Children's Home run by Care Afloat Ltd in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC006011 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 Peter Josiah Mahon Date of last inspection 27/02/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 16/12/2014

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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 adequate Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make good progress in relation to their individual starting points across most aspects of their welfare, physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. Young people's progress is underpinned by effective, good quality support from staff. Young people have good relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's views and opinions are routinely sought so they can influence the running of the home. Care planning and practice is highly personalised to meet the needs of individual young people. Young people benefit from well planned, highly individualised care, that promotes their needs effectively. Young people are kept safe and they have a strong sense of personal safety.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. The manager routinely makes good use of the home's monitoring activities to promote and improve the standard and quality of young people's care. The manager has a good understanding of the home's strengths and they tackle identified weaknesses to secure, the home's improvement. There are effective arrangements for monitoring and controlling the home's activities to improve outcomes for young people. 3 of 10 Young people report, 'Yeah it's alright. I love the size of the house. Staff are alright. I like playing football but haven't played recently. Education is a big part in life. I want to be a social worker and help kids in care. I like it but I want to be closer to home and see my family…How can you move on if people keep looking into the past…I'd give it four out of five. It's good but, it's not where I want to be. It’s a nice

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Overall effectiveness

home, strict, but its strict for your own good.'

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this inspection, there is one requirement and two recommendations made. These relate to, a particular health and safety issue, an outstanding repair and ensuring young people regularly attend school, training or alternative educational provision. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. A private company owns and operates the home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2014 Interim good progress 10/12/2013 Full good 19/12/2012 Interim satisfactory progress 28/05/2012 Full good

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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 all parts of the children's home to which children have access are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their safety. This relates specifically to the timely repair of the home's loose roof tiles. (Regulation 23 (a)) 31/12/2014

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): 5 of 10  ensure young people are supported to attend school, college or alternative educational provision regularly (NMS 8.3)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. This relates specifically to repairing the broken bathroom window lock. (NMS 10.3) 6 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people make good progress to develop a positive self-view and emotional resilience. Staff help young people to learn from their past experiences therefore they develop their skills and capacity to self-regulate their own behaviour. Consequently, young people learn to control and manage uncomfortable feelings and emotions and make good progress with their emotional and behavioural development.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people benefit from good support to promote their good health. They are registered with all appropriate health services and they attend their routine health appointments with general support and encouragement from staff. The home maintains effective partnerships with specialist health services to promote young people's emotional and psychological well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Staff advise young people about key health issues and they actively encourage them to lead and maintain healthy and active lifestyle. Young people are actively encouraged to take responsibility for their own health. Risk taking behaviours, such as smoking, alcohol and drug use are not an issue for some young people. Where this is an issue for young people staff take positive steps to minimise and control such risk taking behaviours to promote young people's positive health. The arrangements for storing and administering young people's medication are managed safely and effectively.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Staff are consistent in their approach to promoting young people's education. Staff have consistently high aspirations for young people and they work hard to promote positive outcomes for them. Young people have access to education, employment and training. However, some young people's educational attendance is sporadic and others show limited participation. Consequently, the educational achievement of young people is satisfactory, taking into account both their progress and attainment in relation to their individual starting points. Young people report, 'They're strict with education and that's fair enough.'

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community. Young people are encouraged to have friendships and positive relationships with other young people. Staff monitor young people's relationships to ensure these are safe and suitable. Young people benefit from positive and enjoyable activities and they develop their social skills, interests and hobbies as a result of their participation.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

The home promotes and facilitates contact for young people. As a result, young people maintain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Young people are allowed to take appropriate risks as part of their natural growth and development. Young people develop their practical skills, in cooking, 7 of 10 shopping and budgeting to promote their readiness for independence. There are some young people who want to leave the home to be nearer to friends and family. The home ensures young people can move on from the home in a planned, controlled and positive way.

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Quality of care good

Young people benefit from good quality care and support. The outcomes achieved by young people are either good or satisfactory. Young people have good relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments. Young people have positive views about their care and support. Young people know how to make a complaint and their rights are promoted effectively. There have been complaints since the previous inspection.

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Quality of care good

Staff share and implement the home's ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. The home is able to demonstrate the positive difference it has made to the lives of young people. This is demonstrated in the positive comments received from ex-resident young people who report, 'You have been one of the best managers I have ever had. Your strict but reasonable and thank you for everything…You have been a great role model in my life going to miss you…going to miss you all.'

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Quality of care good

Young people’s views are regularly sought so they can influence the running of the home. Their views, feelings and wishes are acted upon within reason. Staff help young people to understand why it may not possible to act on their wishes on all occasions. As result, young people can make sense of the rationale behind staff's decisions and accept them.

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Quality of care good

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

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Quality of care good

A safe location review is completed annually to ensure the location of the home is safe and suitable for young people. The location of the home provides young people with good access to public transport, shops and local amenities. Consequently, young people can access places of specific interest to them.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff consistently place the welfare and safety of young people at the centre of their practice. The use of clear risk assessment, management and pro-active safe working practice promote the welfare and safety of young people. The home implements a 8 of 10 fair and proportionate approach to the use of any risk assessment. Risks are managed sensibly by staff, in a way that promotes young people's natural growth and personal safety. Staff have a good understanding of young people's particular vulnerabilities and they take appropriate action, to address them. Young people are protected and are not at risk of significant harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are protected from abuse, bullying, neglect and child sexual exploitation. Staff are trained in child protection so they know how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. Staff employed at the home are selected and vetted carefully to protect young people from unsuitable people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home maintains highly effective partnerships with the local police and other professional agencies to promote the safety of young people. Young people who go missing from care benefit from effective support and protection. There are effective arrangements made to promote their safe and quick return. Staff seek to understand the triggers for young people going missing and they take appropriate action to reduce, control and minimise their risk taking behaviour.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff promote young people's positive behaviour. They reward young people for their personal achievements and they use sanctions appropriately and fairly to deter and discourage anti-social behaviour. Staff are trained to manage young people's behaviours safely and effectively. The use of restraint, if used at all, is only ever used as a last resort to protect young people from harm, accident or injury. Accurate records are maintained of the type intervention used, the duration of the measure and the reasons for its use.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people benefit from a physically safe and appropriately secure environment. Young people benefit from warm, comfortable and homely accommodation that is consistently maintained to good quality standards for them. Health and safety tests are kept up to date and there are generally good arrangements to promote environmental safety. However, during a tour of the home a faulty window lock was noted and there are two roof tiles that have become dislodged making them unsafe and potentially hazardous. These matters were brought to the attention of the registered manager who reported both matters for immediate repair.

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Leadership and management good

The home employs a well-qualified and experienced registered manager who exercises effective leadership of the home's staff and operation. The manager has been in post since November 2009. There have been no complaints or concerns to have arisen since the previous inspection. There were no requirements or recommendations made, at that time.

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Leadership and management good

There are effective arrangements for monitoring and controlling the home's activities to improve outcomes for young people. Young people benefit from a home that is 9 of 10 managed efficiently and effectively. Independent monitoring visits take place each month and this includes consultation with young people to form an accurate opinion about the quality of their care. These visits, combined with the registered managers own internal monitoring activities, help the manger to understand the home's strengths and weaknesses so they can take action to secure the home's improvement.

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Leadership and management good

The home meets the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose and written development plans are in place, to promote the home's continuing development and improvement. The home can demonstrate the positive difference and value it has made to the lives of young people and it can show how their outcomes have improved overtime. The home has a proven track record based on its performance since the last inspection and its previous inspection history.

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Leadership and management good

Staff benefit from effective support and professional supervision which takes place regularly. There are clear arrangements for key staff to deputise in the registered manager's absence. Consequently, there are clear lines of leadership and accountability. The training needs of individual staff are identified and met. Staff have access to good quality training to promote their knowledge, skills and professional development.

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Leadership and management good

The home is adequately resourced and there are sufficient staff employed to care for young people. There is a sufficient number of suitably qualified staff with relevant experience to meet the needs and numbers of young people.

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Leadership and management good

Young people benefit from effective support and protection. Significant incidents are notified to the appropriate authorities promptly to ensure appropriate action is taken as a result of any incident. There are no breaches in regulations that impact negatively on the welfare or safety of young people. 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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