Children's Home run by Warrington Borough Council in Warrington

Unique reference number SC442779 Inspection date 14/08/2013 Inspector Pamela Nuckley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This local authority provision provides care and accommodation for two 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

The supportive environment that this home provides enables young people to make good progress. Good care planning, which has the full involvement of young people, ensures that young people receive the individual care they need.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is efficient in ensuring that young people are not only kept safe, but also develop the knowledge and confidence to keep themselves safe. Excellent liaison with external agencies ensures that young people receive good levels of support in all aspects of their lives. The young people consider the home to be a good one that keeps them safe and meets their needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Purposeful links have been developed between the home and the educational establishments attended by young people and the home is good at ensuring that young people gain educational provision quickly. Young people are taught to respect others and to strive to fulfil their individual potential both in their educational and their personal development. Young people are given opportunities to experience new activities and learn new skills and are encouraged to challenge previously held attitudes. This enables them to grow as individuals and develop their self-esteem.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of this home. Staff are highly committed to supporting and enabling young people to develop their skills and socially acceptable behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

An area for development is to ensure that all consequences given to young people are evaluated by the manager for their effectiveness.

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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 and contains all the information required by the regulation. This is specifically in relation to recording the effectiveness of any consequences given. (Regulation 17B (3) (f)) 31/10/2013

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people living in this home are activity encouraged to make positive choices and to use every opportunity to develop and reach their individual potential. Individual placement plans have been developed that recognise young people's individuality. Young people say that they are fully consulted on their care and have opportunities to discuss daily living and future plans. This ensures that young people feel valued and can influence decisions on their care.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home actively acknowledges racial, religious, gender and other differences and encourages open discussion and learning on such issues. Young people are assisted to develop a healthy sense of self and to recognise the rights and feelings of others. This enables them to more easily engage with the wider community and with each other.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home offers young people a wide range of activities and encourages them to pursue their own particular interests. This gives the young people the opportunity to have new experiences and learn new skills. One young person said: ‘We have just been to Centre Parks, it was fantastic;’ and ‘I love football and we are doing a Fifa competition and the staff and young people are picking fantasy football teams but I am going to win as I have the best footballers.’ Another young person has made positive choices by engaging in the range of activities offered by the home. This has led to a reduction in them being reported missing from care.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff guide and encourage young people in their education, with good results. Strong links have been forged between the home and educational provisions. One young person said, ‘I attend college three times a week and I am doing construction. I want to be a joiner when I leave school. I think this will give me a good chance of a career.’ Although some young people say that they do not like school, they acknowledge that education is important and that staff encourage not only their regular attendance, but also offer practical support. For example, helping with homework. Therefore, young people’s attendance is excellent, they feel they are doing well and have ambitions for their future.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's good health and well-being is successfully promoted because staff are knowledgeable and aware of each individual young person's needs. Staff actively engage with young people about a range of health-related issues. This results in consistent improvements to health and fitness. For example, young people who refuse breakfast and do not eat vegetables have been provided with cereal bars and multi vitamins. This ensures that they are receiving the nutrients they need. Every young person has a fully completed health care plan that includes all of the required information and is part of their wider placement plan. The home has appropriate consents in place that allow for emergency treatment if needed. Appropriate support from medical professionals is provided. A high level of liaison takes place between staff and these professionals to ensure young people's health needs are fully met. Young people confirm that staff support them to attend medical appointments and

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Outcomes for children and young people

that all health issues are dealt with promptly.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Relationships between staff and young people are good. Young people were keen to relay that they feel respected, valued and well cared for. Young people stated that they have confidence in the staff team who look after them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact, in line with their placement plan, with family, friends and other people who are important to them. Young people are supported by staff whenever necessary during family visits. Placement plans and contact records make explicit the authorised arrangements for contact between each young person, their family, friends and their social workers.

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Quality of care

Encouraging young people's educational and personal development is recognised as being central to the life of the home. Education attendance is very good and high attainment is encouraged. Young people are encouraged to value their education and their progress is recognised and celebrated. They are therefore enabled to grow as individuals. Staff support young people to develop their knowledge, skills and independence by offering appropriate advice, encouragement and by being good role models.

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Quality of care

The home provides meals that are varied and young people are encouraged to contribute to the weekly menu planning process to ensure that their personal preferences are accommodated. Young people are encouraged to be physically healthy through a wide range of activities. Staff receive additional training in specific medical conditions to ensure that young people receive their medication safely. For example, young people are supported to self-administer their medication and excellent links with diabetic nurses ensures that young people receive optimum care.

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Quality of care

The atmosphere within the home is normally very relaxed and young people confirm that they enjoy living here. Staff respond to any grumbles or concerns quickly and resolve them at the first stage. Young people confirm that they rarely need to make a formal complaint because staff listen and respond to them appropriately. Young people are aware of the home's internal complaints procedure and feel confident that complaints will be addressed effectively. The young people's guide to the home gives comprehensive information about a variety of external organisations that they can contact if they wish to. There have been no complaints recorded this inspection year.

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Quality of care

The staff team believe that they place the welfare of each young person at the centre of their care. They encourage relationships based on trust, honesty and respect which leads to a mutual understanding. This therefore enables them to work with young people to reach their full potential.

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Quality of care

The location of the home provides good access to a range of community resources. Each young person has their own bedroom which they are encouraged to personalise. Their bedrooms reflect their interests and contain posters meaningful to them and significant personal items.

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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 feel safe in the home, where safeguarding is a priority. Young people do not report bullying as a concern and staff are vigilant at ensuring bullying does not occur. Young people's welfare is central to practice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Not all young people take full advantage of all the support being offered to keep them safe. For example, this includes not returning to the home at agreed times. However, staff remain consistent in their approach to this. Young people said that the staff do their upmost to ensure that they understand all potential risks and although they do not like some of the restrictions placed on them, can appreciate the steps taken to promote their safety. Where particular risks are identified, prompt communication takes place with social workers and specialist agencies to consider appropriate responses. A social worker stated: 'Although the young person is still putting themselves at risk, this has significantly reduced. They are now making more positive choices and this is down to the hard work staff have done.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have access to clear information, support, guidance and advice about child protection and safeguarding requirements. Staff understand their responsibility to protect young people and are able to demonstrate what actions they would take to keep young people safe. Staff are confident about their responsibilities and know what to do if an allegation is made about the home's manager or another member of staff. The privacy of young people is respected and their information is confidentially handled. Young people's care records are maintained securely and their contents are not discussed inappropriately. Staff are aware of those young people who enjoy quiet time in their rooms. Staff ensure that they do not enter young people's rooms without knocking. However, a good balance is achieved between respecting young people’s wish for privacy and ensuring their safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home follows the local authority’s policy and procedures regarding young people who leave the home without staff permission. The home has established very good protocols and reporting systems with the local constabulary and with the local safeguarding board. The manager has been proactive in calling strategy meetings and visits by social workers when a child has been missing on a number of occasions. Young people confirmed that they are actively discouraged from having unauthorised absences and the home's records demonstrate that procedures are consistently followed. Good individualised assessments of risk have been formulated in respect of unauthorised absence, which are reviewed frequently. Young people say that they are responded to positively on their return and that staff are concerned about their safety and welfare. Further to this, the home has ensured that other professionals, such as the Youth Offending Service, CATCH 22 and the missing from home police

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Safeguarding children and young people

co-ordinator, have been involved in any issues relating to young people missing from care. Due to these good arrangements, coupled with the good activities on offer and individual discussions with young people, there has been a reduction in young people being reported missing from the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are encouraged to behave well: to establish, achieve and maintain levels of behaviour that are socially acceptable and that will sustain them in the wider community. Staff are acutely aware of the need to balance their interventions with positive feedback about young people's achievements, rather than just punishing poor behaviour. This is reflected within the minimal use of sanctions. Young people confirmed that they are fully included in any consequence they are given and that they are fair. However, the manager has not recorded whether the consequence given was effective. Therefore, it is not apparent that consequences given are encouraging positive behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people said that the reward charts in place are good and they can receive extra money for completing individualised goals. They said that this system does positively influence their behaviour and helps them in their routines. Staff are fully trained in physical intervention techniques to support young people if required. The good relationships staff have with young people and the de-escalation techniques they use have been instrumental in effectively managing unacceptable behaviour. Therefore, there have been no incidents requiring physical intervention since the home’s last inspection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has in place established systems and structures to maintain safe practices and fulfil health and safety obligations. All services and utilities are inspected regularly. Fire safety is given appropriate importance and fire drills are carried out routinely. This means that young people and staff know what to do in the event of an emergency. Young people benefit from a stable staff team. There has been only one new appointment since the last inspection. This ensures that young people are cared for by a consistent staff team. The home has a robust recruitment policy and practice. All visitors to the home are monitored and sign in and out of the visitors’ book. These systems reflect the importance of the young people's safety.

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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

The Registered Manager is qualified, skilled and experienced and provides effective leadership to the staff team and young people. The manager is also responsible for another home within this organisation. She is fully supported by a well-qualified assistant manager who deputises in her absence. The Registered Manager is actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the home and has clear expectations that the staff team will achieve the best possible outcomes for all young people in their care. One young person said, 'our manager is great and we can talk to her at any time'. The good management of this home contributes significantly to its positive impact on young people’s care and support.

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Leadership and management

Good communication is a feature of the home, which enables staff to be well informed about daily events, routines and the progress of each young person. This is supported by excellent feedback from other professionals involved in the care of the young people. All professionals said that: the communication at this home is excellent; staff are very knowledgeable about the young people in their care; young people are fully consulted about their care; and the relaxed, homely and stimulating environment has brought about positive changes in young people.

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Leadership and management

The provider meets all of the aims and objectives in the home's Statement of Purpose. Staff are well supported within the home and staff meetings are held regularly. Staff duty rotas and the manner in which staff are deployed confirm that the home keeps sufficient staff on duty at all times. Staff consider that the manager involves them in decision making. They feel that their opinions are valued and that they are encouraged to speak out if they have concerns, particularly in respect of young people's care or welfare. This means that young people experience a consistent approach that is personalised to meet their individual needs. Staff receive regular training that covers all recommended areas and staff hold the recommended qualifications.

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Leadership and management

Staff know and understand the stated aims and objectives of the service and are committed to meeting them. The commitment from staff is a strength of the home. For example, most staff absences are covered within the existing team, or by cover staff who are already known by the young people to ensure their continuity of care. All staff spoken to said: they enjoyed coming to work; that they had a strong team who are committed to ensuring the safety of and good outcomes for young people; and that they thought the training offered and support given was very good. Good systems are in place to monitor the service and the daily lives of the young people living in the home. The organisation has established a pattern of management monitoring and reporting procedures, which is effectively implemented by the home's Registered Manager. This monthly monitoring looks at welfare issues within the home and findings are reported back and shared. Records demonstrate

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Leadership and management

that the content of these monitoring reports reflect an accurate picture of life for young people in the home.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager actively monitors and evaluates the practice standards of staff, the quality of services being provided, and the impact the home is having on the care of young people. Supervision of staff is given a high priority. All staff have received annual appraisals. Staff confirmed that they were fully supported in their role and they had opportunities to develop within the organisation.

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Leadership and management

Young people enjoy a good, strong and trusting relationship with the home's staff and manager. The home's coherent philosophy, clear shared values and strong management combine to ensure that each young person is valued and nurtured. The detailed planning of each young person's care, combined with the effective use of external professional support when appropriate, ensures that each young person has their identified needs met and is encouraged to achieve their full potential.

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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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