Children's Home run by Care Afloat Ltd in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC006013 Inspection date 17/12/2013 Inspector Graham Robinson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 15/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This private company-run home provides care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and 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 are making good progress in relation to their starting points. They benefit from living in a stable, non-judgemental environment where they are kept safe and receive a good quality of care. This allows young people with deep rooted and complex issues to settle and progress socially, emotionally and educationally.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from the clear and consistent boundaries put into place, coupled with intense support. Their individual needs are identified in a range of high quality planning documents that identify need, assess risk and lay out clear plans and strategies for the future. This allows young people to move forward and lead a more socially acceptable lifestyle to that experienced previously.

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Overall effectiveness

A stable, experienced staff group work collectively to provide young people with continuity of care. The strong relationships forged between staff and young people allows for difficult and challenging periods to be managed effectively and supportively, in a non-punitive way. This reduces the number of serious management incidents experienced in the home.

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Overall effectiveness

The home has forged strong links with a range of external services charged with keeping young people safe and healthy. The staff team demonstrate a good understanding of, and have the ability to initiate, safe working practices. As a result, young people live in an environment that keeps them safe and promotes their welfare positively.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is managed by an experienced, child-focused manager who has a strong commitment to continued development. There is a willingness to take on new ideas to move the home forward and improve outcomes for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

The report does not contain any requirements, with only one area identified for future development. This links to improving the evidence retained during staff recruitment procedures to show that checks have been made to confirm a person's right to work in the United Kingdom and what further checks were considered appropriate during clearance procedures, if the person has lived outside the United Kingdom.

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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

 improve the retention of evidence gathered during staff recruitment showing if checks to confirm the right to work in the United Kingdom were made and where a person has lived outside the United Kingdom, what further checks were considered regarding the clearance procedures. (NMS 16.3 (e)(f))

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Outcomes for children and young people

The outcomes for the young people currently living at the home are good. Staff have the ability to develop and maintain meaningful relationships with young people, which helps and supports them to buy into a more ordered and safe lifestyle than previously experienced. As a result, young people prosper socially, emotionally and educationally.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people recognise and appreciate the high level of support received by staff which helps them to progress, experience achievement and prepare for the future. For example, one young person said: `This is a good place, better than others I have lived in. I like it here and would like to stay and finish my education here.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health needs are well met and promoted positively, with day-to-day health needs being met effectively through community-based health services. The home maintains strong links with more specialist services, allowing them to arrange more specific input when required. Since the previous inspection the home has introduced a holistic health care plan for young people. This is comprehensive and kept up to date, ensuring health needs are recognised and addressed. This is a good example of the willingness to progress the home further and improve outcomes for young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Food intake is closely monitored to ensure appropriate nutrition, balance and healthy eating. Young people benefit from taking an active role in planning, shopping and preparing food. They are encouraged to try unfamiliar foods, appreciate different cultures and try international cuisine. For example, one young person regularly eats out at a variety of restaurants from different cultural backgrounds. Festivals and religious events are celebrated.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to modify certain aspects of their lifestyle with a view to them adopting one that is more conducive for their health. This is with particular reference to smoking cessation, drug and alcohol awareness. This is meeting with some success. Local services for these and other health issues are readily available and accessed regularly.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The arrangements to meet young people's educational needs are good. The ethos and working practices of the home are geared towards young people engaging positively with their education. This is an area of progress since the previous inspection, with significant improvement in attendance and educational achievement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people recognise that staff work flexibly to support the complex contact arrangements that are in place. Young people confirm they have access to telephones, allowing them to keep in daily contact with those close to them. This results in contact arrangements being well met.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home is well established within the community and actively encourages young people to take full advantage of the resources available, as well as making a contribution to the wider community they live in. For example, a young person recently assisted staff in painting the boundary fences of the home as well as those of the surrounding neighbours.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The arrangements for preparing young people for transition and developing skills to promote a more independent lifestyle are good. Staff promote young people's independence, which is built into daily routines. For example, young people take an active role alongside staff in keeping the home clean, tidy and in a good state of repair, with one young person having just helped staff to redecorate the lounge. This inclusion of young people into the homes daily life promotes and develops their skills and competences as they approach adulthood. This results in them gaining greater self-confidence, esteem and resilience, which allows them to look towards their own future with greater positivity.

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Quality of care

The quality of care received by young people is good. Staff have the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with young people. These relationships are usually solid enough to withstand the impact of testing and challenging times. As a result, young people benefit from developing positive and long-lasting relationships with adults who act as good role models. In return, young people gain a more positive view of themselves and others, which helps to build trust and promotes greater self-confidence and resilience. The positive relationships within the home aids communication and promotes high levels of consultation. For example, young people are invited to give their views about the home, which are used to form part of the internal monitoring process that takes place monthly. Key worker meetings take place with regularity and are used as another forum where young people express views and make choices about certain

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Quality of care

aspects of the homes operation. This inclusive process gives young people input and choice regarding certain aspects of daily life, assisting them to develop a greater understanding of decision making processes and in accepting responsibility.

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Quality of care

Appropriate arrangements are in place for young people to access the complaints procedures, which have been successfully tested since the previous inspection. Complaints are taken seriously and addressed in a timely manner. Information about complaints, young people's rights and contact details for independent agencies is made available to young people. For example in the young person's guide provided when young people are first admitted.

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Quality of care

The range of documents that constitute planning and assessments of risk link effectively into each other, giving a good insight into a young person's needs, along with the plans and strategies in place to meet those needs. Plans include a young person’s identity, religious and cultural requirements. Individual care, health and education plans support the planning documentation by providing a monthly overview which charts areas of progress and those still to be worked on. Young people's social workers are sent copies of these monthly updates which help to keep them informed.

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Quality of care

This home is well located to access community facilities. It is domestic in appearance, not standing out from the other properties surrounding it. The facilities and equipment normally associated with a domestic dwelling are in place, with a high standard of repair, décor, furnishings fittings and equipment. Bedrooms are personalised to suit the taste of the occupant. For example, one young person felt the bed was small so requested a larger one, which was quickly provided. Young people were observed as being relaxed and at ease within their environment.

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Quality of care

Young people are given every encouragement to engage and participate in community based activities. For example, one young person has membership to a local gymnasium. Individual interests are catered for which are reflected on activity programmes completed weekly by young people. Photographs kept in memory books created for young people, celebrate achievement and record a variety of activities and events enjoyed by them.

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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 confirm they feel safe living at the home, with staff being proactive in helping to keep them safe. Staff work cooperatively with the external agencies and demonstrate a clear understanding of their own duty, role and responsibilities in keeping young people safe. This is an area that has achieved considerable success since the previous inspection, which has resulted in young people's welfare being promoted positively

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Safeguarding children and young people

Appropriate arrangements are in place should a young person go missing, although such events have been a rarity since the previous inspection. Local multi-agency protocols for dealing with young people who go missing are in place and staff demonstrate a full awareness of these. Currently, young people missing from home is not an issue.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported to work positively through difficulties, with reward systems for good behaviour taking precedence over sanctions. Staff work positively rather than punitively when dealing with behaviour management incidents. The strong relationships developed with young people are used effectively to diffuse difficult and potentially challenging situations. Staff are clear that physical intervention is used only as a last resort, which is reflected in the fact that there have been no such incidents occurring in the home since the previous inspection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The management and staff group of the home are stable, with only one staff member having been recruited since the previous inspection. As a result, young people are being cared for by an experienced and committed staff team who provide them with continuity. Appropriate recruitment policies and practice ensure that any new staff are suitably cleared prior to taking up their posts, with all longer-serving staff being re-checked at regular intervals. This ensures that only suitably checked adults have contact with young people. However, evidencing a potential staff members right to work in the United Kingdom and what further checks were considered appropriate during clearance procedures, if the person has lived outside the United Kingdom, is weak.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected through a range of risk assessments. They participate in regular fire drills and can safely exit the home in an emergency. Safety checks to maintain a safe environment are regularly undertaken. Individual risk assessments, coupled with coping strategies, promote a safe environment for all young people. Individual strategies are updated in light of reviews of young people’s risks and progress.

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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 leadership and management of the home is good. An experienced, child-centred manager has a clear vision of how the home should develop and progress. She is well supported by her deputy and staff team who share the managers’ vision for continued development by supporting the ethos, culture and working practices built up in the home.

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Leadership and management

Staff are well supported with a formal programme of staff supervision and appraisal taking place with consistency. All staff, apart from one currently in a probationary period, have attained, or about to attain, an appropriate professional qualification. Staff regularly participate in core training events to update their knowledge and skills. This ensures they possess the competences and skills to effectively meet young people’s diverse and individual needs.

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Leadership and management

Both the internal and external monitoring of the home are taking place regularly, with reports from monitoring visits in place. Reports review performance and identify areas for improvements. Young people contribute to monitoring and can discuss their views. The overall monitoring of the home is an area that continues to be subjected to review, with positive steps being taken to improve the general monitoring arrangements. For example, a new, revised report format linked to external monitoring was introduced in July 2013.

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Leadership and management

The home has a good record of compliance with the requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection, being fully addressed. This has led to improvements with; notification arrangements, improvements in the precautions taken against the risk of fire, with the input from young people, parents, relatives and other person's into the homes monitoring processes and with a significant improvement to the appearance of the home, which is now more homely and less institutional in appearance.

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Leadership and management

The period since the last inspection has proved to be a positive one for the home, with improved outcomes for the young people accommodated. Educational attendance, along with educational achievement has improved. Behaviour management has been well handled with a significant reduction in serious behaviour management events taking place. A settled and consistent staff team provide young people with an environment where they are well cared for and where they have the stability and confidence to invest in their own future in a positive way.

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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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