Children's Home run by Nottinghamshire YMCA in Nottingham

Unique reference number SC444681 Inspection date 25/03/2014 Inspector Tracy Murty Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 15/01/2014 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is operated by a national charity and provides care and accommodation for up to three young people at the main residential site and a further two young people at a satellite home close by. The home provides care and accommodation for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

At the last full inspection of the home in January 2014, the overall effectiveness judgement was adequate. Five requirements and three recommendations were made during that inspection. The manager has completed all actions set and demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for young people.

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Progress

The manager has submitted an application to Ofsted and is awaiting an interview for the position of Registered Manager for the home. The Statement of Purpose for the service has been reviewed and updated, with a copy being sent to Ofsted.

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Progress

The independent visitor for the home now ensures that young people, relatives and staff are interviewed as part of their visits, to elicit their views on the services provided. The manager has also devised questionnaires for young people, social workers and visitors to complete on a regular basis. One young person stated that their wishes, feelings and views are regularly sought and taken into consideration in relation to the care provided to them. Since the last inspection, the manager has ensured that all staff working in the home have had regular supervision. Every member of staff has received supervision on a monthly basis. The manager has introduced a spread sheet to identify all planned supervisions for the coming year. Staff and supervisors sign the record from each meeting, but the duration of each supervision have not been recorded.

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Progress

The manager has ensured that all staff have now completed mandatory training and has in place a clear training matrix for all staff. Since the last inspection, staff and managers have completed training on safeguarding, data protection, restraint, equality and diversity, health and safety and medication. Further training is set to take place on first aid, food hygiene and fire safety.

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Progress

The home is decorated and maintained to a good standard internally and externally. Previously identified hazards have been removed and repair works have been undertaken to internal areas of the home. One young person stated how happy they were with their bedrooms, stating 'I was able to have a budget to paint and choose things for my room, it is just how I want it to look now.'

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Progress

Further work has been undertaken with staff in relation to the recording of sanctions and rewards. New consequences logs have been introduced, with staff reporting high levels of satisfaction at the improvements this has led to. Young people each have an incentive chart. This sets out expected behaviours and actions, resulting in rewards being given to them. Young people clearly understand their weekly incentive charts, reading and signing them each week. This enables young people to receive additional monies each week on top of their personal allowances for successfully completing such tasks as keeping their bedrooms tidy and helping with chores around the home.

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Progress

The home has a detailed development plan in place, which has been reviewed and updated since the last inspection. The manager also devised a specific action plan following the last inspection to address the issues raised. This has been incorporated into the development plan, with actions being taken to ensure that the service has moved forward in a relatively short period of time.

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Progress

Young people engage well in education, with staff working closely and positively with educational providers. This has led to a noticeable improvement for some young people, who were not previously engaging in educational placements. The staff team work imaginatively to identify local courses for young people to take part in, based on their interests and skills. One young person is due to attend an awards ceremony soon with staff for their attendance in a local college course. From their starting points, young people begin to see the value of education and their attendance and engagement has improved significantly.

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Progress

Young people enjoy a wide range of social activities whilst living in this home. They meet with staff to discuss activities for the school holidays and to agree their weekly planners. One young person stated 'there are always lots of things on offer to do. We are discussing plans for our Easter holiday at the moment, as well as holiday plans for the summer.' Young people feel very much included in all aspects of their care and respond positively to the staff involving them in discussions about their care.

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Progress

Staff support and encourage young people to read and comment on their records on a regular basis. Young people know what their individual care plans aims and objectives are and work with staff through key work sessions to achieve their stated goals. The voice of young people is clearly evident in their records and has influenced how the home is run.

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Progress

Staff encourage young people to develop their skills and abilities, but do not currently have clear independent skills assessments in place. This would further assist young people to identify their current skills and abilities and for staff to work with them on preparing for their eventual move to independence.

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Progress

Young people feel safe and are kept safe by the dedicated staff team in this home. Risk assessments and care plans clearly set out the individual needs of young people and how they will be met. Staff discuss specific areas of need or concern with young people in key work sessions, which take place on a very frequent basis. Young people enjoy living in this home, with one stating 'of all the homes and foster placements I have ever lived in, this is the best one and I cannot think of anything they could do to make it better for me.'

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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 a written or electronic record is kept by the home detailing the length of each supervision held for each member of staff (NMS 19.5)  ensure that young people are supported to prepare for the world of work and/or further or higher education; prepare for moving to their own accommodation; develop practical skills and financial capability, knowledge and skills. (NMS 12.1)

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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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