Children's Home run by Horizon Care Limited in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC062406 Inspection date 26/09/2013 Inspector David Morgan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 04/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is operated by a private company. It accommodates up to three 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 last inspection found that the service was making good progress and this inspection confirms that those standards are being maintained. A new manager is in post and is making a positive impact. Young people continue to make individual progress, particularly with their independence skills. Staff continuity is a strength of the service and young people are extremely positive about the care they receive. They feel safe and involved in the home. Although their difficulties are occasionally challenging, such instances are much reduced overall.

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Overall effectiveness

This inspection makes four recommendations and no requirements. The recommendations are primarily to raise the awareness of staff in the areas of fire evacuations, young people's management of their own medication, and the use of staircase alarms in the house.

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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 who are able and wish to keep and take their own medication, can do so safely (NMS 6.14)  implement a written policy regarding electronic devices used to monitor children that sets out how they should be used, how they promote the welfare of children, how children will be informed of their use, how legitimate privacy of children will be protected and how children will be protected from potential abuse of such measures. This is with regard to the withdrawal of staircase alarms when appropriate (NMS 10.5)  apply the emergency escape plan so that all staff and children are familiar with it and have practiced so they know what to do in an emergency. This is with regard to ensuring all staff undertake regular unannounced fire drills that use different scenarios (NMS 10.9)  ensure all specialist professionals (e.g. legal, educationalists, psychologists, therapists) are professionally qualified and, where applicable, registered by the

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Recommendations

appropriate professional body. This is with regard to such evidence being available on site. (NMS 18.4)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people continue to make good progress, which some professionals judge to be excellent. They feel secure in their placements despite their occasional criticisms of each other and the prospect of moving elsewhere in the near future. This helps to ensure their good emotional health, which is also supported by regular contact with their friends and families.

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Outcomes for children and young people

In particular, young people have extremely positive and sustained relationships with the staff team, which are a key contributory factor. One young person said: ‘I’d recommend this home; it’s mint. It’s because of the staff; they help you if you’re down or if you can’t do your home-work.’ In particular, this group of young people are learning enough independence skills to prepare them for their transitions, some of which are imminent.

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Outcomes for children and young people

In addition to practical challenges, each young person faces significant personal challenges arising from their backgrounds. However, their ability to understand and address these anxieties continues to improve as a result of formal and informal conversations with the professionals who support them. They demonstrate a good understanding of their individual circumstances, whether they are to do with their social interactions, families, or previous events. Although individual decisions are not always as constructive as necessary, the frequency of negative events is decreasing. As a result, each young person is able to engage extremely well with their educational or training placements. Attendance is usually excellent and they are achieving sufficiently to compete with their peers.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Each young person travels alone safely although the rural position of the home means they remain somewhat dependent on staff. They are fully involved in, and responsible for, making decisions about their daily activities and any health issues. Each person uses the home to meet his or her individual needs, and as a result, young people directly affect how the home operates. This is reflected, for example, in their extensive involvement in their records.

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Quality of care

There is a high degree of staffing continuity, and any changes to the team are effectively managed. Young people appreciate this stability and understand its importance. Other professionals also acknowledge the team’s effectiveness. One social worker reported: ‘There are no areas for improvement; I would definitely use the service again.’ Several other professionals confirmed that the high quality of the staff support has been fundamental to the progress made by young people. The ages of the current young people mean that they will all be moving away during the next 12 months and new young people will be admitted. Thorough processes are being followed to ensure that new admissions are as well matched to the existing young people as possible. This is critical to the on-going effectiveness of the service.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to make a complaint and have direct access to senior personnel in the company. Any issues, whether from young people or others, are addressed clearly and competently by staff. Confidentiality, for example, is respected well and complainants understand what will occur as a result of their comments. Such processes reflect the day-to-day culture of the home in which most issues are addressed immediately. One young person said: ‘There’s nothing bad about it here.’

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Quality of care

Young people also understand their placement plans. Staff ensure that each target is explained and addressed, often in key worker meetings. As a result, young people remain engaged with the staff even when they are unable to achieve the agreed targets. This is supplemented well by the therapeutic service, which plays a crucial role in supporting staff teams and individual young people. There is substantial information available to young people and social workers about the part that therapists play. However, the information on site is not sufficiently clear that such staff are currently registered with the appropriate professional bodies. This is necessary to ensure that therapists are sufficiently competent. The social diversity of staff team members provides young people with a range of positive role models, and mutual respect is emphasised.

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Quality of care

The house provides young people with generous sized bedrooms, which they can keep locked if they choose. The property is clean, tidy and well presented throughout. There is a range of attractive communal rooms and a large garden that young people use for games and growing vegetables. At night, staff are alerted by alarms on the stairs if a young person goes downstairs. However, such surveillance is not necessary for the current young people and is an unjustified intrusion. Also, although young people are encouraged to self-medicate, the procedures to ensure that such medication is safely stored are not applied. This means that young people are less aware of the risks than necessary. All medication is kept under review and young people make good progress to reduce their reliance on medication, where appropriate. In other regards they receive good health care and appropriate advice whenever necessary.

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Quality of care

Staff expose young people to new experiences and other cultures. Foreign holidays are taken, for example, which young people choose and plan. Young people also enjoy a range of constructive and enjoyable social and recreational activities closer to home on a regular basis according to their preferences.

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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

The new manager is pursuing a positive approach to behaviour management in which sanctions are not used unless absolutely necessary. As a result of the relationships that are in place, young people feel they are safe and that they are treated fairly, even when they undertake some sort of reparation or compensation. They receive praise and occasional rewards. Physical interventions are rarely used (none since last year), which is an important contribution to positive relationships and the dignity of all involved. Occasional conflicts occur between young people but bullying is not an issue. Young people are familiar with their files, which clearly reflect the current concerns and describe the strategies that are in use.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is a small and decreasing number of occasions in which young people go missing and these occasions are for short periods. Staff manage this well. They ensure that the level of risk involved is reduced as much as possible through sympathetic engagement with young people, proactive involvement with third parties, when they are known, and regular consultation with other professionals. All relevant information is shared with other agencies and those with parental responsibility. Parents confirmed that staff are committed to the young people. Young people understand the potential risks to their health and safety caused by such behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The measures to safeguard and protect young people are thorough, whether they are on-site safety precautions or staff recruitment. This means, for example, that individuals who wish to deceive the organisation about their circumstances are identified and prevented from harming young people. New staff are trained to understand safeguarding procedures well. Fire safety measures are good and serve to ensure that young people respond promptly to the alarms. However, the element of fire drills that serves to train staff to deal with emergencies and assess their skills is under-developed.

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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 new manager has been in post about three months. He has obtained the respect of staff, young people and other professionals and ensured a seamless transition from the previous manager. One young person confirmed that the new manager ‘is doing a good job’ and another expressed the view that he was fit to be registered with Ofsted. This concern and interest is reflective of the culture in the home in which young people thrive. There has been a creditable lack of slippage since the new manager took charge, and issues such as complaints, are addressed thoroughly. Records are up to date and well presented.

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Leadership and management

A new development plan is in place and monitoring occurs in a systematic way. Of particular value is the consultation by the manager with external stakeholders, which has produced positive feedback. There is a clear drive to raise standards. Competent staff (including two seniors) are in post and ensure the service has the capacity to improve. The previous inspection made no recommendations.

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Leadership and management

The natural anxieties of team members about the growth of the organisation have been addressed systematically and sympathetically. There have also been minor changes in the team. Careful management means that these changes have had minimal impact on the service provided to young people. Staff are also supported well by a wide-ranging training programme that educates them about the therapeutic nature of the service, for example, as well as professional developments, such as social pedagogy. Staff meetings and supervision meetings occur on time and ensure all staff are completely up to date. These measures ensure the team is capable and enthusiastic.

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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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