Children's Home run by Shropshire Council in Shropshire

Unique reference number SC382730 Inspection date 19/07/2013 Inspector Julian Mason Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 31/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.2

Brief description of the service

The home is a local authority provision that provides short-term placements for the purpose of assessment for up to four young people with emotional and/or behaviour difficulties. Placements are normally for 12 weeks but this can be extended according to individual needs and circumstances.

p.3

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

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people are provided with a very caring and supportive environment where they can quickly achieve stability and safety. Young people are clear about the purpose and function of the home. They are admitted for a short period of time following a family or placement breakdown. Although experiencing significant changes in their lives they quickly benefit from very helpful structures and routines that include very reassuring and enabling approaches from the staff team.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Given the short space of time that young people spend at the home, they make exceptional progress both socially and behaviourally. Reasonable boundaries and expectations are consistently communicated and practiced. Young people are listened to as their views and wishes are clearly considered and incorporated into their individual plans. The dedicated team of staff go that extra mile to help young people achieve a successful move to their new placement. Young people prosper in a stable and supportive environment where their diverse needs are identified and met. High quality care planning and assessments are underpinned by staff practice and clear planning for the future. Progress and development is closely monitored and shared regularly with others who are involved helping young people move on successfully.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

A stable, knowledgeable and well-established staff team work to provide young people with outstanding quality of care. They work together effectively and flexibly to deliver the necessary outcomes identified in individual plans of care. Staff have an excellent understanding of young people’s needs and safe working practices. Young people’s welfare is promoted positively and their progress celebrated. The management and organisation of the home is outstanding. An experienced, pragmatic Registered Manager ensures the home is well organised and works effectively to ensure the stated aims and purpose of the home are achieved for every young person. The strengths and weaknesses of the service are identified and evaluated, with suitable plans in place for continued development and improvement.

p.3

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are outstanding .

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people who are experiencing significant change in their lives as a result of family breakdown or a care placement ending receive an excellent service from arrival to departure. Young people who are also new into care receive exceptional levels of reassurance and support that enables them to quickly engage in planning for their futures. The short-term nature of the service means that staff have to gain young people’s trust and confidence quickly and staff successfully do this. Young people can and do look ahead with confidence as their wishes and aims are incorporated into their daily plans and longer term arrangements.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people experience a residential culture and ethos that creates stability at a time of crisis and emotional difficulty. Young people are able to build emotional resilience and a positive self-view. This is because the experienced staff team carefully help young people to reflect on their circumstances and work through their difficulties positively. Young people appreciate the honest and open discussions they have with staff and identify this as a key factor in helping them move forward. This is a very significant and successful aspect of the service as young people are only at the home for a short period.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people experience the right home environment where they can embrace a more stable lifestyle, allowing them to re-establish and maintain important social and educational routines. Despite young people experiencing significant change in their lives, existing school and educational arrangements are maintained. For some young people this is enhanced and improved further within a short space of time. The home’s staff have close links with a range of local schools that young people use and this enables quick and effective communication between teachers and care staff. The value of education is strongly promoted and this approach benefits young people’s attitude, attendance and attainment. Young people reflect on what staff say to them and this sometimes has a very positive effect. Currently, young people who have a fragmented school attendance improve and those that attend on a part time basis want to go to school more often. Young people’s extracurricular activities are also

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

fully supported and successfully encouraged with everyone enjoying these events.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are able to keep in touch with family members and significant people in their lives such as school and neighbourhood friends. Staff place a great significance on these arrangement as they are very important to young people. Staff and each young person are clear about contact arrangements, including any restrictions or limitations. Staff want contact to be successful and safe, and work diligently to ensure this happens. Young people are very well supported to safely maintain existing friendships and relationships where this is agreed. Because of this approach, young people are able to maintain their existing community ties and a sense of continuity, which helps to lessen the disruption of changing placements.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s continued good health and well-being is a priority and detailed plans help staff monitor individual needs. Staff encourage young people to talk about their health and lifestyles so they have opportunities to learn about behaviours that will improve their well-being and fitness. Young people easily access services they need because of the knowledgeable and enabling staff team. Young people are encouraged to eat a balanced healthy diet and take regular exercise. They are encouraged to try new foods and mealtimes are very communal, social events. Sound advice and guidance helps young people make informed choices about their health.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Staff effectively promote young people's independence by supporting them to take acceptable risks and more responsibility for themselves. Planning for independence is consistent with each young person’s age, circumstances and agreed moving on plans. Although young people are at the home for a short period, this does not prevent them from continuing to develop the necessary skills and confidence needed to be more independent. In addition, young people’s engagement in their favourite hobbies, interests and leisure pursuits are not affected because continued participation is actively encourage and facilitated. This is another example of the staff team working in a way that reduces the impact of moving placements. Young people are very positive about how they are helped to maintain the things they really enjoy doing.

p.5

Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

p.5

Quality of care

Young people develop very positive relationships with staff, which underpins the outstanding levels of care and support they receive. Young people experience a relaxed, calm and trusting environment, which allows them the time and space to recover from their recent difficulties. Effective relationships and attachments are quickly established and used positively in helping young people to manage their behaviour and emotional difficulties. The staff team are very skilled at recovering and restoring relationships with young people following emotionally difficult or challenging periods. This helps young people to develop their skills in sustaining relationships and forming attachments, which also help them to modify their behaviours and move on. Young people say that staff are, ‘firm, fair and fun.’

p.5

Quality of care

Young people’s views, wishes and feelings are actively sought by the whole staff team. They feel they can influence certain aspects of the home’s operation through meetings and key worker sessions. Positive relationships, along with high levels of communication give each young person an opportunity to consistently contribute to the home's routines and arrangements. This gives them a feeling of being involved and included as well as a sense that their opinions and views do matter. Young people have not felt the need to complain but know how to do this if needed. They also know how to use external advocacy services, which further supports and promotes their rights and entitlements.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people's individual needs are clearly identified in a wide range of care and placement planning records and assessments of risk and vulnerability. Staff are very knowledgeable and aware of individual requirements and circumstances including needs in relation to identity, heritage and culture. Frequent core group meetings take place that include, young people; family members where appropriate; key workers; managers and relevant professionals such as placing social workers. Young people fully participate and sometimes chair their own meetings. As a result, their expressed needs and future aspirations are clearly communicated along with the views and wishes of family members. Monthly reports of young people’s progress are of a high standard and also reflect in detail what young people think and say about their progress and how they feel their needs are being met. Plans and assessments are reviewed and updated regularly to ensure the whole team continues to be informed

p.6

Quality of care

about current and changing needs or circumstances. As a result of these arrangements, young people receive a high quality service that is specifically tailored in preparation for moving on.

p.6

Quality of care

Staff provide very consistent levels of consultation and engagement. They work closely with young people to support them in making appropriate and informed decisions about themselves and their futures. Planning each young person’s routines and appointments occurs weekly with individual’s contributing fully to this process. This includes young people experiencing a wide range of leisure activities as well as the things they enjoy doing the most.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

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

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people feel very safe living at the home and with the staff who work with them. Each young person has experienced various levels of risk in relation to their own or others’ safety and staff remain vigilant and focused on keeping everyone safe. The Registered Manager and staff work cooperatively with a range of external agencies to minimise any risks to young people. Staff receive a range of training linked to protecting young people and have an excellent understanding of their role and responsibilities. They are proactive and work productively both within and outside the home to assess and reduce risks where young people are exposed to harm. As a result, young people's safety and welfare is positively and consistently promoted. Young people say that the home is a ‘very safe place to live.’

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people do not experience bullying which gives them a feeling of security and general safety. Staff do not allow bullying in any form and are quick to step in should an incident occur. Well-trained, supported and attentive staff significantly contribute to preventing these incidents from happening in the first place. Young people rarely go missing from the home as staff provide an environment where young people are able to manage their behaviour in safer ways. Agreed working practices with external agencies ensure that staff respond immediately, should a young person go missing. This includes following the local multi-agency protocol for missing young people as well as following specific, individualised plans, which are in place for each young person.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are positively supported and encouraged to work through any behavioural difficulties they have. Staff work in partnership with young people, relying on their growing and influential relationships they build to help diffuse difficult and potentially challenging situations. Young people are clear about behavioural boundaries as these are communicated clearly and consistently. Young people state that staff are fair and take into account their personal circumstances and difficulties at any given time. Young people are rewarded for good behaviour and also sanctioned when they choose to behave poorly or inappropriately.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are skilled at diffusing challenging situations without resorting to physical intervention. Staff are clear that physical intervention is used only as a last resort, with only two incidents taking place this year. Effective and consistent monitoring of all behaviour management events ensures young people’s behaviour management plans are kept under review and adapted as required.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a permanent and experienced staff team that has changed little in the last year. Appropriate recruitment policies, procedures and practice ensure any new staff are suitably vetted prior to taking up their posts so only suitably people work in the home. Young people’s health and safety is fully promoted through a range of staff practices that follow and adhere to environmental and fire risk assessments. Young people participate regularly in fire drills so they know how to safely exit the home if needed. Safety checks to maintain the environment are regularly undertaken to help keep risks to a minimum.

p.7

Leadership and management

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

p.7

Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home where it is organised and managed outstandingly well. An experienced, qualified Registered Manager with a child- centred approach provides the staff team with a clear focus on necessary practices and tasks needed to successfully help young people move forward in their lives. The Registered Manager is well supported by external managers, the deputy, seniors and by the residential team who all contribute positively to the culture, ethos and working practices developed in the home.

p.7

Leadership and management

The established and qualified team have worked together for some time, achieving a consistent focused approach that provides young people with outstanding quality of care. They understand their roles and responsibilities and work with the support of the management team to address young people’s diverse and individual needs.

p.7

Leadership and management

Managers provide an on-going programme of formal supervision and annual appraisal, which is used effectively to promote the professional development of the team and maintain high standards of work practice. Staff regularly participate in core training events to update their knowledge and skills as well as specialist training to address any specific areas of need. Examples include self-harm and child exploitation training. This means that staff are able to develop their knowledge and skills which allows them to address and meet young people’s needs more effectively.

p.7

Leadership and management

Both the internal and external monitoring of the home takes place regularly, with child focused, evaluative reports being produced within the required timescale. Reports appropriately review performance and identify areas for improvement. Young people contribute positively to the monitoring processes including the performance of individual staff team members. The Registered Manager is well supported and demonstrates a clear understanding of the strengths of the home and areas in need of improvement. This is reflected in the targets set in the home’s development plan as well as individual targets identified for each member of staff for the next 12 months. As a result, the whole staff team are involved and responsible for the future development and progress of the home.

p.8

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.

p.9

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.

p.9