Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Blackburn with Darwen

Unique reference number SC467268 Inspector Elaine Clare Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Care Today (Children's Services) Ltd Registered person address Care Today Children's Services, Lansdowne House 85 Buxton Road STOCKPORT Cheshire SK2 6LR Responsible individual Vivien Anne Snape Registered manager Scott Phillip St Clare Date of last inspection 26/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 09/09/2014

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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 adequate Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management adequate

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Overall effectiveness

This is a well -managed and effective service. Young people make good progress across all areas and staff support them to change their behaviours and look to the future. There is a stable, trained staff team ensuring that the young people's well- being and welfare are seen as paramount. Over 70% of care staff have qualifications relating to looking after young people with the remaining few undertaking a suitable course. The Registered Manager is experienced and is currently undertaking a management qualification.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from good quality and personalised care however care planning is only adequately individualised and does not fully enable staff to focus on areas of need for each young person. Generally behaviour is managed well with a few exceptions when staff didn't follow home procedures and risk assessments and young people's safety was compromised. However in the main the home engages in safe practices that are underpinned by robust policies and procedures.

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Overall effectiveness

One social worker commented, '(child) had significant issues when he was placed at this placement. The work that has been carried out with him has enabled the local authority to plan to reintegrate (child) back to a community placement.' This demonstrates good progress and positive outcomes. 3 of 9 The home strives to embrace equality and diversity. This means that young people are supported to achieve a sense of personal identity. Health and safety is taken seriously and young people benefit from safe systems and comprehensive checks and inspections.

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Overall effectiveness

A good range of information is available to the young people, staff and other professionals. The statement of purpose is updated with any change to the home so it is fit for purpose. Monitoring of the home is good with Regulation 33 reports and Regulation 34 reports being used to develop practice.

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Overall effectiveness

The home received three recommendations at the inspection which related to the Registered Manager completing his management qualification; providing a written individualised care plan where the young person’s voice is heard and ensuring staff always follow procedures and guidance to enable young people to be safe. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for six young people, of either gender, with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private company.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/03/2014 Full adequate 30/01/2014 Full inadequate

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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

 allow children to understand how their views have been taken into account, and where significant wishes or concerns are not acted upon, they are helped to understand why (NMS 1.2)  provide an environment and culture, to promote models and support positive behaviour that all staff understand and implement (NMS 3.2)  ensure the registered manager has a qualification in management at least at level 4 (NMS 14.2) 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from support which helps them grow in confidence and helps them to understand their past. The key-worker system enables young people to focus on their goals and recognise their progress. Regular key-work sessions provide an avenue for them to discuss their feelings and thoughts. Staff are aware of young people's strengths and vulnerabilities and help to nurture their talents and interests.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people at the home are encouraged to undertake physical exercise and do so through activities provided by the service such as gym membership. Activities cater to the needs of the young people and risk assessment systems help determine which activities are appropriate. Young people confirmed that the staff support them in their activities and they enjoy being able to experience new things.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people prosper from having their general health needs and emotional health promoted to a good standard through regular appointments with health professionals such as doctors, opticians and dentists. The staff support any specialised assistance from a range of professionals, such as mental health professionals and medical professionals, to help address the needs of individual young people. Young people are offered and receive age appropriate advice and guidance on issues such as sexual health and drug awareness.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people experience education in their own way and for those who attend full time education, attendance is good. This achievement for each young person is positive, especially when taking into consideration their past experiences and attendance levels before they were admitted to the home. Young people are able to access safe internet sites for their homework and enjoyment. Young people also have access to educational games and books.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with family, friends and other people who are important to them; these contacts are managed sensitively. Restrictions on visits are in place where needed and contact can be supervised and supported.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people receive good and carefully thought out support to develop their independent living skills as appropriate to their age. Young people were seen to be undertaking such chores as washing. The young people confirmed they shop for their own clothes and personal items. Young people are educated about healthy living through their independence skills training. Support offered to young people when in transition and preparing to move on is very good with staff finding the right level of support for each young person's needs. 6 of 9

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Quality of care adequate

Young people's views are promoted and valued to an adequate standard. Each young person has some forums, both formal and informal, to voice their feelings and opinions. However their care plans are not child focused and they do not allow young people to express their views about what they would like to achieve at the home. Young people confirmed they would know how to complain. There is a growing culture of promoting young people's rights to voice their feelings and opinions appropriately. Young people are able to influence most decisions relating to their daily lives, such as independent living.

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Quality of care adequate

Young people's care plans are in the form of trackers based on the evaluation schedule of the Ofsted inspection programme. They do not clearly identify young people’s individual needs. Monitoring enables staff to evaluate young people's progress but this is not then used to ensure that care plans are up to date and outline the needs of each young person. The process contributes to statutory reviews and means that reports and staff cannot accurately reflect each young person's progress and identify clearly areas of concern.

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Quality of care adequate

Consistency in complying with young people’s risk assessments and standard health and safety requirements at times is weak. For example a staff member left a petrol can on the floor while undertaking gardening jobs with a petrol filled hedge cutter. Despite young people's risk assessments that flammable material should be locked away, young people poured the petrol on the floor and lit it with their own lighters. This demonstrates that behaviour at the home is sometimes poorly managed.

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Quality of care adequate

Young people's cultural needs and religious beliefs are promoted. Focused care enables them to gain a greater positive self-view and develop stronger emotional resilience.

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Quality of care adequate

The changing culture of the home ensures that education is promoted and highly valued. Educational results for young people are good, with young people achieving success that they have never experienced prior to their admission to the home.

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Quality of care adequate

Healthy lifestyles are encouraged by the staff who guide young people in choosing healthy meals and by encouraging them to take part in physical exercise and activities. Staff have clear knowledge of any medical or health issues the young people may have. Young people are provided with their medication by staff who have good understanding of the safe administration of medication and specific procedures needed to ensure young people remain safe, happy and well.

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Quality of care adequate

Members of staff also enable the young people to take part in positive and enriching activities. This approach enables young people to develop their self-esteem and confidence and to experience being a positive part of a community.

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Quality of care adequate

Young people benefit from living in a home which is well maintained and they are 7 of 9 encouraged to personalise their rooms and to choose colour schemes and décor. They therefore invest in and take ownership of their environment. The young people have a garden to spend time in and communal areas such as the lounge and dining- room in which to socialise.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people report that they feel supported, cared for and protected in the home. Robust policies and procedures support practices to ensure young people are kept as safe as possible. Young people and professionals say the home keeps young people safe and they have a wide variety of people to talk to if they feel unsafe. Staff display a sound understanding of key safeguarding matters with child protection training delivered at regular intervals. When issues arise staff are quick to take action to ensure the safety and well-being of all involved. The home makes appropriate use of advice from the Local Safeguarding Children Board and works closely with youth offending services, regularly communicating with them to ensure consistency of practice.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Each young person has an individual protocol in place detailing what course of action needs to be followed in the event that they are missing without permission. Young people do go missing from the home. However this has become much less of an issue with events becoming less frequent. The staff in the home work hard with the young people and have developed strategies to discourage young people from leaving without permission. Young people who do go missing are protected as far as possible and responded to positively on their return. The home has connections with the local police force and work alongside the police protocol.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The effective management of the young people's behaviour is a positive aspect of the home and situations are dealt with through discussion and communication. Young people understand why there are rules in the home. Strong relationships between staff and the young people ensure that physical restraint would only be used if no other option were available.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people benefit from a stable staff team. The home has robust recruitment processes which ensure that only adults who have been assessed as suitable to work with young people are employed.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Risk assessments, individual risk assessments and safety checks of the premises and fire equipment ensure that the young people live in a safe home. Fire drills are undertaken on a monthly basis to ensure everyone is up to date with emergency procedures. The systems operated in the home have ensured that young people’s safety is promoted to a good standard. 8 of 9

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Leadership and management adequate

The new Registered Manager leads a staff team who are developing and growing in knowledge around looking after young people with challenging needs. He is ably assisted by his new deputy manager. The Registered Manager is experienced, efficient and well respected. He has his child care related qualification and is mid-way through his management qualification. He has been at the home for six months and has had a positive impact since being at the home. For example, implementing new incentives that have resulted in positive outcomes for young people. One social worker said ' 'it has been an absolute pleasure working with the staff in the home. They are dedicated child carers and hold strong boundaries in their work with my young person. I would certainly place another child in the home.’

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Leadership and management adequate

Adequate compliance can be seen in the home’s use of the Regulation 33 reports and how these have been used to improve practice and identify any areas of weakness. Regulation 34 reports also show how the manager has monitored areas for improvement and acted upon them. The Registered Manager has begun using Regulation 34 reports to feed directly into the yearly development plan.

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Leadership and management adequate

The staffing complement ensures that there are always sufficient staff members on shift to be able to respond to young people's needs. The low staff turnover and the stability of the staff team ensure that the young people benefit from consistent care by a motivated staff team.

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Leadership and management adequate

Members of staff report being committed to the well-being of the young people and adequately supported in their role by the new management team. The basic training and supervision is of an adequate standard and includes first aid and child protection.

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Leadership and management adequate

Significant events relating to the protection of children accommodated in the home are notified by the registered person of the home to the appropriate authorities and appropriate action is taken following any incident. 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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