Children's Home run by Teen-Works Care Limited in Sefton

Unique reference number SC423460 Inspection date 26/03/2014 Inspector Marian Denny Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/12/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This private children's home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional 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

The purpose of this visit is to assess the progress made since the last inspection and how any progress identified has improved the quality of care and potential outcomes for young people.

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Progress

At the last inspection on 16 December 2013 the home was judged as good. The Registered Manager was asked to take account of one requirement and four recommendations made to improve the quality of care provided in the home. The requirement related to ensuring the registered provider inspects the premises of the children’s home and the records of any complaints. One recommendation referred to the sanction records, and another to the home’s missing from home procedures. A third recommendation was made in relation to the medication records. The fourth was to ensure the home’s safeguarding procedures were in line with government guidance.

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Progress

The children’s home shows capacity for continuing improvement in its quality of care and outcomes for young people. The necessary requirement and all the recommendations identified at the last inspection have been addressed. Regulation 33 reports now contain full information regarding the premises of the children’s home and the home’s complaints records. Children are encouraged to have their views recorded regarding their sanctions, and if they do not wish to make a comment staff record this. The home’s medication records are now fully completed. The home’s missing from home policy and procedures have been revised and take into account the care protocols and procedures of the police and the local authorities of the children living in the home. Similarly, the home’s safeguarding procedures are now in line with government guidance.

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Progress

Staff enjoy very good relationships with the young people and work hard to ensure their health, educational, social and emotional needs are met. As a consequence, staff are continuing to make a positive difference to young people’s lives. They also ensure young people are provided with a warm, safe and caring environment and have opportunities to achieve positive outcomes. Young people are making good progress in their education, health, emotional development, relationships and personal safety. Staff ensure that they have opportunities to take risks suitable for their age. They are encouraged and supported to make friends and take part in activities independently of adults and stay overnight with friends. On the whole, young people make positive choices and there has been a significant reduction in risk-taking behaviour.At times the young people challenge their boundaries, however they are willing to learn from their experiences and mistakes and increasingly accept

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Progress

the guidance and advice provided by staff.

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Progress

Staff are extremely committed to the young people and are enthusiastic in their work. They demonstrate a high level of skill, understanding and knowledge in meeting young people’s complex needs, on a daily basis. Staff have high aspirations for them and work hard to promote young people’s safety, personal growth and development. Staff have a detailed knowledge of the potential risks that young people may face and take decisive action when concerned about their safety. They work in close partnership with other agencies and this enables them to effectively protect young people from harm. Staff work at developing good relationships with health and education professionals, and are proactive in ensuring young people’s needs are effectively met. They actively encourage young people to engage in education and are effective in supporting them to have good educational attendance.

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Progress

Young people are happy living in this home. They get on well together, behave appropriately and no incidents of bullying occur. However, sometimes young people experience difficulties in their lives. In these situations, staff do their utmost to try and understand the reasons for this. They encourage young people to talk about their feelings, worries and needs. Staff are extremely supportive and help the young people develop ways to deal with these issues constructively. Staff’s practice is always highly personalised and is carefully tailored to meet the individual needs of each young person. They take into account young people’s characters, experiences and backgrounds to ensure that young people get the help and opportunities they need.

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Progress

The manager provides strong, effective leadership and has considerable experience in child care. She fully understands the needs of the young people and successfully communicates this to her staff. She ensures staff receive good training, are well supported and effectively meet young people’s needs. Staff provide good quality care and, as a result, young people are making good progress. Equally, the manager is not complacent, and is keen to develop staff’s expertise. This ensures that the quality of care provided in the home continually improves and good outcomes are achieved for young people.

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Progress

The manager is very aware of the strengths of the service and areas for development. Quality assurance systems are used effectively to develop the service. Reports monitoring the home's practices are completed in a timely manner and show young people’s views are taken into account when identifying areas for improvement. These views, together with areas of improvement and the strengths of the service are incorporated in the homes’ development plan. This ensures the continuation and forward planning of the service.

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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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