Children's Home, Residential special school run by Amberleigh Care Limited in Shropshire

Unique reference number SC448209 Inspection date 02/05/2013 Inspector Denise Perry Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Date of last inspection 21/11/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This company owned children's home offers an integrated residential therapeutic care and education package to young women. This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 12 young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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

This is a well-managed home where, from the onset of admission, young people make good progress in various aspects of their lives. The staff team have sound knowledge of and consistently implement the home’s policies and procedures. The home has a no smoking policy, of which young people are made aware prior to placement. Young people have successfully adhered to this policy. With on-going support and encouragement, they have stopped smoking tobacco and taking any illegal substances. This contributes to young people’s emotional, physical and psychological health.

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Overall effectiveness

The staff team provide consistent and firm boundaries to the young people they look after. Young people thrive on this and benefit from the daily routines and structures in place. As a result, they begin to develop a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. This includes regularly attending school and actively taking part in their educational timetables.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff create an atmosphere of openness and honesty where young people feel confident to share their views and feelings. This shows young people that they are valued. Interactions between staff and young people are appropriate with a good mix of humour, fun and mutual respect. There are identified areas of improvement relating to physical intervention records and updating the young person’s guide. However, this does not currently have a negative impact on young people’s safety or welfare.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of restraint in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume of which shall include the name of the child concerned and confirmation that the person authorised to make the record has spoken to the child concerned and the person using the measure about the measure of use. (Regulation 17B (3) (a) (h)) 13/06/2013

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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 the children's guide includes details of how a child can contact their independent reviewing officer. NMS 13.5

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s emotional, physical and psychological health has greatly improved over a relatively short time period of time. They are developing a positive self view and share constructive and appropriate relationships with each other and staff. Young people confidently share their views and feelings with staff about the running and on-going development of the home. This includes planning and preparing a presentation to the staff team about how the home can be improved and personalised, to better reflect their unique personalities and preferences. For example, they are developing a ‘wish list’ about the décor, furnishings and play equipment within the home. This level of consultation promotes inclusion and ownership and young people feel valued.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have successfully reintegrated into education, often after long periods of absence. The support and guidance they receive from staff helps them to maintain excellent attendance at the home’s on-site educational provision. For some individuals, this is a major achievement which allows teaching staff to fully assess their learning needs and capabilities in order to help them reach their full potential. Meal times are seen as an important opportunity for young people and staff to sit together and talk about their day. Young people help staff at meal times by setting the table and washing the dishes afterwards. They develop table manners and social skills and benefit from this busy and interactive activity. Young people enjoy cooking dishes such as pizza. This helps them to develop their cooking skills, learn about nutrition and gives them a real sense of achievement. Young people are also taking

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Outcomes for children and young people

more responsibility for their personal hygiene and daily routines. As a result, they are becoming more competent in taking care of themselves in preparation for adult life. A placing social worker said, ‘staff have focused on promoting independence skills and I’m amazed at how well she has taken to this. She is more able in her personal skills and emotionally stronger as well.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff accept young people for who they are and they are non-judgemental in their practice. This promotes an understanding of individual heritage, culture and identity. Staff also facilitate contact between young people and their families and with people who are important to them. This has enabled young people to maintain important links, sustain key relationships and gain an understanding of their background.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people take part in activities both in the home and in the community. Through this they gain confidence and build relationships with staff and peers. Some young people have become part of local football teams which has enabled them to pursue their interests and establish themselves as part of the local community.

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Quality of care

Staff deliver highly personalised quality care to all young people in line with their placement plans. They place young people’s welfare at the centre of their practice and they are very knowledgeable about individuals’ backgrounds and needs. The enthusiasm and consistency of experienced staff quickly permeates to new members of staff. A member of staff said, ‘I feel well supported; I love my job and I look forward to coming to work.’ Young people know that staff care about them and say, ‘I feel safe living here and I can talk to any of the staff if I am worried about anything.'

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Quality of care

Staff talk respectfully about the young people in their care and genuinely want them to achieve in all aspects of their lives. They recognise individual achievements and instinctively praise young people when they have done well in school or helped a member of staff with a household chore. This promotes young people’s self-esteem and cements developing relationships. Consequently young people invest in the home and have positive regard for staff.

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Quality of care

Staff ensure that young people receive good general health advice through key work sessions, as well as access to health professionals whenever appropriate. This means that young people receive clear and consistent advice and support from all the adults around them. Staff also implement firm and consistent boundaries and create a calm, relaxed and safe environment. This helps young people to settle into the home, understand what constitutes acceptable behaviour and they mostly adhere to this. When setbacks occur they are able to reflect on and accept the consequences of their behaviour. For some young people, this is a major development and as a result their behaviours improve and relationships with staff develop and strengthen. A placing social worker reports that staff are ‘superb’ at providing firm and consistent boundaries and that staff work effectively to keep young people safe.

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Quality of care

Staff provide young people with information about how to make a complaint and what to do if they are concerned about anything. There have been no formal complaints made since the last inspection, as young people prefer to speak to staff to try and resolve any issues they may have. The young person’s guide includes contact details of independent people and organisations. However, this does not include the contact details of Independent Reviewing Officers. This currently has no negative impact on young people, as their views are regularly sought through formal house meetings, key working sessions and informal daily discussions.

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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's behaviour is well managed and supported by staff through building strong and appropriate relationships. Staff consistently praise and encourage good behaviour and young people respond extremely well to this. Physical restraint is rarely used with only one incident to report on since the last inspection. However, the associated record lacks detail on the young person’s full name and their views on the intervention used. This currently has no negative impact on young people’s safety because staff are knowledgeable and practice is within statutory guidelines.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Some young people with a history of going missing from care prior to placement, no longer engage in this type of behaviour. For other young people (no longer in residence) these incidents significantly reduced. Staff educate young people about the dangers of all risk-taking behaviours, including self harm. As a result, young people are better informed and enabled to make positive choices in their lives.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The Registered Manager has relevant experience of working with and supporting vulnerable young people who are at risk of sexual exploitation. She has excellent links with key people and organisations in this field and has secured specific training from the local authority to further increase the staff team’s knowledge and skill base. Staff regularly review and update young people’s risk assessments, which are clear and accurately recorded. Staff’s proactive and creative safeguarding practice has enabled young people to take proportionate risks as part of their growth and development. This has secured young people’s well-being and provided them with a strong sense of security and safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is physically safe and appropriately secure, taking into account the needs and characteristics of the young people cared for. Staff pay excellent attention to health and safety management. Young people have regular opportunities to participate in fire evacuation drills during the day and night. All safety checks are up to date and high quality environmental risk assessments contribute to young people’s safety.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager has an excellent understanding of the needs of young people and the impact that living in the home has on their lives. Through the home’s internal and external monitoring systems the Registered Manager and staff team collectively track young people’s progress or regression from the onset of their admission. This enables the Registered Manager to access services in order to carry out specific assessments. This includes educational and therapeutic assessments to ensure that young people’s needs are clearly identified and met.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from being cared for by a motivated staff team who themselves are supported in their work. Professional supervision and staff meetings take place regularly. They provide opportunities for staff to develop strategies for working with young people and promote consistency. The majority of staff are experienced and suitably qualified. This directly benefits young people because staff are knowledgeable in the delivery of high quality of care. They understand the home’s systems, policies and procedures and maintain clear and comprehensive records that are securely stored. Case file records are detailed, regularly reviewed and contribute to a full understanding of young people’s backgrounds, experiences, progress and future plans.

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Leadership and management

Placing social workers comment positively on the frequent exchange of good quality information. The Registered Manager, in partnership with care staff, education and therapeutic services, has designed a programme called ‘Because we’re worth it’. This is designed to meet the specific needs of young females and addresses issues which are of importance to adolescents. The programme activities cover a range of topics such as, self-care, self-image, safe relationships and health. This programme has been peer reviewed and is due to be rolled out imminently. This demonstrates the home’s capacity for continuing improvement in the delivery of quality of care and projected outcomes for young people.

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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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