Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC454838 Inspection date 10/10/2013 Inspector David Morgan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 22/11/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home offers a range of services from initial therapeutic assessment to crisis intervention assessment following placement breakdown. Preparation for a return to a community placement, or home, is the overall aim where possible. The home is privately owned by an established organisation operating since 1991 where wider services can be accessed as required.

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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

This is the first inspection of the home and a good standard of care is being provided. The home is well supported by the organisation both locally and centrally. It has a team of mostly new staff who are developing well and undertaking qualifications. Young people have no concerns about the care they receive and feel safe in the home. Some concerns have arisen amongst neighbours, however, but these are being addressed constructively.

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Overall effectiveness

Admissions have been primarily for short periods of time because of the rural location and there has been a high incidence of young people going missing. Nearly all admissions have been male. Unauthorised absences have been addressed well through close liaison with other agencies, especially the police. All agencies are completely positive about the service and incidents of young people putting themselves at risk fall over time in nearly every case. Young people succeed in other areas including their education.

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Overall effectiveness

One requirement and three recommendations are made to raise standards further. One area of monitoring is not sufficiently thorough; training for emergencies is less developed than possible; young people can gain access to roofs from some bedrooms, and staff training records are not complete. These are relatively minor shortfalls, which indicate that progress since opening has been good.

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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

(2001) ensure the person carrying out the visits for the provider prepares a written report on the conduct of the home. This is with regard to it evaluating the conduct. (Regulation 33(4)(c)) 16/12/2013

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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 that risk assessments of the whole children’s home environment are carried out to identify any potential sources of harm to the children, are recorded in writing and regularly reviewed. This is with regard to acting on the risk assessments of bedroom windows (NMS 10.8)  apply the emergency escape plan so that all staff and children are familiar with it and have practiced so they know what to do in an emergency. This is with regard to ensuring all staff undertake regular unannounced fire drills that use different scenarios (NMS 10.9)  ensure staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the children and purpose of the setting. This is with regard to recording the training that occurs on site. (NMS 18.1)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Since the home opened in November 2012 most young people have stayed for a few months only. However, overall they make good progress. Young people use their short time at the home to reflect on their circumstances. For many this is just the start but for others it is a very significant opportunity and they subsequently decide to avoid negative distractions. As a result, the majority make positive and successful transfers to other settings, such as smaller children’s homes or their own family homes.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Education is provided in the mornings only with the aim for most young people of simply but critically re-engaging with classroom-based activities. Young people are clear about these expectations and a high level of attendance is achieved. Young people also attend schools in the community whenever this is appropriate. Education provides a critical structure to the day and increases the confidence of individuals who have often disengaged from it. A social worker reported that she had seen young people ‘thrive’, and another professional said that her young person ‘is not the same boy who arrived.’ Mealtimes are an important part of the day structure, and are sociable occasions where individual needs are met, including any special diets arising from health or cultural needs. One young person said: 'I don’t eat meat, so they cook something else for me.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have access to a clear programme of stimulating activities which are physically tiring and always educative. This includes the use of outdoor recreational facilities off-site, such as kayaking and climbing, and other new experiences. Young people have full timetables but also have free time. They enjoy ample space in the grounds around the house although the adjacent agricultural and domestic properties are a temptation for some. Their interactions with staff show that good relationships are in place, which allows them to enjoy indoor activities together, such as table tennis and board games, as well facilitating sensitive conversations. Young people learn to interact confidently with visitors, such as neighbours, and some have obtained local part-time employment.

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Quality of care

The staff interact with young people very well and this is the basis of the good quality of care. They create a positive, friendly atmosphere in the home and young people are helped to understand what is expected of them. There is substantial consultation with young people as a group and as individuals. This engagement extends to young people undertaking certain training courses with staff. As a result, young people feel involved in the home and learn to take responsibility.

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Quality of care

Good arrangements are in place to manage each young person’s care. Each individual has a clear and up-to-date plan for their care with which they are fully involved. The impact of their care is tracked so that progress, or the lack of it, leads to adjustments in the care provided. The staff are able to show how well young people are doing, even with complex issues like relationships and the ability of young people to deal with bad news. The staff ensure that any needs arising from young people’s religion are met promptly.

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Quality of care

The number of formal complaints is minimal. The staff proactively seek to avoid dissatisfaction, whether it is from young people or neighbours. Measures, such as the regular meetings with neighbours, are constructive. Young people are provided with a wide range of opportunities to express their views, including to responsible adults outside the home.

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Quality of care

Healthy living is promoted extensively, from personal hygiene to appointments with consultants. As a result, young people learn why good health is important and some have attended health appointments for the first time. This contributes to them feeling good about themselves and removes obstacles to their engagement with community services. Smoking cessation plans are implemented routinely but have the same varying degrees of success as in the population at large. However, young people’s misuse of drugs and alcohol decreases substantially following admission, which is an important contribution to their health.

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Quality of care

The high turnover of young people partly reflects the newness of the home and partly its rural location, which is less suitable for most long term placements. New young people receive a thorough induction and are asked to comment on how the process felt. Matching arrangements are satisfactory and where conflicts arise prompt action is taken.

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Quality of care

Young people are provided with a plenty of space both inside and outside. The property is clean and reasonably well presented throughout. Outside there are several out-buildings that reflect the farming history and remain commercial in appearance and the garden is under-utilised. Cosmetic and practical improvements in this area are currently being considered. There are extensive hard surfaces to play on as well as fields.

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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 service is successfully addressing the needs of young men who are resident for short periods and whose histories indicate they are likely to go missing. As a result of these characteristics there are a relatively high number of such incidents. However, for most young people the frequency falls significantly after their admission. For many young people the level of risk they pose reduces dramatically. This occurs alongside substantial improvements in school attendance and other benefits for them.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Some young people going missing have contacted neighbours for help, for example to request money or transport, and others have trespassed on their land. This can cause anxieties amongst local people. The home’s manager is proactively addressing these concerns in a particularly clear and open way with regular meetings and frequent communication. Strong relationships are in place with the parish council and the police too. This means that concerns are addressed earlier and there is mutual assistance. Social workers and other agencies, including Ofsted, are notified promptly about incidents. Social workers are pleased with the progress that most young people make and the significant reduction in criminal and anti-social behaviours, such as drug misuse.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are very few incidents of restraint and while prone holds are occasionally used, it is with suitable caution. Behaviour management strategies are carefully and frequently reviewed by staff with the full involvement of young people. A major contribution towards acceptable behaviours is the positive relationships that the staff establish with most young people. One young person said ‘I’ve got no problem with the staff; it’s just the location.’ Another reflected, ’it’s a good home; it stops you running off. Sanctions are fair but I don’t like them. You make changes and think about life.’ Minor incidents of bullying do occur from time to time but are addressed effectively and young people feel safe in the home. Policies for staff recruitment and dealing with allegations are implemented thoroughly so that young people are always cared for by suitable adults.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The property is maintained well and safety precautions are observed. There is an expectation that suitable window restrictors are used to prevent young people exiting from their bedroom windows at night. However, the current restrictors are not completely successful and this contributes to the incidents of young people going missing. Fire safety measures are thorough but fire drills do not expand the skills of staff as well as possible in addressing a variety of emergency scenarios.

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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

Leadership of the service is good and reflects the Statement of Purpose. Young people know that they are placed here primarily to address their negative behaviours. The home is adequately resourced with staff and the building is maintained well. Although the staff team is made-up of a significant proportion of relatively inexperienced and unqualified staff, it benefits from informed and enthusiastic leadership. Most staff have undertaken shifts at other homes in order to increase their experience. Consequently, the team is organised well every day and focusses on the needs of each young person. The staff feel well supported through formal and informal supervision and positive about the way the service has developed since it opened. Any relationships between members of staff are managed appropriately to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.

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Leadership and management

Staff training is given a high priority and all staff are making clear progress. However, some of the training that is undertaken on site, for example regarding therapy and safeguarding refresher courses, is not recorded in staff training files. This shortfall has minimal impact on young people but makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of training and monitor the competence of staff.

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Leadership and management

The manager has written development plans in place and is clear about the steps currently required for the service to progress; he has ensured that there is sufficient capacity in his senior team to ensure progress is made. The current development targets are primarily to do with staff progression and making certain improvements to the property at this early stage. Professional developments in social care practice are reflected well in the monitoring tools, which help to ensure that the service is up- to-date. Monitoring by the manager is thorough too and ensures that individual care is appropriate. The monthly monitoring by the organisation takes into account the views of young people but is mainly descriptive and provides insufficient analysis of the conduct of the home. This means it is not contributing as much as possible to the improvement of the service.

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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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