Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Southampton

Unique reference number SC389180 Inspection date 06/08/2013 Inspector Brian Mcquoid Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 14/02/2013 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

This privately run children's home is registered to accommodate up to six young people with multiple disabilities that can include a learning disability, a physical disability and in some cases a sensory impairment.

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 good .

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness of the service is good. Young people with highly complex and varied health needs are provided with high quality and individualised care which ensures that all of their needs are being met. Close and collaborative working with all other professionals involved with young people contributes highly effectively to promoting positive outcomes for them, enabling them to stay healthy and make progress in different aspects of their lives. Seeking the views of young people is a central and integral aspect of how the home operates and they have remarkably positive relationships with the staff who care for them. Young people feel safe living at the home and there is generally very good provision for ensuring their safety at all times. There is however a shortfall in this area relating to fire safety. The manager of the home is very highly regarded by parents and placing social workers and is clearly

p.3

Overall effectiveness

extremely committed to the young people being cared for. She has a clear vision for the improvement of the service and provides very effective leadership and management. There have been a number of improvements carried out since the previous inspection.

p.3

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.

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, specifically to ensure that an action plan arising from a professionally conducted fire risk assessment audit is implemented. (Regulation 32 (a)) 14/10/2013

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.4

Recommendations

 ensure that all staff are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff (NMS 19.4)  ensure that all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually (NMS 19.6)  ensure that the results of all statutory reviews are recorded on the child's file. (NMS 25.8)

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are outstanding .

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people at the home are outstanding. Young people with varied and highly complex health needs are very happy and feel safe and secure within an environment where they have developed remarkably close and positive relationships with the staff who care for them. Individual specific health needs are being exceptionally well managed in very close collaboration with health professionals, and in some instances significant progress has been achieved.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's school attendance is excellent and they are making real progress when considering their starting points upon arrival at the home. Social interaction is successfully encouraged by staff within the home and young people enjoy an extensive range of stimulating activities that are made available to them. Taking a boat trip on The Solent, having a meal out, going shopping, going to youth club, and having a day trip to the Isle of Wight are all examples of these. Consulting with young people, providing them with choice, and maximising their ability to do things for themselves are central to practice within the home. Young people benefit greatly from regular contact with their families which helps them to maintain their sense of family and personal identity. Particularly detailed attention is paid to preparing young people for transitions to other residential placements and to post-16 educational

p.4

Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

p.5

Quality of care

Young people at the home receive an outstanding quality of care. Comprehensive plans support the delivery of highly personalised care which is extremely effective in addressing their diverse and complex needs. They enjoy remarkably positive relationships with the staff who care for them and benefit greatly from the social interaction with other young people that is encouraged and facilitated by staff. Regular meals out are an example of this. The welfare of young people is central to practice within the home and seeking their views on matters affecting them is an integral aspect of how the home operates. Staff are acutely aware should young people be unhappy for any reason, young people see their parents regularly, their social workers visit them, and the home is excellent at advocating on their behalf. Obtaining specialist equipment to help address their health needs is an example of this. Providing a healthy environment and monitoring each young person extremely

p.5

Quality of care

closely are crucial elements of the care provided, and staff are extremely vigilant in this respect. They also work exceptionally closely with all of the professionals that are involved with each individual young person. The care of young people is a 'real team effort', commented a placing social worker.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people's school attendance is excellent and there is very close communication and co-operation with education staff which helps to ensure a consistency of care for each young person. Having complex health needs does not prevent young people from enjoying an extensive range of activities, and staff are proactive in seeking out new opportunities for young people to do things that they enjoy doing. Individual interests are extremely well catered for and trips out as a group are regular features of the activities provided. A boat trip on the Solent followed by lunch out took place during the course of the inspection, and a day trip to the Isle of Wight was being planned for the following week. The home is well suited for its stated purpose. It is well designed and located to meet young people's needs, and is being maintained to a high standard. Significant improvements have taken place since the previous

p.5

Quality of care

inspection, and more are scheduled to be completed imminently which will further enhance the facilities and the quality of care provided. These include a new garden area with a sensory area and a 'Spa' able to be used all year round, as well as overhead hoisting arrangements being fitted in all bedrooms and bathrooms.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

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

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Provision for ensuring the safety of young people is adequate overall but with many aspects that are either good or outstanding. Young people feel safe living at the home and parents and placing social workers feel confident that they are being safely cared for. Staff are acutely aware of the specific vulnerabilities of each young person and a minimum of one to one staffing at all times ensures young people are suitably protected from harm at all times. Adopting safe working practices is integral to how the home operates and includes staff being trained specifically in procedures relating to the individual health needs of individual young people. This includes procedures for gastro feeding, the administration of oxygen, and emergency medication for those at risk of having seizures. Individual protocols agreed with health professionals are in place where required for all young people and there is a very clear understanding amongst staff of the importance of contacting the local

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

hospital or emergency services when necessary. Young people's behaviour is generally excellent. Staff know each young person intimately and are able to identify behaviour that is associated with their health needs or that which is perhaps a young person just misbehaving for some reason.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The home provides a safe and secure physical environment for young people. There is excellent provision for the management of risk associated with each young person, the premises, and all activities that young people undertake. Detailed written risk assessments are regularly reviewed and their implementation helps to ensure young people's safety both in the home and while out in the community where staffing levels are increased to two to one for some young people. Health and safety checks are being conducted regularly and there is an annual comprehensive health and safety audit which was carried out during March 2013, and where the home scored 97%. Gas and electrical installations are subject to regular inspection as required and all specialist equipment such as beds and hoists are being serviced regularly. All young people have personal evacuation plans in the event of fire and there is an annual fire safety audit carried out by external professionals. The most recent audit

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

took place during April 2013 and included an action plan to address identified matters requiring attention. There has however been no action taken to address the findings of the report. Recruitment procedures are being effectively implemented and ensure that staff are being appropriately selected and vetted.

p.6

Leadership and management

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

p.6

Leadership and management

Leadership and management of the service is good overall with a number of outstanding aspects. The registered manager is well qualified, has extensive experience, and is very highly regarded by parents and placing social workers. She is, 'Passionate about the young people,' was a comment received from a placing social worker. An open culture sees the home receptive to new ideas and any concerns or complaints are thoroughly addressed. The home has a good track record of addressing requirements and recommendations from previous inspections and there is a strong and clear commitment to the continuing improvement of the service. An on-going development plan is being effectively implemented and there have been a number of improvements carried out since the previous inspection. These include brightly coloured murals reflecting young people's interests being painted on their bedroom walls and in the dining area, the use of voice pads to

p.6

Leadership and management

indicate activity and menu choices, and life story/photo books being started for all young people. Further improvements scheduled to be completed in the near future include the provision of a sensory garden, overhead hoisting provision to be installed in all bedrooms and bathrooms, and the Spa in the garden to be fully enclosed so as to be able to be used all year round.

p.7

Leadership and management

Excellent information about the home is provided in different formats for young people, their parents, and placing authorities. The aims and objectives of the service are clearly stated in the statement of purpose and are being well met. There is effective monitoring of the overall operation of the service and exceptionally close monitoring of all aspects of young people's welfare. The physical environment is being maintained to a high standard and the service is adequately resourced to effectively meet the needs of young people being cared for. Staffing is a real strength of the home with high levels ensuring young people have their individual needs met as well as being able to experience lots of things outside of the home itself. The staff group are enthusiastic and very committed to the young people in their care and receive training which enables them to meet young people's needs highly effectively. Staff however are not all being provided with regular supervision

p.7

Leadership and management

or being subject to annual appraisal. Individual key workers provide excellent reports for the purpose of young people's statutory reviews and support young people to complete consultation documents which express their views. The majority but not all individual case files for young people contained the up to date results of statutory reviews.

p.7

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.8

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.8