Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Barnsley

Unique reference number SC363630 Inspection date 14/03/2013 Inspector Michael McCleave Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 05/12/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This service is a privately run children's home. The home provides accommodation for up to three young people. It is registered to provide care for young people who have behavioural or emotional difficulties.

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Brief description of the service

A separate building within the home's grounds is registered as a school with the Department for Education. The school facility is available to young people placed in this home.

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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 children's home was judged as Good at the last full inspection in December 2012. There were no requirements or recommendations for improvements made at that inspection.

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Progress

This is a well-managed children's home with strong leadership provided by the manager. Staff are encouraged and supported to develop their skills and competences through individual training programmes. This is a motivated team of staff who demonstrate a positive commitment to achieving outcomes for the young people in their care. For example, some young people have shown a remarkable improvement in school attendance and academic achievement since moving into the home. This compares significantly to their previous record of disengagement from education. This positive approach promotes the future life opportunities for young people in going onto higher education and enhancing their employment prospects. The young people feel safe living at the home. They are supported and encouraged to develop self-respect and confidence in themselves. One young person said, 'the staff treat me with respect and they are very kind to me.' Staff take their

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Progress

safeguarding responsibilities seriously and they ensure safe working practices at the home.

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Progress

The views of young people are listened to by staff. The weekly young people's meeting is an active forum where decisions are made about various aspects of life at the home. This inclusivity is further enhanced through young people surveys, which resulted in, for example, the purchase of new reading books, changing the curtains in the lounge to make the room brighter, purchase of new games, arranging to go to the theatre to see a live performance. This demonstrates a capacity to improve life at the home through consultation. Another good example of the inclusive ethos at the home is involvement of the young people in the selection of new staff. This enhances their self-confidence and encourages them to take responsibility and ownership of decisions.

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Progress

The commitment to equality, diversity and an inclusive environment is a strong feature at the home.

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Progress

Records held at the home are generally well maintained. The management oversight of some information however, is not robust. Some reports do not have signatures to indicate who completed the records. This could compromise the accuracy of information.

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Progress

The building provides the young people with a safe place live. It is well maintained and comfortably furnished throughout.

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Progress

This is a very supportive home for vulnerable young people. They are encouraged to enjoy life and they receive strong support and guidance from a team of dedicated staff.

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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 there is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping and that all records are signed by the person making the entry. (NMS 22.1)

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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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