Children's Home run by St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in St Helens

Unique reference number SC063550 Inspection date 25/10/2013 Inspector Maria McGranaghan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is owned and managed by a local authority and provides accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional 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 outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make excellent progress in the home with significant achievements seen in education, behaviour management, social integration and healthy lifestyles.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s safety is very well managed. Young people feel safe and are protected from significant harm. Likewise, young people are extremely positive about the care they receive and the relationships they have formed with staff and peers.

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Overall effectiveness

From their initial starting point, young people’s educational attendance and attainment is outstanding. Young people are placed in the most suitable educational setting and receive a high level of support in order to make sustained progress.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s care is exceptionally well planned. A multi-disciplinary approach to individual care ensures young people receive the right support and guidance in order to make sense of their lives and move forward prepared for the challenges of adult life.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are involved in a range of activities and make suitable friendships within the community. Likewise, contact with family and friends is very well supported with the home providing activities, fun days and family days for young people and their families.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are looked after by staff who are all qualified at National Vocational Award Level three. In addition, staff receive consistent training in order to plan and respond to the individual presenting needs of young people living in the home. The home is very well managed. Good monitoring systems are in place to ensure that care is reviewed regularly and updated in accordance with the needs of the young people. The manager and staff work hard to further develop and implement a range of changes in the home including key work sessions, responding to incidents and risk assessments.

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Overall effectiveness

However, although the manager takes responsibility for the assessment of suitability for potential referrals to the home, there are occasions where placement decisions are made at a senior level without an assessment of suitability. Consequently, inappropriate placements have been made and this has impacted on the stability of young people already resident.

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Overall effectiveness

It is abundantly clear that young people are involved in the planning for their care and the decisions being made about the running of the home. However, not all records included young people’s views and comments, which will be helpful should a young person wish to read their files now or in the future. As a result two recommendations are made at this inspection.

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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 the children's home only provides admission to children whose assessed needs they can reasonably expect to meet (NMS 11.2)  ensure that children are actively encouraged to read their files, other than third party or confidential information and to correct errors and personal statements (NMS 22.5)

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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

Young people make exceptional progress in the home. Significant progress is made across the board including education, health, behaviour management and social integration.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s care is very well planned. Placement plans are clear and include specific programs of work provided by a range of services who work hand-in-hand with the home. Likewise, young people actively engage with staff and external agencies. Records of planned and consistent key work sessions highlight the level of young people’s participation. Young people say, ‘I have a great relationship with my keyworker and all the staff. They have helped me loads. I don’t do the things I used to do. I want to grow up and have a good future.’ Consequently, the multi-agency approach to meeting individual needs significantly improves the life chances of young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and are provided with exceptional opportunities to develop skills in maintaining their health into adulthood. Young people and staff have undertaken a five week health and nutrition course enabling them to learn about the value of nutrients and how to cook nutritious meals on a budget. Likewise, a sixteen week program providing sessions such as; sexual health, smoking cessation and drug and alcohol problems provide young people with essential information to inform their future choices and decisions.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people play a central role in decisions made about the home. Young people participate in group meetings, team meetings and consultation sessions. As a result, young people are provided with opportunities to have their views heard including ideas and suggestions about their individual care. Young people say, ‘we talk about everything. We get to choose things for the home and plan the sessions we are going to do with staff. I love living here, I wish I could stay here forever.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people live in a home where education is highly promoted, creating a culture of attendance and attainment. As a result, young people with a history of non- attendance at school, work hard to re-enter education and say, ‘it’s different here, everybody goes to school, makes friends and can see their future. I want to be the same as them. I am back at school and I am looking forward to having my days increased.’ Likewise, staff ensure young people receive the right level of support in order to achieve within their educational placements. Consistent communication between services coupled with up-to-date personal education plans ensures a proactive and effective response to young people’s educational needs. Consequently, young people’s attendance is at 100% and individual grades consistently improved.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from planned contact with friends and family. Staff work hard to build effective relationships with parents and this results in good partnerships when planning for individual care. Likewise, the home works together with the strengthening families’ team in order to build relationships between young people and their families where there has been a breakdown. Consequently, young people enjoy productive contact. Similarly, families and friends are regularly invited to family fun days, cuisine evenings and Halloween and Christmas parties. Photographs of activities are displayed in the home and highlight the fun had by all. Young people say, ‘it is great to have everyone here. We get along better when they come here and I can show them my room and all the things I have been doing. I love it.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people take part in regular activities ranging from boxing, gym, ice skating and visits to outdoor activity centres. Likewise, young people create an itinerary of activities to undertake during the school holidays. Staff say, ‘we want young people to have a childhood and enjoy things that they may not have experienced before. The young people really enjoy the activities including those we do in the home such as board games and arts and crafts.’ Consequently, young people are provided with a range of suitable activities which they thoroughly enjoy.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are provided with excellent opportunities to develop independence skills including the attendance of training in health, nutrition and cooking. Plans are carefully prepared and work together with individual leaving care arrangements. As a result, each young person has identified goals that are specific to their current abilities and maturity. It is clear that the attention to detail in the planning for young people moving on from care serves to maximise their potential and stimulate a continuous growth in confidence.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people thrive in a home dedicated to providing a structured and nurturing environment. Relationships between staff and young people are very well established. Young people say, ‘the staff are great. I love it here.’ Young people are happy, relaxed and confident in the company of staff.

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Quality of care

Staff are highly effective in addressing young people’s educational needs through proactive relationships with partner agencies. Personal education plans clearly identify the wrap-around support package required to assist young people’s achievement. As a result, young people have exceptional attendance and have achieved higher grades. Young people’s accomplishment demonstrates the commitment and effort of a focused and child centred team.

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Quality of care

Placement planning is excellent. Each plan perfectly encapsulates a picture of individual need and the steps to be taken to address them appropriately. Likewise, a range of external agencies work closely with the home and this ensures that young people are afforded professional support in order to maximise their overall potential. As a result, young people are able to recognise the progress they have made in many areas of their lives. Similarly, the home works hard to promote and celebrate individual heritage and identity. Young people are encouraged to pursue their individual beliefs and learn about others. They are offered a range of material to develop their understanding of individual choice and difference and this is enhanced by regular international taster evenings.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to complain. Information is provided in the young people’s guide and organisational complaints documents. Procedures for managing complaints ensure they are handled fairly and investigated thoroughly by the manager or external nominated person. Likewise, young people benefit from regular consultation sessions that enable them to explore their care both inside and outside of the home. This process enables young people to discuss matters of concern and work with staff in gaining a suitable resolution. Consequently, the positive relationship between staff and young people ensures that young people feel valued and are empowered in raising matters of concern in the home.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to demonstrate socially acceptable behaviour. Individual behaviour management plans are supported by comprehensive risk assessments, one to one and group sessions. This process enables staff to identify triggers for negative behaviour and effective strategies for positive behaviour management. Methods such as the incentive programme enable young people to recognise positive and helpful attitudes and this has proved to be successful. Likewise, young people are supported by a range of external services. This helps young people to understand their individual circumstances and take positive steps to make necessary changes in their lives.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a spacious, well maintained and decorated home that blends into the residential area. Young people are central to making the house into their home and proudly display photographs, drawings and comments around the home.

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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 safety of young people is prioritised within the home. Very good working relationships with external agencies combined with thorough risk assessments ensure that young people are provided with the correct level of support to maintain their safety. Likewise, young people participate in training sessions addressing risk taking behaviours, such as being missing, cyber relationships and the use of illegal substances. Training at this level assists young people to understand why behaviours can lead to a safeguarding concern and why action is taken to secure their safety. Consequently, young people learn about the impact of risk taking behaviours and this has resulted in a significant decrease in this type of behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported to live together and respect each other as individuals with different life experiences, needs and opinions. Likewise, young people are enabled to learn about behaviours such as bullying both from a victim and perpetrator prospective. Keywork sessions and young people’s meetings take place regularly and this empowers young people to recognise the impact of bullying and take the appropriate action to make it stop. Young people say, ‘we don’t have bullying here, we all try to get along. Sometimes we argue and fall out, but we always make up.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people confirm they understand why a room search may be necessary such as the removal of potentially harmful material. Room search is undertaken as a last resort and is infrequently used in the home. Records of room search taking place are developed and provide suitable details of items removed and where they are stored. Consequently, young people’s personal belongings are kept safe in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s safety is continuously monitored in the home. Detailed missing from home plans work hand-in-hand with the local authority missing from home procedures and successfully serve to disrupt potential addresses known for harbouring. Consequently, the level of young people missing from home has significantly decreased.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home employs a good recruitment procedure that ensures young people are looked after by staff who are appropriately checked in order to work in the home. Visitors are appropriately vetted and this helps to make sure that young people are protected while in their home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff promote young people’s on-going protection by undertaking regular fire drills and service tests making sure that all faults are suitably addressed. Good monitoring systems are in place and include the safe administration of prescribed medication.

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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

Young people live in a home that is effectively managed. The home meets the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose and young people, their families and social workers are clear about the support the home provides.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff demonstrate diligence in their work with young people. The strong and committed staff team are consistent in their delivery of exceptional child care practice tailored to meeting individual need. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the progress young people make.

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Leadership and management

The manager has a realistic understanding of the strengths of the service and areas for further progression based on consistent auditing and monitoring practices. Likewise, external monitoring of the home is thorough. Evidence indicates clear lines of enquiry and focused reporting. The manager is effective in demonstrating efficient responses to areas for development.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by a highly competent staff team with a wide range of skills and experience well matched to the needs of the young people. Staff have all achieved NVQ level three and access a suitable training programme providing them with the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge in their work with young people. Similarly, staff receive a high level of support and supervision in order to maintain the high standards of care practice in the home.

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Leadership and management

The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents under Regulation 30, Schedule five. This practice ensures that information is shared with the regulatory agency in order that the actions and outcomes for young people can be assessed.

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Leadership and management

The manager is clear that young people being admitted to the home are assessed accordingly in order that they are a suitable match for the home. On the whole this has proved successful as young people are settled, happy and thrive in the home. However, there has been occasion where senior management have made a decision to admit a young person without consideration for the matching criteria. As a result, the home experienced disruption including damage and aggressive behaviours which impacted on the young people resident in the home.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff demonstrate a continued commitment to delivering excellent child care practice in the home. The shows the capacity to improve.

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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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