Children's Home run by Resicare Alliance Limited in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC463639 Inspector Carole Moore Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Aston Children's Care Ltd Registered person address 73 Dudley Road DUDLEY West Midlands DY3 1TF

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Responsible individual Mahesh Mehan Registered manager Alec Wayne Essex Date of last inspection 13/11/2013 2 of 9 Inspection date 12/08/2014

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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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 receive good standards of personalised care in this home. Staff place the young person's well-being at the centre of their practice and are able to demonstrate a good understanding of the individual needs of the young people. Most of the young people do not use much verbal communication and the staff communicate with them using a wide range of pictorial tools. Young people are very involved in using these tools. Young people's individual needs are well met, and young people achieve good positive outcomes.

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a comfortable and spacious environment for young people with good outside facilities. Young people are kept safe from harm by extensive supervision and good policies and procedures. Young people demonstrate by their trusting and relaxed behaviour in the home that they feel safe. Staff underpin this by good quality risk assessments and by their detailed understanding of each young person's moods.

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Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager has a clear vision for the development of the home and has introduced new systems and new initiatives which are still being embedded so it is still very much work in progress.

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Overall effectiveness

One recommendation has been made as a result of this inspection. This is in relation 3 of 9 to implementing a development plan. However, this shortfall has no impact on the overall good quality of care that young people receive from the staff team and manager. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

The service is operated by a private company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people with learning and physical disabilities.

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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 there is a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future the home, either identifying any planned changes in the operation or resource the service, or confirming the continuation of the home's current operation an resource. (NMS 15.2) 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people make good progress throughout their time at the home. This is based on the attachments that they are able to make with a motivated and caring staff team that support them. As far as practically possible young people receive guidance to help them understand their circumstances and background. A social worker stated that the young person has made a great deal of progress since the beginning of his placement. Parents have also said, 'A dramatic change.'

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people's health improves through well organised and consistent approaches to some very complex health needs. Medication has been reduced for some young people and regular reviews are held with professionals to ensure that the most appropriate medication is administered. Also young people's diets are being improved with the support from staff and the dietician.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people respond positively to school and benefit from the good support that is offered. Some young people who were previously excluded from school now enjoy all the benefits of inclusion. The close links between school and the home allow for a consistency of expectations and high awareness of the young people’s needs. Achievements in meeting individual targets are well celebrated.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people enjoy well supported contact with their families where appropriate. Staff facilitate all the contact arrangements and parents are welcome to visit at any time.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Staff encourage children to enjoy their leisure time. Activities are highly individualised and good use is made of community resources to allow young people to have as many experiences as possible. For example trips on public transport and going to discos. These are opportunities that parents have really welcomed for their children. Within the home environment young people systematically develop their confidence by having access to stimulating resources and areas such as the sensory room, trampoline and television and internet resources with the support from staff.

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Quality of care good

The quality of care provided at the home is good. This is achieved through a committed staff team who have a thorough awareness of the differing needs of the young people and how to respond to their complex needs. Staff use a variety of diversionary techniques to respond to young people's behaviours. Staff and innovative in ways of affecting change in young people's ability to communicate and in improving independent lifestyle skills. 6 of 9 Placement plans are informative and contain clear information for any new staff. A high level of detail is included within these plans and they clearly show a wide range of information about how the young person would like to be cared for. Placement plans link up to other plans, such as education and health plans, to ensure a continuity of care is achieved across the provision. Plans are updated on a regular basis to ensure that the correct information is in place. There are defined targets set

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Quality of care good

and these are measured so as to ensure outcomes for young people continue to improve. For example one social worker said, 'I am really pleased with the progress made. When the young person arrived he had no verbal communication, now he uses a variety of words.' There is a wide range of workbooks to encourage young people to have their say in how the home is run and it is clear to see that young people have a say in activities and choice of menus.

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Quality of care good

Young people who have reached or almost reached the age of 18 are currently being prepared for their next transition. Staff are having the necessary discussions with the child's responsible authority and their independent reviewing officer where applicable, about the progress of the child's readiness to move to any future accommodation. Pathway plans and independence plans are in place and every support is given to young people to maximise their independence whatever that may be.

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Quality of care good

Young people's health care is central to the home. Young people receive effective support to access the health services they need in line with their differing range of needs and the complexities of their conditions. Suitable arrangements are made for their basic healthcare. For example, annual medicals, dental treatment and routine health visits, as well as more specialised services such as dietary advice, occupational therapy and medication.

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Quality of care good

Staff fully support young people through providing a continuity of care that covers education. Care staff are involved in supporting young people's education and education staff share information with the home relating to the young people’s day in school. All necessary meetings are completed to make the most of the educational provision and allow young people to develop as much as possible. Comments such as, 'The young person had been excluded from school and was really anxious, However, now he has 100% attendance and is happy to be in school.'

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Quality of care good

Recent improvements to the décor and furnishings provide a warm and welcoming environment. As soon as you enter this home it is clear it is the children's home by the range of photographs around the walls. It is cheerful, well decorated and clean. Young people’s bedrooms are personalised with some young people choosing pictures and beddings of their choice. Various activities and games are available in the home. The garden is secure and accessible to young people and there is good access to local facilities. This further promotes the development of young people. 7 of 9

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are protected from harm because staff are aware of their responsibilities in keeping young people safe. Staff promote young people’s safety because they recognise the physical and emotional disabilities that have potential to make them vulnerable.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff receive training on safeguarding children and this is completed in relation to young people with learning disabilities. Staff say they feel confident about reporting concerns both within their organisation and to outside agencies. Risk assessments are robust and reviewed regularly and this means the likelihood of accidents is reduced.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

This service actively promotes good behaviour and young people are encouraged to take reasonable risks as part of their growth and development. Risk assessments provide the necessary support required to ensure safe inclusion and participation during activities such as outdoor pursuits.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Positive behaviour is encouraged because staff give lots of praise and expressions of approval. The quality of planning and frequency of routines mean young people are clear about expectations for their day and this helps to reduce incidents of challenging behaviour. The use of sanctions considers the learning and understanding of each young person, this includes verbal reinforcement and moving to a calm place with increased supervision. Staff only use physical restraint as a last resort. As a result, young people interact positively with staff and each other and are beginning to learn to manage their behaviours appropriately.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff provide good supervision for young people when outside the home to minimise the risk of them getting lost or running away and to support community-based activities. Young people have not gone missing from this home since the last inspection. Staff vet all visitors before they enter the home and staff recruitment follows robust verification checks to ensure young people are protected from harm. The home has good health and safety regimes which ensures that fire precautions and equipment servicing are conducted routinely and within timescales set by the relevant regulations.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has been in post since October 2013 and has the necessary skills and experience to lead his team. He is currently undertaking the level 5 diploma in leadership and management coupled with the extra modules in childcare and is fully committed to the welfare and development of young people. The strong and visible leadership positively promotes a good care ethos and enables staff to understand their roles and responsibilities. 8 of 9 The strength of the home is the enthusiastic, competent and consistent staff team that is totally committed to putting the best interests of the young people at the heart of their work, enabling them to provide good care and support. The home recently held an open day with a barbecue and parents have expressed very warm comments about the day. 'Excellent day out. Nice to see the children so happy.'

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Leadership and management good

The management team have set high standards of care and aim to continually improve the service. These aspirations are shared with the staff team through consistent communication in the team meetings that are held. The management and staff have good working relationships with key professionals in other agencies. One social worker commented; ‘Their communication is good.’ 'Always have monthly updates.' Monitoring of the service is regular and robust with both internal and external checks being carried out on a monthly basis. Any shortfalls found during these checks are rectified promptly by the staff team. There is no clear meaningful development plan in place but this is currently being addressed.

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Leadership and management good

The registered person has systems in place to notify the appropriate authorities of all significant events relating to the protection of looked after young people and confirming that appropriate action follows any incident.

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Leadership and management good

There has been one complaint referred to Ofsted which was thoroughly investigated as part of this inspection. The evidence gathered has concluded that the complaint was unfounded.

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Leadership and management good

Suitable staffing levels enable carers to spend time meeting the individual needs of the young people. Staff receive a variety of relevant training and development opportunities and are able to put learning into practice. All staff are supported through performance appraisals and monthly supervision. Staff state that they can raise issues and concerns with the manager and really feel they are listened to and are part of the overall development of the home. Staff comment positively on the improvements made to this service by the manager of the home. 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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