Children's Home run by Kedleston (Wood Grove Childcare) Limited in Essex

Unique reference number SC423453 Inspector Sarah Oldham Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Wood Grove (Childcare) Limited Registered person address 4th Floor 43-45 Dorset Street London W1U 7NA

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Responsible individual Anthony Hurran Registered manager Nicola Shade Date of last inspection 25/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 22/01/2015

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness outstanding

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

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children's home is registered to accommodate four young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/03/2014 Interim good progress 30/04/2013 Full outstanding 11/02/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 11/10/2012 Full outstanding

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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 that information about the child is recorded clearly and in a way which is helpful to the child when they access their files now or in the future. Children are actively encouraged to read their files, other than confidential or third party information and to correct errors and add personal statements NMS 22.5. 4 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people make excellent progress during their time living at the home. They develop exceptionally positive relationships with staff and with each other. They grow in confidence and this enables them to achieve and increase feelings of self-worth. With consistent support from staff, they are enabled to develop an excellent understanding of their backgrounds and this contributes to sustaining positive and constructive contact with family and other people who play a significant role in their lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Health care needs are supported well. The home has excellent links with looked after children's nurses and this supports young people, who previously were not engaging with health care services, to access a full range of health care appointments. For example; some young people had previously had difficulty and anxieties about attending routine health care appointments. Staff and health care professionals assist young people to address these concerns and this has resulted in significantly improved attendance.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Educational achievements are celebrated. The management and staff place great emphasis on the importance and value of education and ensure effective support is provided to enable young people to achieve at school, college or with apprenticeships. The attendance at education has increased and this has enabled young people to gain qualifications and achieve improved overall educational attainment. This enables them to have greater opportunities when they move onto adulthood and independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people participate in a range of activities within the local community. This enables them to engage and make friendships, acquire additional skills which in turn, further support them to grow in confidence. Contact arrangements are clear and promoted well. Staff engage with parents to promote this. One parent said 'the staff are excellent and the change in (name) since he has lived there is amazing. It means that we are building a really good relationship and I can see this continuing.'

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people are supported to prepare for the transition to future independence; this includes learning skills of budgeting, shopping, cooking and undertaking household tasks. This means that they have a good sound understanding prior to moving on to ensure the transition is planned for well to enable it to be a successful move.

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Quality of care outstanding

5 of 9 Young people are exceptionally well supported by staff. The ethos of the home is to provide a warm nurturing environment that provides stability based on mutual trust and respect. Staff have exceptionally high aspirations for all young people and provide encouragement and support to enable young people to succeed. One young person said 'this is the best home I have ever lived in and although sometimes I struggle, the staff really have helped me to change for the better.' A social worker commented 'staff provide consistency, are always encouraging and really support good, sustainable outcomes for the young person. The information they provide is of an exceptionally high standard and this, along with observing the young person, shows in the progress he is making.'

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people's wishes and views are central to the running of the home. Weekly young people's meetings enable them to discuss, plan and share their views. Where there is a difference of opinion, staff work with the young people to be focussed and resolve these. Requests and suggestions are listened to and where it is not possible to act on these, it is clearly explained to the young people to enable them to have an understanding of the reason behind the decisions made. This means that young people live in a home where they feel valued, comfortable, safe and well cared for.

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Quality of care outstanding

All young people have detailed placement plans and are fully involved in the development of these. This means they are highly individualised and are significant to them. The plans identify all needs and the support required to aid their ongoing development. Risk assessments form part of the overall planning to ensure that care provided promotes safety and well-being. The plans are reviewed with young people on a regular basis and changes identified are made and communicated to all staff to ensure continuity of support.

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Quality of care outstanding

Health care needs are exceptionally well promoted and staff advocate on behalf of young people who may require additional specialist support. The involvement of the children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) supports the physical, emotional and psychological health care of young people.

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff are exceptionally proactive in promoting educational outcomes for young people. The home previously had a school on site which has now been deregistered but the former teaching staff continue to contribute and support education with young people. This includes accessing appropriate educational placements and providing additional support and tutoring to achieve qualifications and liaising with local colleges for further education placements and apprenticeships.

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Quality of care outstanding

Activities within the home and local community are promoted well. Young people have bikes and games equipment, they use the local parks and community facilities, go swimming and to the leisure centre. The home is situated next to a large park and within easy access of leisure centres. This enables them to meet and develop friendships with other young people and they are encouraged to invite friends to visit them at the home. 6 of 9 The home provides a comfortable, warm and homely environment. It has recently been redecorated and young people were involved in choosing new furnishings and colour schemes for the communal areas of the home. They are encouraged to personalise their individual bedrooms to reflect their interests and to have somewhere comfortable to relax in. This involvement encourages the young people to take pride in their home and maintain the standards in it.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people say they feel very safe and staff are continually promoting their safety and well-being. One young person said 'I have settled here really well and have no worries about my safety. Staff explain how to stay safe and listen to me if I am worried about anything.'

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in notifications regarding the safety of a young person with complex health needs The home worked in partnership with the children and adolescent mental health services and police to ensure that all agencies worked together to provide support to maintain the safety of the young person whilst sourcing a specialist service. The home was proactive in addressing the safety concerns for this young person.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff are aware of the potential for bullying and are aware of the signs and symptoms to look for. Young people are encouraged to discuss their differences and have a full understanding that bullying is not acceptable. The open and transparent approach to this means that any bullying is addressed swiftly to support both the young person being bullied and the instigator.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Some young people have gone missing from the home, although this has decreased recently. There are robust systems in place for staff to report this and to support young people on their return. The home works in partnership with the local police and has forged positive and proactive links with them.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Positive behaviour is effectively promoted. Behaviour management plans are in place for all young people and followed by staff. Due to the consistent approach, behaviours are managed well. Sanctions are proportionate and the need for physical intervention has significantly decreased. Where these have occurred, records are maintained to reflect the behaviour, the events leading up to it and the strategies used to address it. The views of young people are sought afterwards and discussions held to reduce the risk of a similar incident recurring. Effective monitoring of these incidents identifies any potential pattern or trigger to further reduce this behaviour. Young people say they feel sanctions are fair. Positive rewards are given and this further promotes good behaviours.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff recruitment and selection processes are robust and this ensures that all possible steps are taken to ensure that no unsuitable people are able to work with young 7 of 9 people.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Regular health and safety checks have been completed as well as a locality risk assessment. The manager has consulted with other agencies to collate this and although experiencing some difficulty obtaining information required, has sourced a range of local knowledge and information to inform the assessment. Staff know the procedure to follow in an emergency and regular fire drills are also undertaken, involving staff and young people. This means that the safety of young people within the home and the surrounding area is promoted.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The Registered Manager has been in post since May 2014 and has the necessary skills, experience and knowledge to provide strong and effective leadership. In addition, she is currently completing the level 5 management diploma to further enhance her management skills and abilities. She is supported within her role by a deputy manager who also has experience, knowledge and skills in residential child care. The staff team are an established team. This provides young people with stability and continuity of support. All staff say they feel exceptionally supported, challenged and equipped to fulfil their roles. They have access to regular mandatory training to underpin their skills and to keep their knowledge updated.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The Registered Manager has an excellent understanding of the homes strengths and areas for ongoing development. Robust monitoring systems in place enable the progress the young people are making in all of their outcome areas to be clearly tracked and where additional support is required, this is identified and appropriate intervention planned.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Young people benefit from good staffing levels. This means they always have a member of staff to support them. The percentage of staff who hold a relevant level 3 child care qualification is 60%. The remaining staff are currently enrolled and completing this qualification. This means the home values staff training and development and is working towards an all fully qualified as well as experienced staff team.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The home has a Statement of Purpose with the aims and objectives of the home clearly identified. This document is available to placing social workers, parents and other interested parties. This ensures they have a good understanding of the home. Wherever possible, young people and parents are invited to visit the home prior to placement. This means young people feel prepared for their placement and parents are involved with the placement unless there are restrictions on this taking place. The young people are provided with a guide to the home which provides them with information about living there. Future plans include the young people developing a guide for young people who are going to move into the home in the future. 8 of 9 Independent monitoring of the home on a monthly basis enables the manager to have an independent overview of the home. This complements the in-house monitoring and evaluation of the service to contribute to raising and maintaining

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Leadership and management outstanding

Significant events are notified in a timely manner to the appropriate people, including Ofsted. Comprehensive records reflect the incident and the action taken to address the concerns raised. The Registered Manager ensures that safeguarding concerns are raised with the appropriate people, including the local authority designated officer (LADO) and advice provided is followed. This means the agencies that hold responsibility for the protection of the young people are kept fully informed and the safety of young people is promoted.

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Leadership and management outstanding

At the previous inspection there were no requirements or recommendations raised. The home continues to provide a high standard of care and support to young people. The Registered Manager and staff are continually evaluating the service to ensure this remains the case. One area identified by the Registered Manager for improvement has been the organisation of young people's files to enable them to reflect current needs clearly. This is work in progress and as a result of the changing of the filing system, some files have yet to be updated to the new system. This has resulted in two systems working alongside one another and impacts on clarity of information. This is being addressed. 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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