Children's Home run by Archways Care Limited in Worcestershire

Unique reference number SC383941 Inspection date 19/06/2013 Inspector Elizabeth Barrett 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 is a privately owned children's home for four young people with 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 good service that provides positive outcomes for young people. The Registered Manager and staff take full account of the individual needs of young people and provide effective personalised care. The home provides a nurturing environment where young people learn and develop.

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Overall effectiveness

The views, wishes, and feelings of young people are central to the good care practice of the home. Staff keep young people safe and they in turn feel secure and protected. Young people are settled in the home, which provides a good foundation for their future arrangements.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and it is through these nurturing relationships that they develop in maturity, taking more responsibility for their actions. There is a positive atmosphere in this home, where care arrangements and activities take into account the individual and diverse needs of young people. Young people are able to reflect on how they have benefited from their placement and support at this home.

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Overall effectiveness

This service is at a transitional stage, with changes to the staff team and the structure of the organisation. Leaders and managers know and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and are taking positive action to secure further improvement.

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this visit, there are three recommendations relating to staff appraisals, updating staff recruitment files and effective planning in the event of staffing shortfalls.

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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 the registered person can demonstrate, including from written records, that it consistently follows good recruitment practice, with particular reference to maintaining copies of records relating to internal staff promotions within the home (NMS 16.2)  ensure contingency plans are in place in the event of a shortfall in staffing levels (NMS 17.3)  ensure all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually, and this appraisal takes into account any views of children the service is providing for. (NMS 19.6)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress living in this home in relation to their previous circumstances. They form strong attachments to staff and trust the plans that are in place for their care and future arrangements. For example, there is a strong focus on getting to know young people and encouraging them to talk about the issues that are important to them. As a result, young people feel settled and valued, leading to improved emotional and behavioural changes.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to improve their self-esteem and develop safe relationships that help boost confidence and well-being. Young people benefit from the structures and routines in place that help them to feel safe and secure. Comments received from young people include, ‘Living in this home is much better than my previous home because staff listen and the atmosphere is warm and homely.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s education and learning arrangements are diverse, including mainstream schools and alternative placements. This is because staff listen to each young person to help shape and support learning arrangements according to individual aims and aspirations. Where difficulties arise, young people work hard to improve because they want to achieve success and realise their potential. Consequently, young people are achieving positive educational outcomes in preparation for their future.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people learn about healthy lifestyles and the importance of looking after their own health needs. They understand the importance of healthy eating and the benefits of participating in regular exercise. Young people receive individual support to address personal issues and there is access to psychological support sessions where necessary. This results in consistent improvements to young people’s emotional and psychological health and well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are enjoying quality time with staff and peers while developing independence and responsibility in line with their circumstances, understanding and current levels of risk. Young people’s personal development benefits from an open approach to learning new skills, forming attachments and expanding social inclusion. Young people enjoy active involvement in community-based individual and group activities, and benefit from improved family relationships and contact with those of significance in their lives.

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Quality of care

Young people receive good personalised care while living in this home. They enjoy positive nurturing relationships with staff and say that staff are genuinely interested in them and care for them well. One social worker commented, ‘My young person is safe and happy and has built good relationships with staff and is responding well to the structure and predictability of the home.’

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from a staff group who care about them and who are committed to promoting their welfare and safety. Staff work hard to motivate and educate young people to make positive lifestyle choices. It is through these relationships that young people are learning to grow in maturity and self-esteem. When difficulties do occur, young people are encouraged to talk through their issues and to find suitable resolutions.

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Quality of care

Care planning effectively takes into account each young person’s specific needs, background, and identity. Improvements are made to in-house care and assessment frameworks to assist young people to achieve their aspirations, and to shape the care they receive. Individual targets are established in line with placing authorities and supported through listening to the views and opinions of families and young people. As a result, young people are achieving positive progress in working towards their future plans and transitional arrangements.

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Quality of care

The quality of care provided in this home is having a positive impact on young people’s development and progress. The Registered Manager and staff build strong relationships with external professionals, working effectively in partnership with them and young people’s families. This means young people receive the right support tailored to meet their individual needs. Stakeholders speak positively about the care and support that young people receive, for example: 'The home provides excellent care and support and they are doing everything they possibly can, and I'm very pleased with the progress made.'

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Quality of care

Staff work tirelessly to support young people to fulfil their potential despite the challenges that some young people face. Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to their own care and the running of the home through regular residents’ meetings and key-working sessions. Young people confirm that they are aware of how to make a complaint and have used the process in the past, and are confident that their views and concerns receive a positive response.

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Quality of care

Observations at this visit demonstrate that the home provides a homely, relaxed environment where young people feel a sense of belonging. The home is well presented and respected by young people and staff, reflecting the care and attention it has been shown. As a result, young people take more pride in their belongings and surrounding.

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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 say they feel safe in the home and they are protected because staff fulfil their safeguarding role. Staff practice is underpinned by safeguarding training and robust policies and procedures. Staff have a good understanding of these procedures and are aware of their roles and responsibilities, including when and where to report a concern. The Registered Manager and staff are proactive, and take on board further protective measures related to advice and suggestions made by other professionals. Social workers say that this is one of the better homes that work effectively with young people around prevention and reducing risk.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people receive a good level of supervision in order to maintain their overall safety and well-being. Care and behaviour management plans are of good quality, identifying risks and protective factors for individual young people. These are known by staff so that risks are addressed as part of daily living with each young person. As a result, young people are taking fewer risks and are learning how to keep themselves safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff focus on de-escalation and re-direction techniques in order to defuse escalating situations and difficulties, and promote a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. Staff work directly with individuals to ensure all young people are provided with the right support and guidance to recognise and challenge this kind of behaviour. Young people confirm this approach and say that staff address any concerns to ensure young people are safe and well.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are presenting decreased levels of challenging behaviour because consistent boundaries and fair and restorative measures of control and reward promote solution-focused and positive behaviour. This means physical intervention is reduced significantly since the last visit because behaviours are considerably improved. Furthermore, there have been no incidents of missing from home for young people since the last visit.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in an environment that is physically safe and appropriately secure. All fire and health and safety requirements are regularly checked and up to date. All staff working with young people are carefully selected and vetted before commencing employment. Young people in the home have opportunities to be involved in these recruitment processes.

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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

Young people live in a home that is managed by competent and qualified staff and managers. The team communicates well with each other to ensure that everyone is up to date with new and changing information about young people’s needs and circumstances. The staff team further supports the smooth operation of the home because staff are child-centred and skilled in their roles. As a result, young people have continued to receive an improved level of care and are making significant progress in many areas of their lives.

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Leadership and management

Leadership, management, and organisation of the home are effective. The home has met in full the requirements and recommendations set at the previous visit. Records checked at this visit demonstrate improvement to the recording of physical intervention and behaviour management practices, in line with regulations and standards. The provider has recruited new staff with suitable experience and qualifications, and there have been no new admissions to the home during this time.

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Leadership and management

There is a stable and consistent core group of staff working effectively with young people. Managers have worked hard to minimise the impact of staff changes for young people by working shifts to ensure consistent care and attachments. One staff member commented, ‘The home is at a transitional stage but is managing the impact and maintaining safe staffing levels.’ However, the provider does not have a contingency plan in place to ensure any future shortfalls in staffing are robustly managed.

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Leadership and management

Competent and knowledgeable staff are committed to promoting good outcomes for young people in their care. Staff are managed in a way that encourages regular reflection of their work, which in turn helps identify ways of improving the service. Staff attend regular staff meetings and receive one-to-one supervision. There is a good standard of training provided to all staff, with specific training around areas of attachment, safeguarding, and anti-oppressive practices. However, not all staff are receiving annual appraisals in line with company procedures.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager monitors the home on a monthly basis to address any shortfalls identified. Significant improvement is made to the external monitoring of the home with good evaluative reports that inform quality assurance and future actions. Specific work has been identified to improve the culture and ethos of the home and staff training and retention, to ensure stability and development of quality care practices.

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Leadership and management

The provider promptly notifies all significant events relating to the protection of young people to the required authorities. Appropriate action is taken to ensure complaints and concerns are addressed in line with regulatory requirement. Records are well maintained and stored securely and correctly. However, some staff files do not contain up-to-date recruitment information relating to internal staff promotions within the home.

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Leadership and management

Young people’s records are clear and contribute to an understanding of the young person’s life. Managers are consistently improving audits to assess the content, quality, and impact of records.

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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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