Children's Home run by Anderida Adolescent Care Ltd in East Sussex

Unique reference number SC028526 Inspection date 21/05/2013 Inspector Paul Taylor Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 07/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately owned setting is registered to accommodate two young people with 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

Young people make excellent progress when they live at this home. Each young person receives bespoke packages of care which enable them to progress to significant degrees. A consistent approach to caring for the young people and an ethos of involving them in their care and the running of the home encourages strong relationships and a sense of corroboration.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff have high aspirations for the young people in their care and nurture their interests and strengths as well as advocate for them so that they receive enhanced opportunities and life chances.

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Overall effectiveness

Excellent close liaison with key agencies ensures that there is a sense of common purpose to ensuring that young people are kept safe and that their progress and development is promoted to an excellent standard.

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Overall effectiveness

There is strong management and a commitment to providing excellent quality of care and to continuously improve. Quality assurance is vigorous which enables staff to have an excellent understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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Overall effectiveness

One recommendation has been made as a result of this inspection and this relates to ensuring that young people consistently sign their key work sessions. This in no way impacts upon their well-being.

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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 all children communicate their views on all aspects of their care and support. (This is relation to ensuring young people consistently sign their key work sessions.) (NMS 1.3)

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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

Young people make excellent progress. They are enabled to develop their confidence and self-esteem and to make a sense of their background and history. They benefit from an environment where their needs and individual aspirations are nurtured and valued.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health is promoted to an excellent degree. They receive encouragement and support to make the right choices and to lead healthy life styles. All their known medical needs are met and staff will pursue appointments on their behalf. Access to specialist health support is gained for the young people with support such as counselling readily available. Their emotional security and well-being is specifically very well protected and enhanced.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit to a significant degree in a home where the value of education is stressed and promoted. This encourages them to achieve excellent attendance at school and to make significant academic progress, particularly when bearing in mind their starting points.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are actively encouraged to have a say in how the home is run. All routines, menus and choices of activities are based around young people's individual needs. Young people are involved in the recruitment of new members of staff. It is clear that their input and opinions are valued and promoted. Additionally, they are able, due to the support they receive, to be active members of the community. This further enhances their self-esteem and combats any potential isolation from their wider community.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to an excellent level to maintain contact with their loved ones and friends. They receive carefully thought out support from members of staff, especially if the contact can be stressful or anxiety provoking. This enables them to maintain meaningful relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people

While none of the young people at the home are of an age to imminently move on to independence, they are actively encouraged to develop life and social skills at every opportunity. This includes opportunities to cook, open bank accounts and visit further education colleges. These opportunities give the young people an idea of what options they may have in the future and what the process of being independent actually involves. It also shows young people that they have a future and that their options can be exciting and fulfilling.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people share excellent and positive relationships with staff which enable them to make significant progress. A fundamental aspect of the home is to build constructive relationships between staff and young people; staff are able to encourage progress through promoting appropriate aspirations for their futures. Staff are acutely aware of the individual needs of the young people in their care. The culture of the home is open, caring and inclusive. A key worker system is well entrenched in practice; although it is clear all staff share responsibilities for all young people and the excellent communication across the team ensures programmes of care are implemented consistently. This enables young people to trust the staff team and respect decisions that are made.

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Quality of care

Records of regular consultations with the young people show that they feel listened to and respected. Members of staff ensure that young people are given numerous opportunities to voice their thoughts and feelings. This approach means that young people are able to influence areas such as menu planning, the décor and choices of activities. Staff facilitate a range of discussions that relate to young people's emotional, physical and social well-being. They are skilled and confident in communicating these views, they involve young people and carefully explain the reasons why decisions have been made to the young people concerned.

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Quality of care

The ethos and culture of the home enables young people to be confident in voicing their views. In turn this means that they know how to make complaints; records show that these are listened to and resolved to their satisfaction.

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Quality of care

Detailed care plans, which have been developed using the young people's input and opinions, enable members of staff to offer care and support to a very high standard. Regular key work sessions ensure that young people's progress is shared and that realistic and achievable goals are put in place to encourage their growth and confidence. While key work sessions are regular and recorded promptly, young people do not consistently sign them to show that they agree with the records and confirm the areas discussed.

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Quality of care

Members of staff are acutely aware of any medical needs each young person has. They advocate strongly for the young people to enable them to access services they need, for example appointments with occupational therapists and input from Children and Adolescent mental Health services (CAMHS). All physical and emotional health needs are promoted to an outstanding level. The emotional well-being of young people is promoted particularly well.

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Quality of care

There is an embedded culture in the home which promotes the value of education. This approach is taken by all members of staff and ensures that the young people receive the support they need to have the opportunity to experience education as a positive part of their lives. Very close liaison is maintained with education placements and this underpins consistency and continuity of care. The approach has also enabled young people to achieve excellent levels of attendance and achieve significant improvements in their academic progress. 'They advocate strongly for him', was a comment made by a social worker.

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Quality of care

Activity planning is a strength of the home. Young people are enabled and encouraged to engage in enriching activities in the home and wider community. Regular trips out of the home take place notably: dog walking; jogging; attending the gymnasium; going bowling and to the cinema. The members of staff also advocate strongly for young people to enable them to join clubs such as scouts.

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Quality of care

Each young person's identity and background is valued. Members of staff ensure that any needs relating to young people's identity are promoted and met. The inclusive nature of the home means that any difference is seen as an opportunity to learn from each other and that everyone has a right to be listened to.

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Quality of care

The home is comfortable and well maintained. Young people are able to personalise their rooms and are encouraged to invest in their environment by taking part in gardening as well as domestic chores. This ensures that the young people feel they are involved in the day-to-day running of the home and that they have an active and meaningful role in this.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's safety is treated as paramount. Staff’s awareness about young people’s needs, the systems relating to safeguarding and staff educating young people about risks and safety ensure that their safety is promoted to an excellent standard; a culture of safety pervades the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Clear policies and procedures are in place to follow in the event that there are concerns about a young person's welfare. All staff are suitably trained in safeguarding issues and know what to do and who to inform if there is a safeguarding issue.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are clear guidelines in place for the staff to follow if there are incidents of bullying. Young people are also made aware of behavioural expectations and conduct towards each other. Bullying is not identified as an issue in this home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are clear established protocols in place should a young person be missing from the home. Close liaison is maintained with the police in the event that there are concerns. 'They work with us brilliantly', was a comment made by a police officer. The support offered by the home has led to significant decreases in levels of young people being missing or absent without permission. Young people receive praise and rewards for positive behaviour. This celebrates their success and develops their self-worth. If sanctions are imposed, these are in line with agreed individual strategies for behaviour management. Strategies are developed using the young people's input and young people are invited to comment about sanctions if they are imposed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Restraint is a rarity. There have been no incidents of restraint in the home for over a year. This is due to staff's skills in de-escalation and ensuring that young people feel valued and protected.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A comprehensive and safe recruitment process ensures young people are not cared for by staff until all required checks have been completed and they are deemed suitable to work at the home. Young people are involved in the recruitment process and meet prospective candidates in order to feedback their impressions to the manager of the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety in the home is given a strong priority to ensure the safety of young people and staff alike. Regular health and safety checks are completed, including fire drills and fire alarm checks. Routine servicing ensures all areas of the home are maintained appropriately including the testing of electrical installations and portable equipment. Comprehensive risk assessments are completed on activities away from the home; these are effective in highlighting the risks, how they can be reduced further and the actions staff must take to ensure safety. Responsible risk taking is encouraged so that young people can learn to assess situations and partake in some exciting activities, such as go karting when they are away on holiday. The home also ensures that young people are aware of day-to-day risks and are equipped to deal with these, for example ensuring that their road safety awareness and competency is

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Safeguarding children and young people

formally assessed before they are able to cycle on the road.

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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 home is managed and monitored to a very high standard. An established management hierarchy ensures that continuity and drive is maintained even in the Registered Manager's absence.

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Leadership and management

The culture of the home ensures that practice is reflected upon with a view to improving outcomes for the young people. Group supervision for the staff from a psychologist ensures that an external professional enables the staff team to review their conduct and effectiveness. Such an approach enables members of staff to change strategies and care plans where needed. The home has addressed the one recommendation made at the last inspection. There is now a clear policy and procedure, backed up by a risk assessment, relating to the circumstances when staff work on a one-to-one basis with young people.

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Leadership and management

Information regarding the home and the services it offers is comprehensive with care practices clearly meeting the aims and objectives of the home as outlined in the Statement of Purpose. An excellent young person's guide contained on the organisation's website provides all relevant information in an easy to understand and modern format.

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Leadership and management

A rigorous monitoring process ensures every area of care provision is robustly reviewed and assessed. The manager completes weekly checks with the subsequent Regulation 34 reports offering a good overview and assessment of the standards of care, including any areas for improvement. Similarly, monthly inspections are undertaken which provide another thorough assessment of care. Action plans are made to address any identified shortfalls. This ensures that the monitoring of the home has an impact on practice and accountability.

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Leadership and management

The members of staff and the manager can demonstrate the impact the home has had on improving the outcomes of young people in their care by the use of recording progress and ensuring young people meet their targets. For example, by measuring a young person's academic progress prior to their admission and then assessing it again after they have lived in the home for a while. This ensures that they are not complacent in their delivery of care.

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Leadership and management

Staffing levels are assessed to meet the needs of the young people and can be increased or decreased dependant on their behaviour and circumstances. All members of staff have regular supervision and are offered an excellent variety of training. This ensures they have the skills and knowledge to meet the young people’s needs and to promote their well-being to a particularly high standard.

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Leadership and management

Records are monitored thoroughly and give a detailed history of each young person's time in the home and the progress achieved.

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Leadership and management

The home informs all relevant agencies of incidents swiftly and effectively. Two external agencies described communication with the home as being of a very high standard.

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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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