Children's Home run by Teen-Works Care Limited in Sefton

Unique reference number SC423460 Inspection date 16/12/2013 Inspector Marian Denny Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 04/03/2013 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

This private children's home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional 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

Young people's wishes and feelings are taken into account in all aspects of daily living and future care planning. They benefit from highly personalised care and enjoy excellent relationships with the staff. Staff have an exceptionally good understanding of safe working practices. This enables young people to take reasonable risks necessary for continued development into adulthood. Consequently, young people feel, and are, safe, very happy and settled in this home.

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Overall effectiveness

An experienced and enthusiastic staff team and good partnership working enables all the young people to realise their potential. Consequently, young people are making good progress behaviourally, socially and educationally, despite some extremely difficult past experiences.

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Overall effectiveness

This home is genuinely committed to providing a high standard of care and to significantly improving all the young people's life chances. The managers and staff are clear about the strengths of their service and the key areas for further development.

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Overall effectiveness

Some areas for development have been identified in this inspection, which relate to up-dating the safeguarding and missing from home policy. In addition, the Regulation 33 Reports do not always contain the necessary information and the records relating to the administration of medicine and sanctions are not always fully completed.

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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 registered provider inspects the premises of the children's home and the records of any complaints. 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 where any sanctions are used, children are encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept by the home (NMS 3.18)  ensure if a child is absent from the home and their whereabouts not known, the home's procedures are compatible with and have regard to Runaway and Missing from Home and Care protocols and procedures maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority that are specified in the individual child's care plan (NMS 5.6)  ensure the written record of all medication given to children during their placement is fully completed (NMS 6.15)  ensure the children's home procedure is in line with Government guidance, with specific regard to the safeguarding policy. (NMS 20.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from a child focused environment provided by a caring and committed staff team. Consequently, the young people generally engage well with staff and are settled and happy in the home. In enjoying good relationships with staff, young people feel secure enough to express their wishes, feelings and worries to them in a constructive way. The development of trusting relationships with staff helps them to develop positive relationships with other professionals working with them. Staff work very hard to breakdown identified barriers to young people's education. This supports young people to make in their learning and attainment within education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s progress is evaluated on a regular basis through daily handovers, staff meetings and supervision. This process ensures staff are very aware of where young people are at in their development and the work required for them to progress. Both the manager and staff have a very good awareness of the dynamics of relationships and any associated individual risks. This ensures work can be undertaken to minimise these risks so that young people can be kept safe. Increasingly, young people are making positive choices in their lives and as a consequence their risk taking behaviour has significantly reduced. Occasionally young people challenge their boundaries, such as coming in times and are now willing to learn from their experiences and mistakes, and accept guidance and advice from the adults caring for them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's wishes and feelings are actively sought. This takes place through general discussions, young people’s meetings and individual one-to-one sessions. Staff members routinely consult young people on all aspects of their care, including care planning and changes in the home, for example, education, family contact, activities and menu planning. It is clear that there is mutual respect between young people and staff. This enables young people to feel safe and to discuss issues openly with staff and in young people’s meetings.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s physical and emotional health needs are fully assessed. Health care plans clearly identify any cause for concern and are supported by external services, for example, if necessary the children and adolescent mental health services. A healthy lifestyle is promoted and young people are encouraged and supported to become involved in activities within the local community. For example, they have frequent opportunities to participate in outdoor and community based activities such as swimming, walking, going to the cinema, local restaurants, as well as visiting museums, castles and places of historic interest. There is also a range of board games and games equipment in the home for young people to access.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from the support they are given to build and maintain positive contact with family, carers and friends. This helps young people to keep in touch with people who are important. It also enables them to have a clear sense of identity, as well as established support networks with family. Additionally, it provides young people with the opportunity to develop stronger community links.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff encourage young people to develop independence skills in accordance with their age and ability. Good working relationships are formed with partner agencies to assist young people to develop skills in cooking, menu planning and shopping. This helps the young people to develop confidence and self-esteem. Young people demonstrate ownership of their home have developed a sense of pride in the consistent achievements they make.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Staff work very hard to promote a warm, family atmosphere in the home. This is clearly illustrated by young people’s comments, such as, ‘This feels like a real home and I am really happy here’. ‘It is the best place I have been’. Another said, ‘I love it here; I do not want to leave’. One young person said, ‘I class this as a normal home and I always will’.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from extremely positive, strong and trusting relationships with staff, who provide them with excellent care. This is clearly demonstrated in the comments made by young people, which include, ‘I love all the staff here’. Another said, ‘staff are great’. ‘They are really good at caring for people and helping people.’ Consequently, young people feel safe, secure and truly cared for and as a result, they are able to talk to staff about their wishes, feelings and worries. This enables them to make real progress in their lives, such as their education, health and emotional development, as well as their relationships and personal safety. Increasingly, young people also develop more confidence, become more sociable and begin taking a real pride in their appearance and achievements.

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Quality of care

Staff ensure young people are cared for in accordance with their care plans. Placement plans are very detailed and provide an extremely clear picture of their individual needs and how these are to be best met. This ensures young people receive consistency of care, which effectively address their needs. Staff work hard to encourage young people to play an active role in the development and review of their plans. They also encourage and support young people to attend their review meetings and to make their views known. This ensures that they are fully involved in and influence any decisions that are made about their future.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to demonstrate socially acceptable behaviour. Individual behaviour management plans supported by comprehensive risk assessments identify triggers for negative behaviour and effective strategies for positive behaviour management. Daily incentives and rewards systems encourage young people’s participation and have proved to be successful. Consequently, sanctions are only used on a minimal basis, if they are used though, they are always appropriate and assist young people to accept the consequence of their behaviour

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Quality of care

Staff clearly know the young people very well and constantly assess their progress through a variety of means, such as daily handovers, supervision and one-to-one sessions. Staff’s detailed knowledge of the young people ensures they receive very good individual support and guidance. They value the views and wishes of the young people and actively consult them about their care and the running of the home. Young people are also involved in the recruitment and selection of staff employed to work in the home.

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Quality of care

Staff are proactive in ensuring young people’s needs are met., as demonstrated in relation to one young person’s educational needs. They also regularly consult with placing social workers to ensure young people receive an appropriate level of support. One social care professional stated, ‘There is excellent communication between us, we are very much a team and work well together and as a result (young person’s name) is doing well’.

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Quality of care

Young people are healthier and happier than when they first moved in. Their emotional and physical health has significantly improved and they enjoy healthy lifestyles, healthier diets and take part in physical activities, including swimming and walking. They are taking more responsibility for their own health; for example, asking for help to get fitter. They are developing an excellent understanding of key health risks and are choosing not to take part in behaviour that impacts negatively on their health. They have easy access to community health services and receive excellent support and advice with the full range of health and social issues, including diet, exercise, drugs, alcohol, smoking, sexual health and relationships.

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Quality of care

This experienced and competent staff team have consistently high aspirations for all the young people in the home and are highly successful advocates for them. For example, they have been proactive in obtaining support for one young person to attend school and make progress educational progress. Staff actively encourage good school attendance and support educational achievement and vocational qualifications to enable all the young people to reach their full potential.

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Quality of care

Young people are effectively prepared for adult life. They are making the most of the opportunities they have to: establish positive and appropriate social relationships; develop positive self-esteem; prepare for the world of work; attend and succeed in education; develop practical skills, including shopping, buying, cooking and keeping food, washing clothes, personal self-care; understand and take responsibility for personal healthcare; and develop financial skills. They are able to express their views in an open, assertive and appropriate manner. They play an active role in the running of the home and take part in the decisions about their lives, including what they have for tea, what they do in their spare time, where to go on holiday, choosing schools and colleges and their future plans.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from regular and appropriate contact with their families and friends. This is enabling them to maintain and develop relationships with the people who are important in their lives. They look forward to seeing their family and spending time with them. Staff work really hard to ensure that young people’s contact with their families is a safe, positive and enjoyable experience. Staff are very aware that young people and their families sometimes may find seeing each other stressful and make sure they are suitably and sensitively supported. Young people also have the same social experiences as other young people of their age; this includes spending time seeing their friends, friends visiting and staying for tea, and young people staying overnight at friends’ houses.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from an excellent standard of accommodation. This home offers a very good choice of communal areas and is tastefully decorated and furnished. Young people really like their bedrooms which are personalised and they like having photos of themselves around the home. Young people genuinely take pride in the home as demonstrated by their involvement in routine household tasks and on-going improvements. Visitors to the home particularly highlight the extremely welcoming atmosphere. Comments include, 'staff are very friendly and welcoming’. ‘The home has a warm and homely atmosphere and is always clean and tidy.’

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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

Young people say that the home is a safe place to live and they are protected from harm. For example, young people said, ‘I feel very safe here and no bullying takes place here.’ Staff keep young people’s safety at the forefront of their practice and they are trained in safeguarding. They are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse, including issues in relation to young people’s personal circumstances, and know what they need to do to protect young people. Staff are aware of the organisation’s whistle blowing policy and have total confidence that should they need to use it, any matter raised would be dealt with effectively and efficiently.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people feel cared for and protected, as staff ensure plans for young people’s safety are consistently put into practice and ensure their needs are effectively addressed. Staff are knowledgeable about young people’s specific vulnerabilities and work extremely positively to address them. This has increasingly resulted in young people understanding the reasons why staff are concerned when they are involved in risk taking behaviour. Combined with good staffing and clear risk management plans, this factor has enabled staff to understand what actions need to be taken to minimise identified risks. Consequently, some risk taking behaviour has been prevented and some ceased; other behaviours such as incidents of going missing from the home has been significantly reduced.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The use of sanctions is very low, as the home creates a culture of learning through experiences. Those used are relevant and reflect the age and understanding of the young people. Any sanctions imposed are reviewed regularly for appropriateness and effectiveness. However, the sanction records do not always record young people’ views regarding the sanctions imposed. Young people spoken with during the course of the inspection though stated that the rules are generally fair.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people also confirmed that they are well aware of the complaints procedure and process. They also stated that they enjoy good relationships with staff, trust them and feel comfortable to discuss any concerns that they might have with them. Consequently, there has never been a need to make a formal complaint.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a physically safe environment. Young people are protected from hazards by a wide range of health and safety procedures, risk assessments and checks. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks, including fire drills, to ensure the premises are safe and young people know what to do in case of an emergency. There are suitable systems in place to ensure that visitors to the home are suitably checked and supervised to protect young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are arrangements in place for the storage, administration and recording of medicines. However one medical record was not fully completed and did not indicate the person to whom the medicine had been administered, the type of drug provided and the amount given. This became clear on further perusal of the recording system, so enabling the inspector to ascertain that the medicine had been administered correctly. However, to ensure all medicine is safely and effectively administered, it is important all medical records are fully completed. The home's recruitment process is thorough and helps to ensure that only those who are suitable to work with young people are employed. Young people are protected by the home's recruitment procedures and are kept safe from having unsuitable staff working within 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 children’s home is efficiently and effectively managed. It benefits from an enthusiastic and committed Registered Manager, who is very experienced and suitably qualified. She provides strong and clear leadership and has a realistic understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the children’s home. Consequently, areas for further development are based on good evidence, with the development plan clearly setting out how the manager intends to progress the service.

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Leadership and management

At the time of the last interim inspection the home was found to be making good progress. There were two recommendations made and these had been addressed. However, since the last inspection, the Registered Manager has had extended leave, which has resulted in interim managerial arrangements being put in place. During this time some shortfalls emerged, which are mainly related to up-dating two policies, for example, the safeguarding and the missing from home policy. Some recording was also not fully completed, for example, a couple of sanction records and one record relating to the administration of medicine. In addition, one of the Regulation 33 reports did not review the premises and two did not review the premises. However, these shortfalls did not have a negative impact on the outcomes for young people as overall they are good.

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Leadership and management

Since the Registered Manager has returned to her post, she has identified some of these shortfalls and is actively addressing them. The organisation and the manager were keen to take remedial action on shortfalls found during this inspection and take this forward to improve the service. This would suggest that the capacity for continuous improvement of the services provided in this home is good.

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Leadership and management

The home provides a detailed Statement of Purpose and children's guide. These comprehensive documents are very clear, informative and give a clear overview of what placing social workers, parents and young people can expect from the service. The home meets the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose and conditions of registration.

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Leadership and management

The home has an experienced and competent staff team, who provide a good standard of care to the young people living in the home. Staff are suitably qualified and experienced and have access to relevant and good quality training. This assists staff to work effectively with young people and help them achieve good outcomes. The numbers of staff on duty are sufficient to meet the needs of young people in the best possible way. Staff are effectively supported and guided by the manager. They have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and aspire to provide the highest standard of childcare practice. The manager provides staff with good support and guidance. For example, regular, qualitative, one-to-one supervision is provided. In addition, regular team meetings take place, which allows the whole staff team to discuss the running of the home. In these meetings staff look at ways to improve the service they offer. In addition, they also clearly reflect on young people’s

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Leadership and management

Overall, young people's case file records and other written documentation are of a good standard. These records are well organised, stored in a confidential and secure way. They are also arranged in a manner that makes them accessible to young people. The home benefits from an enthusiastic and committed Registered Manager. The capacity for continuous improvement in this home is good. The organisation and the manager were keen to take remedial action to address the shortfalls found during this inspection and improve the service.

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Leadership and management

There is a stable and consistent staff team with a good range of skills and experience among its members. The young people benefit from sufficient and competent staffing.. During discussion with staff, they demonstrated a good knowledge of the policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and young people missing from home and gave good examples of how to implement them in practice. Management support and supervision are described as, 'regular,' and ‘good’ by staff who clearly value the contributions of the management team.

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Leadership and management

The young people are receiving care from competent staff that are experienced and appropriately trained to meet their needs. All staff are trained in a variety of safety and childcare subjects. This is supported by an on-going programme of regular refresher training, for example, safeguarding, first aid, behaviour management and children who are sexually exploited.

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Leadership and management

The manager has systems to monitor, report and evaluate the administration systems of the home and the quality of care. Any shortfalls identified by the manager or during inspections are promptly acted upon. Regulation 33 and Regulation 34 reports are undertaken and the majority of issues are regularly addressed in these reports. However, some shortfalls were identified in relation to the Regulation 33 reports and a requirement has been made in respect of these. There is a development plan in place that evaluates overall performance and quality of care. This ensures that standards at the home continue to improve.

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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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