Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Bolton

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The Registered Manager and assistant manager create an inspiring vision of high quality care that supports young people in reaching their potential. The care practice is underpinned by research, which is innovative and makes an exceptional difference to the lives of young people.  Staff are ambitious and challenge barriers in society to enable young people with complex and challenging needs to achieve their goals. They are dedicated to young people and take time to get to know them especially well, including their likes dislikes, mannerisms and unique talents. They are cared for with dignity, respect and sensitivity. This has been successful in ensuring that each young person feels safe, settled and secure living at the home.  Excellent relationships are forged between staff and young people; these are the foundation for the success of young people's placements and the home overall. Staff have worked at the home for a number of years,

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

providing consistency and predictability for young people who need this.  Partner agencies and young people's families consistently, highly praise the staff for their professionalism and partnership working in the best interests of young people.

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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 policy for the protection of children that is currently being reviewed, is made available to all interested parties. (The Guide to the Quality Standards paragraph 9.21 page 44)

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Information about this children's home

The children's home is one of a number of homes operated by a charitable trust. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties, physical disabilities and learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21/01/2015 CH - Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

24/01/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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outstanding

Staff effectively support young people who have complex and challenging needs to reach their potential. They are learning new skills for adulthood, making friendships and experiencing new challenges. They are making excellent progress in managing their behaviour and self-care skills, which builds young people’s confidence in their own abilities. For example; a young person who previously feared social events is now attending parties, local events and activities in the community. These are huge achievements and demonstrate that young people are building trusting and secure relationships with staff.

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outstanding

Staff champion young people’s participation and fully support them to be positively involved in society, despite any disability. They take part in a wide range of activities of their choice including: swimming, day trips, holidays abroad, youth clubs, awards ceremonies and celebrations. They are also active in their community including fund raising events, which helps them integrate within their local area.

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outstanding

Young people attend school regularly and make excellent progress from the starting point. Teachers highly praise the staff approach to education and support of young people. Moreover, they highlight what a difference staff have made to young people's presentation at school as they are now much happier and calmer since living at the home. Staff fully support young people in partnership with their families and attend school events and parent’s evenings accordingly.

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outstanding

Care practice is thoughtful and researched informed to enable young people to live a contented daily life. For example; one successful method used to reduce young people's anxiety if they wake up in the morning feeling distressed and apprehensive is to re-start the day. A strategy, in which young people will be encouraged to go back to the beginning of their day and experience waking-up again.

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outstanding

The staff and managers work seamlessly to the principles and ethos of the Statement of Purpose by providing an exception nurturing, calm, supportive and homely environment. This is highlighted as a key strength of the home by partner agencies and young people's families. In line with the aims of the home, staff strive to ensure young people maintain relationships with those significant to them. For example, a young person now has meaningful and regular contact with family members as a result of staff efforts. This is a fine example of staff championing young people’s rights and views successfully. Staff working at the home have done so for many years building up a wealth of experience specific to the needs of young people. This provides confidence and predictability for young people to grow and develop and for families to be reassured in the care practice. A family member commented: ‘There is no praise to

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outstanding

high, it is like being part of a large family, and the care is excellent, which gives us confidence’.

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outstanding

Young people all have access to medical and clinical expertise to enable them to lead a healthy life. Excellent services are sought and multi-agency working ensures that young people’s health needs including, psychological needs are thoroughly assessed and met. Staff fully support them to attend appointments and champion their needs with partner agencies to make sure they get the best possible help.

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outstanding

Care planning is robust and young people are at the heart of this. Highly personalised transitional arrangements are in place to fully support young people moving on to adult placement successfully. A professional commented: ‘Planning is excellent, I look forward to working with his home and I am confident and assured of their planning arrangements’.

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outstanding

Moreover, placement stability is very good and young people remain living in the home over a number of years. This is testament to the dedication of a stable and experienced staff team, which provides a secure base for young people to settle and grow .

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good

The safety and protection of young people is central to staff practice. They receive regular training and understand how to safeguard young people. Additionally, they are able to articulate how abuse and neglect can impact upon young people, which enables them to work sensitively with them. The policy for the protection of children is currently being reviewed and is not yet available to all interested parties to ensure their full understanding. However, this has not impacted negatively upon young people to-date.

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good

Robust risk management and review makes sure that all risks are identified before the placement begins. Again, risk reducing measures are put in place to minimise potential areas of concern. Each young person has a range of risk assessments in place, identifying their specific needs and how they will be met. These reflect current care practice observed during inspection.

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good

Young people's families have a strong sense of safety for their son’s and daughter’s living at the home. They trust in staff and report high levels of satisfaction with the care and protection afforded to their children. Staff make sure young people’s personal safety is maintained through high staffing levels and direct work with them. Consequently, there are no incidents of young people missing from home, police involvement, or substance misuse. Safer caring practices ensure that young people are effectively safeguarded and protected from harm.

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good

Staff know young people exceptionally well and have developed strategies to manage their individual behaviours successfully. Regular consultation with their families offers complete transparency in the behaviour management process. As a result, there are no physical interventions, although staff are fully trained should the need arise to safely hold them.

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good

Young people live in a physically safe environment where they are protected by well managed health and safety procedures. Moreover, organisational policies are in place to promote safer recruitment practice. Checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service and reference checks are all undertaken before any appointment of staff is made. Again, staff are vigilant and take appropriate steps to verify visitors identity to ensure young people are safe.

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outstanding

The Registered Manager and the assistant manager make up the management team. They both have the necessary skills, qualifications and a wealth of experience in working with young people with disabilities. The Registered Manager has been in position since March 2006 and knows the service extremely well. Together they provide clear leadership, accountability, setting high standards of care practice.

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outstanding

The Registered Manager and assistant manager work closely with staff to ensure that young people receive high quality care and make excellent progress. Up-to- date records, photographs and plans are available to document these achievements. All staff are fully engaged in the plans for young people and have high aspirations for them.

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outstanding

Staff are highly complementary of their management team and report high levels of job satisfaction. Above all staff speak highly of the young people and care deeply for them, often calling in on their days off to see them. A stable staff team achieved over a number of years is in place, which provides consistency and strong relationships with young people.

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outstanding

There are plans in place to develop the home, which set the direction for improvement. The Statement of Purpose is reflective of care practice and staff work passionately to ensure the aims and objectives are achieved for all young people placed. A nurturing, homely environment is prevalent within the home’s culture and this is one of the successes achieved by all staff.

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outstanding

The quality of the relationships between staff, managers, partner agencies and young people’s families is exceptional. Furthermore, the team as a whole have excellent local knowledge and strong multi-agency links. One professional commented: ‘I am extremely happy with the service, it is a joy to come to such a home where all staff are so knowledgeable and their communication is top drawer’.

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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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