Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC464759 Inspector Amanda Ellis Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Blue Mountain Homes Ltd Registered person address 17 Leeland Mansions Leeland Road London W13 9HB Responsible individual Pradeep Kumar Manaktala Registered manager Paul David Mallon Date of last inspection 06/11/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 25/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good 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 November 2014, the home was judged as good and there were no requirements or recommendations raised. Since this time, the Registered Manager and his dedicated staff team have continued to drive improvement and provide high standards of care.

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This inspection

Developments within the home since the last inspection include an addition to the management team. The recruitment of a highly experienced Deputy Manager reinforces managerial support and provides a focus on improving care standards. The home has retained many of its experienced care staff. This ensures continuity of care for young people. Additionally, the home has recruited new social care staff. This means young people benefit from high levels of supervision and support.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been no new residents to the home or any young people leave the home. The young people who live in the home have benefited from stable and secure placements. Staff understand the complex needs of young people and are resilient in care practice. The Registered Manager is clear in stating ‘we do not give up’ on young people. One parent said ‘I only have excellent things to say about the home and the staff’.

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This inspection

All young people are engaged in further education, employment and vocational training. Attendance levels and attainment for all young people is good. Young people participate in activities in and outside of the home. This includes sporting, social and recreational activities. Young people routinely use public transport to travel to educational placements, visit their friends and socialise in the community. Young people benefit from a structured routine that successfully promotes a balanced lifestyle and integration into local communities.

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This inspection

Some young people are preparing to move onto semi-independence, in line with 3 of 5 their care plans. Staff are proactive in working with leaving care and other professionals to plan and support these transitions. Proposals include providing continued support to enable young people to successfully adjust to living in the community. However, care provision does not effectively assess and support young people to acquire the full range of skills necessary for independence.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, some young people have had significant numbers of missing from care incidents. In all cases, staff have implemented the homes missing from care policy and acted in accordance with locally agreed police protocols. Staff are proactive in safeguarding young people and participate in monthly strategy meetings with the placing authority to review the local authority care plans. This means care planning is responsive to ensure young people are kept safe. Currently, incidents of young people missing from care have significantly reduced.

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This inspection

Overall safeguarding practice is highly effective. Where safeguarding incidents occur, the Registered Manager ensures robust actions to safeguard young people. An area of development, common to many homes, is ensuring a robust response to young people misusing social networking and placing themselves at potential risk of harm. A recommendation has been set to strengthen this area of safeguarding practice. The manager ensures that where safeguarding incidents have occurred, prompt notifications are made to relevant agencies. This ensures that safeguarding teams, local 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

The management and staff team benefit from regular supervision and appraisals. This means they are well supported and their professional performance is routinely monitored. Arrangements for team meetings ensure effective communication and sharing of knowledge in regards to the needs of young people and in promoting improvement in the home. Training for all staff is up to date and relevant to the needs of young people. This means the staff team have relevant skills, knowledge and support to provide high quality care. New staff do not however engage in the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s induction programme. This means they do not benefit from a nationally recognised and structured induction programme.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager has worked hard since the last inspection to promote improvement. Internal and external quality assurance processes are undertaken at monthly intervals and have identified shortfalls, actions and timescales to deliver improvement. These combined processes have been effective in promoting positive changes. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home, which is part of a small organisation, can accommodate up to 4 children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2014 Full good 18/09/2014 Full inadequate

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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 staff encourage children to take appropriate risks as part of normal growing up. Children are helped to understand how to keep themselves safe including outside the home and when using the internet and social media (NMS 4.4)  ensure young people receive care which helps them to prepare for and supports them into adulthood, so that they can reach their potential and achieve economic wellbeing (NMS 12.1)  ensure new staff undertake the Children's Workforce Development Council's induction standards, commencing within 7 working days of starting their employment and being completed within 6 months. (NMS 18.3) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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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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