Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC033127 Inspection date 15/03/2013 Inspector Ann-Marie Born Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/10/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is part of a local authority children's disability service offering care for children and young people aged between 5 and 17 years with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Brief description of the service

The property is purpose built, all on one level and provides accommodation for eight children receiving short break services. Longer-term care can be offered to three young people within an attached bungalow, which is self-contained.

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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

This home was judged as outstanding at the previous full inspection in October 2012. Following this interim inspection, this home is judged to be making good progress and has successfully addressed the shortfall outlined in the previous recommendation. No breaches of regulations or shortfalls in meeting the national minimum standards are identified as a result of this inspection.

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Progress

Excellent new recording methods capture the views of children and young people following any incident. Consequently children and young people have the opportunity to reflect upon and learn from the consequences of their actions.

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Progress

The introduction of a new child centred behaviour support plan has resulted in a reduction in the number of sanctions imposed. This innovative system is individually developed together with children and young people in a form chosen and understood by them. Consequently, children and young people of all abilities are empowered to express themselves thereby increasing feelings of self-worth and reducing stressors. Children and young people are, and feel, valued as individuals. A parent said, 'he had been to another setting before but was miserable there and they weren’t meeting his needs. The home has been amazing. He has fun, he is happy, he is safe and so we can relax. It’s the best place he has been.'

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Progress

Children and young people further benefit from the introduction of communication 'scrapbooks'. Children, young people and their key workers work together on these books which detail their time and experiences in the home. These are used effectively in review meetings to demonstrate the progress made by children and young people. An independent reviewing officer stated, 'the one thing we’ve got our heads round is how young people's views are represented. With (name) they produced a scrapbook and tried for him to tell us what they think of the home and that has made that positive difference.'

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Progress

Children and young people are safeguarded by the development of e-safety and cyber bullying policies which provide information on internet and telephone use. Individual risk assessments identify potential dangers and are made available to children, young people and their parents. As a result, the home and parents are fully informed and children and young people are protected.

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Progress

The standard of care in the home and outcomes for children and young people remain consistently high. The motivation of the Registered Manager, fully supported by an enthusiastic, committed staff team, is driving forward continuous improvement. This level of motivation ensures children and young people are provided with a safe, caring and stimulating environment in which to grow and achieve in their emotional and physical well-being. Another parent commented, 'they have been absolutely brilliant. I wish I’d accessed it earlier. He meets a lot of friends and gets on with staff, they love him and he is always blowing them kisses. He is really happy.'

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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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