Children's Home run by Institute of Integrated Systemic Therapy in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC065792 Inspector Gwen Buckley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Childhood First Registered person address Childhood First 210 Borough High Street LONDON SE1 1JX Responsible individual Stephen Blunden Registered manager Jeanette Langfeld Date of last inspection 25/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 09/07/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness good

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

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Overall effectiveness

The staff team consists of dedicated, caring managers and staff who work well with others to ensure care and services are provided to young people that meet individual needs. Staff are highly motivated to bring about improvement in a young person’s life and to keep them safe. Staff ensure young people’s plans identify reasons for admission to the home. Staff are exceptionally well trained and supported to recognise and support young people. As a result, care planning helps young people to develop strategies to manage things they have previously found difficult.

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Overall effectiveness

Family members are extremely positive about the care provided and state, ‘Staff are outstanding, helpful, kind, professional – the list is endless.’ Young people are very positive about the staff and say they always have a member of staff to talk with if they are upset or want support. Attendance at education facilities is good with young people making good progress with their education.

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Overall effectiveness

Support for young people to maintain contact with those people who are important to them is extremely well managed. Parents and external professionals are very complimentary about the quality of care provided and feel the staff are very good at keeping them up to date with events.

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Overall effectiveness

Areas for development arising out of this inspection include: training for all staff 3 of 9 involved in recruitment; the way in which external monitoring is conducted; and updating and publishing the statement of purpose. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is owned by a registered charity. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is a therapeutic community based on an Integrated Systemic Therapy model.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/03/2014 Interim good progress 09/08/2013 Full good 14/02/2013 Interim good progress 14/09/2012 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

4 (2001) compile in relation to the children’s home a written statement (in these Regulations referred to as “the statement of purpose”) which shall consist of a statement as to the matters listed in Schedule 1 (Regulation 4(1) 01/09/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

4 (2001) ensure that a copy of the statement of purpose is published on the website unless the registered person considers that such publication would prejudice the welfare of children cared for in the children’s home (Regulation 4 (2A)) 01/09/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

33 ensure the independent person, when carrying out 01/09/2014 5 of 9 (2001) a visit, shall interview, with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there, their parents, relatives as appears necessary in order to form an opinion as to whether the children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes the wellbeing of the children accommodated there. (Regulation 33 (8) (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 all personnel responsible for recruitment and selection of staff are train in, understand and operate good practices. (NMS 16.2) 6 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people attend schools and further education placements that meet well their very varying needs. A head teacher stated that the progress of a young person is good given their starting point when admitted to the home. Young people are expected to attend school or further education provision and are encouraged and supported to do so. There are occasions when young people feel unable to attend school but on the whole attendance is good. Young people are supported to stay at the school they attended prior to admission if it is at all possible. As a result, young people are able to maintain their school placements and maintain friendships outside the home environment.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people see health professionals, including mental health staff, when they have a specific need. Staff acknowledge the young person’s rights to make decisions about what health care professionals they see. Staff continually give reminders to young people about the importance of staying healthy and making positive choices. This helps young people identify risks so that they can keep themselves safe and well and recognise when they need help.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people consider the food on offer meets their needs and they are able to influence the menu planning. Young people learn and practice basic skills in preparation for adulthood including cooking and preparing snacks. Preparation for adulthood and independent living focuses on identified areas after an assessment of need is undertaken. This enables young people to be confident about their skills and ability to manage when they leave. Those young people who are anxious about moving on are supported during the transition. For some, in agreement with the placing authority, this support continues for some time once they have left the home.

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Quality of care outstanding

Parents state, ‘The staff are kind, caring, helpful and thoughtful. As well as helping our child they are also available to support families/parents which gives peace of mind and reassurance. They fully support our child and care for their emotional needs, health and education.’

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Quality of care outstanding

Children feel the level of support provided for trips out and trying new activities is a strength of the home. As a result of listening to the young people, the manager has made changes to the dining room lighting and upgraded a bathroom. Young people were involved in choosing the fittings for these upgrades. Young people also consider that a quiet room in the home where they can listen to music would be an improvement and the manager now has plans in place to address this. Staff feel the 7 of 9 views of young people are valid and important and young people know this. Young people can influence changes, they appreciate this and it raises their self-esteem and pride in their environment.

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff deployment and careful monitoring of young people limits the opportunities for bullying to take place. Young people consider bullying seldom occurs. However, when it does take place they know staff will take swift action to keep them safe and address the bullying. Staff have an excellent understanding of the range of bullying that can occur within group living both in the home and in school. Issues addressed include homophobic and racist comments.

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Quality of care outstanding

The internal management oversight of care provided in the home is excellent. A wide range of external professionals effectively support the staff team so that action is taken immediately to help young people. This supports staff to understand the issues and develop care planning to better support the young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Close multi-disciplinary working with a range of consultants ensure staff are effectively supported to care for the young people. Young people also have a range of consultants available to them to support their mental and physical wellbeing. Staff are given extremely positive support and guidance on strategies to manage specific issues such as challenging behaviours and the emotional wellbeing of young people. These include using positive reinforcement, effective monitoring and use of the strong trusting relationships young people have with staff.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Restraints and sanctions are seldom used. When used, clear records are maintained and the views of young people sought and recorded. Young people consider the sanctions are fair and they have no reason to complain. Monitoring of restraints is excellent. Each incident involving a restraint is reviewed by the whole staff team and they look to see how best to prevent it occurring again. They discuss this with the young people and actions young people feel are needed to support them are clearly recorded and made known to the staff team. This results in: young people recognising that good behaviour is valued and expected; and improved behaviour helping young people develop as individuals, make and sustain friendships.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) reports that the home makes referrals to them in a timely manner. Social workers state, ‘The home’s professionals regularly seek consultations on how to improve their care and are reassuringly open and reflective about their practice and the relational environment they co-create.’ They also say, ‘In my experience with staff, they readily seek to comprehend the complexity of the circumstances of the children in their care and respond thoughtfully and with compassion.’ This attention to detail ensures the care provided is outstanding and helps keeps young people safe. 8 of 9 Young people seldom go missing with only one event since the last inspection. The protocol for young people missing from care is followed in accordance with placement plans. These provide clear guidance for staff and help keep young people safe.

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Leadership and management good

The home has a strong, dedicated Registered Manager who has high aspirations for the service. The manager has suitable qualifications including the Certificate in Social Service; Advanced Award in Social Work; M.A. in Therapeutic Young Person Care; and a Certificate in Management. She has made significant changes in the last year. Changes to the staffing structure and senior posts have ensured a balanced skilled staff team covers each shift and the roles and responsibilities of senior staff are clear.

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Leadership and management good

The home operates in line with the statement of purpose and provides a consistent high quality care for young people who make significant attachments during their time at the home. However, the statement of purpose is not published on the website nor is it up to date. The statement of purpose does not have the correct Registered Manager details.

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Leadership and management good

Parents’ feedback about the service is extremely positive. Staff seek their views about the care provided and make changes as a result of feedback given. These views are reflected in the internal quality monitoring reports. As a result, the manager better understands the key strengths of the service and the areas that require improvement. However, the external monthly monitoring does not seek out or report on the views of parents or others. This means they do not have a full understanding about the quality of care provided.

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Leadership and management good

Staff undergo a wide range of mandatory and other professional training courses such as advanced diplomas and certificates in Psychosocial Care. This and the consultant support ensure that staff are competent in their practice and able to meet the complex behavioural and emotional health needs of young people. The staff team continually reflect on practice to ensure the best outcomes for young people. Staff have regular supervision and meetings where they can reflect on events and air their views. All staff feel well supported and are ready for the roles they are to undertake.

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Leadership and management good

The staff team is diverse in age, gender and experience providing positive caring role models for young people. The ways in which records are stored ensure the confidentiality of young people's life history. Notifications are made to Ofsted as required and show that the staff are keeping young people safe when an incident occurs. 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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