Children's Home run by Keys ACE Limited in Bury

Unique reference number SC420388 Inspector Mark Kersh Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Registered person Alliance Care & Education Limited Registered person address Brow Top Farm Quernmore LANCASTER LA2 0QW Responsible individual Andrew Taylor Registered manager Nicola Louise Robinson Date of last inspection 27/10/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 10/02/2015

p.1

Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection None.

p.2

This inspection

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

p.2

This inspection

Following the last inspection the home has continued to provide young people with excellent outcomes and the quality of care provided remains strong and focussed. This ensures young people are well supported, by staff, to achieve in all areas. Young people who are new to the home are settling in and the necessary support services are being provided for them.

p.2

This inspection

Young people describe the staff as nice and helpful. They report being safe and not experiencing any intimidation or bullying. They all get on well with each other. They are appreciative of their cultural differences and celebrate the diversity that those differences bring. Young people are ambitious and are becoming more confident about their future.

p.2

This inspection

One young person has successfully moved on from the home. Detailed planning and work in partnership with placing authorities ensured a smooth and effective transition which led to the young person feeling at home in a new environment and settling quickly. Equal attention has been paid to planning for young people to move into the home. Staff are clear they are able to meet the needs of each young person before a placement is offered and they consider the impact new placements may have on the young people already accommodated.

p.2

This inspection

Young people have an ongoing chronology of their time in this home which allows them to think about and understand their history. Photos of young people and staff are in picture frames around the home. They will be able to take these with them when they leave, along with a scrap book containing photos of activities and outings and a memory box with other important memorabilia. Young people live in a comfortable home that is furnished and decorated to a high standard. There are regular health and safety checks to ensure all who live and work in the home are protected and regular fire tests and evacuations are carried out. 3 of 6 The Registered Manager has effectively improved monitoring systems at the home. Systems are in place to ensure the manager examines all records on a monthly basis ensuring appropriate oversight of all practice within the home. Equally an independent visitor consults with young people, their families and social workers to

p.2

This inspection

seek an independent view of the services provided to young people. Together these systems enable the home to reflect and improve the care provided to young people.

p.3

This inspection

The home has very positive relationships with placing authorities, schools and other professional services which support young people. Staff work effectively with these organisations to maintain good communication and promote good outcomes for young people. The Registered Manager is appropriately assertive in advocating for young people, to ensure that they have access to the support services they need. Staff from the home have actively supported young people in school. This is to promote positive behaviour and help school staff to understand the difficulties some young people experience in a classroom setting. This helps to reduce the risk of young people being excluded from school.

p.3

This inspection

The management team and staff are successful in supporting young people with difficult and challenging situations to better manage their behaviour, increase their social skills and ultimately take more control of their lives. As a result, young people's outcomes continue to improve. While there are still occasions of some young people being involved in risk taking behaviours, by being absent from the home, these are not regular and are well-managed by staff. Levels of physical intervention are low, sanctions given to young people for inappropriate behaviour are minimal and evaluated for effectiveness by the Registered Manager. There remains a commitment to using restorative justice to help young people understand the impact of their actions.

p.3

This inspection

Staff encourage and support all young people to express their views, make choices and participate in their care. For example, regular young person’s meetings enable young people to make choices and express their views with issues including menus, activities, décor and social events. Young people participate in regular key worker sessions. Where young people express concerns, they are encouraged to use the complaints process. The homes complaints procedures are transparent, easily accessible and provide a quick response.

p.3

This inspection

Following the last inspection there has been one safeguarding referral to the local authority designated officer. The response to this incident was swift ensuring necessary action was taken to protect young people. However, a notification at the time of this incident was not sent to Ofsted, as required by regulation. As a result a recommendation has been made. This is to ensure the regulator is kept informed of all significant events within the home.

p.3

This inspection

A placing social worker commended the commitment of the Registered Manger and staff and the positive outcomes young people achieve. They were positive about the 4 of 6 communication between themselves and the home and say, 'this is the best placement as it provides young people with firm but fair boundaries, which they respond well to'.

p.3

This inspection

The one requirement and two recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. As a result the records for restraint are now in line with regulations and the Registered Managers monitoring systems ensure any shortfalls are identified and rectified. There is now a new policy and consent forms for electrical monitoring devices used on young people's bedroom doors. This ensures risks are assessed and agreed before these monitoring devices are active. 5 of 6

p.4

Information about this children’s home

The setting is a detached property in its own grounds, providing accommodation for up to four young people who have experienced emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider.

p.5

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/10/2014 Full good 31/03/2014 Interim good progress 19/11/2013 Full good 20/02/2013 Interim good progress

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.5

Recommendations

 ensure the registered person has a system in place to notify within 24 hours the persons and appropriate authorities of the occurrence of significant events in accordance with Regulation 30. (NMS 24.1) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.5

Recommendations

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.6