Children's Home run by Care and Management Services Ltd in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC419229 Inspection date 03/04/2013 Inspector Robert Hewston Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 05/11/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is operated by a private company and provides care for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities.

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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

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make good progress at this home. For example, they show improvement regarding their behaviour, social skills, engagement with staff and a reduction in going missing episodes. The service provides good, personalised care which takes account of young people’s individual needs. Care planning systems are in place and young people receive individual care and guidance from staff. As a result, their individual needs are well met.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are settled and feel safe in the home. They report very good relationships with the manager, staff and each other. Young people's welfare and safety is at the heart of practice and promoting safe care is clearly understood and put into action by the team.

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Overall effectiveness

Overall, this home provides good outcomes for young people. This is particularly the case in relationships with staff and keeping young people safe. Care is personalised and takes account of the individual needs of each young person. They benefit from the familiar surroundings and a strong team of staff. The registered manager has achieved an outstanding judgement in leadership and management due to her commitment, accomplishments and drive towards staff support and young people’s development. This is shown through staff comments on supervisions and how they feel valued and supported in their work. External professionals also commented on the improved communication with the home and the systematic approach the manager has towards the care offered to the young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s level of progress and development is good. They are able to develop stable relationships with staff. For example, young people commented that staff care about them and are interested in doing things with them. Social workers, commenting in the monthly reports on the conduct of the home, say the outcomes for young people have improved, in particular their safety and contact arrangements. A young person commented, ‘Staff have helped me to see things differently. I am in a much better place than when I first came here.’ As a result, the home promotes stable placements and nurturing relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress and achieve individual milestones in all aspects of their lives. Young people are achieving well at school. A young person explained, ‘Didn't like school when I first came to the home, but staff have helped me to get past this and now really enjoy going especially meeting up with my friends.’ As a consequence, young people make good progress with their educational targets and achieve their goals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are very aware of their own health care needs. They confidently take responsibility for the administration of some medication and ensure they have sufficient supplies when on contact visits. Young people are generally fit and well and enjoy a range of sporting activities. They eat much more healthily and some relish the opportunities to cook for themselves and others. They are developing an excellent understanding of potential health risks and are mainly choosing not to take part in behaviour that adversely affects their health. Young people spoken to explained how staff have discussed changes to their smoking habits which has reduced the amount that they smoke. Young people are very aware of the support systems available to them and that staff are trained in smoking cessation.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged and supported to take part in the running of the home. This is mainly achieved through regular house meetings. They regularly air their views about food, menus and activities. Staff always act on young people’s feedback. Young people are benefiting from appropriate contact with family and friends. Young people are protected because there is effective scrutiny of all contact arrangements and a good account is taken of any risks.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home promotes a positive ethos that fully embraces diversity and difference. As a result, young people learn to appreciate the significance of differing backgrounds, individual needs and values, and to have respect for other people. This approach encourages positive behaviours, assists young people to understand the consequences of their actions, and enables them to develop alternative and more acceptable behavioural responses.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are effectively prepared to become more independent and make a successful transition into adult life, appropriate to their abilities, age and level of understanding. Young people are effectively learning how to manage weekly budgets for food and clothes shopping. A young person commented, ‘I do my shopping, sometimes on my own or with staff support. I've started to spot some good deals.’ As a result, young people learn key life skills. In addition, the majority of young people are encouraged to use public transport in preparation for their independence.

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Quality of care

Young people are looked after by a caring, committed and stable staff team. The staff team has changed since the last inspection and now includes more staff of both genders who reflect the ethnic and cultural backgrounds within the local community. Young people develop strong, positive attachments with staff. Staff have high aspirations for what the young people can achieve and celebrate their successes, big and small. As a result of these practices, young people learn how to spend time with others and to enjoy their company. This benefits their confidence, general well-being and enjoyment of life.

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Quality of care

Young people are clear that staff listen to them, respect their views and work hard to ensure that issues are fully explained. Some young people have very difficult and challenging behaviours that can affect their relationships. However, this does not discourage staff from providing good quality care with clear boundaries. A good example is how young people are able to discuss with staff their behaviour management plans: compromises are considered, reviewed and changed if it benefits the progress of the young person. This has worked extremely well, with young people being given extra free time to visit friends but with the safeguard of staying in regular contact with staff and returning back on time. A young person stated, ‘In other homes I feel like I was not heard or no one cared, but now staff do listen and treat me like a young adult and not a child.’ These relationships are a key strength underpinning the positive outcomes for young people.

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Quality of care

Staff knowledge about each young person is key to responding to their needs and developing their identities and self-esteem. Young people progress because both care and behaviour management packages are individually tailored. Staff use one-to- one discussion, incentive charts, a range of activities and direct work to engage young people. The young people’s care is contemporary and meaningful because there is excellent assessment and review of plans. Records of link working sessions have improved.

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Quality of care

Young people’s educational needs are extremely well-supported. Staff have consistently high aspirations for young people. Staff maximise every opportunity to help young people engage in education. Staff have been the advocates for young people to receive the right form of education. At times this has been difficult, with some young people lacking self-esteem around attending any courses. However, through one-to-one discussions and improved incentives, the majority of the young people have a place in either a college or a school. Social workers have commented on the home's positive approach towards supporting the young people back into education. Information about how to complain is displayed, can be accessed via the young people’s guide and is also discussed in house meetings. This information includes details about the external agencies young people may wish to contact for advice or with complaints. Young people commented, ‘Always can say what you think in young

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Quality of care

peoples meetings, don't need to make a complaint;’ and ‘Feel staff always deal with problems quickly and I never feel I need to contact anyone about the home or staff.’ Complaints from young people are rare, but are taken seriously and investigated fully within appropriate timescales. Young people receive written and verbal feedback on any concerns they raise and are able to comment on the outcome of these.

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Quality of care

Young people are offered stimulating and exciting opportunities to take part in activities, although they do not always avail themselves of these. Nevertheless, staff design activities carefully and specifically to stimulate and broaden young people's horizons. For example, through maximising the opportunities for them to positively engage in healthy and/or community-based activities.

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Quality of care

The home is appropriately located, designed and maintained. All young people enjoy having their own bedrooms decorated to reflect their cultural background and personal taste. One young person commented, ‘It’s a great home to live in and it’s big enough to have our own space. My bedroom is lovely and I like it.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a safe, secure and stable environment. There are exceptional improvements in the safeguarding outcomes for all young people staying at this home. A young person commented, ‘I know I am much safer’ and a social worker commented about the home, ‘Safety is their number one paramount issue.’ There is a significant reduction in offending and risk-taking behaviours for young people at the home. Young people who previously placed themselves at significant risk begin to think about ways to keep themselves safe and take responsibility for their own safety; they are motivated to change their behaviours.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff ensure that all aspects of young people’s safety are considered and reviewed. Risk assessments are regularly updated and young people are supported to understand their own behaviour and responses to situations. Discussion and reflection help young people to develop alternative strategies and coping mechanisms. Young people confirm they do not feel bullied. Staff are clear about the action to take to support young people through any such incidence. This ensures that incidents of bullying are actively addressed and young people are supported. Thorough handovers by staff ensure preventative plans and discussions are well known by members of staff coming on shift, ensuring continuity of care for young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Innovative and creative practice helps young people manage their emotions and feelings, and carefully balances young people's vulnerabilities and safeguarding risks. For example, through discussions with their social workers, parents and staff, young people are given planned free time to spend with their friends within the locality. A looked after meeting was held during this inspection to complete an improved, robust behaviour plan, with all significant people, including the young person, signing the agreed actions.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s behaviour is positively managed, through consistent and clear boundaries. Young people learn how to make positive choices. Staff regularly give positive praise, rewards and incentives, such as activities and financial rewards. Consequently, young people develop socially acceptable behaviour. For example, there is a marked reduction in the number of physical interventions and this is attributed to the successful behavioural strategies adopted by staff at the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has a good health and safety regime, which ensures that all fire precautions, fire drills and equipment servicing are conducted routinely and within timescales set by the relevant regulations. Young people regularly take part in fire evacuation drills so that they know what to do in the event of an emergency. Excellent staffing levels further help to keep young people safe and reduce any risk of harm. The organisation’s effective recruitment procedures ensure the careful selection, recruitment and retention of staff. New staff are comprehensively vetted prior to their deployment in the home and before having unsupervised access to any young person. This ensures young people are kept safe.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager and staff team deliver a good level of care for young people. The home is effectively and efficiently managed. The manager constantly communicates high expectations to the whole staff team and gives young people, their families and placing authority’s comprehensive information about the services offered by the home. The manager inspires staff to achieve the best outcomes for young people by improving staff’s understanding and knowledge of the young people and the importance in recording. Staff spoken to stated ‘the manager support is always personalised to our development and always feel valued’. Social workers spoken to commented on the Registered Manager’s commitment to staff and young people. How her systematic approach towards young people and their records has assisted the improvements in young people’s behaviour.

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Leadership and management

The home is well-resourced, indicating the financial viability of the provider. The staff treat young people with the utmost respect and dignity and support them in overcoming significant and complex issues. As a result young people receive quality care from a professional, dedicated and stable staff team. The strong, visible management of the home positively promotes the ethos of care and all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

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Leadership and management

The diverse staff team demonstrate a thorough knowledge of individual young people, including their backgrounds, identities and complex needs. The strength of the home is the enthusiastic, competent and consistent staff team who are totally committed to putting the best interests of the young people at the heart of their work, enabling them to provide quality care and support. They communicate very well with each other to ensure that everyone is up to date with new and changing information about young people’s needs and circumstances. Open and honest dialogue helps young people learn from their mistakes.

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Leadership and management

Trends and patterns are used to address improvement because key records are clear and accountable. The manager and staff have an excellent knowledge of the legal framework and regular management checks are carried out. These checks, alongside monthly checks by an independent visitor, ensure a comprehensive audit against the regulations and standards set down for children’s homes.

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Leadership and management

The home has a development plan and the Registered Manager is able to evidence developments that have taken place in the home and how these have had a positive impact on young people. As well as attending training, staff take individual responsibility for continued learning and reflective practice. The Registered Manager has almost completed the required management qualification and has used her knowledge to develop improvements in behaviour management strategies and recruitment policies. This has further improved the staffing within the home and the consistency of care being provided.

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Leadership and management

All significant events relating to the protection of young people accommodated in the home are notified by the registered person to the appropriate authorities. Appropriate action is taken following such incidents, which ensures the safety of young people. The home meets the aims and objectives set out in its Statement of Purpose. The young person’s guide to the home is clearly written providing important information which young people need to know when living in the home. Young people confirmed they are given the guide, on admission, and are offered the opportunity to discussed any issues they are unclear on.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive quality induction and excellent training in this home. Staff have received specialist training, advice and consultation to enable them to develop practical strategies to meet young people’s complex needs. The staff have a strong focus on promoting positive outcomes and enhancing the well-being of young people. They work proactively to help young people overcome barriers and to succeed.

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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 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 the inspection of children's homes.

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