Children's Home run by Wessex College Limited in Wiltshire

Unique reference number SC037596 Inspector Paul Clark Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Wessex College Limited Registered person address Boreham Mill Bishopstrow Road Warminster Wiltshire BA12 9HQ Responsible individual Joanne Sams Registered manager Sarah Louise Bonner Date of last inspection 18/12/2013 2 of 6 Inspection date 06/03/2015

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Previous inspection good progress 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 sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

The home has sustained its effectiveness in meeting the needs of the young people living in the home. Placements are relatively stable with one young person having been transferred to another of the organisation’s homes.

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This inspection

All of the young people, currently living in the home, are attending the organisation’s formal education provision and their school attendance levels have improved. Several of the young people were not attending school when they were admitted to the home. In the past, some of the young people have had difficulties in making and sustaining trusting relationships with adults. Thanks to the good quality of the care work they now enjoy good relationships with management and staff. Young people, who met the inspector, stated that they feel safe and happy in the home.

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This inspection

Each young people has a clearly written placement plan which contains an assessment of their needs and which appropriately assesses areas of risk. These provide good guidance for staff. Each young person has an identified key worker who coordinates the applications of placement plans, and the development of practice, through periodic review of the plans. Independent reviewing officers say that reports for review meetings are timely and comprehensive. There are now systems in place which allow the home to identify improvements, or deficits, in relation to young people's starting points together with action plans for change. This is one area where effectiveness has been improved. Key workers demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the needs of the young people and this helps to bring about positive changes in the lives of young people.

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This inspection

The practice of management and staff benefits from the critical monitoring contained in the monthly reports by independent visitors. These reports identify both good practice and areas in need of development. The manager undertakes effective monitoring of recorded incidents of sanctions, physical restraints, bullying, 3 of 6 complaints and incidents where young people have gone missing. These audits help to safeguard young people from unsafe institutional practice. Key policy documents are regularly reviewed. Quarterly reviews of the quality of care identify areas of service development and contain all of the information listed in Schedule 6 of the Regulations as they are required to do.

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This inspection

There are effective systems in place for recording and responding to significant incidents. The home works collaboratively with placing authorities, the local authority, police and therapeutic agencies. Since the previous inspection, there have been an increase in the overall number of incidents where young people have been required to be physically restrained. This has been largely due to 'settling in' issues for one recent admission. The overall application of sanctions is comparatively low and theyoung people report that behaviour management is fair and appropriate. Although two of the three young people currently living in the home have not gone missing on any occasion, one young person has gone missing on an increasing number of occasions and the home has organised a risk management meeting with the placing authority to address this. Quick response, to areas of increasing concern, helps to keep young people safe. Whilst there has been one recent incident, where

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This inspection

the group of young people caused significant damage to the home. placing authorities commend the home for its general success in the behaviour management of young people whose histories in this regard may have been poor.

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This inspection

Several placing authorities have commented that the communication from the home is sometimes poor. They find telephone contact difficult and there have been delays in receiving information from the home in regard to particular incidents. This results in placing authorities not being kept aware of incidents in a timely manner.

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This inspection

Placing authorities appreciate the way that the home supports young people in maintaining contact with their families and siblings. This has included helping with travel, accommodation and supporting young people after contact meetings. Whilst young people told the inspector that they have been encouraged by staff to engage in leisure and social activities in the wider community, staff have not been effective in applying this resulting in young people not taking up these opportunities in any real depth reducing the life experiences and the feelings of self-worth that might accrue from this involvement.

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This inspection

The home has met one of the two recommendations of the previous inspection which was to ensure that children are supported to attend school regularly. However, the recommendation that young people engage in clubs and societies within the wider community has not been met and this remains a recommendation. Additionally, the home must ensure that there are sufficient staff to answer the telephone and to send information to placing authority social workers and independent reviewing officers in a timely way. 4 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of four children's homes operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The organisation also runs a school that is registered with Ofsted. This provides placements exclusively for young people accommodated in the group’s homes. Alternative educational placements are used to meet the specific needs of young people where appropriate.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2013 Interim good progress 15/04/2013 Full good 11/12/2012 Interim good progress 16/07/2012 Full good

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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 children are encouraged and enabled to make and sustain friendships with children outside of the home. Specifically, that they are able to engage in clubs and societies within the wider community. (NMS 7.6)  ensure that the overall number, competence and deployment of staff and number and deployment of staff, both as a staff group and on individual shifts, can fulfil the home's Statement of Purpose and meet the individual needs of all children in the home. Specifically, that there are sufficient staff to answer the telephone, to respond to telephone messages in a timely way, and to send information to placing authority social workers and independent reviewing officers in a timely way (NMS 17.1) 5 of 6 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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