Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Plymouth

Unique reference number SC458812 Inspector Christina Maddison Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Phoenix Learning and Care Limited Registered person address Phoenix Learning & Care Ltd Rolle Quay BARNSTAPLE Devon EX31 1JE Responsible individual Mark Ian Parker Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection 07/01/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 28/05/2014

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Previous inspection inadequate progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness adequate

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

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit and make progress from receiving care and support at the home from a caring staff team who are well supervised, supported and trained. The quality of the relationships between staff and young people is a strength of the home and underpins progress young people have made with their behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

Placing authorities comment positively about the quality of care provided at the home. One placing social worker said 'we are very happy with the care our young person has received at the home, they are not running away so much and are settled and happy, which they were not in previous placements.'

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Overall effectiveness

The previous inspection took place in January 2014 and identified that inadequate progress was being made at the home. The newly appointed manager to the home has made an application to Ofsted for registration and has worked hard to successfully address all requirements and recommendations that were made at the previous inspection. Quality monitoring processes are now in place and a development plan for the home has been implemented that will identify and address areas for improvement in the future.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people report feeling safe at the home. Robust safeguarding processes and a vigilant staff team contribute to the safety of young people. The manager has 3 of 10 developed effective links with the local Police and worked well with them when a young person has been missing. A location risk assessment has not yet been fully completed although discussions with the police have taken place to ensure that the home is not situated in an area that poses a risk to young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have comprehensive placement plans in place and are encouraged to learn skills such as cooking and budgeting. However, young people who are due to move on from the home when they reach 18 years old in the near future do not have pathway plans in place that detail future living arrangements and what independent living skills need to be learned. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/01/2014 Interim inadequate progress 13/06/2013 Full adequate

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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 the premises used for the purpose of a children's home are in a location which is suitable for the purpose of achieving the aims and objectives set out in the homes statement of purpose; in particular ensure that a review of the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the home is reviewed annually and a location risk assessment document is in place (Regulation 31(1)) 27/06/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure where a measure of restraint is used on a child the record required under paragraph(3) must include details of any methods used to avoid the need to use that measure (Regulation 17B(4)(b)) 27/06/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure a person is not employed to work at a children's home unless that person is fit to work at a children's home; in particular that the registered 27/06/2014 5 of 10 person can demonstrate from written and electronic records that it consistently follows good recruitment practice and all applicable current statutory requirements and guidance in staff recruitment (Regulation 26(1)(a)).

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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 young people approaching adulthood and leaving care have a pathway plan in place (NMS12.2). 6 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

The home provides a stable, consistent and calm environment in which young people have the opportunity to make progress in all areas of their lives. Young people enjoy positive relationships with the staff team. These positive relationships have helped them make progress with their behaviour and incidents of young people being missing from the home have reduced.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people have made some progress with their education from their starting points. Attendance levels at school have improved and further education and vocational options are being pursued and offered to young people for when they leave school in the near future. Young people due to leave the home in the coming months have learned independent living skills such as cooking and budgeting.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people are confident in offering their views and opinions. Young people have gained this confidence from staff valuing their views, taking them seriously and acting on any concerns or suggestions they may have about how to improve the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Effective communication between the home and families of young people means young people have maintained and improved relationships with family members.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people enjoy good health through having their identified health needs fully met at the home, eating a healthy diet and enjoying physical activities such as horse riding and swimming. Young people have improved their social skills since arriving at the home and benefit from welcoming friends to visit.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff at the home ensure young people understand and respect consistently implemented rules, boundaries and expectations of behaviour. As a result, young people have learned respect and tolerance towards others and how their behaviour has consequences. Individualised placement plans offer staff comprehensive information about how best to support each young person. Young people participate in writing their care plans and are fully involved in placement plan reviews. Young people who will be leaving the home in the near future are supported to learn independent living skills. However, there are no formalised pathway plans in place to document how young people will gain the skills they will need when they leave the home and how this will be done, or where their planned destination is.

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Quality of care adequate

Relationships between staff and young people are open, trusting and positive. Young people said 'the staff here are great, they help you out and talk to you about things.' 7 of 10 Staff have succeeded in supporting young people to enjoy positive relationships with their families. Friends and family of young people are welcome to the home and young people are supported to visit and remain in contact with family members who live out of the area.

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Quality of care adequate

The home is well maintained and offers a homely, clean and warm environment. Young people have personalised their bedrooms and other areas of the home with photographs and their belongings. Young people are able to keep pets such as fish and rabbits and learn the responsibility involved in caring for animals. One young person said 'I really like the house, I can't think of anything that could make it better.'

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Quality of care adequate

Health needs of young people are fully met at the home. Staff have been pro-active in supporting young people to obtain information and education regarding cessation of smoking and information regarding sexual health. This information has helped young people to learn to make mature decisions about their health. Healthy eating is promoted and young people benefit from eating a nutritionally balanced diet and learning social skills from eating meals with staff.

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Quality of care adequate

Bullying is not tolerated at the home. Young people are supported to learn tolerance and respect for others regardless of culture or ethnicity. Spiritual needs are recognised, met and documented in placement plans.

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Quality of care adequate

Young people have access to a wide range of activities in the home and in the community. Young people have participated in youth clubs and sporting activities. Staff use a subtle, no pressure approach to engage young people with activities and overcome their initial reluctance to join in. Young people have the opportunity to go on holidays with staff and enjoy day trips to theme parks and local places of interest.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people confirm they feel safe living in the home. Staff are vigilant about the whereabouts of young people when they have free time and are pro-active in ensuring they know who the friends of young people are and if they pose any risk. Behaviour management plans are robust and effective. Staff use effective strategies such as diverting young people from escalating their behaviour by using humour or offering activities. One young person said 'my behaviour has improved since I came to live here, I don’t argue so much any more.'

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Incidents of restraint are minimal. Staff are appropriately trained to ensure only appropriate and safe restraint is used in the home. Sanctions imposed are minimal and are monitored by the manager for their effectiveness. However, events leading up to restraint and strategies used by staff to prevent the need for restraint are not always recorded. Staff are fully aware of what action they should take should a child protection incident occur. All staff have received safeguarding training and are 8 of 10 confident they are able to safeguard young people in their care.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Risk assessments in place are robust and detail potential risks and how staff are to manage risks for individual young people, the home and activities young people participate in outside of the home. Impact risk assessments have been introduced. This means in future the manager will undertake a thorough risk assessment of any proposed admissions to the home to ensure that young people living in the home together are compatible. A location risk assessment for the home is currently being compiled in partnership with the local police but this document is not yet in place.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Incidents of young people being missing from the home have been reduced. Staff are clear about what action to take should a young person be missing in accordance with missing from home procedures and protocols that are in place in the home. A community police officer makes regular visits to the home to discuss any issues or incidents and the manager has effective links with the local police if he has any concerns or issues he wishes to discuss with them.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

The physical environment of the home is safe and secure. Health and safety is well managed and young people and staff know what action they should take if there was a fire in the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff recruitment procedures are robust to ensure only suitable persons are employed at the home and all staff files contain a front sheet signed by the provider stating all required checks have been obtained. However, some recruitment records are retained at the company head office and are not available for scrutiny in the home. Therefore it is not possible to fully evidence at this inspection that all staff references have been verified by telephone or gaps in employment have been fully explored.

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Leadership and management adequate

An application for registration has been received by Ofsted from the acting manager and is currently being processed. The previous Registered Manager resigned in January 2014.

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Leadership and management adequate

Young people are supported on a 1:1 ratio by a consistent, permanent staff team. This means young people benefit from continuity and consistency of care. Staff report they feel well supervised, trained and supported when working at the home. Staff appreciate the manager's 'open door' policy and say they are able to voice any concerns or issues they may have and these will be heard and dealt with. One staff member said 'we all enjoy working at this home, there is a calm atmosphere and good staff morale.' Since the previous inspection, all staff working at the home have completed their probationary period and successfully completed their induction. Training has been completed for all staff in mandatory topics such as safeguarding, restraint and first aid. Staff are enrolled on the required level 3 diploma qualification to ensure all staff obtain the minimum care qualification to support and evidence 9 of 10

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Leadership and management adequate

professional practice and competence. This action taken to ensure the staff team are sufficiently trained meets a requirement made at the previous inspection.

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Leadership and management adequate

The manager has worked hard since taking up his post to address all of the requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection when the home was judged to be making inadequate progress. All requirements and recommendations have been met. Staff are no longer sleeping in the lounge at night and are using a specific staff sleeping in room. Compatibility of children is now risk assessed prior to an admission. If appropriate to meet a young person's identified care needs, a single placement is made at the home. The statement of purpose for the home has been updated and now includes the experience and qualifications of staff employed at the home. Young people are now fully involved in care planning and sign placement plans to evidence their input.

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Leadership and management adequate

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in the home and is committed to ensuring continuous improvement. A development plan is in place which is regularly actioned and revised. The manager undertakes regular monitoring and reviews of records held in the home and takes action to address any issues raised through the monitoring process, this action meets a requirement from the previous inspection. Regular monitoring visits of the home are undertaken by an independent person. Actions are raised for the manager to address. Feedback gained from young people, parents and placing authorities contributes to the quality monitoring process and any concerns identified are addressed. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management adequate

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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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