Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support children and young people to settle into the service at their own pace. Young people are able to get to know the environment, staff members and other young people through after school visits and trial stays overnight. If children or young people have found it difficult to settle in, staff have been extremely flexible to accommodate their needs. This includes enabling a young person to use the unit when others are not to reduce their anxieties and support them to be comfortable when using the service. Staff work closely with parents, the young people’s educational establishments and their social workers to identify their needs and how best to care for them. This enables young people to experience successful transitions into the service. When children and young people leave the service, staff provide opportunities for them to say goodbye. Children and young people are able to choose what they would like to do including meals or activities out. This

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

supports them to have a positive ending.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people's views and welfare are central to all aspects of the service. Staff use a variety of methods to communicate with children and young people to ensure they are able to make choices in their daily lives and their views are used to guide and improve the service. As a result, they feel valued and this increases their self-esteem. Staff encourage children and young people to develop their independence at every opportunity. Staff work closely with them and their parents to identify areas for skill development. Staff provide a consistent approach to support children and young people to develop new skills such as carrying out aspects of personal care and feeding themselves independently. This builds on their self-confidence and provides them with a sense of achievement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Care plans provide detailed information on the characteristics of each child or young person, recognising their individual needs and identifying particular strategies to support them. This ensures those using the service receive personalised care in a consistent way. Behaviour support plans provide comprehensive guidance to enable staff to have a clear understanding of children’s and young people’s behaviours, the reasons why they may present them and how best to support them. The low numbers of physical interventions that have taken place since the previous inspection demonstrate that staff are attentive in recognising signs of potentially unsafe behaviour and are adept at using approaches to prevent escalation and effectively protect children and young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people’s risk assessments are detailed, however many of them are generic and often refer to “the child”. The repetition of information across different children and young people’s risk assessments could result in staff overlooking information and not providing individualised care. However, the risk of this is minimised by the comprehensive detail in their care plans. Electronic monitoring is used during the night to ensure staff are able to respond promptly to the needs of the children and young people. Although their risk assessments include the use of night time surveillance these are not always signed by the person with parental responsibility. As a result, it is not evident if permission has been given for the use of electronic surveillance as required by regulation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are committed and child focused, ensuring the well-being of children and young people is at the core of their practice. Staff have worked hard to ensure children, young people and their families continue to receive a service whilst resources have been limited. The Registered Manager has been able to demonstrate that the staff team is now adequately staffed and she is also currently recruiting to posts to ensure children and young people will continue to receive consistent support. The Registered Manager is now receiving supervision from her line manager and has undertaken regular supervision with members of staff. Supervision provides an opportunity for staff to reflect on young people’s progress, their own practice and development needs and also how the standard of care provided to children and young people could be improved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The Registered Manager has taken action to address the requirement and recommendations raised in the services previous inspection report. The Registered Manager has amended the service’s complaints records to include the outcome of any complaint made. Although no complaints have been made since the previous inspection this will enable better monitoring and auditing of the quality of compliant handling. Staff have undertaken further training in child protection and equality and diversity. As a result, staff are now better equipped to identify child protection concerns and take action to protect children and young people. The Registered Manager has taken action to ensure the environment is more accessible for children and young people through the provision of ceiling track hoists in the sensory room and lounge areas.

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Information about this children's home

The setting is owned and operated jointly by a local authority children's services department and a National Health Service Foundation Trust. This service offers short breaks for up to nine children and young people who have learning disabilities that may include sensory and physical disabilities, complex health needs or challenging behaviour.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21/10/2014 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

14/01/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory 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 (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

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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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

 The service must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. This refers to obtaining consent specific to the use of monitoring devices. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards, page 16, paragraph 3.16).  The service should demonstrate how staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them through the use of personalised risk assessments. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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