Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC028905 Inspection date 26/03/2014 Inspector Caroline Brailsford Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 31/10/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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.

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Brief description of the service

The home is part of a local authority residential provision for looked after children. It provides care and accommodation for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It provides emergency, short- term assessment placements for a maximum of five young people, of either gender. Placements are for a maximum of 12 weeks, other than in exceptional circumstances.

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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 inspection in October 2013, this home was judged as outstanding. There were no requirements or recommendations made. The home demonstrates continued improvement in the quality of care. Despite the short-term nature of the home, young people make good progress in many areas. This allows them to become more settled and prepares them well for their next placement or for returning home.

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Progress

The staff team are well motivated to make a positive difference to young people's lives. They clearly enjoy their work, which gives them the enthusiasm to continue to move forward. One staff member confirmed this by saying 'this team is very child centred' and 'we never give up.’ They speak very fondly about young people, demonstrating that they respect them for their own personalities and traits. Young people's comments about their life in the home include 'it’s better than I expected', 'it’s good' and one young person gave it 'ten out of ten' when asked to rate how they have found it. This illustrates how settled and supported young people feel in a short space of time. Staff members develop very positive relationships with young people very quickly. The staff know that there are times when young people will not be staying for long, so they start developing positive relationships at a very early stage.

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Progress

Staff ratios are also high, allowing for young people to be fully supported with their issues and difficulties.

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Progress

Work with young people is based on good assessment and planning. When young people come to live at the home, staff ensure that there is a comprehensive assessment which provides full information about the young person's needs. The manager then completes a full and detailed risk assessment regarding the impact that the new young person will have on the existing group of young people. A risk assessment is formulated so that it is clear to staff what the risks are and how they can be minimised from the start. The work taking place is consistently well monitored, so that areas for improvement can be identified as they arise. As a result, young people make good progress. However, the homes’ own care plan is not always written for a number of days. Whilst the staff are very clear about all the information and how needs should be met according to the Looked After Children (LAC) placement plan, there is the potential for important information to be overlooked

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Progress

whilst the home's full care plan is devised. This does not allow for a pro-active approach.

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Progress

Young people comment positively about improvements to their behaviour since their admission. One young person said that their behaviour was 'a lot better'. Another young person said 'I have really got my anger down', since coming to the home, demonstrating that staff have supported them well. There have been no physical interventions in the home, this reflects staffs' positive approach to behaviour management. The police are only called as a very last resort where young people are displaying behaviours that pose a risk to themselves or others. The staff support young people very well in these circumstances and work extremely well with the police to reduce the risk of further criminal behaviour.

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Progress

Some young people's contacts have been extended with their families and their contact visits are currently working well. Young people are pleased about this and say that staff have listened to them and have helped them to say what they think. This has enabled further progress in this area. Young people's health improves as a direct result of this placement. For example, for some young people who have a Young people are well supported with their personal hygiene which has also had a positive impact on their health.

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Progress

Young people continue to make good progress with their education. Some young people have been excluded from school in the past but are now engaging and attending. Education is always based around the young people's own educational needs. Young people's own learning styles are identified quickly so that they can begin to develop their interests and talents. For example, one young person likes practical work and has focused on making furniture. Young people have also been referred to a community based alternative education project, which has been a good start in motivating them to improve their attendance. Young people are fully involved in the operational running of the home and their views are at the centre of the work taking place. Regular young people's meetings take place where young people are supported to make choices and to express their views. The manager ensures that she reviews the minutes and responds back to

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Progress

young people in writing for the next meeting, so that they are aware and can comment on her responses. Young people have good relationships with staff and managers. They feel very able to talk about what's happening in their life and express views about their care. This assists young people in developing their confidence and self-esteem because they are actively listened to and feel valued for their contributions. Staff say they often teach children to 'know that they will be heard' and that 'what they say matters', which further re-enforces that their views are valued.

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Progress

Young people's safety and welfare is a priority in this home. Young people feel safe. The staff are extremely good at ensuring that young people understand their own safety issues and as a result, proportionate risks can be taken. All progress in this area is at an appropriate pace for young people and keeps them as safe as possible given their complex risks.

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Progress

A thorough development plan supports the work taking place in the home. This document is regularly updated and captures all developments in the home including new ideas as they arise. Developments that have taken place include the redesigning of the garden, ideas for young people's holidays such as camping trips and better links with the community including new gym and boxing club memberships. In addition, there has been a project involving the incubation and hatching of some chicken eggs and some young people have enjoyed the chickens as pets. This has taught young people about looking after pets and has generated discussion about fertilisation and growth to assist with their learning and education. There have also been further developments for the staff team which include training and a team away day. Staff report that this was 'really good' and that 'time was spent talking about how we can support the young people more.’ These developments

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Progress

demonstrate that the home does not stand still.

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Progress

An experienced, committed and enthusiastic Registered Manager ensures that the quality of care offered to young people is consistently good and is regularly monitored and evaluated. The young people get on well with the manager and know that they can go to her if they have a problem. Staff members speak highly of the manager. The manager has been pro-active in ensuring that she keeps herself abreast of new developments in the field of young people's social care. This ensures that she is working with the most up-to-date information so that Regulations and Standards continue to be met, despite a period of change. The organisation also continues to complete regular monthly visits to the home where the quality of care is well monitored. This process also incorporates the views of the young people well and ensures that they have their say about their life in the home.

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Progress

There is a procedure for notifying appropriate authorities of significant events as required under Regulation 30 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001. However, delays in sending these to Ofsted result in the regulation not being fully met. This has the potential to impact on young people because Ofsted are not able to fully regulate on significant events in the home in a timely way.

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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

(2001) Ensure that if any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall, without delay, notify the persons indicated in respect of column 2 of the table; this is in particular relation to notifications to Ofsted. (Regulation 30 (1) and Schedule 5 (2.76)) 18/04/2014

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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 children are cared for in line with their individual placement plan. (NMS 25)

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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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