Children's Home run by N H Care Limited in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC432966 Inspection date 04/02/2014 Inspector Michael Williams Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 19/09/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is part of a private children's care organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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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's overall effectiveness was judged to be outstanding at its last full inspection in March 2013. It was then judged to be making inadequate progress at its interim inspection in September 2013, when areas for improvement were found. These improvements have now been made and the overall effectiveness of the home is now good.

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Overall effectiveness

Taking into account their starting points at the time of their placements, young people make good progress across all aspects of their welfare and development. They are helped to achieve this by the good support they receive from staff. Placement planning is individualised to meet the personal needs of each young person and is implemented in practice.

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Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager and staff team have a good understanding of safe working practices which they effectively follow in conjunction with external professionals when necessary. Young people agreed that they feel safe at the home. Staff follow identified strategies to protect young people from areas of risk. Any concerning behaviours are well-managed by staff. Appropriate boundaries and rules are set and are consistently followed.

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Overall effectiveness

The leadership and management arrangements are good. Together the Registered Manager and the person who visits monthly on behalf of the registered provider effectively identify and address any weaknesses to secure future improvement.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people agreed with a number of positive statements about the home. They described the home as 'great' and 'ok', the care as 'good', the staff as 'great' and 'good', and the activities as 'great'. The latest independent reviews of young people's placements reported positively. For example, that the home continues to offer the young person 'a good standard of care'. Since the last inspection, the home has received a number of compliments from young people's parents and carers. For example, 'We have found every aspect of the care you offer good,' and 'I feel at this present time the carers are doing a splendid job. The result a happy young man.'

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Overall effectiveness

No areas for improvement have been identified that the home is not already progressing.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Taking into account their starting points at the time of their placements, young people have achieved good outcomes overall. A recent parental compliment was that their child 'has made progress since being in the home'. Recent independent reviews of young people's placements reported that they have made progress in areas such as their health, emotional and behavioural development, education, family and social relationships, and independence skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Taking into account their disabilities, young people make good progress in developing a positive identity, self-esteem and knowledge and understanding of their background. They make and usually sustain positive relationships with staff in the home. The recent external assessment of one young person's placement reported that they have a good relationship with the staff and have built even closer bonds with a manager and their key worker. Where needed, young people also re-develop positive relationships with their family. Young people's individual placement plans identify their cultural, religious, language and racial needs, and strategies for meeting them. Several staff in the home share young people's cultural and racial backgrounds.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's physical, emotional and psychological health needs are very well met. They are helped to understand their health needs and to begin to take responsibility for them. Young people's health needs, often arising from their disabilities, are assessed and plans put in place to meet them which are regularly reviewed both internally and externally.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Taking into account those young people who do not communicate verbally, young people are able to actively express their views, wishes and feelings, and they know that they are taken into account both in the day-to-day running of the home and in important decisions about their lives. Young people are supported to participate in regular key worker sessions, in young people's meetings and in important meetings about their lives. Two young people were assisted by staff to complete an Ofsted questionnaire for this inspection using Widgit symbols. The home also seeks and takes account of the views of young people's parents and carers. Taking into account their starting points at the time of placement, young people's educational attendance and achievement is good overall. For example, one young person recently received a certificate in recognition of their excellent attendance at their special school, which has a specialised educational programme to support their

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Outcomes for children and young people

attainment of their educational goals. Another young person's recent Looked After Child (LAC) review agreed the plan for them to move on from the home and their current special school to a residential special school; so they can be provided with an even more consistent and specialised approach across their home and school settings.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are actively and positively involved in activities in the home and the community. Two young people described the activities as 'great'. One of them went on to write about two activities they had recently enjoyed with staff: going to a museum and on a bus ride. These young people also agreed that they get help at the home to be independent; so when appropriate young people are confident about their readiness for leaving the home and moving to adult care.

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Quality of care

Staff are consistently concerned with and actively promote young people's welfare. Young people described the care as 'good'. Their parents and carers and recent LAC reviews were also complimentary about the quality of care. One LAC review reported that the home 'continue to offer [the young person] a good standard of care'.

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Quality of care

Staff use individualised behaviour strategies to help young people enjoy good relationships with them, other adults and other young people, irrespective of their disabilities. Staff also positively promote and support young people's family contact. Together this has impacted positively on young people's family and social relationships.

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Quality of care

The running of the home and the delivery of young people's care is significantly influenced by the views of young people and their parents and carers. Young people share their views during individual key working sessions, young people's meetings, and meetings regarding their care. The home has not received any complaints since the last inspection, but has received a number of compliments.

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Quality of care

Young people are central to the planning and review of their care; staff ensure they are consistently involved in these processes as far as possible. This ensures care is tailored to their individual needs and is focused on achieving clear outcomes. Each young person has an up-to-date placement plan that reflects their placing authority care plan and identifies their needs in key areas and strategies for meeting them. The latest LAC review of one young person's care plan reported: 'It is accepted that [the young person] is settled within the unit and now considers this his home.'

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Quality of care

Staff actively promote young people's educational attendance and achievement. For example, by transporting them to and from their schools if needed, by reading and completing young people's school-home diaries to promote consistency of care across both settings, and by working together with school staff. One young person's recent LAC review reported the strength that staff at their school and the home 'are working together in order for [the young person's] needs to continue to be met. Communication has improved immensely'.

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Quality of care

Staff also work proactively with health and safeguarding professionals to try and secure positive outcomes for young people. The former include general practitioners, school nurses, consultant paediatricians and child and adolescent mental health professionals. Staff work with them to ensure that young people have access to the general and specialist services they need to meet their physical, emotional and psychological health needs.

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Quality of care

Young people's health needs are now also well met as a result of the home having acted upon a requirement from the previous inspection. The food provided for young people is now properly prepared, wholesome and nutritious and is sufficiently varied. Young people exercise choice in the food that they eat and are supported to prepare their own meals and snacks. Recent external reviews of young people's placements reported that they enjoy a healthy, balanced diet at the home. For example, 'Overall [the young person] is generally healthy; he has been learning about healthy eating and is aware of having five a day.'

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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 agreed that they feel safe at the home. To help protect them, from risks such as their challenging behaviour associated with their disabilities, each young person's case record includes risk assessments and a 24 hour management plan. These are implemented in practice and regularly reviewed. As a result, young people's challenging behaviour reduces over their time at the home. For example, one young person's recent LAC review reported that though they continue to display on-going difficult behaviours, these have improved since their time at the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff act proactively and intervene positively to counter bullying when young people identify it as a problem. For example, during this inspection a young person commented that they get bullied or picked on at school, which was something the home was already aware of and working together with the young person's school to prevent.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A young person has not gone missing since the last inspection. Staff and managers are aware of the current protocol to follow with the local police regarding missing children, should such an event occur. However, the likelihood of such an event occurring is minimised by the high ratio of staff to young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There has been minimal use of physical restraint since the last inspection, involving two young people. It has been used and recorded appropriately. A smaller number of sanctions have also been used and recorded appropriately, and have effectively addressed unacceptable behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home's managers have strong and proactive relationships with local safeguarding professionals to support and promote young people's safety. For example, safeguarding disabled children is a particular focus of the home and to this end the Registered Manager recently participated in Local Safeguarding Children Board training on safeguarding disabled children and young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

To help prevent unsuitable people from having the opportunity to harm young people, the company's staff recruitment procedures include all the required and recommended safer recruitment checks.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home provides a good physical environment for the young people. Environmental checks required are up-to-date. Following two requirements from the last inspection, all parts of the home are now so far as reasonably practicable free from health and safety hazards, and maintenance, decoration and cleaning work has been carried out to provide a more comfortable and homely environment.

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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

This is a well-managed home. It has a clear, up-to-date Statement of Purpose that has recently been revised. The aim and purpose of the home and the facilities and services it provides are clear to staff, placing social workers and young people's parents. There is also a young person's guide to the home in a format suitable for them.

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Leadership and management

The staffing numbers, the level of experience of staff and the support provided to them are sufficient to meet the needs of the young people. The details of the staff team and the arrangements for their supervision, training and development are included in the home's Statement of Purpose.

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection, staff have participated in training to be able to continue to meet young people's needs, for example in terms of their health and safeguarding. Staff have either attained or are undertaking the professional qualification relevant to their role. Regular supervision, staff team meetings and staff appraisals also support staff to provide a good quality service to the young people.

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Leadership and management

The home's service manager, Registered Manager and team leader have been exercising effective leadership of the home's staff and operation. They have ensured the delivery of good quality care that meets the individual needs of each young person at the home. Shortly before this inspection, the Registered Manager decided to step down from their Registered Manager post at another, nearby children's home run by the same company. They had been managing both roles for a few months and decided to return to be in full-time day to day charge of the home. At the time of this inspection, the company were therefore actively recruiting to the home's team leader vacancy, created by them having become the interim manager of the sister home.

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Leadership and management

To secure future improvement, the home has acted on the three requirements and one recommendation from its last inspection and has a development plan that was last reviewed in January 2014. The home has taken account of the recommendation to ensure that both children's case records and the home's records are clear, up to date and contribute to an understanding of the child's life in the home. As a result, children's case records now sufficiently detail their food intake and their monthly height and weight records, and there is accurate recording of the spending on food and accidents and injuries in the home.

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection, there has been one significant event relating to the protection of young people accommodated in the home. This event has been notified to the appropriate authorities, including Ofsted, and the Registered Manager has been tenacious in ensuring that appropriate action has been taken following the event.

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Leadership and management

Regular monitoring of the operation of the home effectively contributes to maintaining good quality care and promotes the welfare of the young people. Each month the Registered Manager reports on the matters they are required to monitor and every six months completes an overarching monitoring report which they submit to Ofsted. The last such report covered the period July to December 2013. In addition, a person visits the home each month on behalf of the registered provider and reports to them and Ofsted on the conduct of the home. The reports of these visits conclude with details of any action required. The report of the late January 2014 visit concluded with details of two actions required.

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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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