Children's Home run by Care Afloat Ltd in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC006013 Inspector Anthony Kyem Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Care Afloat Ltd. Registered person address 158-160 Birkrig Digmoor Parade SKELMERSDALE Lancashire WN8 9HP Responsible individual Daniel Curran Registered manager Sharon Angeline Mangan Date of last inspection 18/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 03/12/2014

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

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make good progress in relation to their individual starting points across all aspects of their welfare, physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. Care planning and practice is highly personalised to meet the needs of young people. Young people's good progress is underpinned by effective, high quality support from staff.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's needs and views are central to all aspects of how the home operates and develops its practice. Staff involve young people in key decisions so they can influence all aspects of their care and support. Young people say, 'I enjoy how laid back it is here. They don’t push me.'

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Overall effectiveness

Staff have a good understanding of safe working practice. Young people are kept safe and they have a strong sense of personal safety. Young people benefit from good relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments. Young people's views about their care and their relationships with staff are consistently positive. A social worker reports, 'I have lots of experience of working with many children's homes and I have to say, I find it totally refreshing to see the progress he has made here. It’s a huge achievement and I would have to describe it as excellent.' 3 of 9 The performance of the home is monitored efficiently and effectively. The manger has a good understanding of the home's strengths and weaknesses. They make good use of the home's monitoring activities to secure improvement for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

There are no breaches in regulation. There is one recommendation made for the registered person to address. This relates to the home contributing to the development a pathway plan for eligible care leavers to promote their readiness for independence. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

This private company-run home provides care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2014 Interim good progress 17/12/2013 Full good 15/01/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 28/06/2012 Full adequate

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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 the home contributes to the development of each child’s care plan, including the pathway plan for eligible care leavers and works collaboratively with the young person’s social worker or personal adviser in implementing the plan. (NMS 12.2). 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

The progress young people make and the outcomes they achieve are exceptionally positive. Young people are taught to recognise their own strengths and positive self- attributes and they make good progress to develop a positive self-view. Young people develop emotional resilience so they can cope with lifes challenges and manage any stressful events. Staff help young people to understand their past and they support them to move forward and plan for the future. Young people benefit from staff who they can turn to and learn from.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and they have prompt access to the services they need, when they need them. Medical consent is in place and staff are clear about what health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them. The arrangements for storing and administering young people's medication are managed safely, by trained and competent staff. Young people benefit from therapeutic support to promote their emotional and psychological well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are taught about key health issues to help them lead and maintain a healthy lifestyle. As a result, young people learn to take responsibility for their own health. Risk taking behaviours such as smoking, alcohol and drug use, are either controlled, or are not an issue for young people. Young people health needs are positively identified and met.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from good attendance at school or alterative educational provision. The educational achievement of young people is good, taking into account both their attainment and progress in relation to their individual starting points. Staff have consistently high aspirations for young people. They encourage and support young people to pursue their aspirations, ambitions and goals. Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community. They benefit from constructive and enjoyable activities to promote their social skills, interests and hobbies.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are supported to have contact with their friends and family. As a consequence, they maintain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Young people are supported with their independence. Consequently, they develop practical skills in shopping, cooking and budgeting. However, eligible care leavers require pathway plans to promote their preparation and readiness for adult life.

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Quality of care outstanding

6 of 9 Young people benefit from good relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments. Young people's needs and views are central to all aspects of how the home operates and develops its practice. Young people are involved in key decisions. Consequently, they feel their views and feelings are actively sought and they can have influence the running of the home. Young people know how to make a complaint and their rights are promoted very effectively.

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Quality of care outstanding

A social worker reports, 'He's really been able to settle here and he feel it's his home. It has a strong and cohesive staff team for him. I have lots of experience of working with many children's homes and I have to say I find it totally refreshing to see the progress he has made here. It’s a huge achievement and I would have to describe it as excellent.'

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people benefit from extremely well planned, highly individualised care that promotes their needs effectively. Care planning and practice is highly personalised to meet the needs of individual young people. Young people's needs arising from personal identity, age, gender, race, culture and ethnicity are all positively identified and met in both care planning and daily living. As a result, young people's needs are promoted, comprehensively.

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff consistently place the safety and well-being of young people at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. Staff build and maintain highly effective partnerships with a range of professional agencies to support young people in making progress in every aspect of their lives. Staff constructively challenge any shortfalls in the delivery of services to young people. This ensures young people receive the help and support they need. For example, access to therapy to promote their emotional well-being.

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Quality of care outstanding

A social worker reports, 'The manager agreed to fund the therapy and the authority committed to the placement. Consequently, therapy has started without delay. That was excellent.'

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Quality of care outstanding

The home is consistently maintained to high quality standards for young people. Young people benefit from warm, safe, comfortable and homely accommodation that meets their needs.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people feel safe and they have a strong sense of personal safety. The use of clear risk assessment and pro-active safe working practice, promote the safety and well-being of young people. Staff have a good understanding of young people's needs and their particular vulnerabilities and they can take appropriate action, to address them. Young people are kept safe and are not at risk of harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are protected from abuse, bullying, neglect and child sexual 7 of 9 exploitation. Staff are trained in child protection so they know how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. Visitors to the home are chaperoned and there is suitable monitoring of such people. Staff employed at the home are vetted and selected carefully to protect young people from unsuitable people. There have been no allegations of abuse or referrals to children and young people's services. Young people benefit from effective support and protection.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff promote young people's positive and constructive behaviour. Young people rarely go missing from the home. Should they do, there are very effective arrangements to promote their safe return. The home has agreed procedures and arrangements with the local police to promote the safety of young people. The frequency with which young people go missing is controlled and minimised. Young people do not engage in damaging, risk taking behaviour or offending.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Positive and effective behaviour management strategies are applied consistently, to promote the safety of young people. The use of sanctions are kept to an absolute minimum, where used, they are used fairly and proportionately. The use of restraint is exceptionally rare, and if used at all, is only ever used to protect young people from accident, harm or injury.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Health and safety matters are managed effectively. Young people benefit from physically safe and appropriately secure accommodation. There are regular fire drills to ensure staff and young people are both familiar with and know how to follow the home's emergency fire evacuation procedures. The manager has completed a safe location review to ensure the home's location is safe and suitable for young people.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The home employs a well-qualified and very experienced registered manager, who has been in post since their registration in March 2012. The registered manager exercises strong and effective leadership of the home's staff and operation to promote the smooth and efficient operations of the home. There are no requirements or recommendations from the previous inspection. There have been no complaints or concerns to have arisen, since that time.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The home meets the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose, in providing a high quality service for young people. Young people benefit from staff who have sufficient skills, qualifications and experience to meet their needs. The home can demonstrate its capacity for continuing improvement, based on its performance since the last inspection. The home has proven track record and a positive inspection history. The home can demonstrate the positive difference and value it has made to the lives of young people.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Staff benefit from effective support, regular supervision and appraisal. They have access to high quality training to develop their knowledge, skills and professional 8 of 9 practice in caring for young people. The training needs of individual staff are identified and met. Staff are actively supported to fulfil their individual roles and responsibilities to ensure they provide a high quality service for young people.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Leaders and managers communicate high expectation to staff about sustaining improvement. The manager stimulates staff's enthusiasm and they channel their efforts very effectively. Written development plans are in place to promote the home's continuing development and improvement. The manager routinely makes good use of the home's monitoring activities to improve outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Leaders and managers understand the home strengths and they tackle its identified weaknesses to secure, improvement. External monitoring activities are used very effectively to scrutinise the home's performance and these activities take account of the views and feelings of young people to form an accurate opinion about the standard and quality of their care. Young people benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively.

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Leadership and management outstanding

There are no breaches in regulation. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities charged with a duty to protect young people. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management outstanding

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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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