Children's Home run by Park Blue Homes Limited in Durham

Unique reference number SC453372 Inspection date 03/03/2014 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 12/12/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides care and accommodation for a maximum of three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private provider.

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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 was last inspected in November 2013, when its overall effectiveness was judged to be adequate. A number of statutory requirements and recommendations were made, which the Registered Manager has addressed in full. All staff, include the Registered Manager, now receive regular, recorded, supervision. This provides support for staff and proper oversight of how effectively they meet young people’s needs. The home has a development plan which sets out how it intends to make further improvements. Residential placement planning has been improved, with a new format which is easier to follow and enables greater involvement of young people. Staff monitoring of these plans is more robust, keeping them up to date and relevant as young people’s circumstances change. Finally, fire evacuation drills are more realistic and fully engage young people. This makes the home a safer place.

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Progress

Outcomes for young people have improved. All young people have excellent attendance at school, with the older ones progressing satisfactorily towards their predicted academic grades. Others have made substantial progress in settling in to local schools. They have made friends and are thriving in their new environment. All young people derive great benefit from regular contact with their families. Where necessary this is supervised in order to keep them safe. Some young people have acquired greater levels of confidence and self-reliance. For example, a young person who felt uncomfortable using public transport now travels happily by train to see friends and family.

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Progress

The home provides a good quality of care. Staff are sensitive to young people’s differing needs as a result of their age, understanding and background. Young people have a strong voice in what goes on in the home. For example, young people have negotiated changes in some daily routines. This means that young people have greater investment in the home and how it runs. The home is good at managing the admission of new young people. The Registered Manager and staff consider carefully the information on prospective admissions and assess the potential impact on current residents. When a decision is made, there is a gradual introduction to the home over a period of days. This thoughtful planning increases the likelihood of a successful placement.

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Progress

Young people are in good health. The home makes sure that young people have access to all the services they need to support and improve their physical and emotional well-being. However, for one young person, the home does not have written consent from a person with parental responsibility for medical treatment and first aid. This means there is no clear line of accountability should such treatment be necessary.

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Progress

The home keeps young people safe. There have been no incidents where young people have gone missing. Staff are good at using praise and more concrete incentives, rather than relying on sanctions, to manage behaviour. As a result, the home runs smoothly with very little need to use physical restraint. The home is spacious and comfortable, and provides a varied range of activities both within the grounds and in the community. These promote physical exercise as well as giving stimulating experiences which young people greatly enjoy.

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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 each young person has on their file prior written permission from a person with parental responsibility for staff to administer first aid (Volume 5, statutory guidance, paragraph 2.54)  ensure that children's health is promoted in accordance with their placement plan and staff are clear about what responsibilities and decisions are delegated to them and where consent for medical treatment needs to be obtained. (NMS 6.5)

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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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