Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC064735 Inspector Jackie Line Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Lancashire County Council Registered person address PO Box 78 County Hall Fishergate Preston PR1 8XJ Responsible individual Brendan Francis Lee Registered manager Alan John Hornby Date of last inspection 24/07/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 12/03/2015

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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 sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Since the last inspection the registration process for the manager has been completed. This means the home is effectively led by a committed and suitably qualified Registered Manager who has taken action to address the majority of issues from the previous inspection. This demonstrates he is able to learn from inspection and make improvements accordingly.

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This inspection

External monitoring is now carried out by a suitably independent person, and this strengthens the quality assurance processes in place. Young people confirm they receive a written guide to the home when they move in, and consequently they have access to a range of useful information about the home and other support services. As a result, young people are equipped with contact details should they wish to raise concerns with people independent of the home. Placement plans are reviewed regularly, and this means they now contain accurate and up to date information. One recommendation has not been fully addressed. Young people new to the home have not yet participated in a fire drill, and this means they have not practiced how to evacuate the building safely in the event of such an emergency. As a result, this recommendation is repeated.

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This inspection

Young people come to the home with already established high levels of risk taking behaviours such as going missing, offending and drug misuse. Staff work closely with those young people to keep them and others safe. There is clear evidence of effective partnership working to monitor behaviour patterns and minimise risk. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in missing episodes with none being reported since December 2014. Furthermore, although young people still engage in offending behaviour this has reduced since coming to live at the home. Given young people’s starting points this demonstrates progress has been made.

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This inspection

Young people benefit from individually tailored plans and support. High staffing 3 of 6 levels are in place to ensure challenging behaviour is effectively managed. Boundaries are clear, and the staff team work positively, rather than punitively with young people through difficult times. As a result, they develop an understanding of the consequences should boundaries be broken, and serious behaviour management issues taking place within the home are minimised. Although significant challenges remain, young people have made some progress. For example, levels of aggression towards staff have reduced, only one instance of physical intervention has been required between inspections, and there has been minimal damage to the home environment during behavioural outbursts.

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This inspection

This inspection identified gaps with regards to managing some identified risks for young people new to the home. For example, staff are not familiar with information contained in the risk assessment, and practice is inconsistent with risk management strategies in place. Prompt action was taken during the inspection to address this matter; the risk assessment was appropriately revised, and circulated to all staff. Nevertheless, this shortfall highlights weaknesses in planning and preparation when new placements are made. The Registered Manager considers all new referrals for placements, and ensures that impact risk assessments are completed. One matching decision does not take account of clearly identified risks to and from other young people already living in the home. Consequently, staff are having to manage high levels of risk to ensure young people are appropriately safeguarded.

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This inspection

Young people continue to be cared for by an experienced staff team who demonstrate commitment, tenacity and a desire to ‘stick with’ young people. A probation worker said: ‘They are able to think outside the box, and where there are problems staff always look for solutions’. Patience and perseverance provides young people with a clear message that they care, and want what is best for them. As a result, young people have started to develop some positive relationships with staff.

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This inspection

Young people engage in bespoke education provision. As a result of encouragement and support, young people have made small steps forward in their learning. For example, young people have gone from engaging in no education to at least participating in some sessions of formal learning. Furthermore, staff are creative in their approach to education, and this has resulted in some young people being put forward for an ASDAN award in Personal Development. To achieve this young people have learned some independence skills, and participated in new activities such as gardening and fishing. However, levels of educational attendance remain very low and participation in formal education is inconsistent. This means that for large parts of the day young people are not engaging in educational activity. Moreover, plans in place to progress this are not clear, and this does not fully promote young people’s learning and outcomes.

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This inspection

Two requirements and one recommendation have been raised from this inspection. 4 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This children's residential unit is operated by a local authority and provides care for up to six young people of either sex aged from 12 to 17 years. The home cares for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The unit can take emergency placements.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/07/2014 Full good 06/03/2014 Interim good progress 24/10/2013 Full outstanding 15/03/2013 Interim good progress

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the children's home is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the safeguarding and welfare of children accommodated there, specifically the home adheres to risk assessments and takes account of the needs of young people already living there when considering new admissions to the home (Regulation 11(1)(a)) 17/04/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the children's home is conducted so as to make proper provision for the education of children accommodated there, in particular where children are not in full-time education they are supported to participate in constructive educational activity during the school day, and plans are clearly 17/04/2015 5 of 6 reviewed to address and increase school attendance (Regulation 11(1)(b)).

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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 there is an emergency escape plan that all the staff and children are familiar with and in particular, have practiced so that they know what to do in an emergency (NMS 10.9). 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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