Children's Home run by Delam Care Limited 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 good, sustained progress in all areas of their development relative to their starting points.  The Registered Manager and staff are nurturing. They ensure high quality and effective care is provided to young people.  Staff members consistently demonstrate safe care practices. This means young people are cared for by safe and trusted adults.  Excellent attendance and progress at school is achieved and maintained by young people.  Excellent and highly individualised planning takes place when young people move to adult care provisions.  Relationships between young people and their families are supported and maintained through well-established contact arrangements.  Young people are safe and live in a home where they are protected, safeguarded and nurtured.  Excellent multi-agency planning, communication and co-ordination ensure plans for young people are highly effective.  Young people’s behaviour is managed well with positive praise replacing

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The children's home provision is good because:

sanctions. Creating a nurturing and supportive environment.  The staff group are stable and highly motivated to provide good quality care to young people.  The home is effectively managed by a committed, experienced and outstanding Registered Manager, supported by an equally skilled deputy manager.

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Information about this children's home

 The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people between the ages of 8 and 18.  In some circumstances the service will continue to care for young people after the age of 18 who have a pathway plan into adult care services.  The home provides services to young people with severe learning disabilities, autism, Down’s syndrome, challenging behaviour and associated complex needs.  The home is privately owned and managed.  The home provides services mainly to local authorities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

Young people make good progress in relation to their starting points. The Registered Manager and staff are nurturing. They provide effective, high quality support and care to young people. This in turn means young people thrive physically, emotionally and socially. Clear care and placement plans stay under review and regularly updated. This ensures plans remain highly individualised and capture progress and experience.

p.5

good

Staff members demonstrate safe and caring practice. This has created an environment where young people feel safe and settled. They have adults in whom they can confide in and have developed trusting relationships. They continue to be happy and contented and enjoy their lives.

p.5

good

Attendance at school remains high. Most young people enjoy going to school and are making steady and continuous progress supported by staff. Attainment and progress remain on track to achieve good outcomes for young people. Good relationships and effective communication exists between the staff and schools. This benefits the young people through ensuring a co-ordinated and structured approach is maintained to improve their overall development and education. For some young people the education setting can prove challenging. Staff members will support these young people in the school setting to provide them with the care and encouragement they need.

p.5

good

The Registered Manager and staff prioritise young people’s health needs. They receive primary and specialist health care services. Annual health assessments and reviews take place. Some young people require a range of specialist health care services to meet their needs. These services include child and adolescent mental health service, occupational therapists and speech and language therapy. Young people’s health and development benefit as a result of having this specialised support.

p.5

good

Young people benefit from excellent planning when they move to adult care provision. Highly individualised care planning takes place for those young people reaching adulthood. The Registered Manager and staff plan carefully with all agencies involved ensuring young people moving to adult care do so in a well- planned and careful manner. This means their progress is not detrimentally affected. Taking into account the emotional upheaval of moving, changing services and developing relationships with new carer’s are carefully considered. Making arrangements for the transition are at the young person’s own pace. The Registered Manager ensures that all agencies involved agree to working to timescales suitable to the young person. This provides a high likelihood of successful transition for the young person concerned.

p.5

good

Young people are making significant progress in developing their practical and life skills. They are developing skills such as eating meals at a dinner table with the group without distress. This is improving their confidence as well as their abilities.

p.6

good

The relationship between young people and their families are valued and supported. Young people have regular contact with their families and friends. Arrangements for contact takes place within clearly agreed plans. Contact is safe and beneficial for the young person and their family. The manager keeps close relationships with families where possible, and offers emotional and practical support with contact. Young people and their families benefit from having good quality and supported contact arrangements that preserves relationships.

p.6

good

The home is warm, comfortable and personalised to the liking of young people. The outside area is well equipped with a range of play equipment that is maintained to a high standard. This means young people have a home they can be proud of and enjoy.

p.6

good

Young people are safe and live in a safe environment where they are protected from harm. Staff members use good safeguarding practices that identify risk and take measures to keep vulnerable young people safe. Young people have complex needs and display challenging behaviours at times. Staff have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of young people. This supports staff to care effectively and in providing support to young people in all areas of their lives.

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good

Robust multi-agency planning ensures young people are better protected by agencies that know young people well. The manager is working closely with an established group of professionals that forms a team around the young person. Professionals share information and communicate well. Plans are regularly reviewed and updated in line with changing needs. Regular looked after children’s reviews and care planning meetings take place. These meetings ensure plans are accurate and being purposefully followed for the benefit of young people.

p.6

good

Relationships between the young people are good. The staff members have ensured there is no bullying. High levels of monitoring means that young people are not left without adult support. This reduces the risk of bullying. Additionally relationships are promoted through group activities and encouraging communication through laughter, fun and caring for each other.

p.6

good

Sanctions are never used and physical interventions are rare. This is because positive, caring and sensitive relationships exist between the young people and staff. Good, positive behaviour is promoted through the use of rewards and positive praise encouraging good behaviour and achievement. Should young people become angry or frustrated the staff apply skills of re-diversion such as the encouraging the use of soft play area. This helps young people to become calmer.

p.7

good

Young people do not engage in risk taking behaviours. Smoking, alcohol or going missing from care does not happen. High levels of staff support ensure their whereabouts are known at all times.

p.7

good

The manager and staff are skilled and experienced in working with young people exhibiting self-harming behaviours. They seek various ways to reduce self-harmful behaviour. Appropriate medical and psychiatric intervention is sought immediately when concerns emerge.

p.7

good

Staff are highly motivated. They show a good level of understanding and knowledge of meeting the needs of young people with challenging and complex needs on a daily basis. Young people benefit from appropriate consistency, structure and routine. As a result, they are settled and have a sense of security.

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outstanding

Young people benefit from a dedicated and outstanding Registered Manager. She is suitable qualified with a diploma in childcare. She has considerable experience of working with children and young people with special needs in residential care. The Registered Manager receives regular supervision and oversight of her work from a qualified senior manager. An experienced and qualified deputy manager supports the Registered Manager. They work well and collaboratively together, with a drive for continuous improvement.

p.7

outstanding

The manager recognises the crucial importance to young people of having well- supported and trained staff. Staff receive good quality and regular supervision. Training opportunities together with an appraisal system ensures the ongoing development of the staff group. The staff group work safely and consistently together, they recognise the importance of their work to young people. The staff group remain stable. There is currently one vacancy. The Registered Manager does not use agency staff and instead ensures the staff team covers any gaps so that young people have access to trusting adults so that their needs remain met.

p.7

outstanding

Robust recruitment and vetting processes are in place. Applicants undergo appropriate checks including criminal history to previous employment history checks. This reduces the possibility of young people being harmed by those in positions of trust.

p.8

outstanding

Excellent communication sharing across the staff group takes place. Team meetings take place regularly; they have a clear structure and agenda. The meetings provide opportunities to share ideas and views.

p.8

outstanding

Staff feel valued and supported by the Registered Manager and deputy manager. They feel listened to and their views valued. Their needs, both professionally and personally are being taken into account. This helps the staff to remain highly motivated in their care of young people.

p.8

outstanding

Leaders and managers effectively monitor the quality of care that young people receive. The Registered Manager receives monthly monitoring reports from an independent visitor. These reports are in-depth and evaluative and assist the Registered Manager to improve quality of care. The Registered Manager utilises information from this report to make continuous improvements. This includes informing the home’s development plan.

p.8

outstanding

The Registered Manager is ambitious and innovative. She has introduced new processes for the recording and tracking of progress young people are making. This ensures ongoing analysis of information is taking place and enables them to review plans in line with the changing needs of the young people.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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