Children's Home, Residential special school run by The Senad Group Limited in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC404596 Inspector Amanda Ellis Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Registered person The Senad Group Limited Registered person address 1 St. Georges House Vernon Gate DERBY DE1 1UQ Responsible individual Mark Flynn Registered manager Karen Patricia Parkinson Date of last inspection 13/08/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 14/01/2015

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged adequate at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

At the last full inspection of this service in August 2014, the homes overall effectiveness was judged as adequate.

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This inspection

Two requirements were identified within the last inspection. The manager has demonstrated within this inspection that all of these shortfalls have been met.

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This inspection

Training in relation to self-injurious behaviours has been delivered to all staff. This ensures the staff team have the knowledge, skills and understanding to respond appropriately to incidents of self-harm. Moreover, consultation with the provider’s psychotherapy team ensures staff work within a multi-disciplinary framework to manage risk with such complex behaviours.

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This inspection

Improvements to case records have ensured that all statutory paperwork is obtained prior to a young person being placed. This means comprehensive information provides staff with clarity in the delivery of care. However, records for young people are inconsistently filed and do not provide a coherent picture of care provision. For this reason, a recommendation to strengthen the homes administrative processes is set.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager and the senior management team have worked hard since the last inspection to implement improvements. Rigorous internal and external quality assurance processes have identified shortfalls, actions and timescales to deliver improvement. These combined processes have been effective in promoting positive changes.

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This inspection

Developments within the home since the last inspection include a significant restructuring of the senior management team and the recruitment of new senior staff to steer the direction of the home. The retention of highly experienced care, 3 of 6 education and therapeutic staff ensures continuity of care for young people and ensures the needs of the cohort are met.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been several new people welcomed into the home. Some young people make the transition from the providers own Department of Education registered school and some come from external schools. All young people receive a comprehensive pre-admission assessment in advance of a placement to ensure the home can fully meet their holistic needs. Care planning is fully inclusive of parents, local authority, multi-agency teams and young people. Consequently, all young people benefit from well-planned placements with clear arrangements for the progression of care plans.

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This inspection

A particular strength of this home is preparing young people for semi and independent living. All young people benefit from learning life skills, at a pace and level appropriate for individual needs and competence. This effective preparation to develop independence skills gradually increases. Over time, this enables young people to have the necessary skills to live in a semi-independent home away from the main campus. Young people become more self-sufficient and require less staff support; they travel independently to further education colleges and take responsibility for their primary needs, such as shopping, cooking and managing their budgets. Eventually with detailed planning, young people successfully move onto full independence.

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This inspection

The management and staff team are keen to ensure young people are empowered to express their views, make choices and participate in their care. Regular young person’s meetings ensure young people are active in directing their care, including choosing menus, activities, theme nights, social events. Additionally, staff ensure complaints procedures are transparent and easily accessible. Complaints, including allegations of bullying, are taken seriously with a timely response from managers to rectify and concerns or difficulties. These processes ensure young people feel safe, their views are important and they are valued.

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This inspection

Some young people have complex physical and psychological health needs. Parents, staff and health professionals ensure health care plans provide detailed and up to date account of health care needs. This information ensures clarity to staff provide responsive health care. The multi-disciplinary team include speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and external health care providers. The comprehensive health care provision ensures all young people benefit from improved health.

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This inspection

All young people are engaged in further education. Attendance levels are high and attainment for young people is good. Young people participate in activities, in the home, including gym clubs, magic clubs, indoor climbing and swimming lessons in the homes own swimming pool. Young people routinely use public transport to visit their friends and socialise in the community. Young people benefit from a structured routine that successfully promotes engagement with school, social activities and 4 of 6 communal living.

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This inspection

Safeguarding practice is highly effective. Incidents of young people missing from care are rare and levels of physical interventions are low. Where safeguarding incidents occur, the Registered Manager ensures that robust actions to safeguard young people. This includes ensuring notification is made to the relevant bodies. This ensures that safeguarding services, placing authorities and Ofsted are able to review the home’s response to incidents. Consequently, this ensures appropriate action to follow procedures and protect young people.

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This inspection

These improvements, combined with ongoing developments within the operation of the home highlight the homes capacity for continued improvement. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned service forms part of a residential school. It accommodates up to 56 young people who have communication difficulties or are diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2014 Full adequate 03/07/2014 Full inadequate 26/11/2013 Interim good progress 02/07/2013 Full good Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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