Children's Home run by Stanfield Care Services Limited in Norfolk

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 The Registered Manager has only been in post for a short period. This has affected consistency of management oversight and the development of the service.

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because:

 Recent staff changes have affected the extent to which staff are able to build a positive relationship with every young person based on affection and respect.

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because:

 Young people do not feel that the impact of these changes on them has been adequately understood. Their views have not been fully taken into account and as a result, plans to mitigate against this loss have not been affective.

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because:

 Currently staffing arrangements are dependent on the use of agency staff. Young people have been used to developing relationships with permanent staff and find the use of agency workers unsettling.

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because:

 The staff group need support to work together in a cohesive and organised way. They need to understand the ethos and values of the home and their own roles and responsibilities as outlined in the Statement of Purpose.

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because:

 Staff require training that enables them to meet the specific, challenging and complex needs of the young people in this home.

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because:

 Placing authorities need to be kept informed of all staff changes so that they can continue to accurately assess the ability of the home to provide suitable safe care for the young people that they have placed there

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because:

 Working relationships with the local agencies have not been developed. Liaison with local agencies is needed to update and strengthen the home’s local risk assessment.

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The children's home strengths

 The Registered Manager has had an immediately positive impact on this situation. She has had a reassuring influence on the young people who have responded well to her and begun to develop trusting relationships with her.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people’s views have been heard by the management team directly, who have acknowledged their distress. Young people have been assertive but also controlled and balanced. They are supportive and protective of one another.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff and management encourage and support contact with families. They provide extra support to enable young people to attend special family celebrations and make families feel welcome when they visit the home.

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The children's home strengths

 The home is comfortable, clean and suitably furnished. There are more efforts to personalise rooms and encourage young people to express their feelings and celebrate success.

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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 young people’s needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the standard of engaging with the wider system to ensure that young people’s needs are met with particular reference to ensuring that the local authority is involved in decisions about the child, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(a) seek to involve young person’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, (d) seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. 21/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

7. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, with reference to ensuring that young people’s views are considered when decisions are made about staffing in the home, the registered provider should ensure that 21/07/2015 (1) children receive care from staff who— (a) develop positive relationships with them; (b) engage with them; and (c) take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (2) (a) ensure that staff— (i) ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare; (ii) help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; (iii) help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

(iv) regularly consult children, and seek their views (b) ensure that each child (i) is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives (e) ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, with reference to gaining the young person’s respect and trust the registered provider must ensure that

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Requirement Due date

11. —(1) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

(b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

(c) positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out 21/07/2015 in the child’s relevant plans; (viii) strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (b) that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

13 The Leadership and Management Standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the Leadership and Management standard with particular reference to ensuring continuity of care, the registered manager should ensure that

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to

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Requirement Due date

(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

(b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 21/07/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the use of agency staff is carefully monitored and reviewed to ensure children receive continuity of care. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.16)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  Ensure that the Registered Person should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home and have successfully complete the induction for the home in which they are employed. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.21)

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Information about this children's home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This home is owned by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/06/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

28/01/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Young people in this home have benefited from relationships with a long standing staff and management group. Recent changes in the staff group have affected them in significant ways. They are unsettled and uncertain about the future. They say that they want clarity and reassurance that those who will be looking after them will know and understand their needs and will be able to respond confidently to them. The young people in the home are realistic and know that their wishes will not always be met but they also feel that they have not been taken into account when dealing with recent staffing matters. Young people are vocal and angry but they have also bonded positively as a group. They are noticeably protective and supportive to one another.

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Requires improvement

The Registered Manager has made a good start in a very short time in reassuring them and establishing a relationship with them. She is very calm, confident and in control and has taken every opportunity to spend personal and individual time with young people to steady and settle them. This has helped a great deal to persuade them that their views are being taken seriously and acted upon.

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Requires improvement

Despite the recent turbulent times, young people have been going to school, where they are making progress. This is striking progress given their starting points. Professionals from local schools confirm that staff have been involved and responsive, attending regular meetings at the home and providing extra support when the school has needed help. Daily routines such as bed times and getting up in the morning underpin the understanding that they are all expected to be ready for school. Where some young people have just resumed education, this basic routine in the home is an important indication of what is required. Consequently, young people have been able to adapt to resuming their school programme and this has given them confidence.

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Requires improvement

Young people have access to a range of social, leisure and recreational activities including skating, cinema and walks outside to local sports facilities. All activities are risk assessed and appropriately supervised. Apart from the physical benefits, they enjoy spending time together. Young people learn to get along with one another and develop social skills. This promotes their self-esteem. Some young people are being prepared for independence. Staff recognise that individuals need to develop both practical and domestic skills and a sense of self- assurance about how they will manage their adult lives. Consequently, young people have goals such as doing their own shopping, cooking and washing but they are also encouraged to build up contacts and friendships in the local community. This means that they consider their future as adults as more predictable and secure.

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Requires improvement

Young people have made progress as a result of living in this home. Recent referrals were carefully assessed to identify risks; challenging behaviours were matched with detailed management strategies. There was consideration of the impact of a new arrival on the other young people in the home. Until recently a well-established and experienced staff team has been able to meet the needs of the young people for safety and consistency and consequently they settled and their behaviour was calm

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Requires improvement

However, the recent retirement of the Registered Manager and the resignation of key members of the staff team has been a challenge to the cohesiveness of the staff group. These circumstances have had a direct impact on the continuity and consistency of the young people’s care. In particular, young people need a trusted adult who understands and is responsive to their needs. Managers within the organisation are taking robust action to address and improve this situation. For instance, a newly appointed Registered Manager has been a positive and steadying influence. Young people have responded warmly to her and appreciate the efforts that she has made at a difficult time. At a residents meeting in June, a young person said: ‘Everyone is to follow the new rules and to show her the respect she deserves as this is now her home.’ Consequently, young people are beginning to feel more confident that they are valued and their views are taken into account.

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Requires improvement

Staff maintain and regularly review care plans. Risks assessments are updated and detailed management strategies are agreed with placing authorities to meet particular needs and behaviours. Some young people who have had a history of running away have been helped to settle through extra support and consistent routines. One member of staff said: ‘Yes, we are stretched, but it does not feel unmanageable and I would say if that were to be the case. Some young people can ‘go off’ but the routines are safe.’ Individual care plans emphasise the importance of using de-escalation techniques and encouraging young people to reflect on their behaviour. As a result, young people are more relaxed because their safety is protected.

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Requires improvement

On occasion, the behaviour of some young people has been challenging. Staff respond appropriately and the police are only involved when absolutely necessary and when agreed by management. Young people have recorded their views about the incidents and have been able to acknowledge the impact of their behaviour on themselves and other young people in the home. Staff manage poor behaviour proportionately.

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Requires improvement

Positive behaviour is promoted as part of the overall ethos of the home and is reflected in established routines and boundaries. Staff use sanctions and rewards constructively. For instance, young people record their view about any sanctions, confirm if they think that the sanction is fair and sometimes suggest an appropriate sanction themselves. With the encouragement of the Registered Manager, young people have recently devised incentive charts where they have recorded goals that contribute to their care or pathway plans. These are realistic and personal and include objectives such as ‘staying out of trouble’ and ‘no fighting’. Rewards can be financial such as a contribution towards a gift but often take the form of a group meal or a trip to the cinema.

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from contact with local voluntary organisations that provide befriending and therapeutic services. These are tailored to meet the individual needs of the young person. For some, this has led to being included in a local youth forum where they have the chance to meet workers and give their views about the policies that affect them. This has increased their self-esteem and confidence.

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Requires improvement

Staff support young people’s contact with their families and others who are important to them. All contact arrangements take place within specific guidance in the young people’s care plans. Risks are carefully assessed but families confirm that staff make every effort to ensure that contact is relaxed and informal. Young people are also encouraged to celebrate and attend special family events. This helps them maintain important relationships in the future. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

The new manager commenced her role in June 2015 has significant and suitable experience to support her in this role and is awaiting confirmation of acceptance of the level five diploma. She has made a positive start but faces a number of challenges. It is unfortunate that she could not benefit from a handover with the previous management team as part of her induction. As a result, she has been at a disadvantage in building trusting relationships with staff and young people in the home.

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Requires improvement

In addition, the manager has been reliant on the use of agency workers to fill gaps in the staffing rota. Young people in the home have been used to a settled staff group where they have been able to get to know individual members of staff well. They have been disturbed and worried by the arrival of new workers and need reassurance about how this will be managed.

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Requires improvement

Risks assessments for the young people emphasise the importance of consistency and reliability and the impact of recent staff changes is serious and far-reaching. Young people in the home have made complaints both directly in person to the management team and to outside agencies including Ofsted. In particular, they do not feel that managers fully considered how to help and support them adjust to the loss of key relationships in the home.

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Requires improvement

The manager and senior managers from the company are fully aware of the need to remedy this situation urgently. The manager has drafted a development plan for ratification from senior managers. The key priority is to recruit suitably qualified permanent staff so that young people can develop relationships with individual workers who know their needs well and are able to respond confidently to them.

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Requires improvement

Staff have been receiving regular supervision which is recorded and addresses both workload and personal development. The manager is committed to continuing this practice and holding staff meetings so that staff work as a group. This is especially important as new and agency staff join the home and need to understand the ethos and values of the home and how this impacts on their ability to work together as a team.

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Requires improvement

Currently, policies and procedures are generic and held online. Staff do not feel this is helpful in outlining how rules and regulations may work in this individual home. Consequently, this is a missed opportunity to develop the staff group by helping them understand their roles and responsibilities and develop a shared ownership about their approach to their work with young people.

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Requires improvement

Staff are ambitious for further training opportunities and some are awaiting confirmation of acceptance on vocational level three courses. Much of the current online training is not assessed to be effective in helping staff apply guidance to real life situations. Staff say that they would benefit from more bespoke training that is directly given and tailored to focus on the special needs of the young people in the home.

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Requires improvement

Despite these difficult times, young people have made progress. Placements have been sustained. Care plans are up to date, accurate and demonstrate a detailed understanding of each young person, their achievements and needs. There are detailed behaviour management plans, which present clear instructions about how to deal competently and effectively with a young person in distress, using humour and de-escalation to calm and reassure them. All young people are expected to attend school. Where this has been lacking, staff are proactive and successful in pursuing this. Teachers confirm that they have experienced good working relationships with staff at the home. They have found staff to be supportive of teachers and responsive to requests for help. Staff have been creative but insistent in helping young people get to school. As a result, there is an established culture of school attendance in the home.

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Requires improvement

External professionals have also complimented the staff at the home on their commitment to partnership work with placing authorities. However, some social workers have expressed concern at the recent staff changes and the impact that this may have on the stability of placements. The management team is aware of this and is committed to liaising with social workers to keep them up to date about developments.

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Requires improvement

The home is safe and comfortable. There is ample room for communal living with a well-appointed kitchen and diner and large lounge. All young people have their own bedrooms. The manager has started to introduce some personal touches, which help to soften the look of the home and make it feel homely and welcoming.

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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

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Information about this inspection

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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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