Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Plymouth

Unique reference number SC458811 Inspection date 04/10/2013 Inspector Guy Mammatt Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 28/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

Compton Vale is a 3 bedroom house located in a residential area of Plymouth. The home provides accommodation for 2 young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider that has another children's home in close vicinity.

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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 adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a good quality of care with sound leadership. Outcomes for young people are polarised; as some have had their placement ended to keep them safe because they involved themselves in child sexual exploitation. Whereas others have made a great deal of progress in a short space of time with the new opportunities the placement provides.

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Overall effectiveness

The home demonstrates that it has worked collaboratively with many other agencies to address the issue of child sexual exploitation. The home demonstrates that it acted in the best interest of the young people at the start of the placement to meet the stated placement plan aims, as well as arranging regular placement review meetings as the situation escalated.

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a good level of personalised well planned care, taking into account the individual needs of each child. This has had success in promoting positive outcomes for some young people. The home is committed to achieving good outcomes for all young people in its care. Staff put a great deal of effort into trying to help all the young people with their personal difficulties before terminating the placement of one young person for their own safety.

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Overall effectiveness

There is a strong relationship between staff and young people at the home. Young people engage positively with staff and their contribution is valued in the running of the home. This has made a difference in all of the young people’s lives and is an improvement for them from their previous placements. Shortfall’s exits in the experience and competency of the newer members of the staff team. There are contingency plans in place that address this to a large extent; however, this places demanding expectations on senior staff that are not sustainable. Monitoring of the home by an independent visitor does not include consultation with families to ensure their views are incorporated into the quality of care provided. Recommendations are made to provide educational activities for young people at the home who are on a part-time school timetable; ensure that sanctions are used more effectively and for the Registered Manager to keep a record of recruitment and

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Overall effectiveness

vetting checks at the home for all new staff.

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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 there is at all times, having regard to the size of the home, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children accommodated there; a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working at the children's home (Regulation 25 (a)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the person carrying out the (Regulation 33) visit shall interview with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided by the home. (Regulation 33 (4) (a)) 31/10/2013

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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

 ensure that all sanctions and rewards for behaviour are clear, reasonable and fair and are understood by all staff and children; in particular ensure that sanctions are creative and effectively monitored to ensure they achieve the desired outcome (NMS 3.8)  ensure that children are helped to achieve educational or training goals. This includes providing support facilities and opportunities as needed. Staff work with a child's education provider to maximise each child's achievement and to minimise any underachievement (NMS 8.4)  ensure that the children's home has a record of the recruitment and vetting checks which have been carried out on those working (including volunteers) for the children's home which includes all the matters listed a - f. (NMS 16.3)

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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

Overall outcomes at the home are adequate. This takes into account some young people that have recently been involved in child sexual exploitation as well as better outcomes for other young people at the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

There are not significant concerns about the welfare of young people despite the poor outcomes for some individuals. The home works collaboratively with the placing authority to ensure the necessary plans are in place for young people to receive the best opportunities to return to live in their local area. The long term aim of one placement plan was unsuccessful despite the support put in place by the home. The home has taken effective action to keep the young people safe and ensured that they now live in a more suitable placement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make some progress with their educational attendance from their starting point at the time of placement. Young people state that they like it at the home and placing authorities are thrilled with their progress.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have good contact with their family and are able to invite them to the home to spend time together. This is important to the young people as it keeps them in touch with their background and offers them further support from outside of the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy the activities available and have good opportunities to develop their independent skills as they mature that will benefit them later in life.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive good health promotion by a staff team who are alert to their needs. This includes appropriate sexual health advice as well as specialist input to help young people with their emotional health.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people that are in placement have made good progress to develop their emotional resilience and a good knowledge and understanding of their background.

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Quality of care

The quality of care provided by the home is good. Young people enjoy positive relationships with the staff team and feel that staff are consistently concerned about their welfare. Some staff have been able to forge constructive relationships with young people that have previously been difficult to engage. Although some young people engage in activities that are dangerous; staff endeavour to provide effective support to minimise this and help them through their personal issues.

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Quality of care

Consultation with young people at the home is good. Young people know how to make a complaint and feel that their views are regularly sought into the running of the home. Yong people are included in important decisions that affect the future of the home; for example they are involved in discussion about the suitability of new placements moving in.

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Quality of care

The home provides a homely environment without any obvious signs of it being a children’s home. Young people respond to this and feel at ease there. The home meets the health needs of the young people and pays great attention to ensure all of their important medical issues are followed up swiftly. This provides effective care for the young people and helps them overcome difficulties attending appointments they are fearful of.

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Quality of care

Staff actively promote the attendance of young people at school for their timetabled sessions with individualised positive behaviour strategies. However, staff do not always provide effective support and opportunities out of school for young people to reach their educational potential. As a result young people are not always engaged in educational activities outside of their school time to help their transition back into full time education.

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Quality of care

The home demonstrates that it works collaboratively with all agencies involved in the young people’s care. Young people are cared for in line with their placement plan and the home ensures that its contribution to the placement plan is of good quality.

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Quality of care

Thorough admission processes are in place to ensure that the home can meet the aims of the placement plan. Consideration is also given at the time of placement between the compatibility of residents. Therefore the impact of young people’s needs on each other will be assessed and minimised.

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Quality of care

Young people take part in a range of enjoyable and appropriate activities; for example, deep sea fishing, paintballing, camping and gaming. Some young people thrive in the care provided at the home and have prospered due to the nurturing environment created by the staff team.

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Quality of care

The arrangements for storing and administering medication are good. The home is well maintained and kept to a good standard. The appropriate levels of security are in place and no electronic monitoring sensors are used. Young people live a safe environment that is sensitive to their needs.

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Quality of care

The home meets the cultural, religious and racial needs of the young people through good care planning. There are no restrictions in place that prevent them from receiving the same opportunities as any other child the local area. Therefore issues of equality are well managed to include young people into the community.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is adequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are significant incidents of young people going missing from home which have resulted in some young people engaging in dangerous activities that seriously compromise their welfare. However, overall the safeguarding of young people at the home is adequate. This is because the home takes proactive steps to engage the young people to reduce their level of risk and help them understand the dangers they are putting themselves in. As well as this the home identified when they could no longer keep them safe and ensured that an alternative arrangement was made for them.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has a clear missing from home procedure in place that is shared with the local police. The home demonstrates good multi-agency working to ensure that the placement plan for young people is consistently reviewed with the placing authority and other agencies that are involved.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home keeps detailed records of when young people go missing from the home, including any known whereabouts of the young person during this time and follow up discussion’s with them upon their return. The home is proactive in sharing information with local agencies that has also benefited other serious cases of children going missing from home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home identifies and reports all incidents of young people in actual or suspected child sexual exploitation. This ensures that good partnership working is in place and that young people’s safety is at the forefront of their practice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people state that they feel safe at the home; they do not identify bullying as an issue and some do not put themselves in risky situations. Staff apply positive and proactive behaviour management strategies to ensure young people are engaged in worthwhile pursuits and make good progress in their placement.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Incidents of restraint at the home are very rare. Managers monitor its use to ensure that appropriate action is taken to reduce the use of the measure wherever possible. Sanctions are used to encourage good behaviour and positive outcomes; however, some sanctions in place lack creativity and are ineffectual. Therefore they do not have the desired influence on young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All the environmental and health and safety checks are in place in the home. This ensures that young people live in an environment that is as far as practically possible free from avoidable hazards.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff working at the home are carefully selected and vetted by the provider. However the Registered Manager is not provided with a record of recruitment and vetting checks for new staff in all cases. This means that the home cannot suitably monitor all individuals that are allocated there; to ensure that inappropriate individuals do not have access to work with vulnerable children.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate .

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management arrangements at the home are strong. Placing authorities state that managers go out of their way to provide effective communication. There is a Registered Manager in post and all the comments for further action at the registration visit in March 2013 have been acted upon. This has ensured that the home is furnished and decorated to high standard for young people to enjoy.

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Leadership and management

There are deficiencies in the experience and competency of some of staff team to meet the needs of the young people. As a result senior staff deploy themselves over the working pattern to provide leadership and assistance. Although this is good management it still allows some opportunities for inexperienced staff to be exposed to managing difficult situations and making pressurised decisions. As a result young people are not always fully supported with their behaviour.

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Leadership and management

There is a comprehensive Statement of Purpose and children’s guide in place that accurately describes the homes aim and objectives to all parties. The Development Plan in place is sufficient and covers how service will promote outcomes for young people generally; without being specific to this setting and the group of individuals that work and live there.

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Leadership and management

The provider meets its priority in the Statement of Purpose to provide stable, safe and effective care for young people. The provider takes important decisions in the best interests of young people and puts immediate business interest to one side to ensure the young people’s safety.

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Leadership and management

Independent monitoring of the home takes place regularly by a visitor to the home. The visitor provides an opportunity to speak with young people accommodated there to gain their views but does not provide consultation with families and other important individuals in the child’s life. Therefore the monitoring does not take into account everyone’s views on the quality of care provided at the home.

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Leadership and management

Regular monitoring of the homes records takes place by the Registered Manager. This ensures that accounts in the home and records of the child’s life are accurate and kept up to date.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive regular professional supervision from experienced members of staff to ensure they are supported to fulfil their roles properly. Staff are supported by training opportunities with professional specialist input. This helps staff gain the skills to manage difficult situations and reflect on experiences they have encountered.

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Leadership and management

The feedback received by the home and during the inspection from senior officials in the local authority indicates that they are very happy with the quality of care provided by the home. All parties state that they are satisfied the home dealt with a difficult situation well and have no concerns to raise against the service.

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Leadership and management

All significant events relating to the protection of young people at the home are notified to the correct authorities in good time. Appropriate action is taken after the event to ensure all concerns are followed up with the necessary individuals. Young people are protected by sound safeguarding reporting procedures.

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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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