Children's Home run by Amicus Residential Care Ltd in Reading

Unique reference number SC059221 Inspector Brian Mcquoid Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Causeway Care Homes Ltd Registered person address 118B Oxford Road Reading RG1 7NQ

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Responsible individual Angela Lynn MacDonald Registered manager Angela Lynn MacDonald Date of last inspection 13/01/2014 2 of 7 Inspection date 07/05/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people adequate Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness of the service is good. Young people are happy living at the home, they feel safe there and have excellent relationships with the staff who care for them. Young people, their parents, and professionals involved in young people's lives are all very positive about the home and the care being provided. 'Very professional' and 'they are doing a good job', were comments received from a social worker and a youth offending worker during the inspection, while a parent said, 'I can't commend the home highly enough'. Care planning is highly individualised and young people receive very good quality support from staff who have a sound understanding of safe working practice. Young people are generally extremely well behaved within the home and any challenging or unsafe behaviour is well managed by the highly experienced staff team. The home is managed efficiently and effectively by the Registered Manager who provides clear and effective leadership

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Overall effectiveness

and demonstrates a clear commitment to continually improving the service. There are no breaches of regulation, however there are two recommendations which relate to the evidencing of young people's involvement in the care planning process, and information regarding medication being administered to young people. 3 of 7

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately run and provides emergency as well as long-term placements for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 15/08/2013 Full good 27/03/2013 Interim good progress 06/12/2012 Full good

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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 all young people communicate their views on all aspects of their c and support, specifically to evidence their involvement in the care planning process. (NMS 1.3)  ensure that data sheets for all medication administered to young people are contained within the home's medication file. (NMS 6.13) 4 of 7

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Outcomes for young people at the home are adequate overall. The home provides a stable and consistent environment for young people where they enjoy living, where they feel safe, and where they have developed and sustained positive and constructive relationships with the staff who care for them. 'It's a good place to live, I feel safe, the staff are nice and I can talk to them', said one young person. Young people at the home enjoy good health and have a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and of the major risks to health associated with drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Risk taking behaviour associated with drug use has decreased significantly over time for some young people at the home but not all.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Some young people at the home are engaged in the education system and when considering their starting point upon arrival are making steady progress. Others have not been able to take advantage of the opportunities provided, despite the efforts of staff. 'I can't fault the home, they have done everything they can', said one parent. Communication between young people and staff is very good, allowing young people to freely express their views and influence how the home operates. Independence programmes are effectively supporting the acquisition of important life skills, and young people routinely contribute to menus and choose activities. Arrangements are in place for all young people to have regular contact with their families and friends, and in some instances this has resulted in much improved family relationships since being at the home.

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Quality of care good

The quality of care received by young people at the home is good. Detailed plans for each young person support the delivery of individualised care which addresses all aspects of their diverse and complex needs. Consultation with young people about their care plans is taking place, however individual case records do not provide any evidence of this. Relationships with staff are very good with young people clearly feeling relaxed and comfortable in their company and being able to talk openly and freely to them. One young person commented, 'I love it here, the staff are nice and I can talk to them'. All young people have weekly meetings with their designated key workers and there are regular group meetings held also. Staff work very closely with parents and the professionals involved in young people's lives. 'Communication is excellent', commented the parents of two young people, while a social worker

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Quality of care good

reported receiving daily updates from the home. Young people are fully aware of their rights including how to make a complaint should they wish to, however there have been none received from any young person since the previous inspection. Arrangements for the management of medication are safe and effective, however 5 of 7 information about medication administered is not easily accessible.

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Quality of care good

Healthy lifestyles are promoted within the home and there is good access to external specialist services able to address their physical, emotional and psychological health needs. Information is easily accessible within the home about major risks to health and staff provide good advice and support for young people about staying healthy. Young people are fully involved in menu planning and enjoy meals which provide a balanced and healthy diet. Individual independence programmes encourage them to become involved in shopping for food and preparing meals for themselves. Staff do all they can to encourage young people's engagement with education and work very closely with external agencies to facilitate this. Local resources provide varied and creative opportunities which enable individual programmes to be devised for young people. Regular tuition within the home and attendance at an activity based centre

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Quality of care good

are examples of the current provision for some young people. Staff devise activity programmes in consultation with young people and provide lots of opportunities for them to do things that they enjoy doing. Visiting family and friends are weekly activities for most young people and there are special activities arranged for the holiday periods such as paintballing and visits to theme parks. The home provides easy access to community facilities and the environment reflects that of a family home, being comfortable, homely, and well maintained.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home makes good provision for ensuring the safety of young people. They feel safe living there and on the whole get on very well with each other. Bullying is not an issue at all within the home. There is an excellent working relationship with the local police and staff work closely with external agencies to minimise risk taking behaviours by young people. Incidents of young people being reported as missing are at a very low level and have significantly reduced over time for some. Joint protocols with the police ensure appropriate action is taken when incidents do occur. Young people's behaviour within the home is generally good with some isolated exceptions. Staff work hard to engage constructively with young people, they encourage and reward positive behaviours and manage any difficult or challenging behaviours extremely well. Sanctions imposed on young people are at a low level and there has been no incident of restraint being used since August 2012.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home provides young people with a safe and secure physical environment where there is good provision for the management of risk. Staff have a good awareness of all aspects of safeguarding and the specific vulnerabilities of each young person. There are strong links with the local safeguarding children board with staff accessing training provided by them, covering topics such as sexually harmful behaviour and sexual exploitation. In addition, a drugs advisory service attended a recent staff meeting to provide information and advice in relation to 'legal highs'. Individual care plans for young people contain comprehensive risk assessments which clearly identify 6 of 7 risks and the strategies being used to manage and minimise them. These are being regularly reviewed by key workers. All aspects of safety associated with the premises such as fire safety, gas and electrical installations are being appropriately managed.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The homes manager has completed a safer recruitment course and recruitment procedures provide for the appropriate selection and vetting of potential staff. There have been no staff recruited to the home since the previous full inspection during August 2013.

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Leadership and management good

Leadership and management of the service is good. The Registered Manager has extensive experience of residential care for children and young people and is extremely well qualified for the role, having a social work and management qualification. The home runs smoothly on a day to day basis with well established operational systems being implemented effectively. Complaints are being dealt with appropriately and the home has a good track record of addressing requirements and recommendations from previous inspections. The recently revised statement of purpose provides excellent information about the service with the stated aims and objectives clearly being met, but with desired outcomes not always achieved for all young people. Young people feel listened to by staff and are very clear about their rights as well as the expectations placed on them while living at the home. The home is being maintained to a good standard and is resourced sufficiently well to be able to

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Leadership and management good

meet young people's needs. Individual case records are being well maintained and the home is notifying all appropriate authorities of any significant event occurring.

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Leadership and management good

Staffing is a real strength of the home with an established and extremely well qualified staff team providing an excellent consistency of care. Both assistant managers have a Level 5 Diploma in management and all staff have either completed or are undertaking the Level 3 Diploma. Staffing levels are always sufficient to meet the needs of young people with absences being covered from within the staff group and no agency workers being used. All staff are subject to annual appraisal and receive good support in the form of regular supervision and good quality training. Staff have undertaken a variety of training courses relevant to the needs of young people and make excellent use of training opportunities provided by the local safeguarding children board. 'Sexual exploitation' training is one example of this. The home is a member of the Independent Children's Homes Association and as such is very proactive in keeping up with developments in the field of children's social care.

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Leadership and management good

There is a good awareness of the changes to the regulations affecting children's homes and the manager has already completed a location risk assessment after consulting with external agencies. New formats for regulation 33 and 34 reports are contributing effectively to the monitoring of the home and there is a clear commitment to the continuing improvement of the service. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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