Children's Home run by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in Dudley

Unique reference number SC039897 Inspection date 18/03/2014 Inspector Paula Lahey Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/10/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This local authority owned children's home can accommodate up to four young people.

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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 previous inspection in November 2013 resulted in an overall quality judgement of good with two recommendations raised to enhance the service. Since this time young people continue to benefit from good quality care and are progressing within their individual placement aims and goals.

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Progress

In addition to appropriately addressing the previous recommendations, the home has continued to make additional improvements as identified on the team development plan. Improvements made to complaint records now ensure that it is clear to ascertain the action taken and how young people are kept informed. The Registered Manager monitors sanction records and takes action to ensure they provide an accurate account of the situation. The home is preparing for the forthcoming regulatory changes and has started to make the necessary amendments to documentation and practice.

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Progress

Careful consideration is given to each young person’s placement into the home. Compatibility and risk matching is appropriately considered and as such, the home provides accommodation to young people whose needs they have assessed as being able to meet. Young people are developing confidence and emotional resilience. Positive relationships are fostered and young people make appropriate and enduring attachments with the adults who care for them. The staff team sensitively support young people to explore the reasons for their placement and understanding of their personal history. Approaches to help young people feel emotionally stable, secure and settled are effective.

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Progress

Good arrangements are in place to ensure that young people can express their views and wishes, both on their individual care and with the running of the home. In addition to regular group meetings and individual key working sessions, young people provide formal feedback on the staff caring for them. This in turn, is used as part of initial appointments as well as on-going supervision and personal appraisal. In recent group meetings young people have taken responsibility for reviewing, revising, and deciding upon the welcome guide and homes rules. These opportunities help young people to feel valued as well as increased ownership for their home.

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Progress

Appropriate action is taken in response to risk-taking behaviours and/or declining outcomes of young people. This includes effective multi-agency working with the Local Safeguarding Children Board, sexual exploitation and/missing from home teams, mental health services, substance misuse workers and educational professionals. In recent months young people have been provided with a mentor, changes in further educational placements and person centred review meetings to help improve educational outcomes and attainment.

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Progress

Young people are helped to develop appropriate behaviour through encouragement, fair boundaries, praise and rewards. In recent months young people have been returning to the home at the agreed time and as such have received opportunities for driving lessons and increased pocket money. Sanctions are used on occasions and help young people to take accountability for their actions. The manager demonstrates a good verbal understanding of the effectiveness of sanctions; however, this is not reflected in the written documentation. Records typically note the intended outcome rather than whether the sanction was successful at changing a particular behaviour.

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Progress

The Registered Manager continues to monitor the practice in the home. Since the last inspection this includes a review of the trends and patterns of risk taking behaviours and safeguarding issues. The manager is using this data to evaluate the quality of service provided in the home and identify areas for improvement.

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Progress

The Regulation 33 visits occur every month and include opportunity to review records and young people's placements. On occasions visits occur at the weekend and as such provide a good opportunity to meet with young people and observe the care they receive. However, more typically, visits occur during the daytime and as such, the visitor only meets with young people who are in the home at that time. In addition, the visitor does not consult with other stakeholders, such as those with responsibility for young people. This limits the opportunity to seek feedback from others in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided.

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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

17B (2001) ensure that a written record is made of the effectiveness, and any consequences, of the use of sanctions (Regulation 17B (3)(f)) 19/05/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the person carrying out Regulation 33 visits shall (a) interview, with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated in the home, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 30/05/2014

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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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