Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC440309 Inspection date 15/08/2013 Inspector Lynn O'Driscoll Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 07/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This local authority children's home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people of either sex aged from 11 to 17 years with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This home can take emergency placements.

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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

Young people's wishes and feelings are ascertained and taken into account in all aspects of daily living and future care planning. They enjoy excellent relationships with the staff and their peers. Consequently, they feel, and are, safe, very happy and settled in this home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from highly personalised care. This home demonstrates excellent practice in meeting a diverse range of young people's needs and personal preferences from both genders, different cultures, ages and abilities. A very experienced staff team, good staffing ratios and the provision of a wide range of specialist services enables all the young people to realise their full potentials. They are, therefore, making very good progress behaviourally, socially and educationally despite some difficult past experiences.

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Overall effectiveness

This home is genuinely committed to providing a high standard of care and to significantly improve all the young people's life chances. The managers and staff are clear about the many strengths of their service and the key areas for further development.

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Overall effectiveness

One requirement has arisen from this inspection because the admission and discharge register is not consistently well-maintained. This does not have a negative impact on the health or safety of young people. The one recommendation made relates to evidencing that meetings take place with young people on their return from going missing and any lessons learned from these discussions are taken into account in the continued development of the service.

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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

(2001) ensure that the admission and discharge register includes all the required details and in particular; the address of each young person on leaving the home and the young person's placing authority. (Regulation 29(1), Schedule 4 (d) and (e)) 31/08/2013

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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

 demonstrate that when a young person has returned from going missing a meeting takes place with their social worker to consider the reasons for going missing and to explore how to prevent further incidents. (NMS 5.9)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people really like living at this home and positive friendships have been developed. Two young people made a positive choice to come to this children's home for a short period of time to re-establish some boundaries in their life, with the aim of returning to their family home as soon as possible. Comments include, 'I am happy living here as we all get along well', 'I like it here. It is a place to be happy and healthy' and, 'The staff are really good to me.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people like their bedrooms, the homemade, nutritious meals on offer and the current contact arrangements in place, which maintains their strong sense of identity. They also confirm that they trust the staff and feel comfortable discussing any concerns with them. Consequently, they have never needed to make a formal complaint. Through on-going and honest discussions they are also gaining a good knowledge of their background and are building up their emotional resilience.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The daily life of this home enables all the young people to gain ability in appropriate practical and social skills needed for future successful independent living. Consequently, several young people have confidently moved into their own accommodation reassured of on-going support from the staff if needed. A private provider of semi-independent units wrote, 'The staff team are extremely professional and responsive to young people's needs, allowing them to make informed life choices and enabling positive outcomes.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

All the young people have positive future ambitions and are genuinely looking forward to starting new schools and colleges in September. One young person is really enjoying a work placement in a school for children with special needs. One school acknowledged, in writing, a significant improvement in school attendance for one young person on admission to this home and so is now back on target for her predicted grades. An independent reviewing officer wrote of another young person, 'She has not gone missing from here and has achieved so much, including 100% school attendance. She took GCSE's and an additional law exam with a clear plan to go to university and study law. She has gone from strength to strength.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are actively encouraged to be sensitive to other people's needs. Consequently, they have positively contributed to their local community by engaging in charitable events. They have also made and sustained positive friendships in the community which all adds to their genuine sense of belonging.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Some risk taking behaviours have ceased in this placement, most notably, offending. Indeed, a youth offending worker said one young person was the best he had ever worked with, in respect to positively turning his life around, with the support from the staff at this home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are actively encouraged and supported to pursue individual interests and talents. Examples include gymnastics, fishing and cycling. This further increases their competences and boosts self-esteem. They are really enjoying the opportunities to try new experiences and widen their horizons.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All the young people enjoy good health. For one young person, the need for medication has reduced in this placement. The majority of the young people are particularly active and enjoy plenty of fresh air and physical exercise. The older young people are also taking some responsibility for their own continued good health and well-being. Some young people smoke. This was a habit formed prior to their recent admission to this home and they have already had some success in reducing their intake.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Unless contrary to their best interests, young people's wishes and feelings are always taken into account in all aspects of their care and positively acted upon. This includes complex decisions such as contact arrangements and future accommodation. They are also actively involved in developing and revising their own placement plans so they fully understand why they are currently living at the home and are in full agreement with their future plans. Consequently, they positively engage. There is excellent participation in the monthly young people's meetings, frequent key worker sessions where relevant and highly sensitive issues are fully explored and in their statutory reviews. Young people always have a choice of meals, activities they want to participate in and can negotiate the few sanctions imposed. They also have the opportunity to be fully involved in the recruitment and selection of new staff.

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Quality of care

These established practices reinforce to young people that their opinions genuinely matter and are highly valued. This in turn increases their self-esteem and confidence.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from highly individualised care to address their unique needs and personal preferences. One children's rights officer wrote, 'I was impressed about how much the staff knew about the young person, his thoughts, opinions, preferences and relationships with his family. He was obviously cared about'. The manager has recently developed a return to work system. This ensues all staff are kept fully up-to-date with all aspects of young people's care and progress following any absence.

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Quality of care

A key strength of this home is ensuring the timely provision of an excellent range of highly relevant specialist services to meet young people's more complex needs. Moreover, this home has established extremely effective partnership working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure good outcomes for all the young people. These professionals are highly complimentary about the quality of care provided at this home. Comments from social workers include, 'This service complete the tasks asked in a professional and culturally sensitive manner, deliver a good service and communicate well, which all contributed to a successful rehabilitation home' and, 'This is a good service where young people's outcomes improve. The staff work well with parents and professionals, support contact arrangements and provide a safe and comfortable environment. I am kept well informed. Communication is always good and prompt.'

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Quality of care

This experienced and competent staff team are highly successful advocates for the young people. Recent examples include; re-establishing family contacts; ensuring young people receive the specialist health services they require; gaining school places that best met young people's specific needs; and ensuring on-going specialist support is provided to sustain school placements and keep families together.

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Quality of care

The staff actively support excellent school attendance and educational achievement of all the young people. They also offer a wide range of constructive and stimulating educational and leisure activities. Consequently, their individual potentials are realised and they gain competences and develop more confidence.

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Quality of care

Good health and well-being is actively promoted by the staff at this home in close partnership with the specialist nurse for looked after children. The robust arrangements in place for the storage, administration and recording of medicines are safe and effective.

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Quality of care

Another key strength of this children's home is their proven ability to successfully prepare and move young people on in a timely manner, either back to their family home or to independence. Young people and their parents are highly appreciative of the on-going support and advice to sustain positive family relationships.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from a clean and spacious purpose built home that offers a particularly good choice of communal areas. A recent addition is a multi-faith area. Visitors to the home particularly highlight the extremely welcoming atmosphere.

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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, secure and relaxed at this home. They say there is no bullying and together they have explored effective strategies for keeping safe on-line and in the community. This enables them to take reasonable risks as part of their continued development into adulthood.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Social workers highlight very good working relationships with the staff at this home to safeguard and protect the welfare of all the young people living there. They also confirm that staff are particularly good at helping young people to protect themselves. One social worker said, 'This home has a good balance of ensuring all the systems and procedures are adhered to but also in providing a nurturing environment.' A teacher wrote, 'The young person says he is settled at this home and likes all the staff and the other young people. He appears much happier and content'.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A parent thanked the staff for making his son feel so welcome on admission stating, 'I have not seen my son so relaxed in a long time.' Other parents are very happy with how their daughter is being cared for and particularly that her cultural identity and religious values have been respected and fully supported. They wrote, 'I now have a complete new daughter who is calm and positive, shows us respect and doesn’t misbehave and so I really want her to return home soon.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

All the staff are trained in safeguarding to ensure they respond appropriately in the event of any disclosures of abuse. They also have an excellent knowledge of all the young people. They are, therefore, able to recognise potential triggers and successfully diffuse challenging behaviours. Consequently, the need for physical interventions is rare.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All the young people understand the rules of the home and confirm they are fair. Good behaviour and effort is positively reinforced and rewarded which is particularly effective with this current group of young people. Consequently there are few sanctions. Those imposed are relevant and proportionate to the particular misdemeanour. A children's rights worker said, 'I particularly noted how clear the boundaries are at this home and how they are fair and set the young people up to succeed.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

The excellent care and support provided to young people and the very effective joint arrangements in place with the local police minimises the incidents of young people going missing. A police spokesperson confirmed, 'There is good sharing of intelligence to keep young people safe from harm at this home. It is a good settled group of young people living there who are well behaved in the community'. There is very clear documentary evidence that social workers are asked by the children's home to undertake return interviews with their young people. However, it is unclear if these actually take place. These are important discussions to ensure any concerns raised by the young people are immediately addressed and for exploring ways of preventing further incidents.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All the required health and safety certificates are in place and fire safety checks are undertaken at the required frequencies to ensure a safe and well-maintained building. Frequent fire drills are undertaken with young people so they know exactly what to do in the event of a real fire.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff recruitment files are in good order and demonstrate a safe and competent workforce.

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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

This home is well managed by a suitably qualified, highly experienced, child focussed and passionate individual who is very well respected by other professionals. She keeps staff fully up-to-date with any legislative changes and continually introduces appropriate changes to systems and documentation to improve the services provided. Recent examples include: devising consultation forms for stakeholders; improving placement plans to ensure they are individualised; and, developing impact risk assessments prior to admission to ensure compatibility.

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Leadership and management

This home is always well staffed to meet the unique needs and personal preferences of all the young people in placement. They benefit from clear direction and at least monthly individual supervision and team meetings with open and honest debates. This results in excellent consistency of care. Timely annual appraisals enable staff to fully explore their individual strengths and areas for continued personal development.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose accurately reflects the aims, policies and practices and facilities available to young people and their families. Young people are given a highly informative and meaningful welcome pack on admission.

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Leadership and management

The robust monitoring systems in place ensure any shortfalls are efficiently addressed. A comprehensive and evaluative management report demonstrates the many strengths of this service and the very positive impact living at this home has on each young person. It also explores areas for continued improvements. A key challenge in the next twelve months is to further develop their outreach service with a view to preventing young people coming into the care system.

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Leadership and management

No requirements or recommendations were made at the last interim inspection on 7 March 2013. This home clearly demonstrates a good capacity for continued improvement. Moreover, the staff team say they are fully involved in improving the service so there is a strong sense of shared ownership and responsibility. One member of staff said, 'The manager is very open to discussions, sharing your views and opinions and open to change'.

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Leadership and management

All the staff have the completed the mandatory courses required of their respective roles and have attained the required qualifications. The aim in the next twelve is to offer more advanced, specialist courses to meet more complex needs. To this end, staff have already received bereavement training and medication training specific to individual young people's needs.

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Leadership and management

Staff confirm that their induction prepared them well for their respective roles and the good range of on-going training courses on offer meets their specific needs. One assistant manager said, 'I have attended training on performance management, conduct and discipline, and complaints which has developed my confidence as part of the management team.'

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Leadership and management

Young people's files are securely stored and well maintained. They provide an accurate and positive account of their background, progress, achievements and future goals.

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Leadership and management

However, the admission and discharge register does not consistently include the address where young people have moved on to and details of the placing authorit

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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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