Children's Home run by My Choice Children’s Homes Limited in West Sussex

Unique reference number SC359832 Inspection date 04/07/2013 Inspector Gaynor Moorey Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 25/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This setting is registered to accommodate three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. The home is managed by a private organisation.

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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 adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are provided with a satisfactory standard of care, support and guidance so that they make positive progress. Care planning and review are of a comprehensive standard and promote the individual needs of young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from good relationships with staff. This helps them gain an understanding into their own problems and behaviour and move forward with their lives. The views of young people clearly influence the day-to-day running of the home and they are made to feel part of it. Young people have recently struggled with their own issues, which at times has left the home unsettled. The manager and staff have worked hard to ensure any risk taken by the young people is risk assessed and their behaviour is managed appropriately.

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Overall effectiveness

The home keeps the young people safe. The young people say they feel 'safe and looked after'. Young people are aware that staff help and assist them when they are struggling with their own behaviour and ensure it does not impact on others living at the home where possible.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people live in a home that provides a satisfactory standard of accommodation, due to good maintenance following damage. The staff team works hard to provide positive standards of care.

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Overall effectiveness

At this inspection one action and three recommendations have been made. These are related to the signing of restraint records, ensuring all medication documents are up to date, making sure all young people and staff are aware of the fire evacuation process and that all documentation is in place and monitored.

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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 control, restraint or discipline in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which shall include the name of the person using the measure, and any other person present. Regulation 17(B) (e ) 20/08/2013

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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 there is a written record of all medication, treatment and first aid given to children during their placement (NMS 6.15)  ensure there is an emergency escape plan that all staff and children are familiar with and have practised so they know what to do in an emergency (NMS 10.9)  ensure the manager regularly monitors, in line with regulations, all records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the home's policies. (NMS 21.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate. Young people benefit from individualised programmes of care and from a committed staff team who work to attain the best for them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive support to address their risk-taking behaviour. Young people do not always choose to follow the advice given and involve themselves with risky situations. Young people have behaviour management plans which guide staff in how best to keep young people safe, while simultaneously allowing them to take responsibility for their own actions. This is coupled with a key work programme that provides young people with many opportunities to build on positive relationships with staff to consider why they behave as they do. However, young people continue at times not to engage with staff and involve themselves in negative behaviour. Young people say they have activities and enjoy football, horse riding, drama group, piano lessons, and dog walking for a charity. Young people were enjoying their half- term break with organised activities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged and supported to lead as healthy a lifestyle as possible. Healthcare advice and guidance are readily available and ensure that young people receive specialist interventions. Young people are enabled to gain appropriate advice, for example, in matters of sexual health.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported and encouraged to engage in their education. The home promotes education and learning, and some young people do make some progress. Attendance levels are adequate. Young people both access college and the on-site school. Staff support young people with their education and attendance.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are suitably encouraged to develop their independent living skills. Individual pathway programmes are put in place. Targets are set for the young people, which relate to developing their life and social skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All of the young people, subject to any agreed restrictions, benefit from being able to maintain appropriate contact with family, friends and other people who are important to them. Young people have mobile telephones for their personal use and have ready access to the home's telephone. This ensures that the young people can make and receive calls at any time, including when they are away from the home.

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Quality of care

Young people receive a satisfactory quality of care. Young people benefit from constructive and positive relationships with staff and make some progress as a result.

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Quality of care

Staff are mindful of the changing dynamics within the group, notably when new young people move in. Recent admissions to the home have led to some of the young people experiencing some bullying behaviour and undertaking risky behaviour such as high levels of damage to the building, and assaulting staff. Staff are fully aware of the pressures of living together, and encourage young people to behave appropriately when dealing with disagreements.

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Quality of care

Young people’s views are promoted and valued. Young people say they are listened to, that they can raise concerns easily and understand how to make a complaint. The staff team ensures that each individual has numerous opportunities to voice their feelings and opinions. Each young person is offered regular key work sessions and is able to voice their views informally and on a daily basis with the manager and senior members of staff.

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Quality of care

An appropriate programme of care planning ensures that young people have their specific needs met. Their individual needs are fully assessed and incorporated into plans of care. Such plans match the overall aims of the placement and guide staff in how best to meet their needs. Young people are involved in contributing to the development and review of their own plans and to participate in reviews. However, some contributing documentation such as weekly reports is missing, and therefore do not contribute to the care planning or review process.

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Quality of care

Staff promote each young person's education within a culture that supports and encourages learning. However, there is a variable degree of success which leads to differing outcomes for the young people; for some young people school attendance ranges between poor and satisfactory but for others it is good.

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Quality of care

Young people’s healthcare needs are met when engaging with the home. A comprehensive approach to addressing their physical, emotional and psychological needs ensures young people are provided with individualised care. Healthcare plans are completed which provide a good overview of needs and how these are to be met by staff. However, some records of medication that had been given were incorrect. All young people are registered with local doctors, opticians and dentists, and are assisted to attend appointments as and when required.

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Quality of care

Members of staff enable young people to take part in activities. This allows them to develop their self-esteem and confidence and to experience being a positive part of a community. Individual needs are well catered for, and young people clearly enjoy one-to-one time with staff.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a home that offers them an adequate standard of accommodation. Communal areas are comfortable; however, the home has in the past been subject to a high level of damage. This is now being addressed and maintenance is carried out to a good standard. Young people are encouraged to personalise their rooms and do so with posters and pictures.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Some young people say they feel 'safe and looked after' and that they are helped to address their difficult or risky behaviour. However, some young people continue to place themselves at risk by going missing and committing high levels of damage. Staff use protocols and behaviour management plans to support dealing with these issues, but for some young people this has not stopped these behaviours from happening.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A comprehensive approach towards safeguarding ensures that young people are kept as safe as possible. There have been two child protection incidents involving the young people; these have been dealt with appropriately and staff are working with the young people to look at the risks involved in such behaviour. Staff receive training in child protection on a regular basis. Responses by the management team to safeguarding concerns are swift and in line with local protocols. Staff try to utilise the relationships they share with young people to encourage them to behave well. With the changing dynamics of the young people's group, the number of restraints used has risen due to unsafe behaviour. Staff are supporting young people and trying to develop relationships and strategies to move away from this recent behaviour. Staff are trained in the use of restraint, and de-escalation is a core aspect of staff practice. Where restraint has occurred, records are kept;

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Safeguarding children and young people

however, a number of records had not been signed by the staff undertaking the restraint.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Robust protocols are in place to address situations when young people go missing. These include individual risk assessments which highlight young people’s risk and vulnerability. Appropriate liaison with the local police ensures that young people are reported missing when appropriate. Young people are given support to consider the reasons why they leave without permission and the risks they may face.

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Safeguarding children and young people

An appropriate system of sanctions provides a suitable response to unacceptable behaviour. Young people say that the rules of the home are ‘firm but fair'.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A suitable recruitment procedure ensures only staff that have been appropriately checked are employed to work with young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety are taken seriously, thus ensuring the safety of young people and staff alike. Regular checks and tests are completed. The service does have fire drills; however, since new young people have moved into the home a fire drill has not taken place to ensure their safety. Routine servicing ensures all areas of the home are maintained appropriately, including the testing of electrical installations and portable equipment.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the home are adequate. The home has a Registered Manager who is experienced and displays a clear understanding of the young people’s individual and group living needs.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose reflects current practice in the home. The children's guide is in an appropriate format. Young people are supplied with a copy on arrival, so they have written information about the home.

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Leadership and management

One requirement was made at the last inspection which related to ensuring there is up-to-date recording of all incidents of restraint that happens in the home. Records reflected that the home has ensured this process happens after such incidents.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive good levels of training and undertake a thorough induction programme when they first join. Staff supervision is undertaken on a regular basis which means staff benefit from the regular opportunity to discuss their practice and developmental needs. Staff clearly understand the particular needs of young people in their care.

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Leadership and management

The home is monitored from within and externally. The manager completes regular reviews of care and is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Quality assurance monitoring reports are compiled, which enable patterns and trends of behaviour, practice and engagement to be fully considered. However, several areas of documentation were seen to be incomplete.

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Leadership and management

In general, social workers and other agencies comment positively on the running of the home. Social workers did comment that sometimes there were too many changes of staff which could be seen as inconsistent by the young people. However, both said communication with the home was good and thought the home worked well with the professionals in regards to care planning and working with the local authority to plan the best way forward.

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Leadership and management

The home ensures that records are maintained accurately. All information relating to the progress and development of young people is kept up to date. Minutes of statutory reviews are sought, and coupled with the good standard of record keeping, show a commitment to professional practice within the home.

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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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