Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC039248 Inspection date 31/03/2014 Inspector Louise Redfern Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 10/12/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to provide a service for six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and is run by a local authority.

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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 inadequate progress .

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Progress

This home was judged adequate at the previous full inspection in December 2013. Four requirements and two recommendations for improvement were set. This inspection looked at the progress made and at any other concerns raised since the last inspection. At this inspection, the home is judged to be making inadequate progress. As a result of this inspection, two requirements have been raised.

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Progress

Since the last inspection, there has been organisational change resulting in a change in manager. This means that the home has been without a Registered Manager since June 2013. The new manager is an experienced manager, who has been in post since February 2014. Ofsted has received an application to register the new manager. However, DBS clearance is still outstanding.

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Progress

The Statement of Purpose is clear, accessible and comprehensive. The manager has ensured that any changes are notified to the HMCI. A requirement was raised in relation to ensuring that two fire doors were fitted correctly and fit for purpose. This was addressed following the last inspection. As a result, the risk to young people’s and staff safety in the event of a fire has significantly reduced. Since the last inspection the monitoring and recording of medication administered in the home has significantly improved. Staff have also completed additional training to ensure that they are competent in recording and safely administering medication.

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Progress

Staff continue to say they are well supported in their role. One commented ‘the new manager is bringing in changes but he is also listening to our ideas, I feel really supported by him.’ Supervision records have significantly improved since the last inspection. The manager ensures an accurate record is kept of individual supervisions. These records now include the date, time and length of the supervision which is then signed by both the supervisor and supervisee.

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Progress

The manager, since being in post, has made progress in introducing positive rewards and incentives. This has resulted in a significant reduction of imposed sanctions. This means that young people are enjoying a number of positive experiences because of positive behaviour. However, records still do not fully meet the regulations. Despite an improvement in recording young people’s views, the manager still does not comment on the effectiveness and any consequence of the imposed sanctions. This is a missed opportunity to effectively evaluate the control measures. This requirement has been re-stated.

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Progress

Young people are still not engaged in education or post-16 employment or training. Despite staff’s actions to prepare young people for education daily, they continue to refuse to attend their placements or do not have an identified placement. This is significantly impacting on the educational outcomes for young people placed at the home. The recommendation has now been raised to a requirement.

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Progress

Some young people continue to engage in risk taking behaviour. The manager is proactive in ensuring strategies are in place to safeguard young people. As a result, staff are clear about how to respond to such incidents and work proactively to support young people in returning quickly and safely. The manager ensures multi- agency strategy meetings take place to identify and manage associated risks.

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Progress

Young continue to say they feel safe in the home and well cared for. One young person commented ‘I would score this home 9 out of 10. The new manager has really helped me to move on. The staff are here to listen to me and care for me.’

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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 ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of 25/04/2014 (2001) control in a children’s home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which shall include the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure (Regulation 17B (f))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the educational achievement of children accommodated in the children’s home is promoted by the registered person through regular attendance. (Regulation 18) 30/04/2014

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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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