Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 This is a very relaxed and happy home where young people enjoy living. The home provides young people with a secure base where they feel a sense of belonging. Young people confirm they feel valued, respected and fully understood as individuals. They thrive in the knowledge that their interests, talents and individual characters are enthusiastically supported and recognised by staff.  A particular strength of the home is the stability of the staff team, which allows young people to develop warm and trusting relationships with staff that they respect. This has enabled young people to forge positive relationships with staff and significant others.  All young people have educational placements and their attendance is very good. Taking their starting points into consideration they have made significant improvements with regards their attendance and achievements.  Staff work proactively with education providers to meet the complex needs of

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The children's home provision is good because:

the young people. This includes regular contact with teachers, attending meetings and ensuring that there is structured work in place for them to do with young people within the home.  Young people enjoy a wide range of social activities. This includes day trips out, playing sports, going to the cinema, annual holidays and meals out. This promotes inclusion of young people in the wider community.  Young people spoken with during the inspection confirm they feel safe, secure and well cared for. They are protected from harm by staff who demonstrate a thorough understanding of their complex needs.  The home is effectively managed by a competent and experienced leadership team. The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and is committed to improving the service for the benefit of young people.   Good management oversight ensures that the majority of shortfalls are

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The children's home provision is good because:

identified and acted upon. However, as a result of this inspection areas for improvement have been identified. These related to record keeping and ensuring that Ofsted receive all notifications for incidents the manager considers to be serious.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay of any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 1 July 2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access a computer and the internet safely. This specifically relates to ensuring that risks relating to e-safety is reflected in young people’s records. (The Guide page 29 5.19)

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Recommendations

 The home’s record of an incident or event must include a description of the action taken and the outcome of any resulting investigation. (The Guide page 63 14.14)

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/01/2015 CH – Interim improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

The underpinning ethos of this home is one of nurture, care, laughter and respect. There is a genuine commitment by staff to help young people enjoy their childhood and achieve in all aspects of their lives. The environment is very homely and the kitchen is often seen as the ‘heart of the home,’ with young people and staff enjoying daily discussions round the kitchen table. One young person commented ‘when I first arrived here I thought this place doesn’t look or feel like a children’s home, it feels more like a family home.’

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Good

Staff demonstrate great respect and empathy for young people who have experienced trauma and take into account the underlying reasons for behaviour and respond effectively. This ensures that young people feel accepted even when they are experiencing heightened levels of anxiety or distress. The dedication and perseverance of staff teaches young people that making mistakes isn’t catastrophic and relationships can be repaired. One social worker was impressed with the level of care provided to a young person and stated ‘I can’t fault staff, they do a great job. They know the young people very well and respond effectively to their needs. In relation to behaviour they know what helps reassure young people which helps calm them down and rebuild. (Name) behaviour has improved immensely since being placed in this home.’

p.6

Good

Staff are passionate about supporting young people in their education. They have encouraged them every step of the way and celebrated their achievement no matter how big or small. As a result young people are making good progress in their education. They are fully engaged in their learning which is a testament to their emotional resilience. Young people who experienced previous disruption in their school placements are now fully engaged and enjoy good attendance. Evidence gathered at this inspection highlights that young people are progressing well and are narrowing the gap between them and their peers.

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Good

Placement plans are child-focused and provide a good overview of their needs, never losing sight of their individuality. Plans are well written and young people have their own specific care plan. This helps them to maintain full ownership of what is written about them.

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Good

Young people are encouraged to eat healthily and to understand the importance of maintaining good health. They are provided with good information and advice about a range of important health matters such as sexual health, smoking and the consequences of substance misuse. Young people are supported to access a range of routine and specialist healthcare professionals. This means their emerging health needs are routinely met and they are able to make informed decisions which promote their health and emotional wellbeing.

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Good

Young people’s identity is promoted through meaningful and safe contact with their family and friends. All contact is agreed, well planned and appropriately supervised to ensure young people enjoy purposeful and safe contact which is a positive experience for them and their families.

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Good

Young people participate in a range of activities both within the home and the wider community. This includes participating in leisure activities, visiting places of interest and enjoying their annual holiday. Staff fully consult with them as to what they would like to do each week and plan for the future. This promotes their sense of belonging and provides them with opportunities to develop confidence and improve their social skills.

p.7

Good

No complaints have been made during this inspection period. However, young people are clear about how to make a complaint and can easily identify trusted adults they would talk to should they have any concerns. The voice of the child is a strong feature in this home. They have every opportunity to express their views and do so on a regular basis. Methods of consultation include regular house meetings, discussions with their key worker and care plan consultations. Young people spoken with during this inspection confirm they have a meaningful say about their care. This means that young people are directly influencing what is important to them.

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Good

Young people are achieving appropriate levels of independence, in accordance with their age, ability and understanding. Young people know how to budget, shop for essential items, prepare and cook meals. They are also independent within the community, for example, independent travel to and from school and socialising with friends. This means that young people enjoy greater confidence in their ability and are fully supported in their transition to adulthood.

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Good

Young people’s behaviour is effectively managed by staff who know them well and understand how to support them when they become anxious, frustrated or upset. Staff use positive behaviour management strategies that acknowledge and reward positive behaviour. Strategies such as the lucky dip box and incentive charts have proved to be very effective. Young people are also encouraged to self–regulate their emotions through reflection, project work and individual keyworker session. This has resulted in young people making better, more sociably acceptable choices which have led to a dramatic reduction in the use of sanctions.

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Good

Young people are settled in their placement. As a result, the number of times young people go missing has significantly reduced. Since the last inspection there has been one incident of a young person going missing. This is a significant reduction from previous inspections. When young people stay away from the home without permission staff are quick to respond and are pro-active in trying to find them. Staff have good relationships with the police and understand how to implement safeguarding procedures to ensure that young people return home safe and well.

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Good

The dynamics of group living are carefully assessed and monitored by staff. There is a zero tolerance approach to bullying and staff are quick to respond to any issues between young people. Young people understand that bullying is not acceptable and they are confident that staff would act should any incidents arise. This enables young people to live in an environment that is secure and non- threatening.

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Good

Staff recognise the benefits and risks of young people using the internet and can demonstrate knowledge of E-safety. Although some measures have been taken to address internet safely with young people, such as internet protection software and regular monitoring. There is little evidence of the work undertaken with young people to ensure they know how to keep themselves safe. Furthermore, specific E- safety guidance is not consistently recorded in young people’s risk assessments. This means that staff are not fully equipped to safeguard young people from the risk presented when using the internet.

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Good

The home has good working relationships with the police, the missing from home coordinator and safeguarding agencies. External agencies confirmed that the home maintain regular contact with them and are pro-active in seeking advice when needed. One professional stated ‘I have no safeguarding concerns, staff work well as part of a team. They know the needs of young people and respond appropriately. They work collaboratively with services and always keep me informed and up to date with emails, reports and telephone calls.’ This demonstrates a collaborative approach to safeguarding which further protects young people from harm.

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Good

Recruitment practice is thorough and sound. The manager adopts a robust procedure to ensure the thorough scrutiny of applicants prior to their employment in the home. Young people are also involved in the selection process and have the opportunity to ask their own interview questions. Their views are actively sought and taken seriously by the manager. This ensures that young people have a meaningful say over who they think is suitable for the role.

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Good

The home is a physically safe environment. Young people are well protected by a range of health and safety procedures, risk assessments and routine checks. Young people are regularly involved in fire drills. This ensures they know how to safely evacuate the home in the event of an emergency.

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Good

The manager has been in post since August 2014. She is suitably experienced and qualified for the role. Staff and young people spoken with during the inspection express high levels of satisfaction for the support they receive from the manager. One young person stated ‘if I had a magic wand and I was the manager for a day, my wish would be to make Gill the manager!’

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Good

The Registered Manager and deputy manager work very well together to ensure young people make good progress and staff receive all the support they need to fulfil their duties to a high standard. The number of staff on duty is sufficient to meet the needs of young people. A regular pool of staff are also on hand to cover staffs shifts when necessary. The deployment of staff promotes continuity of care and provides opportunities for young people to form and sustain positive relationships with a consistent staff team.

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Good

Staff are enthusiastic about their development and willingly engage in ongoing training, team meetings, supervision and annual appraisals. They share their knowledge with each other at team meetings. One staff member commented ‘the greatest strength of this home is how we support and work together to benefit young people’. Staff are good at identifying each other’s strengths and utilising their different skills and approaches to achieve better outcomes for young people. Consequently, staff have ample opportunities to review young people’s needs and progress and reflect on their individual and team practice to ensure young people are receiving the best possible care and protection. The manager and the team have good quality relationships with external agencies. All professionals spoken with during this inspection report very high levels of satisfaction at the professional relationship they have with the home. Parents also

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Good

comment highly about the team and feel they are doing a ‘brilliant job’.

p.10

Good

Significant incident records are not always clear and do not provide a full oversight of the incident, action taken and the outcome any resulting investigation. While the manager ensures that appropriate action is taken, records made in this way lack clarity and do not stand up to scrutiny in the event of an investigation or complaint. There has also been at least one incident when the manager failed to notify Ofsted of an incident. This hinders the regulator from effectively carrying out its safeguarding responsibilities to ensure that young people are protected from harm.

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Good

The Registered Manager and deputy manager made good use of monitoring tools and quality assurance systems. They regularly monitor reports to review the home’s performance and the young people’s progress. The Registered Manager fully understands the weaknesses of the home and actively addresses areas where improvements can be made. A detailed development plan is in place with realistic but challenging targets to help drive the service forward. Recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed. This demonstrates that the manager learns from inspections and is able to implement positive change.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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