Children's Home run by 2nd Nurture Limited in St Helens

Unique reference number SC413223 Inspection date 24/05/2013 Inspector Maria McGranaghan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 28/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately-owned home is registered to accommodate one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties or learning 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 live in a home dedicated to generating positive and productive outcomes. Excellent progress is made in education, living healthy lifestyles, social interaction and behaviour management. Young people recognise their personal achievements and strive for continued success.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s safety is exceptionally well managed in the home. Young people are safe and feel protected from significant harm. Care is taken to enable young people to learn about risks in a safe and supportive environment. Likewise, young people are extremely positive about the care they receive and the relationships they have formed with staff.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s individual needs are extremely well met. Care planning processes are effective and ensure young people are cared for consistently and in a way that promotes the development of personal aspirations and achievement.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from a dedicated team of staff who are both suitably experienced and trained to work in the home. Staff receive consistent supervision and this ensures the high standards of care provided in the home continue to meet the needs of young people.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is effectively managed with a strong emphasis on providing unique care packages for young people. Excellent monitoring systems ensure that all aspects of the home are closely scrutinised and appropriate action is taken to maintain and enhance performance within the home.

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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 in education, the development of their emotional resilience and the relationships they have formed, both inside and outside of the home. Effective care planning processes ensure young people’s needs are consistently reviewed and updated and this ensures a steady progression towards the overall plan. Likewise, a dedicated staff team work closely with external services to ensure young people receive the most appropriate support in order to achieve their full potential. Evidence of excellent communication and consultation between young people and staff clearly demonstrates mutual respect and a genuine regard for individual needs and aspirations. As a result, young people make excellent progress and thrive in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people live in a home where their views and opinions are valued and respected. Consultation with young people takes place on a daily basis and is a central feature in planning for individual care. For example, young people are invited to team meetings to offer their views about the care they receive and comment on future developments within the home. Consequently, young people are empowered and their views are valued in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from full-time, well planned and supported mainstream education. Progress is excellent. Young people demonstrate a commitment to education with 100% attendance and individual grades being significantly improved. Young people’s enthusiasm about their education demonstrates the home’s diligence in enabling young people to realise their own potential and view their education positively.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from effective and consistent health care. Health care plans provide details from birth to the present day and includes a summary of all practitioner appointments. Regular consultation with health professionals, supported by keyworker sessions, ensure young people have a good understanding of issues such as, smoking, sexual health and drugs and this helps to support them to make informed decisions in their life.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Planned and unplanned activities take place within the home. Individual interests are very well supported. Young people attend cadets, a bike building club, a youth club as well as going swimming, eating out and visits to local parks. Likewise, young people attend residential team development trips with groups such as the cadets. As a result, young people’s developing social skills, particularly with regard to forging relationships within the community, are significantly enhanced.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from exceptionally well-planned contact with friends and family. Staff maintain close links with families and involve them, where appropriate, in the overall planning of the young people’s care. Detailed placement plans ensure contact only takes place with only those whom it has been agreed and arrangements are reviewed regularly. Staff encourage young people to develop independence skills in accordance with their developmental age and abilities. Thorough assessments highlight individual tasks for young people to develop appropriate life skills. Similarly, keyworker sessions help to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to maximise individual’s potential. This person-centred approach assists young people to prepare for adulthood and equips them with essential skills to succeed in their future.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people thrive in a home dedicated to providing a structured and nurturing environment. Relationships between staff and young people are very well established. Young people say, ‘the staff listen to me and I can talk to them about anything.’ Young people and staff enjoy appropriate banter and are clearly relaxed in each other’s company.

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Quality of care

Young people’s placement plans are excellent. Each plan perfectly encapsulates a picture of individual needs and the steps to be taken to address them. Likewise, external agencies work closely with the home to ensure that young people are afforded professional support in order to maximise their overall potential. The manager said ‘we are all very clear what help and support young people need and understand how important it is they get the right help, I know all the staff are completely dedicated to the young people.’ Similarly, plans clearly identify individual heritage and identity. Young people are encouraged to pursue their individual beliefs and are offered a range of materials to develop their understanding of individual choice and difference.

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Quality of care

Staff are effective in addressing young people’s educational needs through proactive relationships with partner agencies. Personal Education Plans clearly identify the wrap-around support package required to assist young people’s achievement. Similarly, special educational needs co-ordinators liaise closely with the home to ensure a transparent approach is maintained in the support of young people. As a result, young people have exceptional attendance and have achieved higher grades. Young people’s accomplishments demonstrate the commitment and effort of a focused and child-centred team.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to complain. Information is provided in the young people’s guide and organisational complaints documents. Procedures for managing complaints ensure they are handled fairly and investigated thoroughly by the manager or external nominated person. Likewise, young people benefit from regular consultation sessions that enable them to explore their care, both inside and outside of the home. This process enables young people to discuss matters of concern and work with staff in gaining a suitable resolution. Consequently, the positive relationships between staff and young people ensure that young people feel empowered and valued in order to raise matters of concern in the home. Young people are encouraged to demonstrate socially acceptable behaviour. Behaviour management systems work together with risk assessments in order to identify triggers for negative behaviour and effective strategies for positive behaviour

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Quality of care

management. Likewise, young people are assisted to understand the impact of negative behaviour in the world around them. Consequently, positive reinforcement, including helping young people to understand and help those less fortunate in their community, is a consistent feature within the home. The effectiveness of this approach is evident. Young people have developed empathy and respect for others and rarely display negative behaviours in the home.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a spacious and exceptionally well maintained and decorated home that blends into the residential area. Young people are central to making the house into their home and proudly display photographs, drawings and comments around the home.

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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 well managed. Staff undertake child protection training in order that they are able to respond to suspicions or allegations of abuse. Clear and targeted risk assessments serve to highlight specific risk factors and the strategies in place in order to reduce risk. Likewise, excellent partnership working with the local authority ensures the home’s safeguarding procedures are up-to-date and effective in maintaining young people’s safety. Consequently, young people do not go missing from the home and are not involved in risk taking behaviours.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected from bullying. Although there are no episodes of bullying taking place in the home, staff are effective in their response to bullying in the external arenas such as education. Records clearly highlight a proactive approach in communicating concerns in order to aid an appropriate resolution. As a result, young people feel confident that any concerns they raise with staff are listened to and that the correct procedures are implemented without delay.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff receive appropriate training in order to appropriately manage physical intervention within the home. Likewise, staff are clear that physical intervention is only used to prevent a young person harming themselves or others. Consequently, effective risk assessments and de-escalation strategies implemented within the home ensure that escalating behaviours are suitably managed without the need for a physical intervention.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff promote young people’s on-going protection by undertaking regular fire drills and service tests making sure that all faults are efficiently addressed. Clear evidence highlights stringent monitoring of all systems within the home including the appropriate storage, administration and recording of medication.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are vigilant when managing visitors to the home and take appropriate steps to verify visitors’ identity in order to protect the young people. The Statement of Purpose includes a glossary of staff employed within the home and their relevant qualifications.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Recruitment and selection of staff is thorough and ensures young people are only looked after by staff that are appropriately qualified and checked in order to work in the home.

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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

Young people live in a home that is effectively managed. The home meets the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose and young people, their families and social workers are clear about the support the home provides.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff demonstrate diligence in their work with young people. The strong and committed staff team are consistent in their delivery of exceptional child care practice tailored to meeting individual need. The effectiveness of this approach is evident through the excellent progress young people make.

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Leadership and management

The manager has a realistic understanding of the strengths of the service and areas for further progression based on consistent auditing and monitoring practices. Likewise, external monitoring of the home is thorough. Evidence indicates clear lines of enquiry and focused based reporting. The manager makes exceptional use of reflective practice ensuring excellent communication and consultation with young people, staff and social workers.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by a highly competent staff team with a wide range of skills and experience well matched to the needs of the young people. Staff have achieved NVQ at level three and access a comprehensive training programme providing them with the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge in their work with young people. Similarly, staff receive a high level of support and supervision in order to maintain the high standards of care practice in the home.

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Leadership and management

The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents under Regulation 30. This practice ensures that information is shared with the regulatory agency in order that the actions and outcomes for young people can be suitable assessed.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff demonstrate a continued commitment to delivering excellent child care practice in the home. The home shows the capacity to improve.

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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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