Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC441717 Inspection date 15/08/2013 Inspector Jacqueline Malcolm Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 05/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children's home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people who experience behavioural and emotional 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 home provides good, well planned quality of care to young people. Exceptionally positive relationships between young people and staff promote appropriate attachments and improve young people’s self-esteem over time. As a result, most young people achieve some positive outcomes in relation to their emotional resilience, confidence, contact arrangements, behaviour management and independence. However, achieving positive educational outcomes for some young people are limited due to their lack of engagement. Young people enjoy living at the home and acknowledge the progress that they have made from their starting points. This view is positively endorsed by social workers.

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Overall effectiveness

The home works effectively with most young people, their families and a range of professionals. This ensures that young people get the most appropriate support and advice to maximise their potential. Young people feel safe and protected from harm. They can identify adults with whom they can discuss any concerns or complaints about any aspect of their care. This promotes young people’s safety and welfare.

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Overall effectiveness

Leadership and management of the home are good. Monitoring systems ensure good scrutiny of practices, which improves young people’s quality of service. The manager is aware about the homes strengths and areas for improvement and the home has capacity to improve.

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Overall effectiveness

Recommendations are raised to promote improvement. These relate to educational issues, ensuring a full explanation of gaps in employment in staff recruitment files, that placement plans show how young people’s needs arising from their cultural heritage will be addressed, the promotion of young people's health in relation to smoking and substance mis-use, sanction records and risk assessments.

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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 that children develop a positive self-view, emotional resilience and knowledge and understanding of their background; specifically with respect to promoting children's cultural heritage and identity needs (NMS 2)  continue to support children to understand their health needs, maintain a healthy lifestyle and to make informed decisions about their own health, with particular regard to smoke cessation and substance mis-use (NMS 6.2)  continue to support all children to attend school, college or alternative provision regularly (NMS 8.3)  ensure that children's records are clear, up to date, stored securely, and contribute to an understanding of the child’s life; specifically with respect to reviewing children's written risk assessments to identify how all risks will be reduced and ensure that the effectiveness of sanctions are recorded (NMS 22)  ensure that consistently good recruitment practice is followed when recruiting

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Recommendations

staff; specifically with respect obtaining a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment (NMS 16.2)

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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

Young people make good progress in most aspects of their lives. Most young people have good educational attendance and attainment, which enhances their learning and employment opportunities. However, some young people’s poor engagement with their education over a sustained period of time limits good outcomes for them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate attachments with staff and have confidence that their needs can be met by them. Positive relationships that young people have with staff and each other help them to develop in confidence, emotional resilience and social skills. This adds value to their lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s health needs are met. Young people are registered with primary health care services and specialist health services that are compatible with their assessed needs. Young people attend their health appointments. This ensures that their health is monitored and treated as required. Some young people smoke. They are familiar with the health risks associated with smoking and misusing substances. Although this behaviour is actively discouraged, young people's response to ceasing this behaviour is met with limited success.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from meaningful contact arrangements with family, friends and significant others. Young people understand the agreed contact arrangements, for example, supervised or unsupervised contact and staff provide transport as needed to ensure that young people do not miss out. Young people maintain their relationships as a result of contact, which reinforces their sense of identity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have developed good independence skills, such as budgeting, shopping, preparing meals and keeping their environment clean. This prepares them for a successful transition into independence and adulthood.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from well-planned placements. They enjoy good standards of care and support from a consistent staff team who know their individual personalities and how to manage them. Mutual respect shown between staff and young people promotes trust, respect and an honest dialogue between them. This makes young people feel stable and secure. Young people new to the home have settled in quickly and have embraced the home as their own. Young people understand the homes boundaries and their behaviour in the home is usually good. This supports socially acceptable behaviour and encourages harmonious group living. Young people like living at the home and some of them credit their progress to the care and treatment that they receive. Social workers praise the work of the home. One social worker described the home as providing a, ‘really, really good level of care’.

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Quality of care

Young people are familiar with their individual placement plans. These are well detailed and child friendly, but not all of the plans clearly show how all young people’s needs will be met. This specifically relates to missing information about promoting young people’s personal identity and cultural heritage. Although this is early days in the placement, this does not demonstrate how a young person's positive self-image will be promoted.

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Quality of care

Young people’s wishes and feelings are listened to and acted on in the running of the home. For example, key work sessions, young people’s meetings, statutory reviews and informal daily discussions ensure that young people’s views are considered and acted on if possible. Young people have been involved in decorating the home. They are also involved in menu planning and activities that interest them. This promotes young people’s well-being and makes them feel valued.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to complain. They have access to the complaints procedure and independent advocates if they are unhappy about their care. Young people express satisfaction with their treatment, which has not given them cause to complain. Young people live in a healthy environment. They are actively enabled and encouraged to access primary and specialist health services in line with their health plans. Some young people have limited engagement with smoking and substance mis-use services. This potentially promotes their health over time. Safe medication administration practices ensure that young people receive the correct dosage of medication when they need it. This promotes young people’s health and well-being.

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Quality of care

Staff value the importance of education. They promote young people’s attendance and attainment by working with relevant agencies to ensure that young people’s aspirations are realised. However, not all young people choose to engage in education. Staff continue to motivate and help them to break down personal barriers and realise the benefits of a good education.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy good levels of participation both in the community and wider society due to the activities they enjoy. This helps to reduce social isolation and discrimination. For example, young people have made their own friendships, enjoy holidays abroad and trips away to places of cultural interest. This widens young people’s awareness about the world around them and promotes their social inclusion and development. Young people also enjoy activities in the home, such as watching DVD’s, playing music and using the computer. Young people’s birthdays are celebrated in the home. The positive attention paid to young people on these occasions clearly shows how much they are cared about and valued.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a homely, clean and well-maintained house that provides them with sufficient personal and private space. Young people say that they like the home and can personalise their rooms to suit their own tastes and interests. The homes location affords young people to have good access to transport routes and a range of community facilities. This supports young people’s independence and reduces isolation. .

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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 and are safe. This is enhanced by the positive relationships forged between staff and young people, which promote open and honest communication. One young person said that if they felt unsafe, they know who they can talk to about their concerns. Staff regularly talk to young people about keeping safe in the community. They ensure further safeguards are in place by making regular contact with young people on their mobile phones when they are away from home. Staff monitor young people’s friends by inviting them to the home. This provides an assurance that they are suitable and do not pose a threat to the young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people do not identify bullying behaviour as a concern. They like each other and their individual lifestyles significantly reduce opportunities for them to want to bully and intimidate each other. Staff are confident that they would address any form of bullying if it occurred. These proactive measures effectively safeguard and promote young people’s safety and welfare.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing from home, but when they do, they are protected by good reporting and recording procedures and are responded to positively on their return. The home has developed good working together practices with the local police, missing from home co-ordinator and lead for child sexual exploitation. These arrangements promote young people’s safety and welfare and ensure that any risks are minimised.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Good behaviour management plans and risk assessments support young people's behaviour. However, not all young people's written risk assessments identify all presenting risks. This shortfall does not currently present a negative impact on outcomes for young people, but it is not clear how all risks will be managed. Most young people respond well to positive incentives and praise, which promotes good behaviour. Sanctions are relatively few. However, the intent of the sanction is recorded instead of the effectiveness. Although there is no negative impact on young people's welfare, this practice does not demonstrate if the measure worked. Restraint has taken place on two occasions and the records clearly demonstrate the reason for its use. This ensures that young people are safeguarded by trained staff who use approved techniques.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff recruitment practices ensure that staff are vetted before they can work with children and young people. This protects young people from being exposed to unsuitable people. However, in one recruitment file, a small gap in employment of a few months has not been explored with the applicant. The provider is addressing this issue to ensure that this does not undermine the otherwise good recruitment procedures.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a safe home environment. Fire evacuation tests are carried out to ensure that young people are familiar with the evacuation points in the event of a fire. The fire risk assessment has been reviewed following a visit from the fire officer. Gas and electricity appliances are regularly maintained to ensure their safe use. These measures minimise risks to young people’s health and 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

Young people benefit from a good quality of care in a well-managed home. The Registered Manager places the needs of the young people first and this is reinforced by the staff team. The manager is competently supported by the deputy manager and staff team who are child focussed and prioritise young people's best interests.

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Leadership and management

A comprehensive Statement of Purpose informs stakeholders about the services that young people can expect to receive. Young people who have recently moved into the home are well informed, which results in them feeling happy and less anxious about moving in. Social worker report good levels of communication from the home and they say that staff are approachable and knowledgeable about the young people.

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Leadership and management

Good internal and external monitoring systems ensure that young people continue to make progress and their needs are met. Young people, parents and stakeholders are consulted and their views inform service delivery. Shortfalls identified are promptly addressed to improve practice. No previous requirements or recommendations were made at the last inspection. This demonstrates that the home has capacity to improve and they have a positive attitude to developing services for young people. Young people like living at the home and their comments indicate that living at the home has made a positive difference to their lives. One young person says that living at the home has made them grow up.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home that has a sufficient number of committed and enthusiastic staff who care about them. They offer a range of transferable skills and experiences to the team dynamics. This promotes the quality of care that young people receive. Staff are regularly supervised, appraised and they participate in team meetings and changeovers. This promotes consistent practice in the home. Some staff have achieved a recognised childcare qualification and other staff are studying towards one. Staff training in relevant subjects, such as child sexual exploitation, behaviour management and further planned safeguarding training that recently recruited staff will attend, enhances their learning and development and safeguards young people.

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Leadership and management

The home ensures that notifications to Ofsted are promptly made. This means that Ofsted can carry out their regulatory duties, which safeguards young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people’s records are generally well maintained. However, some shortfalls in relation to complete and accurate documents, such as placement plans, sanction records and risk assessments does not ensure that all young people have a full audit trail of information that they can refer to now and in the future. This shortfall currently presents no negative impact young people’s welfare or their quality of care.

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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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