Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC028905 Inspector Rachel Ruth Britten Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Staffordshire County Council Registered person address Staffordshire County Council, Wedgwood Buildings Tipping Street STAFFORD ST16 2DH Responsible individual Richard Ronald Hancock Registered manager Joanne Louise Heath Date of last inspection 26/03/2014 2 of 12 Inspection date 01/12/2014

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

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness of the home has declined since the last full inspection and is now good. Twenty young people have lived short term in the home since it was last inspected in March 2014. Overall, young people have made good progress during their assessment placements. They have also moved on to suitable placements with good transitional support from staff.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff continue to provide effective and high quality support to young people. They are warm and caring, demonstrating unconditional positive regard to all young people. Staff have a good understanding of safe working practice. They draw on social pedagogy principles of enabling and teaching rather than using restrictive or 'risk averse' approaches. Young people confirm that unsafe situations and behaviour are well managed by staff and a happy atmosphere prevails most of the time. However, Staff and managers do not know if young people's positive outcomes are sustained after moving to long term placements.

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Overall effectiveness

Leadership and management arrangements remain consistent and strong because the long standing manager continues to advocate for young people and oversees the work of staff generally well. However, the quality of monitoring activity, evaluation and consultation has declined. Few messages for development and improvement are therefore identified. For example, measures of control put in place following 3 of 12 unwanted behaviours are not reviewed for effectiveness with sufficient skill. As a result, behaviour management strategies are not adapted quickly enough for young people to gain maximum benefit. There are slight compromises to staff supervision during times of crisis in the home. Similarly, the completion of some records is not timely or effective enough during times of crisis. These shortfalls slightly impair the otherwise high quality consistent care that is provided. Some reports required to be

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Overall effectiveness

sent to the regulator, Ofsted, have not been sent and others have not been sent in a timely way. 4 of 12

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a local authority residential provision for looked after children. It provides care and accommodation for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It provides emergency, short- term assessment placements for a maximum of five young people, of either gender. Placements are for a maximum of 12 weeks, other than in exceptional circumstances.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/03/2014 Interim good progress 31/10/2013 Full outstanding 07/03/2013 Interim good progress 25/10/2012 Full outstanding

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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 that the register of admissions to the home specified in Schedule 4 is kept up to date (Regulation 29 (1)) 10/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) improve the system for monitoring the matters set out in schedule 6 and improving the quality of the home. Ensure that the system provides for effective consultation with children, their parents and placing authorities, and ensure that reports of any reviews conducted are supplied to Ofsted (Regulation 34) 10/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

5 (2001) ensure that HMCI is notified of reviews to the 10/01/2014 5 of 12 Statement of Purpose within 28 days (Regulation 5 (b)) 17B (2001) ensure that written records of measures of control and discipline include details of the behaviour leading to the use of the measure and the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure (Regulation 17B(3)(b) and (f)) 10/01/2014

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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

 extend the procedures for monitoring the activities of the home. This pertains to measuring young people's progress, both at the end of placements and at intervals after discharge, in order to measure the effectiveness of the home's work in sustaining better outcomes for young people (NMS 21.1)  regularly review incidents of challenging behaviour, examine trends and issues emerging from this and enable staff to reflect and learn to inform future practice (NMS 3.21)  ensure that all staff have access to regular supervision. This particularly pertains to periods when the home is experiencing extra challenges in meeting the needs of all young people placed (NMS 19.4)  ensure that a clear and comprehensive summary of any allegations made against a particular member of staff, including details of how the allegation was followed up and resolved, a record of any action taken and the decisions reached, is kept on the person's confidential file and a copy is

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Recommendations

provided to them as soon as the investigation is concluded (NMS 20.7)  ensure that children receive prompt feedback on any concerns or complaints raised and are kept informed of progress. This pertains to providing clear feedback to young people about all their concerns and establishing whether they are satisfied with the outcomes (NMS 1.6)  ensure that the views of the child and independent reviewing officer (IRO) are sought regularly on the child's care. This pertains to regularly seeking the views of young people and their IRO about practice and planning from the outset of short term placements, so that young people's engagement and progress are maximised (NMS 1.4)  ensure that young people's guide explains how they can contact their IRO. This pertains to staff ensuring that names and contact details are obtained promptly at placement and that it is explained to young people how the IRO advocacy role is available to them as distinct from their social worker.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

The majority of young people make good progress in developing positive relationships and emotional resilience while they are here. Young people presently in residence say 'everything's fine' and one young person who stayed here for eight months wrote to all staff individually thanking them for their support, encouragement and friendship. She was able to participate and progress in her skills while here, for example, baking, growing vegetables and salad, and learning to lip-read. Another young person said, 'before I came here I never really knew what a home was like - every member of staff is like family and I am leaving with memories of happiness - you have all pointed me in the right direction of life.' Young people become self-confident here and are well prepared to move on to long term placements. Another young person was supported by staff and a parent to attend a job interview. He told the home's monthly

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people's educational achievement is good, taking into account their starting points at the time of placement and the short term nature of their placements. This is because staff creatively and successfully advocate for young people to re-engage in education and training locally. Young people also enjoy good opportunities within the home to learn in ways that interest them about subjects they are interested in. For example, young people play word games, learn magic tricks with cards and learn to prepare healthy meals. A young person recently wrote a well organised essay about why electronic strategy games are educational: '..making important decisions about sacrificing men to save yourselves; being organised; planning ahead; multi-tasking etc.' Another young person worked alongside a member of staff to complete an 'e- learning' programme on data protection.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are actively and positively involved in activities in the community. They benefit from close proximity to indoor sports facilities, activities and shops, including skating, bowling, gym, army cadets and superstores. They have grown salad, fruits and vegetables during the summer and are planning a relaxation/thinking area to add to the swings in the large garden. Staff provide very positive support to young people, staying alongside them and guiding them towards beneficial activity and participation in all aspects of the life of the home. This includes experiences such as learning to play musical instruments, hairdressing, magic, camping, putting on shows, theatre and circus trips, and holidays to the coast. One young person wrote, 'thank you for letting me cook with you. You were the first person to ever take me camping too.' Most young people's emotional and physical health therefore improves here.

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Quality of care good

8 of 12 Young people know that staff are consistently concerned with their welfare. They also know that staff do not forget the connection between their behaviour and their past experiences. A young person said that the home is 'the best place ever and with the best people!' Three members of staff are 'pedagogue agents' in the home. They ensure that fortnightly meetings take place to reflect on models and ideas which seek out the best in every young person and recognise the need to help move young people away from 'panic' or 'comfort zones' and into a 'learning zone' where they can progress and participate. As a result, a social worker noticed 'significant improvement with my young person while at the home'. Overall, young people are well prepared for moving to appropriate longer term placements. Continued outreach for a short time after moving on promotes successful transitions for them.

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Quality of care good

Staff are proactive and imaginative in finding individualised ways to help young people manage conflict and develop positive relationships. Their system of credits builds up to rewards for good behaviour and participation. Examples of rewards are: an ice skating trip for keeping out of trouble; a coffee shop trip for good behaviour; £10 worth of credits for helping conduct interviews with prospective night staff and a music CD of choice for helping with the food delivery. However, staff's approach of treating each day as a new day is undermined when longer lasting negative measures of control are put in place. Examples of such measures are fines for damage; supervision of spending money for smoking indoors; and removal of lifts in cars for coming back to the home 'under the influence'. Staff and managers do not record, review or evaluate the effectiveness of these occasional measures of control rigorously enough. They do not identify trends and patterns in anti-social behaviour

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Quality of care good

and consider different ways to respond. As a result, they do not know if measures of control actually work or whether they demoralise young people and reduce their investment in the home.

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Quality of care good

The views and wishes of young people significantly influence the running of the home. Young people's choices about menus, activities and methods of learning and participating are catered for well. For example, young people serve themselves, buffet style, from a wide range of healthy meal options. They are also helped to use their own preferred way of collecting memories of their time in the home to take with them when they leave. Staff are highly attentive to young people and listen seriously to their concerns. They say they consciously 'provide young people with a stable period of time while they are with us.' This includes helping them understand their rights and encouraging them to express their concerns and complaints. For example, young people regularly express concerns to staff, and sometimes to the police, if they feel 'picked on' by peers in the home. However, young people do not always receive

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Quality of care good

clear and timely responses to their complaints and these are not consistently recorded in every case. Despite this, young people appreciate the help of staff and feel that they are properly listened to.

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Quality of care good

The home ensures that its contribution to individual placement plans fully involves young people. There is regular planning, including fortnightly meetings with social workers, to ensure that information is promptly shared during young people's short 9 of 12 assessment period here. Staff work well with relatives, as appropriate, to promote the care plan and help young people re-build good relationships through contact with family members. One parent said, 'my child was treated fairly and the communication between everyone was excellent.' Equally, an IRO said, 'an excellent report was prepared for the young person's review; I hope that you buying him a dictionary and a DVD in his first language helps him feel that he is not losing his first language.' However, staff are not proactive enough to engage IROs early in the placement and ensure that young people know how to contact them for advocacy if they have

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Quality of care good

concerns about their care plan. This shortfall means that young people's views about their plan might not be heard by key persons who can act for them.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff are carefully vetted and are well trained in safe care practice, child protection, physical intervention and social pedagogy. This good training underpins a problem- solving approach where negative, risk averse responses are avoided as much as possible. No physical interventions have been used. Staff create a supportive home environment based on enabling young people to overcome unsafe, unplanned behaviour by being occupied with realistic and well managed tasks associated with daily living. For example, young people take part in all aspects of cooking, including learning to gut and prepare fish. They are shown how to use tools and art and craft materials to express themselves. Young people also sign up to anti-bullying agreements and regularly talk with key workers about how to understand and regulate their particular unsafe behaviours. As a result, incidents of self-harm, bullying, substance misuse and going missing are minimised and many young people

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Keeping children and young people safe good

make significant strides away from unhealthy, anti-social risk-taking behaviour.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

One allegation against a member of staff has been made since the last inspection. Young people are well protected because local authority safeguarding procedures were properly followed. However, the member of staff has not received an outcome summary detailing the action that was taken about the allegation and the outcome of it. This has had no adverse impact on young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has strong and proactive relationships with the police and young people are well aware of their rights to call them. Three social workers 'strongly agree' on their Ofsted survey answers that young people are well safeguarded here. Nevertheless, there are still incidents from time to time where different young people engaged in bullying behaviour, causing damage around the home and risky behaviour when missing from the home. Nevertheless, young people tell the home's visitor that they feel safe here and can talk to any staff.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Overall, the ever-changing mix of young people living in the home is very well managed. Leaders and managers refuse admissions when young people's needs indicate that there will be an increase in risks for young people already in placement. A social worker said that staff 'really did work hard to try to pull things back for my 10 of 12 young person, but I think she felt so out of control - it was far too easy and tempting to abscond - this then overrides everything.' In cases such as these, the home's assessment contributes well to care plans that identify the key risks and protective factors. As a result, young people progress to appropriate long term placements where they can engage and be safe.

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Leadership and management good

The manager has been registered in post for almost seven years and is qualified to level 4 in care and management. She is supported by a team of three senior staff and a number of staff who have worked in the home for many years. This provides a stable, warm atmosphere in the home which benefits young people, even though their placements are usually short term. An IRO fed back, 'I've always been impressed by the management of the home and the dedication and expertise of the staff.'

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Leadership and management good

However, the quality of leadership and management has declined since the last inspection. In particular, monitoring activity has not been rigorous, reflective or evaluative. It has not incorporated good quality consultation with young people and stakeholders, such as parents and IROs. The manager has not overseen monitoring work herself; scrutinised all records effectively; or reviewed and challenged practice in some key areas. For example, the management review report for the second quarter of 2014 states there are 'no issues for the development plan arising from measures of control or discipline'. The report contains no evaluations of young people's views about measures of control and does not evaluate the effectiveness or appropriateness of the measures. Monitoring reports reveal few messages about the home's shortfalls and areas for development and are therefore not used.

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Leadership and management good

Young people are well supported by the manager and enjoy a good relationship with her. For example, she spends one to one time with them at their request and is closely involved in their transitions to long term placements. The manager also writes to young people in answer to the matters they raise in their young people's meeting. Staff say that they feel well supported by managers and appreciate the fortnightly reflective staff meetings that take place. Supervision and appraisal are provided regularly by the manager and senior team. However, at busy times in the home when young people's behaviour is disruptive and there are significant incidents, the frequency of supervision and the quality and effectiveness of recording is reduced. For example, a number of staff had no formal supervision during November. The quality of recording on complaint records and notifications to Ofsted is average and the recorded outcomes of complaints and allegations are not always comprehensive

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Leadership and management good

or timely . While there is no direct reduction in the quality of young people's care, there is greater potential for reduced staff morale and inconsistency of care if records are not up to date and informative for all staff to refer to.

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Leadership and management good

Leaders and managers enjoy productive relationships with colleagues in the local 11 of 12 authority, including the virtual head, looked after children's nurse and social workers, and with the police and mental health services. Overall, this ensures effective assessment and early help for young people placed here, even when their placements are quite short in duration. The manager is confident that young people achieve good outcomes while here, but does not effectively ascertain or measure the long term impact of the home. The admissions and discharges register is not always up to date and does not provide sufficient detail to allow contact to be made at intervals to the placements young people have moved on to. This is a missed opportunity to understand what works best and whether changes young people make as a result of their stay here are sustained in the longer term. 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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