Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Warrington

Unique reference number SC026991 Inspection date 10/01/2013 Inspector Pamela Nuckley Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype

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Date of last inspection 31/07/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The service is run by an established private provider. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people with attachment disorders.

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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 full inspection in July2012, the overall effectiveness of the service was judged as good and one requirement and three recommendations for improvement were set. The home was asked to ensure that all documents were legible and signed off and that staff were clear on the missing from home protocols and the category’s within the protocol. Further to this, they were asked to ensure that young people’s privacy was respected and that contact plans included any restrictions. The requirement and recommendations have been fully met.

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Progress

The manager has improved her Regulation 34 monitoring to ensure that all documents are signed off by her and that entries are legible. Further improvements have been made in incorporating young people’s views, feelings and wishes into in their placement plans. As a consequence, young people said that they were fully included in their care.

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Progress

Staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of the local authority’s missing from home protocol. This ensures a quick and efficient response in the event that a young person goes missing. However, young people have not been missing from this home since the last inspection.

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Progress

Individual contact plans are in place which highlights any restrictions. These plans are used in conjunction with individual risk assessments. This ensures that young people are fully safeguarded, and only have contact with people identified by the local authority. One young person said, ‘I love seeing my family and the home is really good in making it happen’. In addition, staff were instrumental in ensuring that contact was significantly increased for one young person when a bereavement was expected. This enabled him to say goodbye and staff were able to support the young person through his loss.

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Progress

Staff show concern and empathy for young people who are experiencing upsetting and difficult emotions. However, they have not received formal training to enhance their skills required to meet the needs of children who are bereaved.

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Progress

Young people say that staff knock on bedroom doors and wait to be invited in. They continued to say that they can see visitors or take telephone call in private. This ensures that young people’s privacy is respected.

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Progress

Young people at this home have excellent attendance at school and are progressing well. Young people are continuing to achieve within education because the manager and staff work closely with educational settings and get the right help and support for them. This is combined with the hard work staff do in ensuring that young people have a routine, are prepared, encouraged, praised and understand the importance of education. They also enjoy a range of weekly activities outside of the home. This provides young people with the opportunity to mix with other young people of a similar age and develop friendships.

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Progress

Staff have been proactive in supporting young people to raise concerns or complaints about the care that they receive. Therefore, young people say they are confident and happy with the home's complaint system.

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Progress

There are good systems for reviewing and monitoring the quality of care provided. Reports, in relation to any monitoring of the home's practices, are completed in a timely manner and show that the views of young people are taken into account when identifying areas for improvement. As a result, any improvements identified are incorporated into the home’s development plan.

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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 staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the children. This is specifically in relation to staff receiving training in bereavement and loss. (NMS 18.1)

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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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