Children's Home, Residential special school run by Options Autism (1) Limited in North Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC066565 Inspection date 18/03/2014 Inspector Michael McCleave Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Date of last inspection 04/07/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care, accommodation and education for children. The home offers a specialised service to 26 children and young people with autism.

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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 children's home was judged good at the last full inspection in July 2013. Since that time, good progress has been made, promoting positive outcomes for the young people. The recommendations from the last inspection have been fully addressed: improvements have been made to the recording systems and the home has reviewed arrangements to ensure that children have appropriate access to all parts of the home under staff supervision.

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Progress

The young people live in an environment that strongly supports and encourages them to achieve their potential. They continue to make good progress in their emotional, social and educational achievements. This is due to the professionalism and dedication of the staff who benefit from the leadership of the manager.

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Progress

Staff work enthusiastically to achieve the best possible outcomes for each young person. Disability is not regarded as a limitation. Staff continue to work proactively to provide young people with a safe and nurturing environment where they develop self-confidence and achieve social skills. All aspects of care planning are highly personalised to meet young people's individual needs. A strong feature is the excellent range of communication tools used by staff to ensure that the views of the young people are central to all aspects of their care. They continue to make good progress in developing skills that promote their independence in accordance with their age and understanding. The independence unit continues to promote personal self-care, food preparation and basic budgeting.

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Progress

A major improvement to the resources of the school since the last inspection has been the establishment of a clinical team that comprises of two qualified psychologists, a paediatrician, learning disability nurse, occupational therapist and a speech and language therapist. This valuable resource will strengthen the support provided to the young people in the social, emotional and health aspects of their care. This will provide further opportunity to raise young people's awareness of their health and further promote their self-esteem.

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Progress

Young people continue to be happy living at this home. They feel safe and are confident in approaching any member of staff to share worries or concerns.

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Progress

The management team has been strengthened through the appointment of a night service manager. This means that staff during evening and night shifts now have a manager to provide support and guidance instead of relying on a duty manager at a distance. This results in a more efficient service provided to the young people out of normal working hours.

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Progress

This is a service that does not accept any limitations on the young people achieving their potential. The continued positive links established between the teaching and care staff ensures that information is readily shared to promote the social and academic needs of the young people. In addition, the excellent resources provided by the new clinical team all combine to provide the young people with an exceptional range of support resources.

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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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