Children's Home run by Footsteps a Path to Change Limited in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC446261 Inspection date 06/03/2013 Inspector Rachel Ruth Britten Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/08/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children's home accommodates two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is privately owned and is one of three children's homes operated by the provider. The home can accommodate young people with physical disabilities if their primary need is emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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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

The children's home has demonstrated continued improvement in the quality of care since the last inspection in August 2012. The home was graded as outstanding at that time and it continues to secure excellent outcomes for young people, given the complexity of their needs. The management of the home continues to seek improvement and has implemented some highly effective changes to care styles and recording systems since the last inspection. In addition, they have addressed the requirement and recommendation for improvement that were raised at the last inspection.

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Progress

Young people are extremely at home here and enjoy very positive relationships with staff. They comment to the home's monthly visitor that they feel 'chilled and relaxed' and 'comfy'. Some young people have been cared for over a period of years now and are preparing for independent living and seeking work. Anti-social, criminal and risk taking behaviours have stopped. Other young people have moved into semi- independent living near their own families and are making a success of this. During their time in placement they made progress back into education and have learnt to manage on a very limited budget. All young people's emotional and physical health has improved because of the healthy eating, regular outdoor activity and exercise which staff promote. Staff exhibit immense tolerance and insight into young people's needs and always encourage their strengths and interests, for example, music, fishing or cycling. In addition, staff demonstrate continuing and longer term

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Progress

commitment to all young people who have been in their care, welcoming them at the home, visiting them, and maintaining supportive telephone contact. All of this is undertaken in a way that is sensitive to, and supportive of, all other family and professional links around the young person. As a result, all outcomes for young people are very good.

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Progress

Young people in the home continue to enjoy consistency of care and are also benefiting from additional new staff. Three new staff are academically able, insightful and enthusiastic, bringing new ideas and using some suitable sporting, outward bound and psychology qualifications in their work. Staff are enthusiastically completing induction and social care diplomas, supported well by qualified senior staff and managers in the home. Together, the present team are highly effective in their work and have improved the quality of daily care and outcomes over recent months. They have achieved this through effective use of newly designed daily records, placement plans, education plans and behaviour management plans. These records are being consistently completed to a high standard and are used daily for reference and review of the effectiveness of practice. The records are updated promptly as changes and incidents occur. There is also regular reflection on the

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Progress

success of strategies and targets by all staff, so that plans and practice are constantly adapted and improved to maximise the progress young people make. As a result, staff feel empowered in their work with young people and have high expectations that young people can make progress. They celebrate young people's achievements, give praise and encouragement, and collect memorabilia and certificates to reinforce the value they place in each young person.

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Progress

Young people benefit from a home manager who is highly committed to successful outcomes for each one of them. He demonstrates renewed enthusiasm for the home since the successful implementation of new record systems; a new care team structure and some new staff at the home. He meets regularly with the staff group and encourages them to reflect on the content and usefulness of policies, procedures, records, regulations and standards as tools to underpin good child care practice. He has also ensured that staff access core training, supervision and appraisal as well as introducing a restorative justice approach to behaviour management. He continues to assure good working relationships with social workers, families, police, independence advisors and youth offending workers by communicating openly, regularly and with insight, about each young person's needs and progress. He has also developed more effective monitoring documents to ensure

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Progress

that there is regular consultation and that the views of stakeholders are both obtained and reflected upon. This meets the requirement raised at the last inspection. Monitoring reports are now also sent in to Ofsted at the intervals recommended at the last inspection. The manager uses exit interview questionnaires to obtain feedback from young people who have left and welcomed the idea of seeking young people's views about staff to inform the appraisal process. However, although the independent Regulation 33 visitor is regularly seeing young people and consulting with them about the quality of the home, her reports are not being submitted to the home or Ofsted in a timely way. This holds back the home in using the information and advice contained in these Regulation 33 reports.

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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 annual appraisals take into account any views of young people the service is providing for (NMS 19.6)  ensure that reports of visits carried out under Regulation 33 are lodge in the home in a timely way for the manager and staff to read and respond to. (NMS 21.8)

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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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