Children's Home run by City of Wolverhampton Council in Staffordshire

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:

 Young people make exceptional progress in education because they receive tailored support that effectively challenges barriers to learning.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Managers and staff develop exceptionally strong professional partnerships with external agencies. These support young people’s development and reflect their needs.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and child protection factors that impact on young people’s safety. They work in partnership with other agencies to effectively identity, manage and reduce these risks.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are supported by an experienced, skilled and motivated staff team.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Detailed internal care planning ensures that young people recognise their achievements.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Strong monitoring systems are in place to support managers to continually review and develop the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Some areas for improvement have been identified. These include ensuring statutory documents are kept up-to-date by the placing authority, recording consultation with young people and ensuring staff training reflects the needs of young people.

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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

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met: In order to meet the quality standard of engaging with, the wider system the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(a) seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. This specifically relates to ensuring that statutory care plans are keep up to date. 20/07/15

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Requirement Due date

7. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard: In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard the registered person must in particular, ensure that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

(c) take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s views are recorded in their relevant plans

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Requirement Due date

2(a) ensure that staff— (iv) regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s views are recorded. 20/07/15

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 20/07/15

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff play a full role in undertaking life story work with children to promote the importance of understanding who they are and where they come from. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 10 paragraph 3.14)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to help children to understand, and where necessary work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health such as drugs and alcohol abuse. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 35 paragraph 7.18)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff consistently challenge and discuss poor behaviour. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 39 paragraph 8.11)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the evaluation of missing incidents undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff is retained to evidence what worked well. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45 paragraph 9.31)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviours are restorative in nature. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 46 paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the records in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 58 paragraph 11.19)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Two placements are located within self- contained semi-independent flats. The service is owned and operated by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/03/2014 CH - Interim Inadequate Progress

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good

Young people thrive in the home because they received good quality care. This is tailored to reflect their individual needs, vulnerabilities and risk taking behaviours. Young people recognise and celebrate their progress. One young person said, ‘Living here has changed my life for the better. It was hard for me to start with but now I just smile at how far I’ve come.’ Relationships between young people and staff are respectful and positive. Boundaries are clear and consistently applied. One young person said, ‘Staff get on my nerves at times when they won’t bend the rules but I know they really care about me.’

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good

Staff actively engage young people in one-to-one sessions. These are used to discuss their behaviours, personal circumstances, backgrounds and risk factors. Young people say these sessions are ‘useful’ and help them to understand the contents of their internal placement and support plans. Although they say they feel ‘listened to’, their views and opinions are not consistently recorded. As a result, support plans do not demonstrate that young people’s wishes are considered in decisions regarding their care. Also, discussions between young people and staff used to challenge unacceptable behaviours are poorly recorded. In addition, life story work lacks sufficient detail to support young people to reconcile their past. This hinders their ability to appropriately reflect on their experiences and behaviours or consider how these influence their development. Furthermore, young people’s case records and files are badly organised. This means that young people

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good

are not enthused to view these records and do not consider them to be ‘live’ documents that demonstrate their positive progress. One young person said, ‘I don’t go through my file I don’t think I’d know where to start.’

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good

Young people make positive and sustainable progress in all aspects of their lives. Staff passionately advocate for them to access the support services they need. This ensures that young people are not disadvantaged and have the same opportunities as their peers. This is particularly evident in relation to their educational attendance and achievements. When young people face barriers to accessing suitable learning provisions, staff liaise tirelessly with education support agencies. As a result, school and college attendance has increased to over 90% for all young people. For some young people this equates to an increase of 70% since their admission. They are proud of their achievements. One young person said, ‘I’m taking my exams and then I’ll be starting college and eventually going to university. I never thought I’d be saying that about myself.’

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good

Partnership working between the home and external health services ensure that young people are able to access the support they need. When applicable, young people benefit from ‘fast track’ referrals to mental health professionals. This means that young people do not experience any unnecessary delays. Staff work closely with external drug and alcohol services. These agencies provide young people with counselling sessions. Nevertheless, staff do not ensure that young people’s drug and alcohol use is effectively challenged outside of these formal sessions. This shortfall means that young people do not receive an integrated approach to addressing this behaviour.

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good

Transition planning and preparing young people for adulthood is a considerable strength of the home. Independent living plans are bespoke and reflective of young people’s individual skills, abilities and emotional well-being. They provide a clear overview of the progress young people make relating to their budgeting and cooking skills and highlight areas where young people need more support. This ensures that plans are realistic and this increases the likelihood of their success.

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good

Young people are safe and say they feel safe. One young person said, ‘It’s like someone is always looking out for me and guiding me.’ Young people confirm they understand how to raise any concerns or complaints. They are confident these will be quickly addressed and responded to. Records demonstrate that complaints are managed in line with local authority procedures and the home’s Statement of Purpose. This helps young people to feel safe and protected.

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good

Staff have a sound understanding of safeguarding and child protection issues. This is because they receive appropriate training that ensures their knowledge is up-to- date. Safeguarding concerns are swiftly referred to relevant agencies and appropriately recorded. Staff adhere to policies and procedures that detail partnership working arrangements. This ensures young people’s safety is consistently promoted.

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good

Robust and effective risk assessments are central to the culture of the home. Staff, police and specialist support agencies work together to identify and reduce young people’s risk taking behaviours. For example, when young people are at risk exploitation, the staff regularly liaise with local police and protection units. This ensures that a range of legal avenues are explored to protect them from harm.

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good

Incidents of young people going missing from the home have significantly reduced. Staff work with allocated social workers to ensure that contact arrangements between young people and their families and friends are tailored to reflect their needs. For example, young people are encouraged to invite their friends to the home for meals and evening activities. Furthermore, young people engage well with external counselling and support agencies. This helps them to take responsibility for their own safety and actions. This rounded approach to protecting young people means that their risk taking behaviours continue to reduce.

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good

Physical restraint is extremely rare because staff focus of verbal de-escalation and distraction techniques. Young people respond positively to the clear and consistent boundaries in place. This improves their sense of safety and well-being. Incidents of unacceptable behaviours are often addressed through reparation and restorative ‘making it right’ sessions. However, there are occasions when futile sanctions are given to young people. The use of these ineffectual measures of control undermines the positive relationships between young people and staff.

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good

Location and environmental health and safety risk assessments are comprehensive and effectual. They detail the specific risks associated with the uniqueness of the home and its locality. Fire safety checks are regularly completed and the home works in partnership with local fire and rescue service representatives. As a result young people live in a safe, secure and well-maintained home.

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good

There is an appropriately qualified Registered Manager in place. The Registered Manager has worked in children’s residential care for over 10 years. He has the skills and experience necessary to ensure that young people receive good quality care that reflects their individual needs.

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good

Young people’s changing and evolving needs are central to the on-going development of the service. The Registered Manager regularly audits young people’s case records to appraise and consider the positive progress they make. In relation to the Registered Manager, one young person said, ‘He checks our files to see how we’re doing and goes over the top with the praise when we’ve done good. I like that.’ When young people have achieved their identified goals, staff amend internal plans to highlight young people’s accomplishments. This enables young people to recognise and celebrate their successes. Nevertheless, the Registered Manager does not consistently seek to ensure that allocated social workers revise and update statutory care plans in a timely manner following reviews. This shortfall means young people receive a mixed message regarding their progress.

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good

Partnership working arrangements between staff, the placing authority and specialist support services are professional. These positive relationships are nurtured and developed by the Registered Manager to reflect young people’s complex and individual needs. Professionals associated with the home praise the ‘commitment, dedication and perseverance’ of the Registered Manager and staff team. One social worker said, ‘I am truly amazed by their (young person’s) progress. Their turnaround has left me speechless.’

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good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision. This monitors their practice and performance and takes account of their learning and development needs. However, training plans lack reference to the individual needs of young people. This means that the home is increasingly reliant on sourcing external services to provide young people with the one-to-one support the need.

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good

Internal monitoring tools are a significant strength of the home. The Registered Manager utilises a varied range of robust systems to collect qualitative and qualitative data. This is used to demonstrate the positive progress young people make and continually improve the service. For example, education attendance is recorded in percentage terms and cross referenced to the evaluation of behavioural patterns and trends presented by the young people. As a result, the Registered Manager is able to continually review the quality of care provided by the home and the impact this has on young people’s progress. However, further action is required to ensure that missing from home events are adequately assessed to identity positive interventions that reduce the frequency of these. In addition, whilst young people say they are asked about the quality of care they receive records do not show their views are recorded or acted upon.

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good

The home has a clear and defined Statement of Purpose. This highlights the aims and objectives of the service to be preparing young people for independence and adulthood. Transition is a priority for the home and the Registered Manager ensures that this ethos is reflected in the staff practice and young people’s personalised support plans.

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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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