Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC035049 Inspection date 17/10/2013 Inspector Anne Bannister Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 22/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

A private organisation operates this children's home. This service is registered for up to three young people aged between eight and 17 years of age. The home cares for children 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 outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's safety and welfare significantly improve as a result of the outstanding care they receive. Young people make excellent progress in a number of key areas, notably developing a sense of belonging, keeping safe, developing self-esteem, educational attainment and a reduction in risk taking behaviours.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff have a clear understanding of how to deliver high quality care. They know the objectives of each young person's placement and work in partnership with parents and with other agencies to ensure young people have access to the services and support they need. The home provides highly personalised care that takes account of individually assessed needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people enjoy positive, caring relationships with staff. They are confident to discuss any issues with staff, who are able to support them and help them resolve issues which are concerning or worrying them. Young people indicate that the home provides a safe, very supportive and comfortable place to live in.

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Overall effectiveness

All young people are encouraged and enabled to become involved in making choices about how the home develops. They enjoy access to a full range of social opportunities and experiences which enhance their self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall effectiveness

No requirements or recommendations have been raised as a result of this inspection.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Within this home each young person's uniqueness is celebrated. Detailed care planning ensures that their self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem increases significantly from their starting point on admission.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health needs are extremely well assessed and specialist advice sought where necessary to ensure that individually identified needs are routinely responded to and met. Young people are given opportunities to improve their lifestyles through diet and regular exercise. They receive information and are given practical support to help them modify certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption and sexual health. As a result young people enjoy improvements in their general health as risk taking behaviours that have previously impacted on their well-being significantly reduce. A social worker commented ' I am very impressed at the improvements in this young person's emotional and physical health.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's educational attainment increases as a result of the strong links that have been established with education providers. Daily contact with some providers ensures young people are well supported and have the opportunity to achieve good educational outcomes. One education provider shared that 'We can't fault the staff there. Their level of communication with us is outstanding and is always backed up by emails. There are amazing handovers between us at beginning and end of day. I never met a children's home quite so committed to young people in their care. Staff work in partnership with us to ensure the young person is able to engage positively in learning'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit fully from the strong contact arrangements with family members facilitated by the home. As a result young people maintain important relationships which will sustain them now and in future. One parent said 'It’s a brilliant place. Staff have helped me to develop clear boundaries and with their input it’s worked wonders with our relationship. We now all look forward to visits home as things have come on such a long way'. Another shared 'The home is really good. It's not like a care home, more like an extended family home. Staff take a real interest in each young person and that’s really important. They keep me fully informed of everything that’s going on. I can't fault them'.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Within this home each young person's uniqueness is celebrated. Detailed care planning ensures that their self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem increases significantly from their starting point on admission.

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Quality of care

Young people's health needs are extremely well assessed and specialist advice sought where necessary to ensure that individually identified needs are routinely responded to and met. Young people are given opportunities to improve their lifestyles through diet and regular exercise. They receive information and are given practical support to help them modify certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption and sexual health. As a result young people enjoy improvements in their general health as risk taking behaviours that have previously impacted on their well-being significantly reduce. A social worker commented ' I am very impressed at the improvements in this young person's emotional and physical health.'

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Quality of care

Young people's educational attainment increases as a result of the strong links that have been established with education providers. Daily contact with some providers ensures young people are well supported and have the opportunity to achieve good educational outcomes. One education provider shared that 'We can't fault the staff there. Their level of communication with us is outstanding and is always backed up by emails. There are amazing handovers between us at beginning and end of day. I never met a children's home quite so committed to young people in their care. Staff work in partnership with us to ensure the young person is able to engage positively in learning'.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit fully from the strong contact arrangements with family members facilitated by the home. As a result young people maintain important relationships which will sustain them now and in future. One parent said 'It’s a brilliant place. Staff have helped me to develop clear boundaries and with their input it’s worked wonders with our relationship. We now all look forward to visits home as things have come on such a long way'. Another shared 'The home is really good. It's not like a care home, more like an extended family home. Staff take a real interest in each young person and that’s really important. They keep me fully informed of everything that’s going on. I can't fault them'.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people report that they are and feel safe within the home. Staff work effectively with parents and safeguarding agencies to promote young people's safety and wellbeing. There are appropriate procedures for dealing with any safeguarding issues that are understood by staff. Staff undertake training, and regularly review, their safeguarding practice to ensure they continue to keep young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Individual risk assessments advise of the likelihood of young people going missing from home. Such incidents rarely occur as staff are aware of young people’s vulnerability and help them to understand the risks such behaviours may place them in. For some young people this results in a dramatic improvement on past behaviours evidenced in other placements.

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Safeguarding children and young people

High staffing ratios ensure young people receive the supervision and support they need to feel protected and keep them safe. The boundaries that are put in place ensure that young people's behaviours are managed safely. Young people are supported to develop appropriate behaviours through the effective use of a consequence system that rewards positive behaviours, and encourages young people to take responsibility for the impact of any negative behaviours. Realistic, proportionate reparation is imposed and monitored by the manager. Young people are given the opportunity to give back positively to the home while learning the consequences of their actions. In addition, the quality of the caring and positive relationships between young people and staff mean that young people want to behave well.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are clear that physical intervention is very much a last resort and competently and caringly use the positive relationships built up with young people to diffuse difficult situations. Young people respond very well to praise and there is good use of positive reinforcement.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff balance the need for protection with enabling young people to take reasonable risks as part of their growth and development. For example, young people are always suitably supervised and any activities in the community are carefully planned. These are based on careful risk assessments which allows some freedom balanced alongside the need to keep young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's physical safety is assured by very detailed health and safety procedures. Well established systems are in place for the routine checking and servicing of all fire equipment and other appliances. Regular practice evacuations, including at night-time, ensure that young people know how to leave the building safely and quickly in case of an emergency.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Robust recruitment procedures are effectively applied. They are supported by young people's direct involvement in the process. Young people are safeguarded by these measures.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager is suitably qualified, experienced and exercises very effective leadership and support to staff. He leads a strong, child-focused staff team who provide an exceptionally high quality of care. Young people benefit from care from a very competent, experienced and qualified staff team. A child focused training programme ensures staff maintain and develop the skills they require to meet young people's assessed needs.

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Leadership and management

Very comprehensive shift handovers and regular staff meetings help ensure there is effective communication within the staff team. This ensures consistency and helps staff to keep up to date with any changes to young people’s needs or circumstances. Social workers, family and other professionals indicate that they are very happy with the care provided and the progress young people make in placement in this home. There are effective systems in place to ensure that appropriate agencies are kept informed of any significant events which impact on the care young people receive. There is regular internal and external quality assurance monitoring of the home's practice. Monthly visits take place which focus on the home's strengths and highlight any areas for improvement. The views of young people and their families are routinely sought, as part of these processes. Any issues highlighted are followed up and lead to improvements in the service. These quality assurance inspections

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Leadership and management

contribute to protecting young people as well as ensuring that the service provided continues to develop effectively.

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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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