relationships are being developed with staff and that young people feel able to approach staff with issues they wish to raise.

p.7

Quality of care

Care plans are clear, detailed and individualised. This ensures staff are aware of young people's backgrounds, individual needs and targets. Therefore staff are able to work consistently with young people in the most appropriate manner for each individual. Young people are actively involved in putting these plans together and this ensures they are fully aware of their targets and the expectations being placed upon them. All young people have had a review since the commencement of their placements. Together with a very thorough and well-planned induction to the home, this has ensured the full involvement of young people, their parents and the placing authority in the planning and reviewing process.

p.7

Quality of care

Young people's health and well-being are given a high priority within this home. A well-balanced diet and a daily routine including a number of physical activities supports this. All young people are registered with, and have good access to, a range of health professionals, and staff support appointments to ensure attendance. Emotional and psychological health is supported by a team of therapists employed by the organisation. Access to child and adolescent mental health services is also readily available if required. This ensures young people's health needs are very well met in all areas.

p.7

Quality of care

Young people benefit greatly from their educational provision being on the same site as the home. Attendance levels for all young people have improved dramatically since they moved to this home. Staff work closely with their educational counterparts to ensure a 24-hour curriculum is in place. Homework is supported and activities are tied in to the educational experience. For example, a golf session was set up at a different golf course to the one the young person had previously used. Photographs were taken and the young person carried out a comparative evaluation of the two different courses. This ensures that the academic and pastoral provisions dovetail to provide a well-rounded package appropriate to the learning and developmental needs of each individual.

p.7

Quality of care

This home is located away from larger towns and cities but within easy access of many leisure facilities. Activities offered include golf, climbing, swimming, football, horse riding and cadets. Young people actively and enthusiastically enjoy these. The home maintains the high standard of decoration and furnishing it had when opened. Minor damage is quickly repaired and the message to young people is that staff want them to have a very homely environment in which to live and in which they feel they can invest.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

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

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people report that they feel safe in this home and there are a range of systems in place to ensure they are protected from potential harm. Staff manage unsafe behaviour in a proactive manner and one young person said: 'They work hard to keep us safe and they prevent things happening rather than letting them happen.’

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected from accidents and harm by a range of health and safety checks being carried out regularly within the home. There are, however, gaps in the recording of the weekly fire alarm tests which could potentially put young people at increased risk. Visitors are required to sign in and carry a visitors’ pass at all times to prove their right to be on the site. Unknown visitors are chaperoned by staff at all times. Staff recruitment checks are robust and detailed. These systems ensure young people are kept safe from potential harm by adults working in, or visiting, the home.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

There have been five incidents of young people going missing since the home opened. There are clear policies and procedures for staff to follow when this happens and these are linked to local police protocols. A young person said: 'Staff try to follow/find me and if they cannot, they call the police. When I return they ask me why I ran away and talk to me about different ways of managing my feelings.' This shows a proactive response to young people being absent without authority and a clear system of addressing issues with young people when they return. Records do not, however, detail actions taken when young people return, including discussing the reasons for running away or actions put in place to prevent this happening again.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's behaviour was generally very positive during the inspection and staff consistently role model positive behaviour and good manners. There have been six sanctions or restorative approaches with young people and 11 restraints since the home began to admit young people. Recording of these incidents is not to the required standard and there are numerous gaps in the entries. Additionally, none of these restraints or sanctions have been monitored and signed off by the Registered Manager.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

All allegations or suspicions of harm have been dealt with quickly, sensitively and confidentially. This includes feeding back to young people and placing authorities on the outcomes of any concerns. This swift response ensures young people and social workers feel confident the home will deal appropriately with concerns and that they will be taken seriously.

p.8

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good . This home is effectively and efficiently managed and has enjoyed a very positive first few months of operation. The Principal is currently also the Registered Manager, although plans are in place to recruit a designated Registered Manager as numbers of young people in the home increase.

p.8

Leadership and management

There have been no concerns or complaints raised since the home opened. Neighbours did raise an issue of the brightness of lights at night and this has been amicably resolved by turning off the learning centre lights when it is not in use.

p.9

Leadership and management

Young people, staff and placing authorities are fully aware of the services the home offers, including its aims and objectives and the facilities available. The Statement of Purpose does not include information about the use of door alarms on young people's bedrooms at night. Social workers confirm they are aware of this practice and are happy with its use as a safeguarding measure.

p.9

Leadership and management

The Registered Manager spends quality time working in the home and has good relationships with young people and an intimate knowledge of his staff team. This gives him a good day-to-day overview of what is going on. This is supported by visits carried out on behalf of the provider under Regulation 33, which are well recorded and used to evaluate the service. However, regular monitoring by the Registered Manager in line with Regulation 34 has not been implemented yet.

p.9

Leadership and management

Managers are fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and an audit of staff skills and competencies has already been carried out to support this. Strengths include relationships with young people, care and daily living plans and the high level of basic care being given. The induction process and training of staff are also significant strengths at this time. Weaknesses include staff being able to fully appreciate what young people are saying in a non-verbal manner but this may develop as relationships go from strength to strength. Time management is also an issue and the Registered Manager is aware this needs to be addressed before numbers increase. A detailed initial development plan is in place and this includes ensuring all systems are up to speed and functioning in order to best meet the needs of the young people.

p.9

Leadership and management

This is a new service and substantial work was done on the site before opening. This included fitting all bedrooms with en-suite facilities and redecorating throughout. A dedicated learning centre was also built to a very high specification. All rooms are finished to a good standard and all maintenance work required is carried out promptly to ensure the homely feel remains.

p.9

Leadership and management

Staffing levels are currently four staff on duty with three young people, but will settle at five staff to eight young people when the home is fully occupied. New care staff have recently been appointed to bring staffing up to this level and they will take up their posts in the New Year. All staff received a very thorough induction lasting four weeks before young people arrived. This ensured the staff team were well known to each other and were fully aware of all systems, policies and protocols within the home before they began face-to-face work. A full training programme was incorporated into the induction process which covered all mandatory training and a range of additional courses. This ensures staff are able to work consistently and safely with young people. All staff receive regular supervision aimed at either professional development or personal support. Staff report the Registered Manager is

p.9

Leadership and management

'absolutely top class and has a very hands-on approach and is readily available with open-door access’.

p.10

Leadership and management

All young people have had a review since being placed in this home and social workers report the home was very involved in this process. Records of these meetings are held on young people's files and, as with all other records, these are held securely in a locked cabinet in the office. The files seen show a clear transition process to the home and are beginning to give a clear picture of what life is like in the home for the young people. These records are, generally, very clear and well written to provide young people with a clear understanding of their time here.

p.10

Leadership and management

Significant events which have occurred in this home have been notified to Ofsted and other agencies such as placing authorities promptly, and good work has been undertaken to resolve any concerns.

p.10

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.11

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.11