Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC464759 Inspection date 18/09/2014 Inspector Amanda Ellis Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/04/2014 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

This children's home, which is part of a small organisation, can accommodate up to 4 children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be inadequate .

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Overall effectiveness

This home is inadequate as the provider has failed to ensure all young people are provided with appropriate care that meets their individual needs and behaviours. This has the potential for young people to be at risk of harm. Shortfalls have been identified in the areas of missing from care arrangements, recruitment of staff, out of hour’s management arrangements, supervision, training and fire safety. In addition, the home need to ensure that Ofsted receive internal monitoring reports and a statement of purpose, as required under regulation.

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Overall effectiveness

Despite these key shortfalls in safeguarding and leadership and management, the home is helping young people to achieve some good outcomes, particularly in their education and health. Young people's educational needs are effectively promoted. They make improvements in engaging in education, training and employment. They make progress in learning age appropriate life and self-care skills. Health care needs are well met. Young people are encouraged to have a well-balanced diet and active lifestyle.

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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 registered person shall provide a copy of the statement of purpose to the HMCI (Regulation 4 (2)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children’s home is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the safeguarding and welfare of children, with specific regards to ensuring strategies are implemented in response to known risks and risk taking behaviours (Regulation 11 (1) (a)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure in regard to the missing child policy, the registered person shall (i) consult, and take into account the views of, such local persons or bodies as the registered person considers appropriate; and (ii) have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children (Regulation 16 (5) (i) (ii)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) consider that when a child who is accommodated in the children’s home and for whom a care plan has been prepared is, or has been, persistently absent without permission from the children’s home; or is at risk of harm, the registered person shall ask the local authority that looks after that child to review that child’s care plan (Regulation 16 (6)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that there is at all times, a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working at the children’s home -with specific regard to the provision of effective management on-call arrangements (Regulation 25 (1) (a) (b)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure full and satisfactory information is available in relation to any person who works in the home who in the course of his duties has regular contact with children accommodated there in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2. This relates to both permanent and agency staff (Regulation 26 (3) b) (d)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. This is with particular reference to mandatory training for all staff, including agency staff and ensuring adequate supervision arrangements for all of the staff team, including the Registered Manager (Regulation 27 (4) (a)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure adequate precautions are taken against the risk of fire, including the review of the homes fire risk assessment (Regulation 32 (1) (a)) 23/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the registered person shall establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals; and improving the quality of care provided in the children's home. (Regulation 34 (1) (a) & (2)) 23/10/2014

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress in understanding their background. They develop their sense of identity by engaging in frequent key work sessions. This enables them to progress and develop a positive self-view. They learn to develop trusting relationships with staff and significant others. Consequently, they feel less isolated and more able to develop a positive self-image and improved emotional resilience.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people attend and engage in a range of educational and training provisions. They develop their skills and knowledge through part-time employment and work experience opportunities. Young people’s educational achievement is good, taking into account their starting points at the time of the placement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from improved health. Staff actively encourage healthy lifestyles, through the promotion of nutritious diets and active lifestyles. Some young people engage in unhealthy behaviours such as smoking and substance misuse. However, since living at the home, one young people has stopped smoking. This is because of staff promoting smoking cessation. All young people benefit from advice, guidance and support from internal and external agencies. Consequently, young people are able to make informed decisions about their health based on good levels of understanding and knowledge.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported in maintaining appropriate contact with families and significant people. The staff team collaborate with professionals and families and promote positive contact in line with the arrangements agreed in individual care plans. This means young people are supported to help maintain their family identity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to develop life skills and knowledge. This promotes greater independence and responsibility. Young people learn life skills such as, using public transport, applying for employment and interview skills. In addition, they learn practical self-care skills such as cooking, shopping and budgeting. These improved skills enable young people to build upon their ability to care for themselves and aid in their eventual transition to independence.

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Quality of care

Interactions between young people and staff demonstrate a positive rapport. Staff work hard to ensure that the home is a nurturing environment. This enables young people to develop strong bonds with staff. Consequently, they feel secure and safe in the home. The positive relationships between staff and young people has resulted in a reduction of potential conflict, and improved behaviour management. Young people confirm that staff are consistently concerned with their welfare and describe staff as ‘fantastic’ and ‘the best’!

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Quality of care

Staff prioritise young people’s educational engagement and achievements. All young people have personalised education programmes that take account of their learning styles and skills. This ensures that all young people, regardless of ability, make good progress from their starting points. Consequently, young people are able to develop the academic, practical and social skills to move up to further education and employment.

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Quality of care

Staff support young people to participate in a range of purposeful and positive activities. Young people express their choices and engage in age appropriate activities, such as bowling, cinema and meals out. Young people also participate in community groups, such as playing with local football clubs. This helps them to develop positive friendships and maintain links with their community. They enjoy time with the staff team, including a recent camping holiday to Cornwall. Positive relationships with staff mean young people seek out their company.

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Quality of care

Young people receive a guide that contains comprehensive information on their care, advocacy, contacts and the details for Ofsted. Young people know how to make a complaint to staff and outside agencies. There has been one complaint from a young person since the last inspection. This was dealt with effectively as there is a robust procedure is in place to ensure a timely resolution to complaints.

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Quality of care

The home environment is of an exceptionally high standard. Young people benefit from a spacious and modern home that provides space for communal activity and privacy. The staff ensure that the home is well looked after. Young people respect the home and consequently rarely cause intentional damage. This further contributes towards the comfortable and pleasant home environment. The home is located in a small village, which has limited public transport links. Staff support young people to access public facilities and local towns and cities. This means that young people are not isolated from the community and this further promotes their development.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is inadequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people state they feel safe living at the home: they are comfortable with staff and would know who to contact should they have a worry or concern.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people do go missing from this home. Incidents of young people missing from care are reducing. Staff follow the home’s procedures when young people go missing. However, the home’s policy has not yet taken into account the views of the relevant local authority or police.

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Safeguarding children and young people

When risks have increased to young people the home have not pursued the local authority to hold strategy meetings and review the young person’s care plan. As a result young people are inadequately protected from risks arising from them going missing.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home does not consistently recognise the full range of risks associated with young people. In one case the internal risk assessment and behaviour management plan failed to sufficiently focus on some clearly high risk behaviours which could have potentially have put the young person and staff at risk. As a result, staff do not have the clarity to ensure strategies to manage known risks are effective.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The selection and vetting procedures in relation to staff working in the home do not sufficiently ensure the home has detailed recruitment information for its permanent staff. Additionally, there is insufficient information in respect of the agency staff used in the home. This means safer recruitment practice is not consistent and as a result, young people are not adequately safeguarded.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There have been no allegations made since the last inspection and young people report no incidents of bullying within the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The environment is safe and ensures the well-being of young people. All electrical and gas appliances are regularly checked and the home has clear risk assessments for specific activities. Regular fire drills are held and fire alarm systems are checked as required. This means young people are aware how to evacuate safely in the event of a fire. However, the homes fire risk assessment is not reviewed at sufficient frequencies to ensure potential new risks are included. Consequently, fire safety arrangements do not fully consider all known risks and place young people and staff at potential risk of harm.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are inadequate .

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Leadership and management

The manager became registered in this post for this newly established home in April 2014. He has a National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in Health and Social Care. He commenced his studies on the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership in Health and Social Care in September 2013. This means the manager is ensuring he has suitable qualifications for the post of Registered Manager. He has relevant experience of residential childcare within the private sector.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager has worked diligently to establish the home and operational systems. He has been an integral part of the staff team and is held in high regard with staff, young people and professionals. However, his direct approach has limited his ability to have sufficient managerial oversight of the whole home.

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Leadership and management

Internal quality assurance processes have not been effective in identifying shortfalls and poor practice in the home. These reports have not sent to Ofsted as required, thus impeding the regulator in reviewing the home’s performance.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose is clearly set and provides a detailed guide to parents and placing authorities about the aims and objectives of the home and care provided. This document has not however been submitted to Ofsted, as required under regulation.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive training which covers mandatory areas such as first aid, food hygiene, restraint training and fire safety. Not all staff, including agency staff, have completed these courses though, or received up to date refresher training. This means young people’s safety is potentially compromised.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager and staff do not receive regular supervision in line with the home's own policy. Additionally, where some supervision has taken place, records are not maintained in the home. This does not support the manager or staff appropriately and fails to ensure that staff performance is monitored.

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Leadership and management

The home generally has sufficient staffing, with a dedicated and knowledgeable staff team. Regular relief and agency staff are employed to cover gaps in the rota. However, management arrangements to support staff ‘out of hours’ are unreliable. This has led to staff, at times, being unable able to access the appropriate guidance and support when needed. Consequently, this has the potential to prevent the effective implementation of safeguarding measures.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager has systems in place to notify relevant agencies, including Ofsted, of significant events to ensure the protection of young people. Notifications are provided as required and appropriate action is taken to follow procedures and protect young people.

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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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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 Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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