Children's Home run by Keys ACE Limited in Bury

Unique reference number SC420388 Inspection date 19/11/2013 Inspector Denise Jolly Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 20/02/2013 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

The setting is a detached property in its own grounds, providing accommodation for up to four young people who have experienced emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider.

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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 commitment and quality of care provided by staff enables young people to make good progress from their starting points. Staff provide personalised and well-planned care that takes into account the individual needs and wishes of each young person. Social workers say staff work cooperatively with them to promote positive outcomes for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff listen and respond sensitively as young people contribute their views and ideas about the quality of care in the home. Staff encourage young people to be fully involved in decisions about plans for their futures. Staff foster cooperation in daily living, and nurture relationships based on mutual respect, understanding and tolerance.

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Overall effectiveness

Children and young people are safe, confident and generally happy in the home. They demonstrate improved outcomes in achieving their goals and aspirations. Additionally, staff help them to reduce elements of risk taking behaviour such as going missing, and increase school attendance and achievement. Young people benefit from staff who work well with their families and relevant professionals to ensure they identify the right support to meet their needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff use their knowledge of how to safeguard children, and very good care practice to ensure they promote the welfare of young people at all times. Staff demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of the risks young people face and work hard to ensure those risks are minimised and safely managed. Young people enjoy positive and open relationships with staff. This means they feel confident in the support available to them, and respond well to praise and encouragement given for their achievements. However, two recommendations are made, to ensure that agency staff are subject to the same high level of recruitment checks and induction as permanent staff, to promote the safety and wellbeing of children at all times.

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Overall effectiveness

The qualified Registered Manager places a clear emphasis on providing a high standard of care for young people. Through rigorous monitoring activity, they maintain and develop the service to reflect the needs of the young people who live there. A recommendation is made; to further develop quality assurance by improving the provider’s reports on the conduct of the home. A further recommendation is made; to provide additional guidance for staff to ensure they do not use excessive caution when assessing risk, to enable young people to develop greater independence in making choices about their actions. One requirement is made; to improve the quality of detail in records of restraint.

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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

17B (2001) ensure that all records of restraint include a description of the measure used by staff. (Regulation 17B (3c)) 20/12/2013

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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 the home implements a proportionate approach to any risk assessment, particularly with regard to decisions about locking doors in the home, and the opportunity for children to act without staff supervision (NMS 4.5)  ensure the home can demonstrate that it consistently follows good recruitment practice, particularly with regard to the use of agency staff (NMS 16.2)  ensure all staff undertake effective induction, including agency staff (NMS 18.1)  ensure proper oversight of the home that includes reports of visits on behalf of the provider that reflect sufficient scrutiny of the practice of staff, compliance with systems and processes (including restraint), to ensure the home provides stable, safe and secure care. (Volume 5, statutory guidance, paragraph 3.12)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive support that recognises and meets their individual needs. They benefit from comprehensive and detailed planning that helps them to identify ways to improve outcomes in their lives. Young people work very well with staff to identify barriers to their success, and contribute to plans for their immediate and longer-term futures.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people understand the importance of healthy lifestyles, and staff support them to take responsibility for their own health. They have prompt access to professional consultation and guidance on a range of issues including sexual health, relationships and emotional well-being. Young people attend routine health care appointments. They begin to engage with specialist health and therapy professionals, to improve their emotional health. Over time, they learn to recognise when they need additional support, and ask staff for help to reduce behaviour that causes them harm.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children and young people are making progress with their education. They all attend school or college regularly, and know that staff liaise with school about any difficulties they may encounter. When children experience upset at school, or demonstrate anti-social behaviour, staff work with schools to provide additional support that enables children to remain in school. This ensures they continue to learn about social rules and expectations as well as have the opportunity to take exams to measure their progress.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people develop and continue safe and positive contact with a range of family members, when it is beneficial to do so. Staff support them in travel and contact arrangements, and where possible young people progress to independent visits and overnight stays. This enables young people to maintain and enjoy important relationships in their lives, and some work towards their goal of returning to their families. Parents say that staff have helped their child to improve their prospects, safety and wellbeing, which enables them to consider their return to the family home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

According to their starting points, young people develop skills important to their future success. Although older children sometimes feel that staff are too cautious in the arrangements for their development, they work hard to understand the building blocks necessary to attain their goals for independence, and do not go missing from the home. They share domestic and cooking tasks with staff, negotiate group activity choices, and learn to think about the needs of others. They work in partnership with staff to understand responsibility for making positive choices and effectively manage the challenges of daily living. Additionally, young people contribute their thoughts about the running of the home to staff in one-to-one meetings or group discussions. This provides them with appropriate control for everyday decisions, and creates a sense of belonging.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from qualified and enthusiastic staff dedicated to understanding their individual needs and wishes. Staff do their best to encourage children and young people to contribute to their individual placement plan according to their age and understanding. Staff use informal meetings and activities that encourage them to reflect on their feelings and goals for the future.

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Quality of care

Managers ensure they have the necessary documents from social workers and transition workers, so that the home supports young people to progress against approved plans and actions. Staff get to know the young people very well, and are fully committed to enabling them to understand and overcome their difficulties to achieve positive outcomes.

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Quality of care

Staff provide young people with positive and constructive models of communicating views, and challenge behaviour that offends others. They encourage older teenagers to act as positive role models for younger children, and accept responsibility for good conduct in the home. Staff use appropriate humour and a common sense approach to maintain order in the home, and educate young people in positive social interaction. This low key and competent approach means that most of the time the home is a peaceful, happy place where young people can relax.

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Quality of care

Young people contribute to the development of the home by sharing their views and ideas in regular house meetings, shared social activity and individual consultations. Staff encourage children and young people to decorate their spacious bedrooms in ways that reflect their personal taste and interests, for example, with cartoon motifs, or subdued colour schemes. Key workers spend time with young people to ensure they communicate directly about matters of importance to them such as family contact or plans for independence.

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Quality of care

Young people say they are happy with the quality of care they receive most of the time. When they raise dissatisfaction about their plans or their relationships with some staff, the manager uses regular consultation sessions to measure progress in resolving their difficulties, and works with social workers to support changes in planning, such as increased contact with families.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a healthy environment that actively promotes their physical and emotional well-being. They have good access to community health services, and enjoy a wide range of physical leisure activities such as swimming or playing for a football team. As a result, children and young people develop routines and hobbies that support healthy and productive futures. Meals are prepared by staff, and reflect the preferences of children and young people.

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Quality of care

Staff ensure the daily routine of the home supports participation in education. Staff take an active interest in children and young people's education and development, and accompany young people to school if necessary. Staff liaise effectively with education professionals to identify appropriate educational opportunities for young people, and some teenagers attend a mix of college based courses to pursue their preferred interests, such as health and beauty. Some children attend community schools, while others attend the organisation’s schools, and this flexibility means they have the opportunity to achieve their academic potential.

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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

Children and young people say they feel safe, and live in a home where staff do their best to keep them safe. Staff help young people to improve their personal safety, for example, by developing self-esteem and social confidence. They help young people to identify and explore past episodes of unsafe behaviour and to avoid repeating harmful patterns. They help young people to engage in age-appropriate and positive activities and development, which reduce their exposure and vulnerability to unsuitable relationships and activities.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff use their knowledge and understanding of how to protect young people from abuse. When young people make allegations against each other, the home acts immediately to secure the safety and wellbeing of all concerned, and ensure appropriate reporting procedures are followed. Local safeguarding professionals and social workers say that the manager fosters open and transparent communication. They assess the impact of staff actions on the welfare of young people and identify strategies to promote their safety and wellbeing.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Regular reviews of risk mean staff consider the strengths and needs of individual young people, and set targets for positive change. However, young people feel that staff could enable them to enjoy a greater degree of independent development by agreeing more flexibility within risk management plans, such as allowing more unaccompanied trips to the local community. Furthermore, sometimes staff lock the kitchen and lounge areas to prevent young people having access to them when they are upset. Although this is necessary in extreme circumstances to prevent children from having access to equipment that may cause harm if used inappropriately, managers do not provide guidance for staff to ensure that practice in this area is consistent. Young people are keen to show that they are able to make good choices, and want to have more opportunities to demonstrate their progress. Because of consultation with young people, managers are exploring how to better balance the

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Safeguarding children and young people

wishes of young people with the risks their previous behaviour have presented to ensure their future safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Recently, staff identified that young people used bullying and intimidation in their relationships with each other and with staff. Staff and young people are working together to think about the harmful impact of bullying on the emotional wellbeing of others. They encourage young people to understand the needs of others, and offer help. They promote cooperation in simple activities and projects to help young people explore how to build positive relationships and increase tolerance. Managers use high staffing ratios to ensure the safety of all. Staff say that although they need to be redirected sometimes, young people have made good progress in acquiring the skills necessary to achieve positive relationships.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people do not go missing from the home. Staff respond quickly and effectively to any attempt by young people to test their approach to them being missing, and follow planned and agreed procedures in line with local police protocols. This means that on the rare occasion young people leave the home without permission, staff ensure their safe and swift return.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in positive behaviour management and present good role models in positive problem-solving. They make good use of de-escalation approaches to deal with challenging behaviour, and mostly avoid the need for physical restraint, except to ensure the safety of young people. However, records of restraint do not capture the actions of staff imposed upon children. Although staff record greater detail within comprehensive incident reports, and the manager scrutinises these records to monitor and improve the conduct of staff, the formal restraint record does not meet the standard required by regulation or guidance for good practice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Overall the organisation maintains robust recruitment and selection procedures that help prevent unsuitable people from having access to young people. Managers carefully induct and support new staff into their role, to ensure they acquire the skills necessary to care safely for young people. Managers identify and monitor any shortfall in care practice to enable staff to improve. However, on the rare occasion that the home uses agency staff to maintain appropriate staffing levels, the manager does not adequately ensure they have gathered all information necessary to ensure they are suitable to work in the home, such as full employment history or checks on training and qualifications. Furthermore, agency staff do not benefit from an organised and monitored induction into the home. Due to established practice in the home, that limits the role of agency staff, this has not affected the welfare of children and young people. However, it prevents children from being cared for at all

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Safeguarding children and young people

times by staff that managers have assessed as safe, and capable of providing good quality care.

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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 provides highly individualised care to children and young people. A qualified and experienced Registered Manager leads a qualified and lively staff team that demonstrates a strong commitment to delivering a high standard of care practice. Young people live in a home that places their needs at the centre of any service development and celebrates the progress they make. Enthusiastic and competent staff have consistently high aspirations for young people, enjoy their company, and are proud of how well young people are doing. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the positive progress young people are making in many aspects of their lives.

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Leadership and management

The home demonstrates capacity to improve by meeting all requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. Improvements to policy and procedural guidance for staff, the Statement of Purpose and children’s guide reflect change achieved in line with a published development plan. This includes improved access to training for staff in specialist areas, such as young people who self-harm or who are at risk of sexual exploitation. This enables a consistency of staff approach that supports improved outcomes in young people’s lives. Managers ensure staff respond effectively to young people’s changing needs by regular and detailed staff meetings, supervision and appraisal.

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Leadership and management

The home meets the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose. Young people, their families and social workers are clear about the services and support the home provides. The provider and manager regularly monitor the operation of the home, the quality of care and outcomes for young people, in partnership with young people and the professionals who support them. Results demonstrate the positive impact and value that living at the home has had on the lives of young people who grow in confidence and maturity.

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Leadership and management

Young people's written records are securely stored. Highly detailed and aspirational plans of care contain clear information about young people and include their views. Parents say they are fully involved in creating and reviewing plans of action to meet identified need. The records provide a detailed picture of individual young people's experiences and inform plans for their future.

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Leadership and management

Robust monitoring of records and care practice by the Registered Manager identifies shortfalls in service provision. Through a recently launched consultation system, the manager is collecting the views of parents, professionals and young people as a matter of routine. This aspect of service improvement integrates the findings of consultation into the development plan for the home.

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Leadership and management

Visitors who attend the home on behalf of the provider examine all the records necessary to oversee the conduct of the home but do not provide sufficient analysis of staff conduct in order for the home to improve. For example they record the amount of restraint that has taken place but do not assess whether the home provides stable, safe and secure care. This limits the effectiveness of the quality assurance arrangements that the provider has in place to improve the conduct of the home. Nevertheless, the home demonstrates a capacity to improve by developments in line with the published development plan and improving outcomes for children and young people.

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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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