Children's Home run by North Yorkshire County Council in North Yorkshire

Unique reference number SC034235 Inspection date 15/05/2013 Inspector Michael McCleave Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 19/11/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This local authority children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people, of either gender, who have emotional or 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 outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

This home cares for young people who present very challenging behaviours. All have been rejected by adults in the past and their trust when coming to the children's home is low. The staff work consistently with the young people to improve their self- confidence and to gradually develop a relationship with them.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager of this home provides strong leadership coupled with a positive approach for continuing improvement in care practice. This ensures that staff regularly review their work with the young people in order to maintain a consistency and to modify care plans as required to meet the young people’s needs.

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Overall effectiveness

This is an enthusiastic staff team who take pride in their work with young people who have experienced troubled times within their own families. The outcomes achieved by the young people are remarkable compared to their situation before coming to the children's home, in particular their attendance and engagement in education. All the young people have previously demonstrated poor involvement in their education. Some have not received any meaningful education for considerable periods. Through the dedication and commitment of the staff each young person is now engaged in education on tailored individual plans.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff receive appropriate supervision and appraisal to ensure they are supported to carry out their duties. The manager is clear about the strengths and areas for development at the home. The day-to-day operations and professional practice is regularly monitored for quality by the management team. These measures ensure that high standards are maintained. A strong feature of the home is the positive commitment to training and the staff development. This ensures they are kept up to date with professional practice. The manager monitors research in care practices and the children's home has become a beacon of excellence in working with young people who present challenging behaviours. Representatives from neighbouring local authorities routinely make contact with the manager to learn from the practice at this children's home. The manager is also a speaker at national conferences on residential care and in

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Overall effectiveness

particular behaviour management using restorative justice.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are actively encouraged to participate in the life of the home and their views play a significant part in planning activities. Most have never been away from their local area; there is a positive enthusiasm at the home for the young people to broaden their experiences of the wider community and beyond.

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Overall effectiveness

The staff have a clear awareness of safeguarding practice. However, a recent incident highlighted a weakness in the procedures agreed with the police.

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Overall effectiveness

This is a setting that demonstrates a continuing capacity for change to ensure best practice for the care of young people. This is appropriately summed up by young people who point out, 'staff are friendly and supportive' and, 'Staff never give up on us they are always there to help and support us.'

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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 children who are absent from the home without consent but whose whereabouts are known or thought to be known by staff are protected in line with the home's written procedures. (NMS 5.4)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

The young people make significant progress at this setting. They benefit from a team of dedicated staff who focus on supporting and encouraging young people to achieve positive outcomes in terms of personal self-esteem, education and changing often chaotic life styles. This is an enthusiastic staff team who take pride in their work with young people who have experienced troubled times in family lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff demonstrate a 'can do' attitude in their work. They meet young people’s resistance to change as a challenge to be overcome. For example, prior to their admission to the children's home young people did not have acceptable school attendance records. For most, education had been non-existent for long periods. It is commendable that all the young people are currently engaged in an education setting as part of agreed plans with the schools. Each education package has been developed to meet the individual needs of the young people concerned. This has been a remarkable achievement when compared to their starting points. Comments from school managers illustrate clearly young people’s achievements, for example: 'This young person's temporary exclusion record was prolific,' and 'The staff have been incredible in the way they have supported this young person.' Schools value the strong links established with the children's home; the head of a school unit said, 'We

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Outcomes for children and young people

trust the staff at this children's home.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

The children's home works well with other professionals to achieve outcomes for the young people. Placing social workers comment positively about their links with the home. For example, 'I have full confidence in the key worker who is responsible for my young person. I am kept fully informed about progress, and any problems we sort out as a team,' and, 'Communications between me and the staff is excellent.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's risk-taking activities have reduced significantly since they moved into the children's home. Some previously engaged in sexually risky behaviour, drugs and excessive alcohol intake. One young person who has successfully moved to independent living wrote to staff saying, 'I was experimenting on most drugs. I have now stopped all drugs and keeping out of trouble with the police. I have written this letter to say thank you to every member of staff for helping me through hard times.'

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

This children's home offers young people the opportunity to experience a caring and structured environment where they learn acceptable behaviour and boundaries. This is to prepare them for the time when they move towards independent living within the local community.

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Quality of care

Staff work consistently as a team to ensure that young people are not disadvantaged because of their backgrounds. For example, they challenge any barriers that prevent the young people from their right to an education. They work closely with young people in a way that meets their particular needs. This flexible approach has been instrumental in enabling the young people to experience the benefits of an education and to learn how to prepare for their independence. This rounded team approach ensures that the professionals are all working towards the same goal of providing the young people with a high quality service.

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Quality of care

Staff work hard to develop a warm trusting relationship with the young people. They support and help them to take an active part in the life of the home. Their views are valued. Young people actively participate in the planning of all activities. There have recently been successful trips to London and Blackpool, providing the young people with the opportunity to visit places away from their familiar local area. For many it is the first time they had been away from the town. Staff use such occasions to encourage the young people to broaden their views on different cultures. This is intended to challenge stereotypical attitudes towards those from different cultural backgrounds and to promote respect. For example, staff and young people discussed the range of people they would meet on the London trip to explain about respect, diversity and cultural differences.

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Quality of care

The facilities at this children's home to help prepare the young people for independence are excellent. The young people have access to their own fridge in the communal kitchen which they are responsible for. This promotes an awareness of food care, how to trust and behave when sharing food and responsibility for hygienic conditions in the fridge. The home owns a well-designed and furnished house near the town centre where young people can learn how to live independently for short periods. This gives them a unique opportunity to experience how to budget, clean, maintain and look after themselves with oversight from staff.

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Quality of care

Young people’s health needs are very well met by the appropriate services which can be accessed as required. There is ample advice and guidance available for young people relating to their health and personal care needs. For some young people, the advice and guidance on sexual matters from the health service has been invaluable in helping them to change previously risky behaviours. Staff play a key role in encouraging young people to value themselves and to enhance their self-esteem. Young people describe the staff as 'friendly and supportive' and, 'They never give up on us they are always there to help and support us.'

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Quality of care

The children's home is a large older-design building. Staff and young people have worked hard to make the home a friendlier place to live. All young people enjoy their own bedrooms; these are personalised to suit their individual preferences. All the bathrooms and toilets have been extensively refurbished, providing clean, modern facilities. The comfortable lounge provides the young people with a place to socialise and relax. There is access to a games and information room. A quiet room offers space for private time as required. The home is ideally located close to shops and amenities with easy access to the town by public transport.

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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

The manager ensures that all staff have a clear awareness of their safeguarding responsibilities. There are detailed risk assessments in place for each young person. These identify the appropriate strategies to manage any safeguarding or behavioural situation. A testimony to the success of the staff, in maintaining a safe and calm environment, is in the low levels of restraint used at the home. Training is provided in behaviour management and the home takes pride in the fact that there has only been one restraint in the past three years. Positive behaviour is promoted through the use of diffusing the situation through dialogue and restorative justice. This approach is based on staff having a close trusting relationship with the young people. All young people are subject to an intensive assessment when they move into the home. Detailed risk assessments are developed so as to identify the likely impact of their behaviour on the other young at the home. This promotes the safety

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has been particularly successful in significantly reducing the numbers of young people who go missing. There are strong professional links established with the local police force and the manager regularly meets with police officers and the local authority safeguarding officer to share information. These arrangements keep young people safe and encourage a joint approach to safeguarding matters.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are vigilant to the risk to young people when they go missing. A document designed at the home provides key information for police if a young person is reported as absent without consent. In addition staff have developed a dossier of information on the likely places where young people may go if they do not return to the children's home. However, a recent incident highlighted a weakness in the missing person procedures. This involved staff maintaining telephone contact with young people who had not returned to the home by the agreed time. The police had not been contacted in line with procedures due to this telephone contact being maintained. The manager is to review procedures.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The commitment to safeguarding at the children's home is enhanced by the appointment of a member of staff as the missing person champion. This innovative approach places the responsibility for one person to coordinate and monitor all aspects of practice, the missing person policy and procedure, and the link with police. The good practice initiated at this children's home his has now been replicated across all the other local authority children's homes. The home has achieved national recognition in residential care and behaviour management using restorative justice.

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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

This is a well-managed children's home where the manager expects consistent high standards of practice from the staff team. This is a forward-thinking team who have a positive approach to their work with young people who present many behavioural challenges. Since the last inspection, the home has clearly demonstrated a capacity for continual improvement in the way operational practices are carried out, for example, the design of a new document to evidence evaluation of outcomes for young people. These measures are aimed at improving the efficiency of the home and ensure that the young people are cared for by staff that are committed to change.

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Leadership and management

The home continues to operate to the aims and objectives identified in the Statement of Purpose. A guide to the home has been developed to meet the young people’s communication abilities. This is a colourful document that makes extensive use of easy to read words, complemented with pictures and photographs. The young people have been extensively involved in the design of these documents. This promotes their self-confidence and is a reflection of the trust the staff place in the young people regarding their participation in operational activities at the home. A strong feature of the home is the positive commitment of the staff team to continually develop their skills and competences. Training and staff development is given a high priority and this ensures they are kept up to date with professional practice information. The home has a regional reputation for promoting excellent management and care. This means that young people are cared for by experienced,

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Leadership and management

enthusiastic staff that have high aspirations for each young person.

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Leadership and management

A particular strength at this children's home lies in the rigorous monitoring and oversight by the management team in all areas of the day-to-day operations. Records are well maintained and these contribute to an understanding of a young person's life at the home. Information is readily available and a new monthly evaluative summary that has been designed at the home provides a clear and concise account of young people’s progress. This document has been introduced as standard to the other children's homes in the local authority. This clearly demonstrates a capacity to improve.

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Leadership and management

The administrative system in operation is effective and enables easy access to records. These are very well presented and enable young people to have an understanding of their life during their time living at the home. This is commendable and is another clear example of a commitment to equality and diversity.

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Leadership and management

Young people are cared for in a setting that is managed to high standards, where staff place the young people at the forefront of their work. This is aptly reflected in comments made by staff: 'I feel it is a privilege to work here, we are very well managed and encouraged to aim high for all the young people even when they reject us,' and 'We are encouraged to think outside of the box and to continually consider better ways of working for the 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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