Children's Home run by Care Focus Limited in Essex

Unique reference number SC461240 Inspection date 10/10/2013 Inspector Deirdra Keating Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/05/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

This home is one of three homes owned and run by a charitable organisation. The home offers care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is registered for single sex occupancy. There are educational facilities on site.

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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 is well managed and provides good quality care that promotes the individual needs of young people. The positive outcomes for young people are measurable in terms of attending education, personal safety, understanding of their past behaviours and taking personal responsibility. There are good relationships between young people and staff. Young people speak favourably about staff and there is mutual respect. Overall, young people are experiencing self-worth and positive esteem from trying hard and making the guided choices. Clear consistent boundaries ensure young people are safe and this teaches them safe routines appropriate to their different ages and vulnerabilities. This equips young people with valuable life skills. The views of young people are important to staff and reflected in most aspects of their care. There is a commitment to improvement and developing the service to expand facilities for young people. Internal monitoring is a key strength. Areas raised for

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Overall effectiveness

improvement include the recording of restraints, maintenance of furniture, links with the local community and choices for young people regarding bedroom décor. While these have been raised as shortfalls they do not impact directly on young people or detract from the overall good quality of care.

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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 all parts of the home used by children are kept clean and reasonably maintained (Regulation 31 (2) (e)) 08/11/2013

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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 a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure. (Regulation 17 (B) (3) (b)) 08/11/2013

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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 children are able to promote all aspects of their individual identity this is in regard to personalising bedrooms (NMS 2.1)  support young people to take part in age appropriate peer activities as agreed by the home's staff in a way similar to how a reasonable parent might reach agreement with their children, taking into account the framework of the placement plan decision-making and any assessment of risk to the young person. (NMS 7.5)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people develop a good understanding of their diverse backgrounds and family dynamics. This helps them understand their family relationships and patterns of behaviour. Young people benefit from strong relationships with key staff members resulting in genuine attachments that are secure. The staff help young people focus on positive character aspects, building their self-confidence and identity. During a recent review a young person voiced her achievements proudly, emphasising she had learnt a lot since coming into the home. Young people gain self-awareness and maturity in coming to the home. They have started to take personal responsibility for their actions in relation to their emotional health and personal safety. This is as a result of working closely with staff to reflect on the impact of risk taking behaviours. Young people benefit from therapeutic intervention and support. This helps them understand the reason and circumstances

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Outcomes for children and young people

in which they came into the social care system. As a result, some young people have gained insight and acceptance about their individual personal circumstances. Young people's attendance in school is good and improving. This has resulted in successful achievements that young people are proud of. They engage well in the reward scheme which provides an incentive. Young people benefit from very clear expectations and structured routines. This helps build healthy life patterns and provides them with a security in knowing what comes next. Young people benefit from agreed contact with families and adults who are significant to them. The staff facilitate contact and support for young people as they make arrangements. This helps young people see those who are important to them regularly. Young people benefits from an individual independence programme tailored to their individual needs. This includes learning to cook, shop, budget and do their laundry

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Outcomes for children and young people

promoting valuable independent skills useful in adult life.

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Quality of care

Young people get on well with one another, the staff and the manager. There are some differences of opinion between young people and the staff help young people settle their differences. This enables young people to empathise and identify with one another. Overall, young people are accepting of one another's differences and vulnerabilities. The staff provide good adult role models and have high aspirations for young people. Clear structure and routines result in young people who are motivated and focused in preparation for the school day. The staff are proactive and resourceful in supporting young people's attendance at school. This has worked well and the majority of young people benefit from high levels of attendance. The staff ensure food is healthy and nutritious. Meals are prepared from fresh ingredients and this ensures that young people benefit from balanced and nutritious food. The staff facilitate regular social meal times where young people eat well and

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Quality of care

demonstrate a good understanding of table manners. The young peoples’ meetings provide a forum for young people to express their views. The staff also ensure that young people are aware of the complaints procedure. Staff seek young people's views regarding meals ingredients and activities. However, young people's bedrooms remain one colour and furniture is standard. This does not promote personal choices for young people. The staff are skilled in promoting educational achievement. All young people attend the on-site school. The staff make sure young people are prepared and ready for this by providing a breakfast club. This ensures young people eat before the school day and provides a good transition between home and school. The staff expect young people to attend and engage in education. As a result, young people make good progress in this area. There are varying activities available to young people. These include go-karting

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Quality of care

swimming, trips to the cinema, table tennis and badminton. All of these are undertaken with staff, with no provision for activities in the local community. Therefore, young people do not gain a sense of local community or make friends outside the home. The home is generally well presented, with good quality furnishings and spacious rooms. This offers plenty of space for shared activities as well as for privacy. Young people all say that the home is warm and homely. The house is maintained generally, however, two bedrooms have furniture that is broken and the hall carpet is stained. This does not help young people respect the environment

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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 say that they feel safe living in the home. The staff provide clear boundaries and good levels of supervision. This helps young people understand the expectations. Young people are assessed individually to ensure their personal safety. Risks are identified and staff work with young people to help them develop an understanding of how these can be reduced. This helps young people develop behaviour that is responsible. Young people engage well with the rewards and incentive scheme that promotes positive behaviour. Behaviour management plans identify triggers and likely causes to challenging behaviours. This proactive approach helps reduce unwanted incidents. Young people rarely go missing from the home, although staff are clearly guided in the event of this happening. This helps keep young people safe. Restraint is used when young people are, or are at risk of, harming themselves or others or damaging

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Safeguarding children and young people

property. However the recording of restraint is incomplete, as the events leading up to the intervention are not recorded clearly. Young people are protected from potential harm. Safeguarding concerns are appropriately reported and the staff team have a good awareness of the procedures to follow in the event of a disclosure or allegation. This ensures that action is taking swiftly in the event of a safeguarding concern. This helps young people understand how staff will protect and support them. Disagreements between young people have led to bullying being a potential issue. Young people say that the staff deal with these incidences well. This has given young people opportunities to learn tolerance and reflect on their behaviours. This helps young people to changes their actions and responses. The home provides a safe environment that is free from hazards. Visitors to the home are chaperoned and identity is checked, ensuring that unauthorised persons do

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Safeguarding children and young people

not gain access to the home. Health and safety checks are undertaken regularly. Fire evacuations take place, promoting awareness of the emergency procedures for staff and young people. This helps to protect young people in the event of a fire.

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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 home is managed by an experienced Registered Manager who has the knowledge and skills to ensure that the home runs well. Managerial monitoring is particularly good and demonstrates critical evaluation and reflection on practice. This means the manager has a good overview of the value the home has provided for individual placements. This is the first inspection since registration of the service. Senior managers have a clear understanding of areas that require improvement and development including exploration of the local community. External monitoring has been recently changed to provide a more objective review of the service. This demonstrates the organisations on-going commitment to drive improvement and safeguard young people. The statement of purpose is clear and provides local authorities and professionals with a guide to the ethos and the facilities provided. The aims and objectives are translated well into practice, there is a strong focus on individual progress and how

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Leadership and management

this promotes positive outcomes for young people. The manager gives careful consideration to the young people living at the home to ensure that future placements are compatible. This has resulted in a small settled group that get on well. This provides security and stability for young people who may have experienced chaotic lives. The home is of a high standard of internal décor and most areas are maintained to a good standard. There are, however, two wardrobes that have sustained damage and have not been repaired. Young people have lived with the damaged furniture for some time. Overall, the monitoring of the physical environment is poor resulting in contrasting standards. The staff and manager have worked well to develop a team with a range of strengths, experience and expertise. The staff group is diverse in age, race and culture. This provides a range of role models for young people and ensures there are

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Leadership and management

adults who they can positively identify with. The staff are trained to required levels and receive specific training covering a range of topics. This ensures they have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of young people. There have been no complaints raised, although young people are made aware of how to complain should the need arise. There is clear recording procedure for this supported by a written policy. Individual children's records and practice records are maintained well and stored securely. This provides transparency of practice and ensures that individual information is kept confidential.

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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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