Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Unique reference number SC357979 Inspection date 25/11/2013 Inspector Anthony Kyem Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 27/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This local authority children's home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/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 benefit from highly personalised, well-planned care that promotes their needs very effectively. The progress young people make and the outcomes they achieve are exceptionally positive. Young people make excellent progress across all aspects of their welfare, social, emotional and behavioural development. Consequently, their needs are met comprehensively.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's views about their care and their relationships with staff are consistently positive. Young people's needs, views and opinions are central to how the home operates and develops its practice. Their participation is actively encouraged and this enables their positive influence in the running of the home. Young people report: 'It’s good here. It’s a good home. It's really fun living here…School’s good, they offer me help with my school work...We buy nice clothes and we get taken out, that’s fun.'

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Overall effectiveness

Leaders and managers routinely make positive use of the home's monitoring activities to promote and improve the quality of young people's care. They have a clear understanding of the home's strengths and they take action to secure improvement. Managers stimulate the enthusiasm of staff and they channel their efforts effectively. Young people benefit from a home that is managed effectively and efficiently.

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Overall effectiveness

An independent reviewing officer reports: 'I continue to be very impressed by the way in which staff at the home refuse to give up and continue to advocate for young people. Young people have every opportunity to achieve and they recognise this and appreciate it.' Another comments: 'Reviewing the home has restored my confidence in residential accommodation for young people.'

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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

The progress young people make and the outcomes they achieve are exceptionally positive, taking into account their individual starting points at the time of placement. Young people make exceptional progress to develop a positive self-view, emotional resilience and self-confidence. As a result, they are better equipped and prepared to cope with stress and anxiety in their lives and overcome their own personal difficulties.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are actively encouraged to make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community. They benefit from a diverse range of positive and highly enjoyable activities, such as rock climbing, private music lessons, holidays, yoga classes and gymnasium. Young people develop their social skills, social interests and hobbies as a result of their participation.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from extensive support to promote their educational achievement. They benefit from exceptionally good attendance at school or alternative educational provision. The educational achievement of young people is exceptional, taking into account both their attainment and their progress in relation to their starting points. Staff consistently have high expectations for young people. They provide them with the help and support they need to achieve their full potential. School leavers are positively engaged in furthering their education, to enable them to pursue their individual aspirations and goals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

A social worker reports: 'The young person I have in the home has done well. Prior to going there she was struggling to attend education; however, they worked closely with her and with education providers to encourage her to engage. There were ups and downs but the staff persevered and the young person achieved some GCSEs.' A teacher comments: ‘The young person has completed all her work for unit 6 to distinction level (A). She has worked really hard and I am very proud of her. Excellent work.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with their friends and families. They benefit from the support they need to maintain their positive relationships with the people who are important and significant to them. A social worker reports: 'The home has worked closely with the family; this young person has been spending part of the week with family as the plan is for her to go and live with them. Staff are going to continue with some support once the young person goes home to ensure a smooth transition. I get regular updates of progress.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive helpful advice, encouragement and support to promote their life skills. They develop their practical skills in shopping, cooking and budgeting to promote their readiness for independence. They benefit from pathway plans to support their smooth transition to adulthood and they are allowed to take reasonable risks as part of their growth and natural development.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from exceptionally positive relationships with staff. They benefit from the support they need to build and develop positive and constructive relationships. Staff place young people's safety at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. They have established highly effective partnerships with external agencies to ensure young people receive the help and support they need to succeed. They consistently and effectively challenge any barriers which prevent young people making progress. They advocate for young people, where necessary. Consequently, young people's rights to high quality care and support are championed effectively.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to make a complaint and they feel their views, wishes and feelings are acted on. They feel involved in the running of the home because staff involve them in key decisions. As a result, young people have a positive say in how they are treated, supported and cared for.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from well-planned, highly individualised care that meets their needs comprehensively. They are fully involved in their plans to enable their contribution, knowledge and understanding of them. Young people's needs arising from gender, age, race and ethnicity are all positively and proactively addressed, both in care planning and daily living. Young people benefit from excellent support to promote their good health and well-being.

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Quality of care

The home provides young people with a healthy environment, where young people have access to the full range of services they need to promote their physical, emotional and psychological health. Young people are taught about key health issues and are actively encouraged to lead and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This enables them to make positive lifestyle choices and take responsibility for their own health and well-being. As such, risk-taking behaviours such as smoking, drug and alcohol use are controlled or decreasing.

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Quality of care

The arrangements for dealing with young people's medication are safe and effective. Young people's medication is stored and administered safely and medical consent is in place, so staff are clear about what health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them.

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Quality of care

The accommodation provided for young people is physically suitable, safe and appropriately secure. Young people benefit from a warm, comfortable, safe and homely environment. The home fits in well with local surrounding properties. It provides young people with highly personalised, well-planned, high quality living accommodation that meets their needs comprehensively.

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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 are proactively protected from abuse, bullying, neglect and sexual exploitation. Staff are trained in child protection so they how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. Staff employed to work with children are selected and vetted carefully, to protect young people from unsuitable people. Visitors to the home are carefully chaperoned and there is suitable monitoring of such people. Young people are kept safe and they have a strong sense of personal safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Clear risk assessment, management and proactive safeguarding practice ensure young people are kept safe and feel protected. Staff are familiar with young people's particular vulnerabilities and they know what action to take to address them. Young people do not go missing from the home. Should they do so, there are effective procedures in place to promote their safe return. As a result, young people are appropriately protected and supported if they go missing.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people receive excellent support to promote their positive behaviour. Young people do not engage in dangerous, risk-taking behaviours which would place them, or other young people, at risk of harm. There are no issues with bullying, anti-social behaviour or offending. Young people understand and respond positively towards the home's rules, boundaries, incentives and rewards that promote and encourage their positive behaviour. Their personal achievements are praised and celebrated to promote their self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The use of sanctions, if used at all, is kept to an absolute minimum. Where sanctions are used they are fair, proportionate and reasonable. Staff use a restorative approach to help young people reflect on their behaviour. As a result, young people learn to take responsibility for their actions. There have been no restraints since the previous inspection. Staff are trained to deal with young people's behaviours safely and effectively.

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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 benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. Leaders and managers consistently communicate high expectations to staff about sustaining improvement. They stimulate staff's enthusiasm and they channel their efforts effectively. Staff share and implement the home's ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. They work collectively and creatively as a professional staff group to promote positive outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

The home can demonstrate the positive impact it has made to young people's lives and how their outcomes have improved significantly. Written development plans are in place to promote the home's continuing improvement and development, targets for which are realistic and challenging. The home has an exemplary track record based on its inspection history and performance since the previous inspection.

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Leadership and management

The home meets the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose comprehensively. It provides young people with high quality care and support and access to services they need. There were no requirements or recommendations as a result of the previous inspection. Additionally, there are no breaches in regulation identified as a result of this inspection visit.

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Leadership and management

Leaders and managers make positive use of the home's monitoring activities to routinely review, monitor and improve the quality of young people's care. This enables them to understand the home's strengths and systematically tackle identified weaknesses to secure improvement. Managers routinely scrutinise the home's performance.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from qualified, highly skilled, well-trained and experienced staff who promote their needs effectively. Consequently, they receive high quality care and support. The home has an effective training programme that ensures staff are able to develop their knowledge, skills and professional practice. Staff benefit from professional supervision and support to review their performance and support them in the work they perform.

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Leadership and management

Young people's records provide them with a private, clear and accurate account of their time within the home. This enables young people to reflect on their past experiences and plans for the future. Each young person is given their own personalised memory box and photograph album that provides them with an individualised account of their significant and memorable events. As a result, they have a valuable keepsake to remember and recall people and special events.

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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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