Children's Home run by Flying Spur Limited in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC470585 Inspection date 05/03/2014 Inspector Louisa Bayley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 27/09/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This children's home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is privately owned by an individual.

p.3

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

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be adequate .

p.3

Overall effectiveness

This home has been operational for six weeks. During that time, the manager has supported the new staff team to deliver good quality care and promote young people’s safety and well-being.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The manager has implemented systems and processes to ensure well-planned admissions, with good levels of information. Staff work with young people to develop care plans with a focus on understanding individual needs and wishes. Consequently young people’s views are integral to the delivery of care.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

There are some positive outcomes for young people; this is currently limited to education and contact. However this is in the context of the short duration since the home opened. The ethos and vision of the home indicate the potential for young people to make good progress over time.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

External professionals say the home manages challenging behaviour well and keeps young people safe. This is supported by the absence of any incidents of restraint or missing from care.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The manager has already embedded sound systems to monitor and improve the quality of care. There is a good infrastructure in place and the manager has a clear understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas to develop.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The inspection identified shortfalls in an aspect of staff training, in omitting to send the updated Statement of Purpose to Ofsted and having incorrect information in the children’s guide. These shortfalls have not compromised the safety or outcomes for young people.

p.3

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.

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose and the children’s guide and notify HMCI of any such revision within 28 days (Regulation 5 (a) (b)) 04/04/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that at all times, at least one person on duty at the children’s home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 20 (2) (e)) 04/04/2014

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate .

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

This home has accommodated a very low number of young people for a very short duration. Consequently the scope of the home to evidence outcomes is particularly limited at this time.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people, to date, have made adequate progress in engaging in education. At the point of inspection, this had progressed to commencing part time formal educational provision. Prior to this they had completed some work with staff in the home as an interim measure. This is adequate progress given young people’s history of engagement in education.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have positive contact with family and friends. They enjoy regular visits to their hometown enabling them to maintain their social network. The contact with people who are important to them contributes to developing a positive self-view and a sense of identity and belonging.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people complete tasks, such as laundry, supporting them to develop skills they will need as they move to more independent living.

p.4

Quality of care

The quality of the care is good . Young people have clear, comprehensive care plans and daily living plans in place. Staff continually update plans to reflect individual’s views taking into account their preferences on the way staff care for them. The care plans consider individual characteristics such as religion, culture and background. This helps to ensure that young people retain and develop a sense of identity.

p.4

Quality of care

The manager monitors the support provided by the placing authorities. This level of oversight contributes to the quality of care with a pathway for challenging where external professionals do not meet the needs of young people.

p.5

Quality of care

Staff consult young people through resident’s meetings and as part of the daily care practices in the home. Staff encourage young people to make suggestions. These have included forthe food that the staff order, the range of activities at the home, the behaviour management plans and how individuals wish to be cared for. Staff respond wherever possible to the requests young people make. This supports the young people’s sense of feeling listened to and valued.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people know how to make a complaint or raise a concern. They have made a number of very low level complaints. The manager has taken each one seriously and given a written response. Staff have made changes to some aspects of the home following these complaints, demonstrating that the system is effective.

p.5

Quality of care

Case records for young people reflect the positive multi-agency work in place between the home and external professionals. Staff work with a range of health professionals to enable young people to access services. The staff work together with education providers and the education authority promoting young people’s rights to access education.

p.5

Quality of care

The home is extremely spacious and is located in large grounds with local facilities nearby. Staff provide transport so that young people can access visits to their friends and family easily. Managers ensure the home is well maintained and address any damage immediately. Young people have choices about the bedroom they would like and have chosen their bedding. They have also contributed to identifying and the subsequent purchase of resources for the home such as computers and games.

p.5

Quality of care

Parents and external professionals are positive about the care the home provides for young people. They say there is good communication from the staff who keep them appraised of progress and concerns.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

External professionals confirm they have no concerns regarding safeguarding in the home. Since the home opened, there have been no incidents of missing from care, restraint or bullying.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in de-escalation and restraint. They utilise their skills to manage challenging behaviour without the need, to date, to resort to restraint. They use proportionate sanctions as a response to negative behaviour and consistently seek the views of the young person concerned. The manager has a system in place to ensure that he reviews the effectiveness of sanctions. This enables good levels of reflection in determining whether staff should employ alternate strategies in future.

p.5

Safeguarding children and young people

The manager has worked with the police to define policies and protocols in the event a young person should go missing. Records in the home reflect a good level of communication and co-operation between the home and the police, developing a good relationship from the outset. This serves to protect young people

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in identifying, understanding and managing child protection concerns. They are clear about their responsibilities and the systems of reporting and recording. There have been no concerns since the home opened.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The fire arrangements are robust, with all required checks in place. The fire service has recently carried out an audit and found the arrangements to be of a generally good standard. The fire arrangements promote the safety of young people, staff and visitors to the home.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Appropriate health and safety checks are in place promoting a safe physical environment for everyone in the home

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The staff recruitment records meet the statutory requirements. All staff recruited have a formal interview and some staff have additional safe care interviews. All staff have two professional references, which the manager verifies verbally with the referee. The safe recruitment checks in place ensure that unsuitable adults are not given access to working with young people.

p.6

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate .

p.6

Leadership and management

A qualified manager, who is registered with Ofsted, leads the newly established staff team. The manager has professional qualifications relevant to the role and has applied to commence the level five diploma.

p.6

Leadership and management

As this is the first inspection since registration and the home has been operational for only six weeks, there has been limited time to evidence improvements at this stage. The systems in place demonstrate the home has the capacity to improve once it becomes established.

p.6

Leadership and management

All new staff receive an induction and complete their shifts with a more experienced member of staff. Staff spoken to during the inspection say they are well supported by the manager, have a comprehensive induction and supervision. They say they access the training they need and are positive about the home, the vision and care provided. The manager and staff receive regular, documented supervision, which supports them to undertake their role in the home effectively. The manager has an oversight of the blend of staffing to ensure that it supports the young people’s needs. Staff have received a good level of training, however, at the time of inspection only four staff, two of which are managers, had current first aid training. This means the manager has not met the requirement to have at least one first aid qualified member of staff on duty at all times. This has not compromised the young people’s safety but has the potential to undermine their wellbeing if this is not

p.6

Leadership and management

The staffing ratios meet the requirements set out in the care plans, as agreed with the placing authority.

p.7

Leadership and management

To date, there is no continuous improvement plan as the home has only been operational since January. The manager has drawn up a template, providing a framework to complete to this work.

p.7

Leadership and management

The manager has a comprehensive framework in place to monitor the quality of care in the home. External monitoring has commenced through an independent visitor. The monitoring systems in place have the potential to identify strengths and areas for development, promoting capacity for continuous improvement. The manager has implemented a personal development programme for young people. This is a very useful tool to use, identifying starting points and tracking individual’s progress.

p.7

Leadership and management

The home meets the aims and objectives set out in the Statement of Purpose, however, the manager has not submitted the updated version to the regulator Ofsted. Therefore Ofsted do not have an up to date view of the staff working in the home. The children’s guide has some incorrect information about smoking, which means that young people do receive a fully accurate picture of the home.

p.7

Leadership and management

The admissions and discharge records show that the home has the required information and is fulfilling the duty to advise the local authority of out of county placements admitted to the home. This helps to safeguard young people.

p.7

Leadership and management

The young people’s records and all other records in the home are clear, confidentially stored and provide insight and understanding of the young people accommodated. The policies are in place and provide staff with clear direction and guidance.

p.7

Leadership and management

The manager has ensured that the two notifiable incidents have been clearly recorded and submitted to Ofsted in line with regulatory requirements.

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8