Children's Home run by Shalamar Children Limited in Essex

Unique reference number SC475088 Inspector Deirdra Keating Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection 12/11/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 06/01/2015

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Previous inspection inadequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness adequate

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

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Overall effectiveness

The home is successful in providing personalised and tailored care that enables young people to make good, sustained progress.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff have good relationships with young people and provide good and consistent role models. They genuinely enjoy spending quality time with young people encouraging them to build attachments and supportive relationships.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people and professionals are very positive about the quality of care provided. The benefits to young people are evident in terms of progress and changes in their behaviour. Young people report that they feel safe and stable. They know what to expect and benefit from a predictable structured routine. Yong people have a voice in the home, staff actively seek their views and facilitate their choices.

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Overall effectiveness

The home has recently opened, after a difficult start the directors and manager have been open to critique and demonstrated an absolute commitment to address identified shortfalls. These have all been fully addressed. New systems are all in place; they are working well and as new young people are placed these will be tested. The manager and directors are considered and child focussed. They place the needs and vulnerabilities of young people first and foremost. 3 of 9 Areas identified for improvement include external monitoring and encouraging young people to take more reasonability for their health needs. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

The service is privately owned. The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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 independent visitor reports on the children's home in accordance with this regulation and interviews with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there, their parents, relatives and persons working at the children's home. (Regulation 33 (8)(a)) 27/02/2015

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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 good links with health agencies, including specialist services where appropriate (NMS 6.9) 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people in the home have formed secure attachments with staff. They identify staff they are confident in discussing any issues with, supporting their feelings of security and belonging. These secure attachments have led to young people developing their emotional resilience and accepting constructive advice.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

As young people develop an understanding of their background and history, they have been able to increase their family contact, including contact with extended family. This helps them to develop a more positive self-view and to re-establish relationships with those who are important to them. Young people maintain contact with their friends and have social interaction outside of the home. This helps them to understand how to manage in unstructured social situations.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people have benefited from key work sessions around healthy lifestyles and choices. They have engaged with some external health professionals in respect of sexual health, however, this is limited. Consequently, young people do not take full responsibility for their health.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people attend education. Attendance is 60 per cent for the period to December 2014. This is a low figure but it is in context with the emotional challenges faced by young people. They engage well when at their educational provision and have positive education reports.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people have engaged in a number of activities both with staff from the home and based in the local community. These include trips to London, the cinema, rugby, kickboxing, football, snooker and skating. The range of activities reflects individual choices and supports skill development and social interaction outside of the home.

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Quality of care good

Young people are happy in the home. They feel able to discuss problems and concerns with staff and enjoy the company of the staff. Young people know how to make a complaint and have plenty of opportunities to raise any issues. Regular meetings with young people give a formalised opportunity to make suggestions and express their wishes and preferences. Staff take discussions seriously and action young people’s requests wherever possible. This promotes young people’s sense of feeling listened to and valued.

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Quality of care good

There are safe systems in place to store and administer medication and account for stock levels. Staff promote some engagement with health services and support social 6 of 9 workers in progressing referrals to external health professionals such as mental health.

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Quality of care good

The home is well decorated and personalised with pictures and paintings, which help to give a homely feel. Young people personalise their bedrooms and have ample space to spend time with others or alone if they wish. Young people help staff to look after the chickens, ducks and rabbits. A social worker said that the animals have had a calming effect on young people.

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Quality of care good

Parents and external professionals are happy with the care provided by the home. Professionals say it is nurturing and has a positive impact on young people. One external professional said of a young person: ‘Seeing him in the home was the best I have seen him. He is happy and has developed positive relationships.’

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Quality of care good

Staff work hard to support young people educationally. There is daily contact between the home and the school. Staff take responsibility for transporting young people to school where formal arrangements have broken down. An education professional said: ‘There is an excellent level of support. A member of staff sat outside the school all afternoon in his car in case we needed him. That kind of support is second to none.’

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Quality of care good

The key work records demonstrate regular meetings and discussions with young people on a wide range of topics. There are regular opportunities for young people to discuss issues such as sexual identity, relationships, self-view and their backgrounds. Young people are clearly supported by staff to make good choices and reflect on incidents and behaviour in order to make positive changes.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are relaxed and make good use of the tranquil house and garden. There is an abundance of space providing young people with privacy and comfortable communal living arrangements. The rural location of the home discourages young people from taking risks.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

There have been no instances of young people going missing from the home. This is a significant improvement for young people placed at the home. Staff are prepared in the event of this happening and a protocol is in place with the local police. This preventative approach protects young people at risk of going missing.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Behaviour is very good. Young people have made radical improvements to their behaviours since being at the home. Physical intervention is minimal. Staff are consistent and considered in their approach and treat young people as unique individuals. Staff act in the interest of young people and this helps young people accept boundaries. Staff provide holistic care in a warm parenting style. This helps young people accept the guidelines from staff that keep them safe. 7 of 9 The home is relatively new and recruitment of new staff is ongoing. The manager has checked all files to ensure all pre-employment checks are complete and statutory information is obtained for each employee. This ensures that staff are checked thoroughly before working at the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Questions about the suitability of staff are investigated carefully. Policies outline the home’s procedure in the management of allegations and disclosures. These are implemented by the manager. There is some confusion within the staff team about the designated safeguarding person at the home which could delay their reporting. The manager has developed a rapport with the Local Authority Designated Officer. This means that allegations are managed under the guidance of an external safeguarding professional. This provides an extra safeguard for young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home is safely maintained throughout; fire prevention equipment is of a high standard and is checked by the fire service. A good rapport with external professionals ensures young people have guidance and advice about fire prevention. This protects young people from accidents and fire risks.

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Leadership and management adequate

The home has been open since September 2014. Following concerns about the initial management of the home a new manager has been appointed and is undergoing registration with Ofsted. The previous shortfalls have being fully addressed and this has resulted in significant overall improvements.

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Leadership and management adequate

The appointed manager is experienced in the management of children's homes and is qualified to a level four in Health and Social Care. She has worked tirelessly with the directors of the home to set up new management systems and ensure that the home is run in accordance with statutory requirements. This links to better outcomes for young people and demonstrates a good capacity to improve.

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Leadership and management adequate

The home is working within the aims and objectives set out in the Statement of Purpose. The staff have received in-house training promoting the ethos and model of care the home provides. The benefit and value to young people is evident and emphasized by professionals contacted during the inspection This has enabled young people to feel contained resulting in their stability and progress.

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Leadership and management adequate

The home are fully prepared to take new placements. Links with external agencies have been established these include visits from: safeguarding, the local police, fire services and educational providers. The home is spacious and very well resourced to meet the needs of young people. Facilities are good and décor is maintained to a high standard. This encourages young people to enjoy their surroundings and take care and pride in their environment. 8 of 9 The staff team are sufficient in number and continue to evolve. Low numbers of young people have meant that appointment of staff has been delayed. The staff team are all supervised and systems have been developed to monitor and appraise their practice. Mandatory training has been provided for all staff. This promotes a consistent approach and safeguards staff and young people.

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Leadership and management adequate

The manager has developed an internal monitoring system and has completed regular managerial checks. The review of care covering the first quarter identifies the improvements the home has made and the positive impact on the lives of the young people placed. However, the external monitoring visits are extremely brief and although reporting initially identified key issues the reports for the following months are very similar. In addition there is very little discussion with young people and no feedback from social workers or other professionals involved in young people's care. This does not provide a robust critique or drive improvement.

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Leadership and management adequate

The manager has worked to ensure that records are set up and clearly retain the daily events of the home. Young people's files hold all required information and are stored securely. All significant events in the home have been notified without delay. 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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