Children's Home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Calderdale

Unique reference number SC069293 Inspection date 20/02/2014 Inspector Stella Henderson Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/10/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people of either gender. Young people living at the home have emotional and behavioural difficulties and are usually aged between 11 and 17 years old. The home is owned by a private limited company.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

The home received a full inspection in October 2013 where the overall effectiveness was judged to be good. The manager strives for continuous improvement in the home and this impacts favourably on young people. As a result, young people make good progress in a very short period of time.

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Progress

At the point of young people's admittance to the home, the manager and staff work very quickly to identify young people's needs and devise care plans. Strong partnership working drives forward effective care planning. This enables care plans and strategies to be swiftly implemented and resources secured for the benefit of young people. Staff are skilled at building a rapport with young people. Within a matter of weeks therefore young people begin to experience good outcomes in their engagement with education, contact with family, emotional well-being and physical health.

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Progress

For example, young people are provided with a bespoke timetable with a view to re- integration into mainstream education. Young people have contributed to this timetable and as a result they are resuming their education after poor or no attendance, often for several years. They have already visited a local school. Young people are also supported with private tuition to enable them to achieve their targets in maths and English.

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Progress

Having not done so before, young people are beginning to engage in psychological assessment and participate in some therapeutic work. Young people's health has improved because they have had better access to primary and specialist health care services. This has enabled them to receive more specific medication to better manage conditions such as asthma for example.

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Progress

Young people experience improved contact with their families. This is because the manager and staff provide strong support to ensure contact goes well for everyone. This includes the use of the home as a venue for contact and involving families on how best to manage these events.

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Progress

Young people say they feel safe at the home. They know who they can approach if they need to discuss issues that concern or worry them. Staff continue to clearly identify risk and manage challenging behaviour calmly and thoughtfully. Young people respond well to boundaries being set for them. As a result the need for restraint and sanction is minimal and incidents of unauthorised absence continues to reduce.

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Progress

Overall, the home continues to operate to a high standard. The manager closely monitors young people's progress and experiences and adjusts practice accordingly where necessary. The independent assessment of the home is a helpful evaluative process which helps the manager to drive forward improvement in the home.

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Progress

The manager has successfully met the recommendations set at the last inspection. These included attention to a medicine box, training for staff and procedural issues relating to the signing off of records. Attention to these matters ensures that young people continue to benefit from good quality care.

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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