Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC380956 Inspector Ann-Marie Born Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person North East Lincolnshire Council Registered person address Vulnerable Children Management Team Western Site, Cambridge Road Grimsby Lincolnshire DN34 5TD Responsible individual Daren Russell Hale Registered manager Sandra Elaine Snell Date of last inspection 12/11/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 24/03/2015

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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

This home has fully demonstrated its capacity to improve. The requirement and both recommendations made at the previous inspection have been met. There were no breaches of regulation identified at this inspection.

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This inspection

The updated Statement of Purpose provides a comprehensive view of the care to be provided. This includes clear information on the management of the emergency bed to ensure that young people accessing the respite provision are not adversely affected.

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This inspection

Staff report that they received training on expectations around the quality of recording matters in their team meeting. Consequently they feel more confident in their practice. The manager’s day-to-day monitoring practices are much improved. This has led to further developments in her formal auditing procedures under Regulation 34. The manager now evaluates the impact the interventions in the home have on young people’s outcomes. For example, the development of new pie charts clearly demonstrate that 71% of young people receiving a service up to February 2015 were successfully reconciled with family members and foster carers. As a result, many young people were able to remain within their families and did not need to be accommodated on a long term basis. A staff member said, '(Name) has come on leaps and bounds since she first started. When she first came she didn’t know what she wanted to do and now she’s really decisive, like she wants to bake or

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This inspection

go out. Mum says she has really come out of herself now and getting on much better at home. Her confidence has definitely increased.'

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This inspection

Young people further benefit from the introduction of new ‘Wishes and Feelings’ cards and their own suggestion box. A young person designed and made the box for the home and researched the words to go on the box, encouraging young people to use it. This innovation has been successful in encouraging young people to make 3 of 6 requests they may not have done otherwise. For example, wanting to change the wall paper in the lounge to match the new couches. Young people’s sense of belonging and investment in the home are enhanced, enabling them to grow in self- esteem and feelings of self-worth. A young person reported that he felt he had made ‘Lots of progress because I feel more confident’.

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This inspection

Effective care planning clearly identifies the goals for the respite care and how these are to be achieved. Young people are involved throughout the process enabling them to identify their success and achievements. One young person wrote that he had, ‘Made new friends and things at home have improved’.

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This inspection

The consistent, targeted care young people receive from the enthusiastic and nurturing staff team empowers young people to succeed in all aspects of their lives. For example, one young person was very proud to report that her school attendance had gone up to 98% since she has been attending for respite. Further that she is now ‘able to talk to others instead of bottling it up.’

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This inspection

Young people confidently use the new ‘Wishes and Feelings’ cards to express any dissatisfaction in the home. They fully understand the corporate complaints procedure. There have not been any complaints. A young person said, 'I would come here every day because I am so happy here.'

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This inspection

Young people are safeguarded by the comprehensive recording of any significant events. These are then appropriately notified to relevant agencies, including Ofsted.

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This inspection

The warm and trusting relationships young people build with staff enable the majority of them to engage with the care provided. As a result physical interventions are very rare. Young people learn the consequences of their actions as a result of the comprehensive recording made following any event and the implementation of appropriate sanctions. One young person wrote, ‘looking back at the incident, my reaction was very over the top.’

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This inspection

There has been an increase in the number of referrals for young people who are ‘almost 16 years old’ and who are almost constantly missing from the family home. For some of these young people the excellent, targeted intervention and mediation between the home staff and their parents is successful in re-building those familial relationships. Other young people take longer to accept the care and persist in absenting themselves from the home. The proactive staff do all they can to engage these young people, prevent missing episodes and actively search for them if they are absent. Young people are safeguarded by these measures. A social worker said, 'The support that they’ve offered (Name) has been really positive. They’ve supported her in risks of going missing and behaviours in school. Both she and her brother report that when they go missing from home they tell people they want to be at (Home's name) because they feel safe there.'

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This inspection

Young people who have successfully benefitted from the care provided and no 4 of 6 longer receive respite care still come back to the home to visit. They see the staff at the home and the building itself very much as a safe haven. They visit to ask for repairs to their bicycle or simply to share good news. A young person said, 'I always knew I could come back if I had a problem and I'm really proud of the fact that I haven’t been in trouble with the police for a really long time thanks to here.'

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This inspection

Impressive partnership working between the home and all agencies involved in young people’s care ensure a consistent response to their needs. Consequently young people’s success and achievements are celebrated by all, further building self- esteem and enabling young people to develop the necessary social and life skills they will need for their future adult lives. A social worker said, 'The home are very supportive of myself and always available' and a specialist practitioner said, 'It is an excellent service and the child really appreciates being able to go there. She feels very safe there and has good relationships with all the staff. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority young people's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. The home provides a service for families with young people on the verge of coming into the care system and struggling to maintain their education. The short break is agreed with the young person and their families or carers. Stays at the home are short breaks of one or two nights' duration usually within a two- weekly period.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2014 Full good 17/03/2014 Interim good progress 02/10/2013 Full good 09/01/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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.

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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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