Children's Home run by Platinum Services for Children (Residential Care) Ltd in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC378181 Inspection date 03/01/2014 Inspector David Morgan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately-owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is located next door to its 'sister' home.

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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

At the last inspection the service was judged to be making adequate progress. One requirement was made; to improve the evaluation of measures of control. This has now been addressed so that staff learn to use measures that are most effective. Although very few measures of control are used, this step has served to emphasise the importance of evaluating all work undertaken with young people.

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Overall effectiveness

A combination of effective safeguarding, positive outcomes for young people, good relationship-building between staff and young people as well as stakeholders and a consistent drive to improve means that at this full inspection the service is judged to be operating at a good standard. This is an important step in light of the previous history of adequate judgements. Young people are well protected and risk-taking behaviours usually show a striking downward trend following admission, both in terms of their frequency and severity. This is hugely beneficial for young people because they are better able to take advantage of the many opportunities on offer. Particular success has been enjoyed during 2013 in supporting young people effectively into independence.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people and staff are unanimously positive about the home. Ex-residents and professionals also feel that a good service is provided. There remain some administrative weaknesses that somewhat undermine the face-to-face work but have only a low potential impact on young people. They include recording the hours worked on duty by the manager and owner, monitoring and recording what young people eat and drink, monitoring staff rosters and training records and ensuring that staff sign key policy and procedure documents to show that they have read them. Consequently, one requirement and three recommendations are made this 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

(2001) keep a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the children’s home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. This is with regard to the roster showing the hours worked on duty by the manager and owner (Regulation 29 (1), Schedule 4 (11)) 03/03/2014

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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 children exercise choice in the food that they eat and are able to prepare their own meals and snacks, within the limits a reasonable parent would set. This is with regard to food intake being recorded and monitored (NMS 2.4)  ensure the deployment of staff, both as a staff group and on individual shifts, can fulfil the home’s Statement of Purpose. This is with regard to staff reading and signing relevant documents (NMS 17.1)  monitor, in line with regulations, all records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the home’s policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. This is with particular regard to monitoring staff training records and rosters. (NMS 21.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from the close attention to their individual needs which is possible because of the small size of the home and good staffing ratios. Any needs arising from their cultural or religious backgrounds are discussed and appropriate facilities provided. In particular, young people quickly understand that where appropriate their friends and families remain important and active influences in their lives. As a result they make good progress. One parent said her child had ‘come on in leaps and bounds’ since being admitted, especially with regard to avoiding criminal behaviours.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people settle into the home and are happy there, seeing it as a significant part of their lives while they are living there and later after they have moved on. Recently several young people have made successful transitions to greater independence. They continue to keep in touch with staff and benefit from a significant level of emotional support. Their feedback to staff shows that they learnt a substantial amount from being at the home, for example about healthy lifestyles. One young person acknowledged that 'staff taught her a lot' during her stay. On the other hand, the recording and planning for healthy eating is not always as clear as it needs to be. This means that progress in this area is not as rapid as possible.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from an increased focus on their educational placements. Clear arrangements and back-up plans are formulated and promptly implemented. As a result, attendance is at a high level. Rates of educational progress reflect young people’s individual circumstances, for example if they have only recently been admitted progress is less evident. Even so young people feel encouraged and supported by staff who actively celebrate their educational achievements. Young people’s views are listened to with respect. They also get positive messages from the home about social diversity. This serves to increase their confidence.

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Quality of care

Young people are admitted to an attractive detached property that provides a high standard of living. Recent surveys show that they and their families are pleased with the quality of the accommodation. One young person commented, ‘It’s the best children’s home I’ve lived in’. Young people are engaged effectively by the staff. Positive relationships with the staff provide a solid foundation for the good progress young people make. Social workers feel that staff are able to adapt to the varying needs of individual young people and would have no qualms about placing other young people in the home.

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Quality of care

Staff ensure that young people play a central role in the day-to-day operation of the home. Some young people have been involved in staff recruitment and they are routinely consulted about the quality of care they receive. Young people get to purchase new wallpaper for their rooms and choose what to do during the holidays. There is a high level of consultation, usually on a one-to-one basis, and staff ensure that other professionals are also actively engaged with each young person. This facilitates important conversations about decision-making and coping with alternative points of view. Young people are clear about the complaints procedures although hardly any complaints were made in 2013. Staff take the time and trouble to make sure that young people understand why certain options are not permissible. Young people learn to negotiate with others and plan their activities accordingly.

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Quality of care

Significant improvements have been made recently to the way in which targets are set. This means that staff experience more control over placement planning and that the progress young people make is well evidenced. Key workers do direct work with young people and their activities are clearly coordinated and linked to agreed targets. This complements the work done by other professionals in a way that maximises the benefits for young people, for example on smoking and drug cessation. Significant improvements are achieved in these areas.

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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 benefit from a clear and effective approach to behaviour management. Improvements are evident and risk-taking behaviours, including going missing from home, are minimal. Young people also benefit from robust staff recruitment processes, in which they participate. They take these opportunities very seriously and learn new skills as a result. Poor practice by staff is challenged and informed steps are taken. Young people feel safe in their home and appropriate measures are in place to ensure the property remains physically safe. One social worker reflected in a questionnaire, 'You could have served notice but chose to continue which is why she has made so much progress; you did everything possible to engage her and worked really hard.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

Recent improvements have been made to behaviour management procedures and to the method of assessing risks. These steps show that the manager is keeping processes under review and striving to make them as effective as possible. Other agencies, including the police and social workers, confirm that they have close working relationships with the home and that the service is able to adapt to meet the complex challenges posed by a variety of young people. Data is now available in the form of graphs which highlight patterns of behaviour particularly well. These visual representations are valuable for monitoring purposes and are a source of encouragement for staff and young people. Planning is underway to use the same principle to more accurately track improvements in skills levels.

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Safeguarding children and young people

One administrative shortfall identified relates to the absence of staff signatures on certain documents. In practice, individual members of staff learn about many new issues or methodology verbally. In most cases that is sufficiently effective to produce good outcomes for young people. However, it is important to ensure that staff sign key documents to confirm that they have read and understand them. Not doing so makes it difficult to monitor who has read what and increases the potential risk of mistakes being made or procedures not being applied consistently.

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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 home operates in accordance with its Statement of Purpose and young people are helped to understand how this works on a day-to-day basis. The stated ethos of the service has been refined to reflect a more systemic, person-centred approach based on a clear theoretical model. This is an important development and is contributing to improvements in the service which are on-going and demonstrate the commitment and enthusiasm of the senior team.

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Leadership and management

The fact that there is another children's home next door has benefits but also poses challenges. One challenge is that young people react negatively to not being automatically allowed into the other home, especially when they see staff being allowed to do so. Work is therefore underway to alter the practices of staff to improve their promotion of the individuality of each home, as described in the Statement of Purpose. This shows that the manager is learning from events and responding to them. An improved system is now in place to ensure that the manager evaluates measures of control, as recommended at the last inspection. This helps to ensure that lessons are learnt from incidents and that young people receive the most appropriate care.

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Leadership and management

Staff are positive about the service and this is reflected in the low turnover of staff, especially at a senior level, which provides continuity and is particularly valuable to young people. Supervisory and training events are up to date, reflect developments in the profession and ensure that staff are able to address any needs that arise. However, there are gaps in staff training records and staff rosters do not record the attendance of the manager or responsible individual on duty. These shortfalls have minimal impact on young people but indicate slippage in recording. In other respects, records are well maintained and young people are involved in their compilation.

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Leadership and management

Monitoring is thorough and the manager is fully aware of the service’s strengths and weaknesses. She is proactive in making improvements. Consultation exercises and questionnaires are used to obtain the opinions of people involved with the service, including residents and ex-residents. In addition, the service benefits from the input of various external consultants who contribute new ideas and independent analyses. Work to improve the level of evaluation in all monitoring exercises is on-going. As a result, recent improvements have already been made to the monthly monitoring undertaken on behalf of the proprietor. A clear and well-structured development plan is in place. The manager is currently implementing a project to ensure that the development plan is as effective as possible. This provides a sound basis for the continuing development 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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