Children's Home run by PCT 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:

 Access to tobacco has been used as part of a behaviour management strategy. This does not give young people clear messages about the risks of smoking and so does not adequately promote their health.  Staff do not have a sufficiently detailed awareness of the dangers of internet and social media use to provide effective safeguards for young people.  Some staff have not had specific fire safety training. It is covered in their induction but this does not provide as much information to help staff maintain a safe environment for young people.  Young people are not given clear information on how to make a complaint.  There are no written risk assessments for young people (other than their activities) so the action staff need to take to reduce risks for young people is not clearly recorded to ensure consistency and effective risk reduction.  Activity risk assessments are not always sufficiently individualised to provide

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because:

easy to use information for staff.  There are no records of the assessment of potential placements and admissions to the home, including the impact that they may have on other young people.  There are no systems in place to monitor the progress that young people are making, so that the plans for them cannot be amended if necessary to support them to maintain and make further progress.  There are no arrangements for the manager to receive professional supervision, this will limit his opportunities for reflection and challenge of his practice.  While a permanent manager is now in post, there has been a lack of management consistency over the past six months.  Young people’s expressed views on taking part in activities are not always followed up to encourage socialisation and activities.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people are making good progress in many areas of their lives while living at this home.  There are good relationships between staff and young people. These help to ensure that staff can work effectively with young people.  Young people are engaging and doing well in education.  The manager and staff have good relationships with other agencies to provide consistent care for young people.  Managers and staff have a sound understanding of young people’s needs.  There is a low use of restraint and sanctions. Staff involve young people in their behaviour management strategies, so they are more likely to be successful.  Staff feel supported and are given clear direction form their managers.

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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

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to encouraging children to stop smoking, the registered provider must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

(c) children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 21/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

9. The enjoyment and achievement standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the enjoyment and achievement standard, the registered provider must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

(i) develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

(ii) participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences. 21/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to written risk assessments, the registered provider must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 21/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard 21/08/2015 In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered provider must ensure that staff:

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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;

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Requirement Due date

(g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

(i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

(ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 21/08/2015

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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, the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

(d) ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about— (ii) how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with. 21/08/2015

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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 placements for children are only accepted where registered persons are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded in the child's relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. This relates to having written assessments, which show that the impact on other children has been considered. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 56 paragraph 11.4)

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Information about this children's home

This children's home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities. The home is owned by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

02/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Young people in the home are making good progress. One placing social worker said that the young person they are responsible for has ‘really turned everything around’ since being at the home. Placing social workers spoke of staff having very good relationships with young people. They described them as knowing how to respond to young people and getting through to them in a sensitive way, having a good understanding of individuals and heading off problems. Staff make good use of opportunities to work with and speak with young people through impromptu keyworker sessions. When one young person was clearly struggling to maintain his behaviour, his key worker took him out for a meal on the spur of the moment, allowing space from the situation and time to discuss and reflect on his behaviour.

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Requires improvement

Young people are able to maintain their education and do well in it because of the staff support. One young person is able to take part in a low level of education following a very long period of non-attendance; for him this is a significant improvement. Staff work very closely with schools to avoid the need for exclusions. One school said that the young person was able to access education because of the stability of their placement. This follows a history of numerous disrupted placements. Staff help young people to prepare for more independent living, this includes making sure they have the practical skills they need as well as helping them find accommodation and training and planning for the move when it comes.

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Requires improvement

Young people generally make progress in their health, including their awareness of personal hygiene and attendance at health appointments. However, for one young person his smoking and access to tobacco has been part of his behaviour management strategy. This is inappropriate as it does not give him a clear message about the health risks of smoking or encourage him to give up. Consequently, it is not promoting his health well enough.

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Requires improvement

Staff consult young people about aspects of the daily living in the home, including the activities they are planning for the week ahead. Although activities are generally promoted, one young person identified some things which they were keen to take part in which have not been followed up. As a result, their opportunities to take part in activities and develop friendships outside of the home have been limited.

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Requires improvement

Staff support young people who live a long way from home through practical measures such as facilitating contact, which includes planned visits home and emotional support. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

Managers and staff have a sound understanding of the young people, including their individual needs and the risks that they present. There are written risk assessments for the activities that young people take part in and these are mostly clear, but some are not sufficiently specific in providing information. There are no written risk assessments for young people generally. Therefore, while staff knowledge helps to protect young people, there is the potential for misunderstanding or lack of consistency. The assessment of the suitability of potential placements, including their potential impact on other young people in the home is considered and staff are involved in discussions over this. Again, there are no written records of this process, which makes monitoring of admission decisions difficult.

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Requires improvement

There have been no incidents of young people going missing from care since the previous inspection. For some young people this shows very significant progress and consequently a reduction in risk taking behaviours. The staff have good relationships with the local police and work to protocols agreed with them. This helps to build a system of consistent and effective working to protect young people. Young people show a notable reduction in the use of drugs while at the home.

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Requires improvement

Staff help young people to understand about appropriate behaviour. There have been no incidents of restraint in the home since the previous inspection, despite there being occasions when young people have been physically aggressive to staff. This shows that staff are able to effectively assess whether restraint is necessary and justified. Consequently, young people are not involved in incidents of restraint unnecessarily.

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Requires improvement

There is a low use of sanctions in the home. When they are used, staff speak to young people to encourage them to express their views of the sanction and in some cases, earn back something by showing improved behaviour. As young people are involved, they are more likely to understand the reasons for sanctions and modify their behaviour.

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Requires improvement

Managers and staff make appropriate plans to help young people move and settle into the home. They help them to take age-appropriate risks in preparation for when they live more independently. Staff awareness of the risks for young people using the internet and social media is mixed. Overall, there is not a consistently high enough awareness of these risks, so staff are not able to provide sufficient safeguards and help for young people to learn to protect themselves when using the internet. Staff and managers are alert to signs of abuse or inappropriate behaviour, which helps them to provide a safe environment for young people.

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Requires improvement

There is currently no Registered Manager at the home. The previous Registered Manager left in January 2015. An interim manager was put in place and a new manager has since been appointed. He is working alongside the previous interim manager and has applied to Ofsted to become registered. There has been some disruption to the management of the home, but staff and outside professionals are positive about the current management arrangements. Staff feel consulted about the running of the home and say that the manager supports them and gives them clear direction. This helps to maintain a confident staff team who can provide consistent and effective care for young people. Managers are developing an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They recognise that there are areas in which they need to develop further, including in some of the areas of shortfall identified in this report.

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Requires improvement

The managers have a clear understanding of and focus on the young people’s needs. They know about the progress that young people are making, but they do not specifically record or monitor progress. Consequently, while young people are making progress in the home, there is a lack of effective monitoring to provide clear evidence and direction to further improve the quality of care and ensure that progress continues.

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Requires improvement

The Statement of Purpose has recently been reviewed to reflect the new regulations and guidance. The home is working in line with its Statement of Purpose. An example is in the promotion of education for young people and the thought and consideration given to the use of consequences. There is a children’s guide, which informs young people about the home and how it operates, but does not include information about making a complaint. This information is not provided separately, so young people are not informed and empowered to make complaints.

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Requires improvement

Almost exclusively, external professionals spoke of high quality and effective relationships between themselves and the home. When difficulties in relationships have occurred, the home works with the relevant agencies to address these. Effective professional relationships help to promote good outcomes for young people through a clear understanding of young people’s needs and professional responsibilities for meeting specific aspects of need.

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Requires improvement

The managers have taken action to address the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection. There are regular fire safety checks and managers have reviewed the fire risk assessment so there are better measures in place to help keep young people safe. There has not been a review of the quality of care due or undertaken since the previous inspection, but the managers are aware of the need to consult with young people, parents and placing authorities as part of this. Records of supervisions now show their time, date and duration. Supervision of staff is taking place regularly to help ensure that staff work effectively and appropriately with young people. There are not yet any arrangements for the supervision of the new manager, meaning he does not have the opportunity to discuss and reflect on his practice.

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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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