Children's Home run by Building Bridges Care Homes Ltd in St Helens

Unique reference number SC063284 Inspector Maria McGranaghan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Building Bridges Care Homes Ltd Registered person address Mill Farm Bull Bridge Lane LIVERPOOL L10 6LZ

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Responsible individual Peter James Barron Registered manager Donna Tagoe Date of last inspection 06/11/2013 2 of 11 Inspection date 16/06/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action taken against this home.

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Overall effectiveness good

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

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make good progress in a home that provides consistent individualised care. This supports young people to experience and enjoy a sense of achievement, particularly in areas such as education, a reduction in risk-taking behaviour and developing and sustaining positive relationships with staff.

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Overall effectiveness

Good placement planning ensures that young people’s needs are suitably assessed. For example, productive relationships are formed between partner agencies and this ensures that young people receive the help, support and guidance they need to make suitable changes in their lives. Likewise, young people’s views and opinions serve to influence the care planning process and this assists them to feel in control of their lives.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s safety is suitably managed in the home. Good safeguarding systems are in place and work hand-in-hand with up-to-date risk assessments which set out strategies to reduce potential risk. Likewise, proactive relationships with external agencies result in young people being fully supported to understand the implications of risk-taking behaviour. As a result, risk-taking behaviours are considerably reduced. 3 of 11 Young people live in a home with a supportive and stable staff team. Regular supervision and training enable staff to maintain the good standards of care that are evident within the home. Young people form trusting relationships with staff which assist them to make progress in their lives.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is suitably managed by a Registered Manager. The manager’s monitoring systems are in place and serve to identify areas for growth and development while taking into account the weaknesses of the service. Likewise, regular external monitoring provides the home with an independent view of the service provision and serves to enhance the overall performance of the home.

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Overall effectiveness

However, despite these strengths there are some areas of weakness. Some records such as keywork sessions, missing from home documents and sanctions do not provide sufficient detail. For example, some missing from home records do not contain information explaining what action was taken to find the young person, sanctions do not always relate to the behaviour exhibited by young people, and some keywork sessions do not reflect the level of work undertaken with young people. Likewise, not all young people have an up-to-date personal education plan which sets out the level of support young people require in order to sustain their educational placement. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

The home is provided by an independent company and provides care for five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 14/05/2013 Full good 31/01/2013 Interim good progress 13/06/2012 Full adequate

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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 sanctions for behaviour are clear, reasonable and fair and understood staff and young people (NMS 3.8)  ensure a record is maintained in respect of the search undertaken for young people who are missing (NMS 5.5)  ensure young people are assisted by staff to achieve their educational or train goals including the receipt of appropriate educational support by way of an up to-date personal education plan (NMS 8.4)  ensure information about young people, specifically keywork sessions, is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to them when they access their files now or in the future. (NMS 22.5) 5 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people live in a good home where they receive care tailored to their individual needs. This supports them to make consistent progress, particularly in the reduction of risk-taking behaviours and attendance at appropriate educational settings.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people form good relationships with staff. A stable and committed team work hard to generate unique opportunities in order to secure positive outcomes for young people. Likewise, young people receive a suitable level of support and guidance that helps them to make effective changes in their lives. This is because the team work closely with external agencies, including educational advisors, safeguarding teams and drug and alcohol services. As a result, young people begin to make choices based on the information they receive. Young people say, ‘you think you know it all and then you find out about lots of other things that can make you unsafe. It really makes you think.’

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Outcomes for children and young people good

From their initial starting point young people make good progress in school and placement settings. For example, young people with a significant history of non- engagement in education are now undertaking National Vocational Qualification level two qualifications in hair, make up and social care. Importantly, young people learn that when difficulties arise within education they can be resolved. For example, young people learn how to discuss a problem in a mature and sensible manner in order to appropriately express any problems they may have. As a result, young people develop in confidence, leading to improved attendance and attainment.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people live in a home where they have established good relationships with all staff. Because of this, young people have gained the confidence to express their views and opinions openly. Likewise, young people are provided with good opportunities to discuss matters as a group in the young people’s meetings and individually in consultation sessions. Consequently, young people feel valued and respected in the home and say, ‘We come up with ideas like going to a concert, staff listen to us and put targets in place so we can earn it. I think this works,’

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are provided with good opportunities to attend a range of individual and group activities including fishing, gym, youth club, concerts and theme parks. Staff also facilitate in-house activities such as arts and crafts, pamper nights and hair and make-up evenings. These sessions provide useful and enjoyable opportunities for young people to further develop skills in their chosen future career. Maintaining friendships is prioritised in the home. Young people are supported to sustain appropriate friendships within their own community and surrounding area. As a result, young people not only retain special friendships and bonds but also their sense of personal identity. 6 of 11 Young people enjoy better health as a result of living in the home. They are registered with services such as doctors, dentist and opticians and have regular health reviews with the looked after children’s nurse. Young people also benefit from

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Outcomes for children and young people good

regular keywork and group sessions that address healthy diet and exercise. Young people say, ‘I never went to the dentist before I came to live here, I was scared. The staff supported me through my fear and found me a top dentist. I am not scared anymore.’

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from well planned and supported contact with family. Staff maintain close links with families and involve them where appropriate in the overall planning of the young people’s care. Staff say, ‘We try our best to build relationships with families. We understand how important they are to the young people. It is better that we work together because this helps the young people become more settled in the home.’ Placement plans ensure contact only takes place with those for whom it has been agreed, and arrangements are regularly reviewed.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from a knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff team who are skilled in enhancing young people’s independence. Young people have individual plans that enable them to take small steps such as budgeting, cooking meals and preparing the weekly menu. As a result, young people develop essential skills that promote self-esteem and confidence while preparing for adult life.

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Quality of care good

From their initial starting points, young people make good progress in the home. A social worker said, ‘This is the best placement for this young person. The staff work so hard and it has really paid off. They don’t give up on young people, they look at other ways of working with them. I can’t praise them enough.’

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Quality of care good

Young people know how to complain. Information is provided in the young people’s guide and organisational complaints documents. Procedures for managing complaints are in place and clear evidence demonstrates that they are handled fairly and investigated thoroughly by the manager or external nominated person. Young people say, ‘The staff are fair and they do listen to us. If we want to speak to an external person they always arrange it.’

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Quality of care good

Young people’s placement plans are well written and provide a useful overview of individual need. The home works in partnership with external services to ensure young people are afforded professional support in order to maximise their overall experience. Likewise, plans are consistently reviewed by young people and their keyworker in order to ascertain their views and opinions with regard to the care they receive at the home. Young people say, ‘I love it here, it feels like home. It is the best home I have ever been in.’ Staff say, ‘We want the young people to achieve as much as possible. They need us to help them understand how to do that. I think this is something we are good at.’ However, some records of keywork sessions fail to fully 7 of 11 capture the work undertaken with young people, such as the reduction in risk-taking behaviours and re-establishing education. These records are important to young

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Quality of care good

people should they wish to track their journey through care now or in the future.

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Quality of care good

Young people benefit from plans that clearly identify individual heritage, identity, sexuality and faith. Young people are encouraged to pursue their individual beliefs and are offered a range of materiel to develop their understanding of individual choice and difference. For example, books, DVDs and discussions with counsellors and staff assist young people to develop a positive self-view and an understanding of what makes them a unique and special person.

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Quality of care good

Young people’s health is promoted through consistent and effective health care. Regular consultation with health professionals ensures young people have a good understanding of issues such as drugs, alcohol, sex and relationships and personal safety, including internet safety. Likewise, young people’s emotional health is prioritised in the home. Specialist counsellors work with staff and young people to ensure the right support is available to young people experiencing emotional difficulty. It is clear that this wrap-around approach enables young people to take positive steps forward in addressing some difficult issues in their lives.

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Quality of care good

From their initial starting point, young people with a history of educational disruption and non-attendance make good progress in the home. This is because the staff team are strong advocates for young people and seek out bespoke educational opportunities in order to maximise educational experience and achievement. As a result young people’s views on education are significantly improved, leading to much better attendance and attainment. However, not all young people have an up-to- date personal education plan. As a result, goals, targets and individual support plans are not up-to-date and this serves to compromise the arrangements for individual educational support.

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Quality of care good

Staff make sure young people are provided with opportunities and experiences that help to shape their lives. Special events such as seeing a favourite pop star at a concert, visits to theme parks and trips to places of interest are a sample of memories shared by young people who say, ‘I had the best time ever. It was brilliant, I just loved it.’

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Quality of care good

Young people live in a spacious, well maintained home that blends into the residential area. Young people are central to making the house into their home and proudly display photographs, drawings and comments around the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

8 of 11 The safety of young people is prioritised within the home. Very good working relationships with external agencies combined with thorough risk management ensure that young people are provided with the correct level of support to maintain their safety.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff are suitably trained in child protection in order that they are able to respond to suspicions or allegations of abuse. Appropriate policies are in place to ensure the correct procedures are followed without delay should a concern arise. Individual risk assessments highlight specific risk factors for young people and the measures to be taken to minimise risk. Assessments are regularly updated and reviewed by young people and staff. This process provides young people with an opportunity to understand personal risk factors and begin to work with staff in reducing potential risk-taking behaviours.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people live in a home where their safety and well-being is suitably supported. Detailed individual missing from home plans are in place and this ensures the correct procedures and strategies are implemented without delay. For example, staff actively search for young people in order to secure their safe return to the home. Likewise, external agencies work with staff and young people to ensure a consistent approach is maintained should a young person go missing from home. However, although it is clear that staff actively search for young people who are missing from home, some records do not reflect this. Consequently, essential information is not consistently recorded to reflect the home’s response to safeguarding concerns.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff receive training in order to appropriately manage physical intervention within the home. Staff are clear that physical intervention is only used to prevent a young person harming themselves or others. Appropriate procedures are in place to support the home’s minimal intervention strategy. De-escalation techniques prove successful as there have been no episodes of physical intervention since the last inspection.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are supported to live together and respect each other as individuals with different life experiences, needs and opinions. Likewise, young people are enabled to learn about behaviours such as bullying both from a victim and perpetrator prospective. Keywork sessions and young people’s meetings take place regularly and this empowers young people to recognise the impact of bullying both on themselves and others. Young people say, ‘We don’t have bullying here, we all try to get along. Sometimes we argue and fall out, but we always make up.’

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people’s positive behaviour is consistently acknowledged and praised within the home. Individual behaviour management plans, keywork sessions and personal incentive schemes are in place to assist young people to develop an understanding of what is acceptable behaviour and provide a useful tool for addressing some negative behaviour. However, some behaviours are not managed consistently in line with behaviour management plans. For example, supervised spending money is regularly used to address some negative behaviours such as abusive language that do not relate to financial matters. As a result, opportunities to address specific behaviours in 9 of 11 accordance with the behaviour management plans are missed. Consequently, some strategies fail to provide young people with suitable opportunities to address their behaviour.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home employs a robust recruitment procedure that ensures young people are looked after by staff that are appropriately checked in order to work in the home. Visitors are appropriately vetted and this helps to make sure that young people are protected while in their home. Likewise, staff promote young people’s on-going protection by undertaking regular fire drills and service tests, making sure that all faults are suitably addressed.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has been in post since May 2005, when the home opened. She brings to the role over thirty years residential experience including thirteen years as a Registered Manager. She is suitably qualified to undertake her responsibilities, with a degree in History and Politics, Diploma in Social Work and a Post Qualifying Award in Child Care.

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Leadership and management good

Young people live in a home that is suitably managed. The home meets the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose and young people, their families and social workers are clear about the support the home provides.

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Leadership and management good

The manager and staff demonstrate a commitment in their work with young people. The strong and capable staff team are consistent in their delivery of child care practice which is tailored to young people’s individual needs. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the good progress young people make.

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Leadership and management good

The external monitoring of the home is thorough. Evidence indicates clear lines of enquiry and focused based reporting. Likewise, internal monitoring ensures the manager has a realistic understanding of the strengths of the service. A detailed and transparent development plan highlights areas for improvement and the action taken to enhance the service. As a result, young people benefit from a consistent approach to their care including sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet their individual needs in the most suitable way.

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Leadership and management good

Young people are looked after by a caring and competent staff team with suitable skills and experience. The majority of staff are trained at NVQ level three and access a suitable training programme providing them with the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge in their work with young people. Similarly, staff receive a good level of support and supervision in order to maintain the standards of care practice in the home.

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Leadership and management good

The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents under Regulation 30, Schedule five. This practice ensures that information is shared with 10 of 11 the regulatory agency in order that the actions and outcomes for young people can be suitably assessed.

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Leadership and management good

The manager has addressed the recommendation made at the last interim inspection. Specifically, records of notifiable events now contain a summary of the actions taken and a record of any investigation that has taken place as a result of the event. 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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