Children's Home run by Green View Young People Limited in Barnsley

Unique reference number SC386057 Inspection date 04/12/2013 Inspector Simon Morley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 23/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This is a privately run children's home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and 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 good .

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Overall effectiveness

Overall this is a good home that has a very positive impact on young people’s lives. Staff provide young people with an exceptionally nurturing and supportive environment in which young people can feel safe and build strong relationships with the staff. Young people make excellent progress in a number of key areas including their education, developing their confidence and self-esteem, and being able to engage more with the support available to them.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff are very proactive in addressing any challenges for young people and work effectively in partnership with external agencies to protect and promote their welfare. Young people know that their views are taken into account in the day-to-day running of the home as well as in their individual care plans. Young people have very positive views about their care and how their wishes are responded to. This is reflected in comments from young people 'this is my home, it’s like being part of a family', and from stakeholders 'staff are very nurturing and homely, we are very pleased with the progress young people make'.

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Overall effectiveness

The staff team are strongly motivated and directed by a proactive manager and deputy. Well developed systems provide effective monitoring of the home and in particular of the welfare of individual young people. The staff are experienced, competent and work well as a team, providing young people with a consistently high quality of care. This helps young people develop their potential.

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Overall effectiveness

Management arrangements are good overall with minor shortfalls that have not impacted on the care of young people. These include the manager securing regular effective supervision for himself, reviewing the home's policies, further development of staff training and ensuring recruitment checks are equally robust for all staff.

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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 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to all staff employed to work in the home in respect of the matters specified in Schedule 2 (Regulation 26 (3)(d)). 31/01/2014

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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 the home has and implements clear procedures for introducing children to the home which in particular cover emergency/immediate placements (NMS 11.1)  ensure staff receive high quality training to enhance their individual skills and to keep them up-to-date including training about child sexual exploitation (NMS 18)  ensure suitable arrangements exist for the professional supervision of the registered person (NMS 19.3)  ensure there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home including systematic reviews of policies and procedures. (NMS 21)

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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

Compared to their starting points on admission young people achieve exceptional outcomes. Stakeholders commented 'young people benefit from the stability, boundaries and excellent parenting from staff.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make outstanding progress in developing their confidence and self- esteem. For example improved eye contact, communication skills and forming positive relationships. Young people open up and talk about important issues in their lives and how they feel. This helps them learn to cope with difficult situations. The levels of self-harm and of behaviour that puts their safety at risk have reduced significantly.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have improved family contact which is an important aspect of their lives and welfare. This is helping young people develop their knowledge and understanding of their backgrounds, which contribute considerably to stronger emotional resilience. In addition young people explore personal, social and health issues such as their backgrounds, relationships, and personal safety with staff. As a result young people develop their knowledge and understanding about improving their lifestyles and make more sensible choices. Young people also make strong progress in using support services more to help promote their emotional well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have excellent attendance at school and college and demonstrate significant achievements in their learning and skills development. This includes successful work placements and progress with vocational studies. Young people successfully make the transition to further education and continue to develop their learning in numeracy, literacy, social and life skills. This contributes to their increasingly positive self-image, improved social skills and attitude and greater pride in their appearance.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people learn to advocate for themselves and are positively involved in their care and in the running of the home. Young people are able to focus on their future and develop practical skills to help their transition to adulthood.

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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 the excellent nurturing and supportive relationships that staff have developed with them. Young people commented 'we have bonded well with the staff'. This is a result of staff having a high level of understanding of young people’s individual needs and backgrounds. Staff use their understanding to build trust and provide young people with exceptional support, reassurance and guidance. Stakeholders commented 'staff are excellent, responsive and thoughtful'. Compared to their difficult family backgrounds and their lives prior to admission, the outstanding quality of care helps young people make significant progress in their development. The environment is remarkably homely and friendly and enables young people to relax and enjoy themselves.

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Quality of care

As part of the strong relationships they have with young people, staff talk openly, honestly and sensitively with young people about their needs. This is underpinned by individual, detailed and comprehensive care plans which identify young people's diverse needs. Young people are cared for in line with these plans and they benefit from a considerate, competent and skilled staff team. Stakeholders commented 'staff have a good understanding of young people’s needs and go over and above to ensure these are met'. Young people agreed this was the case.

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Quality of care

Staff have consistently high aspirations for young people regardless of any challenges and their diverse individual needs. Staff are proactive, motivated and enthusiastic in helping young people fulfil their potential. Young people are listened to and their views have a significant impact on decisions about both their care and the running of the home. Young people's bedrooms are highly personalised. They choose how to spend their time and money and make decisions about their care, education and future plans. Young people are definitely at the heart of what goes on in the home.

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Quality of care

Young people have daily one-to-one time with staff which helps them communicate their views. As well as respecting young people’s views, staff are skilled in helping them to reflect on their attitudes and behaviour. Through this process young people develop strong self-advocacy and negotiating skills which help them to make sensible decisions. The resourceful approach of staff also helps young people to manage their feelings and cope better with difficult situations. Stakeholders commented 'staff help young people manage anxiety well in a non-reactive way'. An open, sensitive and non-judgemental approach with individual incentives, and support from external agencies, assists young people to improve their behaviour. This has a positive impact on their quality of life and on their progress towards more independent living.

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Quality of care

There is a strong emphasis on promoting all aspects of young people's welfare including their education, safety, physical and emotional health. Staff support young people to maintain excellent attendance at college and keep regular health appointments. The high levels of support have helped young people access specialist agencies such as counselling, providing them with extra support. Staff work effectively with schools, colleges, placing authorities and other agencies to ensure young people’s needs are met.

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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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding which is inherent in the culture and practice of the home. As a result staff ensure that young people live in a safe, secure and caring environment; young people are safe and feel safe in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff complete effective care plans for young people on an individual basis which clearly identify potential risks as well as strategies and actions to reduce those risks. Staff are very aware of young people’s vulnerabilities and fully understand and implement these strategies to support young people to take reasonable risks as part of their increasing independence. This process is frequently reviewed in order to strongly reflect young people's needs, progress and achievements . Young people learn to modify behaviour that places them at risk of alienation or re- offending. Staff support young people to achieve this using a non-judgemental approach while at the same time prioritising acceptable social behaviour. Young people benefit from clear guidance and direction helping them reflect upon the consequences of negative behaviour and choose positive alternatives. Positive incentives are also used effectively. As a result there is minimal use of any sanctions

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Safeguarding children and young people

and no use of physical intervention as a behaviour management intervention. This adds to the caring homely feel and is reflected in young people's views that the home is a good place to live and staff they like.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing from the home. When they do go missing excellent care practices ensure they get home safely. Young people also benefit from regular discussions with staff about safe care issues and how to protect themselves by avoiding risky situations. The manager and staff continue to build effective relationships with safeguarding agencies, including the police, to support young people with good safeguarding strategies

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Safeguarding children and young people

The vast majority of staff are carefully selected and vetted. There was one exception to this where it was apparent that not all of the required checks has been completed. The manager was already aware of this omission and had plans to remedy the situation. On this occasion the incomplete checks were not impacting on young people's safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is a strong approach to health and safety. Checks are completed, and risk assessments reviewed, regularly keeping the physical environment safe for young people to live in. Young people are included in this process as part of their development and involvement in the home.

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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 manager demonstrates a capacity for continuous improvement as evidenced by his track record, performance in previous inspections and improvements since the last inspection The manager and senior staff regularly monitor the running of the home. This includes discussion with young people as well as contact with their parents, placing authorities and other agencies in order to maintain excellent care levels. Although these monitoring arrangements are very effective, one of the recommendations from the last inspection has not been fully addressed. This is in respect of ensuring the robustness of policies and procedures, particularly with regard to emergency admissions. While the quality of care practice remains outstanding there is the potential for it to be compromised if policies and procedures are not routinely refreshed and kept up-to-date.

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Leadership and management

The management team is effective in providing staff with training and development opportunities. This includes in-house learning as well as supporting progress towards the recommended qualifications. Since the last inspection staff have made significant progress in achieving their qualifications. Staff use their training well by applying learning to supporting young people with their needs. One shortfall identified is in relation to providing all staff with training about child sexual exploitation although plans were already in place to consider how to address this. Overall staff have a wealth of knowledge about young people's needs and how to support them effectively. The young people who, because of their past experiences, are potentially vulnerable benefit from having access to a group of staff who have a diverse and wide range of skills, experience and backgrounds.

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Leadership and management

The quality of staff support and teamwork ensures staff feel valued, appreciated and respected by each other. Staff are very enthusiastic about working at the home and have very high expectations of themselves and the support they provide to young people. Young people benefit from a happy and caring atmosphere combined with a professional and motivating environment. Stakeholders commented 'this is an organised and well run home'.

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Leadership and management

Good support from staff encourages young people to attend and contribute to meetings about their ongoing care and future placement. Young people’s needs, development and progress are well recorded in a way that reflects their individuality. These records, which are clear, up to date and stored securely, contribute significantly to the understanding of young people's lives. Any significant events relating to the protection of young people accommodated in the home are notified to the relevant authorities. The manager ensures appropriate action is taken following these incidents.

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Leadership and management

The manager has continued to source regular supervision for himself but the quality of supervision provided does not offer the level of professional critical challenge that he needs which lessens the positive impact it might otherwise have on the management of the home. Staffing levels in the home reflect the needs of the young people and take account of extra responsibilities. For example, when staff are representing young people at their looked after children reviews, attending appointments with them, or supporting them with contact or social activities. Additional staff are being recruited to bolster the overall size of the staff team.

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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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