Children's Home, Residential special school run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC415138 Inspection date 28/02/2014 Inspector Elaine Cray Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 08/01/2014 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This resource centre provides short-break care for up to six young people who have learning and/or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments. The service is managed by a local authority.

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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

This service was judged as outstanding at the last full inspection which took place in January 2014. There were no requirements or recommendations made at the previous inspection. The service is judged to be making good progress following this interim inspection.

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Progress

The home continues to deliver an excellent quality of care and outstanding outcomes for children and young people. Strong operational and strategic management promotes a safe, child-centred and improving service. Children and young people flourish and staff develop in this positive environment.

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Progress

Children and young people make good progress at the service. They develop well, grow in confidence and thoroughly enjoy their stays at the service. Children and young people value their relationships with staff. They forge meaningful relationships and enjoy making and meeting friends. Children and young people grow in self- esteem and extend their education as a result of using the short break service.

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Progress

Children and young people receive contemporary and meaningful care. The care planning framework is improving further. Developments include a new ‘Snap Shot’ document. This is used to effectively share and update information for each time a child or young person visits the service. The Snap Shot compliments the comprehensive care plans and ensures crucial information is recorded and shared. Children and young people’s needs are consistently met due to excellent collation of information and connectivity between the staff team, families and social workers.

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Progress

Practical support strategies are set out to cover all aspects of children and young people’s lives. Staffing arrangements are effectively managed in order to meet the changing needs of the children, young people and families using the service.

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Progress

Parents identify improvements in their children’s behaviour. Positive behaviour management positively impacts on young people’s access to education. Behaviour is improved because staff have excellent insight into the triggers and communication needs of children and young people. Communication is expertly facilitated. Children and young people are less anxious because staff are intuitive and informed about the children and young people’s individuality. As a result behaviour management is tailor made and positively impacts on children and young people.

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Progress

Children and young people’s complex medical and health needs are effectively managed. They are protected with sound arrangements for the administration of medication. Improvements in health are as a result of excellent liaison with family and health agencies. Good health is also promoted with healthy diet and opportunities to take part in physical activities. Children and young people enjoy the meals, including new foods, and eat healthily.

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Progress

Participation of children and young people is fully facilitated by an excellent range of communication processes. The service is well-resourced. Recent improvements include a range of electronic devices to aid and support communication. Children and young people are safeguarded with an excellent and proactive approach to electronic communication and E-safety innovation.

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Progress

The management team is innovative and proactive in seeking and driving further improvement. Progress is good because children and young people are central to the development of the service. This child-centre approach is exemplified in continuous drive and commitment to improve the participation of children and young people. A Chat Book system has been developed since the last inspection. Each child will receive a letter and their own Chat Book before they stay at the service. This process means that all children and young people can communicate about themselves, their likes, dislikes and what they would like on their stay. This pre-planning ensures that the short break service is set up to respond to the individual needs of the children and young people.

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Progress

The Chat Book system also asks children and young people about how their stays have gone. They are asked for their views and ideas. When the Chat Book is sent to the child or young person on their next stay, there is a section saying ‘last time you told us and this is what we have done’. This simple yet excellent process consistently captures the views and ideas of children and young people. Children and young people feel valued because their views are listened to and re-invested in the development of the service.

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Progress

Children and young people receive excellent care because internal monitoring of the home is robust and extremely child-centred. The positive culture of participation is currently being extended to the independent monitoring checks on the service. The recently introduced good practice guide for Regulation 33 visits places a central focus on meaningful consultation with children, young people, families and social workers.

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Progress

This service is robustly managed because the manager ensures the management and staff teams are up to date with legislative and social care development and changes. The lack of shortfalls from this inspection is testament to the strong leadership and effective monitoring processes throughout 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 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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