Children's Home run by Platinum Services for Children (Residential Care) Ltd in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC378181 Inspection date 24/03/2014 Inspector David Morgan Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 03/01/2014 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 privately-owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is located next door to its 'sister' home.

p.3

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.

p.3

Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

p.3

Progress

The last visit was a full inspection and occurred in January 2014. It found that young people were receiving a good standard of care overall; this inspection finds that this has been maintained. One requirement and three recommendations were made and have been addressed. There is now a comprehensive record of all shifts worked at the home, including those of the manager. This means that monitoring and any investigations have ready access to full information about the staffing arrangements at any time in the past. An improved system of recording food intake is in place to ensure that young people understand and take a healthy diet. Progress in this and other areas is now helpfully summarised in graphs, which clearly show changes. There is also an improved system for ensuring that staff read any new documents. This leads to changes being implemented promptly and consistently. Consistency has also been improved by allocating a senior member of staff to oversee staff training.

p.3

Progress

As a result, training and refresher courses are arranged promptly, which helps to ensure that staff provide a high quality service to young people.

p.3

Progress

Outcomes for young people continue to be of a high standard, particularly with regard to their transitions to greater independence. Staff have developed a certain expertise in this area, which is recognised by placing authorities. However, there is delay in some areas, such as the promotion of self-administration of medication, for young people who will soon be independent. Close contact is established with young people's families to facilitate the re-integration of young people into their home areas, where appropriate. Safeguarding issues are minimal and there is close liaison with specialists, such as drug advice agencies. No complaints have been received by the service. There are relatively few incidents but in some cases the records do not describe the implications of the event, for example if concerning items are found during a bedroom search. Young people enjoy their home and are fully engaged with

p.3

Progress

the staff. Currently, they are excitedly preparing for a trip to Spain.

p.4

Progress

Young people enjoy a comfortable house that is well presented in most regards. Certain matters require attention in the bathroom. The property is adjacent to another children's home, which creates opportunities as well as challenges. However, these are addressed well and staff ensure that each house maintains its own identity. Key workers are now responsible for obtaining the views of other parties about the house and the service that young people receive. This ensures that the process of learning from consultation is integrated into day-to-day practice.

p.4

Progress

Leadership and management of the home is good. There is now a clear focus on continual improvement, which is evident in various areas. A particular highlight is the improved attention to placement planning. This facilitates a focussed approach with clear delegation of tasks with timescales. Achievable targets are set and progress by young people is clear. Similarly, risk assessments now follow a much more systematic procedure that identifies strategies and demonstrates movements in risk levels. Overall development of the service has begun to be considered at all senior staff meetings in order to ensure that progress continues.

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.4

Recommendations

 ensure that children who are able to keep and take their own medication, can do so safely (NMS 6.14)  ensure the home is well maintained. This is with regard to the bathroom (NMS 10.3)  ensure that information about the child is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to the child when they have access to their files now or in the future. This is with regard to incidents such as room searches. (NMS 22.5)

p.4

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.5

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.

p.5