Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Essex

Unique reference number SC462729 Inspection date 11/12/2013 Inspector Susan Southey Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 22/05/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is part of a small privately-owned organisation which operates three homes for children and young people. The home offers care and accommodation for four children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties some of whom may have associated learning disabilities. All young people are able to access a package of individually tailored therapy from a Psychologist or psychotherapist as part of the service provided.

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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 home is managed by a competent management team who provide strong leadership. Staff say the support and training they receive is outstanding. This is the first inspection of this newly registered home and the service they offer is good.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people receive exceptional care from a staff team who are committed to supporting them to reach their full potential. Young people say that the quality of care they receive is brilliant and staff are there consistently.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from a home environment that is well maintained and homely. They make good progress in all areas of their lives taking account the limited time the home has been registered. Young people who have completed education have achieved qualifications. Those still in statutory education attend school regularly and make good progress.

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Overall effectiveness

Partner agencies speak highly of this provision and say they look after young people well and keep them safe. One area of improvement is identified concerning recording of physical intervention. However, this is rarely used as consistent boundaries support improved behaviour from all young people. Young people are kept safe and incidents where young people go missing has reduced over time.

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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 a written record of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children's home shall include all details listed in regulations. (Regulation 17b (a)-(i)) 01/02/2014

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people sustain full time educational placements and make good progress from their starting point. Young people who have completed full time education have achieved GCSE’s. They are now actively seeking paid work and say they wish to undertake further education in the future. They have completed curriculum vitaes, which they submit to prospective employers. This demonstrates that young people are committed to achieving success in education and employment.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are involved in the community and access a wide range of meaningful activities. They develop and sustain positive friendships, which promote enhanced social inclusion and increased self-esteem. Young people use their social time appropriately and engage in age appropriate leisure activities. These include paint balling, cinema and shopping in town. Young people also integrate with local peers in the area and meet up regularly. This supports young people to be included in the neighbourhood and promotes their sense of belonging. Furthermore, young people explore local charities and make plans to raise money for good causes. This demonstrates young people’s desire to make positive contributions in the local community.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to live healthy lifestyles and enjoy good health. Smoking is discouraged, and staff offer support to stop the habit. They have regular access to the looked after nurse who gives confidential advice to maintain healthy lifestyles. Young people regularly participate in physical activity, which supports good physical health. Young people access regular therapeutic input from professionals to support their psychological well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy regular positive contact with their families. They benefit from a good understanding of their background. They are able to build and sustain positive attachments with family and those that are important to them. Professionals say staff are committed to supporting young people to achieve this. This is effective as young people say they enjoy spending time with their families.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people are cared for in line with comprehensive, individualised therapeutic care plans that reflect local authority plans for young people. They cover all aspects of young people’s development and are reviewed and amended regularly. Therefore, they support young people’s current needs. Young people are involved in the care planning process and are encouraged to give their views. Communication with placing authorities is excellent and staff send monthly reports to placing authorities. This demonstrates the home’s commitment to partnership working.

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Quality of care

Young people have built positive relationships with staff and their peers. They say that staff are great and help them in all aspects of their lives. External agencies say they go out of their way to promote positive relationships. Young people particularly praise the good quality food provided. Young people say that all staff are great cooks. This demonstrates that nutrition is considered important at this home. Young people communicate well with staff and say they always listen to them when they have concerns.

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Quality of care

Young people significantly influence the running of the home. They have opportunities through key worker sessions and resident's meetings to make their views known. Wherever possible young people have their wishes granted and young people say they have their requests met. Examples of young people making decisions in the home include menu planning, activities and selection of holidays. Professionals say that staff offer young people a high standard of accommodation and care and appear to value the young people they care for. Knowing their views are considered important supports young people to have improved self-esteem.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from an exceptionally well-maintained home environment. They have communal areas that are clean and appropriately furnished. On-going decoration is taking place to ensure that the maintenance of the house remains good. Furthermore, the large garden area of the home is maintained, to provide a pleasant external area for young people to relax.

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Quality of care

Young people say they know how to make complaints and can gain access to information in the children’s guide, which clearly identifies the process. In addition, staff promote young people's right to complain. When young people raise concerns, staff treat their grievances with respect and take appropriate action by conducting enquiries to resolve the issues. Young people feel empowered when they have appropriate information to endorse their right to complain and staff take their criticisms seriously

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe. Young people have individualised risk assessments that are comprehensive and support their safety both in the community and at home. Efficient staff monitor assessments monthly to evaluate their success. Where risk management is not effective, staff amend them to reduce risks for young people. In addition, environmental risk assessments support young people to live in a safe environment. These include the safekeeping of medications and sharp objects. Furthermore, vigilant staff keep the home free from hazards with regular maintenance and checks on emergency equipment to support the safety of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people respond very well to consistent boundaries. They are in place to promote positive behaviour. Staff demonstrate they work together effectively in their behaviour management practice which promotes good conduct. Young people receive positive rewards for good behaviour and receive appropriate sanctions when discipline is required. Staff and young people have excellent communication and discussions take place following incidents when young people present with challenging behaviours. Young people have opportunities to reflect on their behaviour and explore the reasons for their outbursts. Together young people and staff seek strategies to positively manage difficult situations. This behaviour management technique proves successful as young people are mainly well behaved and physical interventions are rare. Staff record all incidents of physical interventions. The log does not give the location where the incident took place or

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Safeguarding children and young people

evidence any injuries or medical treatment administered. However, comprehensive incident forms are completed and body maps used when required. Therefore, this has minimal impact on the welfare of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is committed to providing a safe environment and care for young people. Comprehensive checks are undertaken when recruiting staff, this supports the safety of young people. Furthermore, senior staff regularly check that emergency equipment is in good working order and facilitate fire drills with young people. This demonstrate commitment to the safe evacuation of the building should an emergency situation arise.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home demonstrates good practice in regard to admission procedures. Recent changes to policy require placing authorities to provide information regarding current and historic risk factors for young people in a variety of areas. This information is used to assess suitability of all young people referred to the service. This has proved beneficial as incidents where young people engage in risk taking behaviour such as going missing has reduced. Staff have formed positive working relationships with local police and they have visited the home to meet staff and young people. Police representatives confirm staff and have adopted local authority missing from home protocols and risk assessments for all young people have been completed. They also commented that the Registered Manager appeared very organised and professional in her activities. Therefore, staff demonstrate awareness of the benefits of partnership working to safeguard young people should they leave the home without

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Safeguarding children and young people

The administration and storage of medication is robust. All staff are trained to administer medication and senior staff monitor practice. Regular checks are made of medication administration and effective policies and procedures are consistently applied to promote safe medication practices.

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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

The Registered Manager, Deputy Manager and senior staff successfully deliver excellent leadership to the newly recruited staff team. Leaders and therapeutic care workers share the child-focused ethos of this recently registered provision. Staff respect the strong leadership and strive to meet the high expectations of the management team. They say managers and senior staff are approachable and consistently provide effective leadership. This demonstrates that staff share the vision of the management team to develop a high quality service.

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Leadership and management

The highly valued staff team say they receive excellent support from the management team who communicate high expectations. Staff receive supervision every two weeks for the first three months and monthly thereafter. Additionally they attend regular therapeutic supervision and peer supervision. A trained psychotherapist commissioned by the organisation delivers this support. Staff are highly complimentary of this provision. They say the therapeutic support assists them to manage challenges, related to caring for young people with complex behaviour needs. Staff also benefit from the Registered Manager’s ‘open door’ policy affording them an opportunity to gain support throughout the day. The Registered Manager, assisted by her dedicated deputy manager, stimulates the enthusiasm of their committed staff team this ensures that children receive excellent care.

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Leadership and management

Training opportunities for staff are outstanding; all staff receive a comprehensive induction programme. During this period, the Registered Manager monitors staff progress robustly. Senior staff enrol on recognised management courses to develop their competence and career development. Staff say the organisation offers the best training programme they have experienced in their working lives. This investment supports the retention of competent staff. Staff receive mandatory training that head office consistently updates. Furthermore, staff receive a range of additional training to support their role. Staff benefit from monthly training sessions; these cover a range of topics including tuition on the delivery of therapeutic practice. This demonstrates that leaders and managers invest in developing staff and provide them with the required skills to deliver high quality professional care for young people.

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Leadership and management

An independent visitor makes monthly visits to monitor the service provision. In addition, the Registered Manager conducts internal monitoring of the home. Young people are consulted at these visits and any shortfalls are addressed in a timely manner to make improvements to this newly registered service. Senior staff make daily checks to ensure that staff are efficiently conducting their allocated duties. Staff are encouraged to take ownership for their responsibilities by agreeing their duties in writing on shift planners. This demonstrates that all staff performance is consistently monitored

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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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