Children's Home run by Amicus Residential Care Ltd in Reading

Unique reference number SC059221 Inspection date 15/08/2013 Inspector Brian Mcquoid Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 27/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is privately run and provides emergency as well as long-term placements for up to three young people with emotional and/or 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 overall effectiveness of the service is good. Young people enjoy living at the home; they feel safe there and are extremely positive about the quality of care that is being provided for them. One parent described the home as being 'very family orientated', while one young person described it as 'brilliant' and like a home from home. Individualised plans support the delivery of good quality care which successfully promote positive outcomes for young people and addresses their individual needs. Young people enjoy really positive relationships with the staff who care for them within an environment which is child centred, and where staff have a good understanding of safe working practice. The home is being very well managed with the Registered Manager providing clear and effective leadership and demonstrating a commitment to developing and improving the service. There are no breaches of regulation that have any adverse effect on the welfare of young people.

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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 23/08/2013 record is made in a volume kept for the purpose and shall include the details specifically listed under this regulation (Regulation 17B (3)).

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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 all children communicate their views on all aspects of their care and support, most specifically there is evidence of them being involved in the care planning process (NMS 1.3)  ensure that the home has a record of the recruitment and vetting checks which have been carried out on those working for the home, specifically to include all matters listed under this standard. (NMS 16.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people at the home are good. They are happy living there, they feel safe, and have developed positive and beneficial relationships with the staff who look after them. One young person described how staff were very understanding and had helped him to have increased self-confidence and to feel much better about himself. Young people at the home enjoy good health and have a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and of the major risks to health associated with drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Staff provide good information and advice for young people on health risks and there is evidence of risk taking behaviours in this area decreasing.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are positively engaged in the education system and have been working closely with staff to identify appropriate placements for the start of the Autumn Term 2013. In one instance this has seen a young person obtain a college placement on a course linked closely to his chosen career path. Young people are generally well behaved and contribute positively to how the home operates. They feel listened to by staff and are actively involved in choosing activities, creating menus, and assisting with household tasks such as keeping their rooms tidy and doing their own washing. Young people benefit from regular contact with their families and friends.

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Quality of care

Young people receive a good quality of care at the home with detailed and regularly reviewed plans supporting the delivery of individualised care. Young people get on extremely well with one another and enjoy really positive relationships with the staff who look after them. One young person described staff as being 'very understanding, patient, and willing to help.’ Helping one young person to make a dance video is one example of this. There is good communication between young people and staff with young people feeling listened to and being fully involved in the planning of their care. The home however needs to be better at recording young people's involvement. Young people attend and contribute to their reviews with key-work sessions and regular young people's meetings also providing forums where they are able to express their views and wishes. Staff are very good at explaining to young people why it is not always possible to act upon their wishes. Young people are well aware

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Quality of care

of how to make a complaint should they wish to but there have been none received by the home since the previous inspection. The home works very closely with other agencies and professionals to help promote and achieve positive outcomes for young people.

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Quality of care

The home provides an environment within which healthy lifestyles are promoted and where young people receive good information, guidance, and support relating to staying healthy. Young people are fully involved in menu planning and enjoy meals which provide a balanced and healthy diet. Young people's school attendance is good and staff are proactive in helping to secure educational placements which are best suited to meet the needs of each young person. Supporting one young person to successfully gain a college placement for the autumn term is an example of this. Young people are fully supported to pursue their interests in life and have lots of opportunities to do things that they enjoy doing. Spending time with friends, having meals out, going to the cinema, and having special trips out to theme parks and motor racing events are all examples of this. The home is very well located to enable easy access to community facilities and provides a very comfortable and homely

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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

There is good provision at the home for ensuring the safety of young people. Relationships between young people are very positive and they have a real sense of being safe within the home. Staff successfully promote positive behaviours and young people are generally well behaved with risk taking behaviours being successfully minimised. Sanctions are at an extremely low level and there have been no incidents of restraint since the last full inspection during December 2012. Sanctions are being recorded, however the format does meet the requirements of the regulations and needs to be amended. Young people very rarely go missing from the home, and have returned quickly on the isolated occasions that they have. Relationships and agreed protocols with the local police help to ensure effective action is taken should young people go missing.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has good links with the local safeguarding children board with staff accessing training provided by them linked to specific aspects of safety such as sexual exploitation. Staff at the home have a good understanding of safe working practice and of the specific vulnerabilities associated with each young person. There is very good provision for the management of risk with detailed written risk assessments being regularly reviewed and providing for risks associated with individual young people, the premises, and activities undertaken by young people both within the home and in the community. The home provides a safe and secure physical environment with good provision for all aspects of safety associated with the premises. There is careful selection and vetting of staff working at the home, however not all elements of the recruitment process, for example proof of qualifications, are being recorded on personnel files.

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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

Leadership and management of the service is good. The Registered Manager has extensive experience, is well qualified, and is providing effective and efficient management of the home, which runs smoothly on a day to day basis. The home has a good track record of addressing requirements and recommendations from previous inspections and deals appropriately with any concerns or complaints received. Good information about the service is made available to young people, parents, and placing authorities, with clear evidence that the stated aims and objectives of the home are being met and that the care being provided is having a positive impact on young people's lives. Consulting young people is an integral aspect of how the home operates and young people report feeling listened to by staff. The home is well resourced to be able to meet the needs of young people and the physical environment is being maintained to a high standard.

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Leadership and management

Staffing is a strength of the home with an enthusiastic and experienced staff team working well to promote positive outcomes for young people. There are always sufficient staff on duty both day and night to meet the needs of young people, and senior support is available 24 hours a day should it be necessary. Staff receive good support in the form of regular supervision, and training which enables them to be effective in meeting the needs of young people. Good use is being made of training provided by the local safeguarding children board. Individual case records are being very well maintained and the home takes appropriate action to inform the relevant authorities of any significant events occurring. The manager of the home demonstrates a clear commitment to developing and improving the service, and improvements made since the previous inspection include improved formats for young people's meetings, and for both regulation 33 and 34 reports. The home's

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Leadership and management

development plan has been reviewed recently and includes plans for the refurbishment of the young people's bathroom and the painting of a mural on a garden wall.

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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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