Children's Home run by Lincolnshire County Council in Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC043255 Inspection date 21/02/2014 Inspector Rosemary Chapman Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/06/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is managed and run by the local authority. It provides residential care for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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 satisfactory progress .

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Progress

The home was last inspected in June 2013 when it was judged as providing a good service overall. At that inspection one requirement and six recommendations for improvement were made. This inspection judges that the home is making satisfactory progress because it has maintained the quality of care and positive outcomes for young people. Additionally, it has addressed the one requirement and the majority of the recommendations. Although further shortfalls have been identified, these have not had a negative impact on outcomes for children, who are making good progress as a result of living in this home.

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Progress

One requirement was raised in relation to the recording of fire drills. This has improved to make it clearer if any issues are identified during a fire drill and how long it takes to evacuate the premises. Children are therefore better protected as it is easier to see if any remedial action is necessary following a fire drill.

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Progress

The six recommendations related to: promoting children's cultural and educational needs better; improving the regularity of staff supervision; updating the Statement of Purpose; improving medication recording; and providing Ofsted with copies of the internal monitoring carried out under Regulation 34.

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Progress

Placement plans clearly identify cultural and educational needs. Staff are now more proactive in ensuring the support for these needs is implemented in practice. Young people's cultural needs are promoted through contact with their family and friends, engaging in activities which they enjoy, and celebrating other cultural festivals such as Chinese New Year. Staff engage well with educational providers and ensure they work together so that young people are supported with homework and extra- curricular activities. All the young people have educational placements and most young people have excellent attendance. The majority of young people are making good progress; one review notes that a young person is 'coming on in leaps and bounds' in relation to her education.

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Progress

The Statement of Purpose was updated in August 2013 and now provides accurate and up-to-date information about the services the home provides, so that anyone who wishes to use the service has better information on which to base their decision. Staff now receive supervision on a regular monthly basis so they feel better supported, and as a result, can support young people more effectively.

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Progress

The two recommendations which have not been addressed relate to the internal monitoring reports and records of medication. The medication records do not provide accurate information about the administration of medication. For example, if prescribed medication is refused, this is not consistently noted in the record, nor any reason given. Consequently, it is not clear why there are gaps in the records and whether this has an impact on the young person concerned. Information in the placement plan regarding medication is not always accurate. For example, one plan noted that a young person was not on medication yet there was a medication administration record. As these two records contradicted each other, it was not clear whether the young person was currently prescribed medication or whether this was no longer necessary. Accurate recording of medication is essential to promote young people's good health, therefore a requirement has been made in relation to this.

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Progress

Ofsted has not received any internal monitoring reports carried out under Regulation 34 since the last inspection. It is therefore difficult for the regulator to assess how the registered person is monitoring the matters required and improving the quality of care. Any monitoring which has been carried out has not been effective in identifying the errors in medication recording. Therefore a requirement has been made in relation to supplying Ofsted with these reports, which are now required every three months.

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Progress

Young people feel safe and are safe in this home and they say there is no bullying. The months leading up to January were quite unsettled and there had been incidents of bullying and other concerns which placed young people at risk. Since January, only four young people have been accommodated at the home and the situation is significantly better. The degree to which young people go missing has significantly reduced and they no longer engage in risk-taking behaviour. However, Ofsted has not been informed of all child protection enquiries. As a result, the regulator has not been able to assess the appropriateness of the actions taken to keep young people safe. As all other parties were informed and appropriate action was taken this has not had an impact on young people's safety; however, it is a breach of the Children's Homes Regulations 2001.

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Progress

The young people are happy at this home. One young person said it was 'awesome'. They get on well with the staff, they say they can talk to them if they are worried about anything and they enjoy a variety of activities. This includes holidays, mountaineering, activities in the community such as drama and football, and activities in the home such as music. Young people engage in activities which promote their good health such as going to the gym and swimming. As a result, they play an active part in the community, they improve their self-esteem and self- confidence through their achievements and they have a good time.

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Progress

The reduction in numbers of children accommodated since early January has enabled staff to engage in more one-to-one time with the young people, and as a result, their behaviour is improving and the home is calmer. Incidents, restraints and sanctions are comprehensively recorded in detail on a form which has been recently devised for this purpose. However, although restraints and sanctions are then copied in to an electronic tamper-proof volume, this is not within 24 hours by the staff concerned with the incident. Although the information is there, it is not recorded in line with statutory guidance and there is the potential to amend the record in the time between the incident and when it is placed in the tamper-proof electronic record.

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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 that any medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed, to the child for whom it is prescribed and a written record is kept of the administration of any medicine to any child (Regulation 21 (2)(b)(c) ) 31/03/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure there is a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at least once in every 3 months and improving the quality of care. Supply to HMCI a report in respect of any review conducted by the registered person in relation to this (Regulation 34 (1)(2)) 31/03/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that if any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the persons indicated in column 2 of the table are notified without delay. (Regulation 30 (1)) 31/03/2014

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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 if staff resort to any measure of control, restraint or discipline, this is carefully recorded with full details by the staff involved within 24 hours in a record, (which must be accessible to all who have a need to see it and in formats that can not be tampered with after the event) kept for this purpose. (Volume 5, statutory guidance, paragraph 2.91)

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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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