Children's Home run by New Forest Care Limited in Hampshire

Unique reference number SC068046 Inspection date 16/07/2013 Inspector Roy Bega Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 13/11/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

A private company owns and operates this children's home. The setting accommodates a maximum of one young person of either gender between the ages of 10 and 17 years who has complex emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties. If young people are not able to attend mainstream schooling, the company has a small specialist education unit and a working farm. Young people can also access the organisation's therapeutic services.

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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

This is an outstanding service that positively impacts on young people’s lives. It provides a nurturing and supportive environment within which young people feel safe and enjoy positive relationships with staff. Young people make exceptional progress in a number of key areas, notably educational attendance and achievement, reducing challenging behaviours and developing self-esteem.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff are proactive in addressing the challenges young people present. They work effectively in partnership with internal and external agencies to protect and promote their welfare.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people know that their views are taken into account in the day-to-day running of the home as well as their individual care plans. They are consistently rewarded for their own individual achievements and personal development.

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Overall effectiveness

The staff team is well motivated, being directed by a proactive manager. Established systems provide effective monitoring of the home and the welfare of individual young people. The staff are experienced, competent and work well together being motivated in terms of supervision and ongoing training. Together they contribute in providing consistent standards of care to ensure that young people live their lives to the full. No requirements or recommendations are raised as a result of this in 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

Young people make excellent progress in relation to their starting points. They thrive in a supportive, stable, caring environment, which offers consistent boundaries. They develop in self-confidence and emotional resilience, viewing the service as their own home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and are motivated in taking responsibility for their own medical and health needs. The development of self-esteem and understanding about emotional and mental well-being aids the recognition and ability to have fun. They are aware how lifestyle choices can impact on their health. For example, young people understand the need for balanced eating, exercise, understanding sexual health and improving personal hygiene. Young people also understand how to access a variety of health agencies that will support their medical needs and give advice about lifestyle choices.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s educational achievement and school attendance is exceptional, taking into account their attainment level at the commencement of their placement and their subsequent progress. They appreciate the staff’s support and guidance. Staff are proud of the young people and care about their futures. Key workers talk to young people about the importance of school, going to college and being able to get a job.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people feel good about themselves, as they are consistently congratulated and rewarded for their efforts and achievements. For example; from not attending any form of formal education prior to moving into the home, young people have attained excellent attendance and have obtained subject certificates to their ability, including GSCEs and Duke of Edinburgh awards. They have also moved on to college or employment. Young people commented, ‘staff have helped me a lot’; ‘I’ve just finished my Maths, English and Science GSCEs and PSDs in Physics, History and Geography’; and ‘staff are trying to sort out a college, so I can do animal care.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from regular key-work sessions which provide then with a safe forum for discussion and learning. Young people develop emotional resilience and a more positive self-view due to receiving highly effective emotional support. They are actively engaged in exploring what holds them back from being confident. Comments received include, 'they are helping me to sort out my problems', 'staff treat me as an individual and they are helping me to think better about myself' and '(I’m) getting my head sorted'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people maintain contact with their families and people in their lives who are significant to them. The staff team understand each young person's family histories and experiences. This helps them to make tailored responses to any fears and worries young people express. Care records detail individual contact arrangements and staff demonstrate excellent knowledge of young people’s circumstances.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people learn independent living skills through undertaking regular tasks around the home and receive guidance on money management. Young people learn how to budget for a meal, go shopping for ingredients and cook their own meals with suitable staff supervision. Detailed care records are maintained, which describe the progress young people make in developing these skills. Their overall progress as they move toward adulthood is regularly reviewed at internal care planning meetings. This means that young people are supported to develop skills and build confidence around daily living task. This helps prepare young people for adulthood.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The home and organisation places the needs of children and young people at the forefront, by a philosophy of non-exclusion into practice. Highly detailed bespoke placement and daily living plans provide extensive information on how young people are to be cared for. Staff are conversant with the system and meticulous in the delivery, ensuring that agreed interventions and needs are met, while being sensitive towards young people's backgrounds. They ensure that young people are given time, space and opportunities to confront their past experiences, while offering levels of support which are appropriate and carefully thought through. Young people are actively involved in their care plans. This promotes confidence in having a say in their own lives. This open culture and inclusion embraces a raft of key values for allowing young people to feel safe and fearless of speaking out.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to report any concerns but rarely make use of the formal complaints process. They have confidence in taking issues directly to staff and feel listened to. Staff are supportive and proactive in helping young people raise issues with agencies and organisations outside the home.

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Quality of care

Management and staff are vibrant in promoting young people's physical and emotional well-being and welfare. Young people are encouraged to routinely attend appointments with their doctors, dentist and opticians. They also benefit from having access to a range of specialist services providing medical and psychological support. Staff have excellent knowledge of the home’s robust procedures for the storage, administration and recording of medication.

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Quality of care

Education is positively promoted and young people are rewarded for regular attendance and commitment. Care staff work closely with the organisation's school to ensure they are conversant regarding the educational abilities and goals of each young person. Staff are proactive in advocating educational opportunities for young people. Young people confirm staff talk with them about their aspirations and academic strengths and liaise with teaching staff to improve their life chances. Relevant work experience opportunities are actively sought by both care and education staff to ensure young people have the best opportunities for entering the world of employment.

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Quality of care

Young people are actively encouraged by staff to participate in suitable leisure activities within the home and the wider community. Staff promote new experiences aimed at providing the opportunity for young people to learn new skills, develop new interests and gain confidence.

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Quality of care

Young people’s privacy and dignity is well respected. A house telephone enables young people to make private calls where appropriate. Young people benefit from having a private and secure room in which to enjoy their personal space.

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Quality of care

The home is decorated and furnished to a standard which creates a domestic homely environment. Young people are proud of their surroundings and have been actively involved in the choice of décor and the personalisation of their rooms with possessions and posters. There is an excellent maintenance and repair programme for the building. Any reported faults are swiftly rectified by the organisation's own maintenance team.

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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

Staff take positive steps to ensure that the young people live in a safe, secure and caring environment. They attend training and have access to clear information about child protection and safeguarding requirements. As a result, they demonstrate a confident understanding of the action to take should they have any concerns about a young person's safety or well-being.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safeguarding is inherent in the culture and practice of the home. Staff attend training and have access to clear information about child protection and safeguarding requirements. As a result, they demonstrate a sound understanding of the action to take should they have any concerns about a young person's safety or well-being. Dynamic partnership working with external partners, such as the local area designated officer, means that the staff’s knowledge and understanding of child protection is continually being developed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Incidents where young people go missing from this home are rare, due to exceptional high staffing levels and positive relationships. Staff are well aware of young people’s vulnerabilities and are very clear of what action to take should such an incident occur. There are excellent protocols with the local police. Being a singleton home, bullying is not an issue.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The physical environment is safe, appropriately secure and well maintained taking account of the needs and characteristics of young people cared for. There are established systems and structures to maintain safe practices and fulfil health and safety obligations. There are robust fire safety arrangements which include staff and young people being familiar with the actions they should take in the case of a real fire.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a stable staff team. Staff working in the home are carefully selected and vetted. The home has suitably robust procedures in place including a systematic approach that ensures that the company's policy and practice is effective. Staff commented that they went through a rigorous selection and interview process and did not commence working until an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check had been successfully completed.

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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

A real strength of this home is a cohesive, well experienced and forward-thinking management and care staff team. The manager of the home is experienced, appropriately qualified and supported by a dedicated staff team who are versatile and have a commitment to constantly improve care practices. Staff spoken with reported, 'I am happy with the work I do, we all work very well together and can totally rely on each other'. Another stated 'I feel valued and we work hard to make sure the young people get the life they deserve'.

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Leadership and management

Staff are provided with an excellent range of training, including mandatory courses in safeguarding, first aid and the administration of medication. The manager of the home ensures that time is available for all staff to attend training, which further promotes the welfare of the young people. All staff working at the home have a qualification in caring for children or are working towards it. Comments received include, 'my training needs are a fixed item for my supervision'; 'I am being well supported in completing formal child care training'; 'we have annual refresher training in the mandatory areas such as child protection'; and 'the company provides specialist training to meet the needs of young people before they are admitted, such as cultural and linguistic needs'.

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Leadership and management

Young people appreciate a staffing structure which has clear lines of accountability in providing a stable living environment. High staffing levels are maintained in line with the company's policy to ensure that young people are properly supervised and able to take part in structured and non-structured activities. Staff are deployed with sufficient time to undertake individual work with young people, to attend regular team meetings and to complete necessary paperwork. All staff have regular monthly supervision sessions with their line manager, which ensures that staff development and training needs are identified and promoted. Staff commented, 'management are very supportive and provide excellent supervision', and 'I receive outstanding guidance and professional input.’

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to reviewing and improving the service that is offered to young people and their families. Team meetings are used to look at practice issues and the needs of the young people. This ensures that all staff are aware of any issues relating to young people's behaviour and approaches in meeting them are consistent. The home has monthly Regulation 33 inspections, which report the quality of care provided and records any shortfalls, to which the manager promptly responds. The manager undertakes monthly Regulation 34 monitoring and uses these as part of the quality assurance for the improvement and development plan of the home.

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Leadership and management

Excellent administrative arrangements are in place for supporting young people's care. These arrangements ensure that each young person's exclusive and confidential records are maintained securely and include all the information necessary to plan and deliver their care. Records are carefully organised to permit ease of access to particular information which provides young people with ready access on request.

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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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