Children's Home run by Sunflower Children Care Services in Leicestershire

Inspection date 08/07/2015

Previous inspection judgement Improved effectiveness .

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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 progress towards their educational goals. This is particularly impressive because some have not previously achieved well at school.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are well supported to maintain nurturing relationships because staff are empathetic and resilient. Stable relationships help young people to grow in self-esteem.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Well focused risk assessment enables young people to safely take part in a range of exciting activities.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Safeguarding practice is robust. Managers and staff have a well-defined approach to keeping young people safe.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager encourages staff to seek innovative ways to support young people. This creative approach enables young people to develop significantly improved social skills.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager has good relationships with placing authorities and with a range of other agencies. This ensures that young people receive all necessary support to achieve the objectives of their care plans.

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Information about this children's home

The service is a privately-operated children's home, registered for up to three young people aged from 9 to 17 years. Children and young people may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is also a registered school attached to this home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Young people have made good overall progress. Following admission, they quickly develop trusting relationships with staff. Some young people initially find it hard to talk to the staff. However, staff are resilient, enthusiastic, and positive. They quickly begin to form relationships which the young people say are ’really good’. One young person says, ‘I get on great with them now’. These relationships are the starting point for the staff to begin to build the confidence and self-esteem of the young people.

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Good

Because the home has such strong links to the school attended by young people, educational progress is good. Education attendance is markedly improved following admission. This generates improved achievement, particularly for young people who previously had poor attendance. Young people are studying for recognised qualifications and are predicted to receive good grades. Staff develop effective strategies to support young people to access as much of the education curriculum as possible. Consequently, emotional and behavioural difficulties do not prevent young people reaching their educational goals.

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Good

Young people attend group meetings and one-to-one key work sessions. These focus on relationships, positive ways to interact, and, most importantly, how to talk to trusted adults when relationships in the home or in the community may not be going well. The staff keep a record of anti-social behaviours or bullying and take a restorative approach to managing any incidents of bullying. The level of bullying is very low because of these measures.

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Good

Care plans to meet the young people’s needs are good. The staff are committed to working with them. As a result, staff understand the care needs of each young person well. They use handover and team meetings to share information about the young people. This leads to consistency of care and enables staff to maintain a good working knowledge of the progress and achievements of each young person.

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Good

Staff listen carefully to young people’s views. There are regular young people’s meetings, key work sessions, and reviews. These demonstrate that young people are able to express their views, and that these are respected. For example, the décor of the home is now improved in line with the wishes of young people. As a result, the young people feel comfortable in the home. They say, ‘this house is really nice’ and learn to take pride in their environment. The registered manager also uses these meetings as an opportunity to praise young people. This motivates young people to achieve well, allows them to take pride in their achievements and boosts their self-esteem.

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Good

Young people are encouraged to participate in a range of stimulating activities including ice skating and gymnastics. Staff work well with the wider community and take opportunities to help the young people integrate into activities in their local area. For example, some have been introduced to groups such as Guides. Many young people are nervous about starting a new activity so staff attend with them until their confidence grows. This means that they learn to cope in social situations and form friendship groups in the community.

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Good

Strong pathway planning helps young people to develop age appropriate independence and self-care skills. This starts with simple menu planning and shopping tasks. Other skills are added as young people develop confidence, including cooking, household management and budgeting skills. Young people take pride in their achievements in this area, for example they enjoy cooking meals for themselves, staff and other young people. The development of practical skills helps young people look forward confidently to adult life.

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Good

Staff are encouraged to seek innovative ways to work with young people. For example, by using drama and role play activities. These help young people to see events from others’ perspective and to reflect on how they react to difficult social situations. Young people become more confident and assertive because the home is a safe environment for them to learn how to manage their emotional responses in challenging circumstances. As a result, they grow in emotional resilience.

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Good

Safeguarding practices are good in this home. The young people say, ‘I am happy here and the staff keep me safe’. Safeguarding is a central agenda item in team meetings and within induction and training packages. Effective training ensures that staff are alert to and act upon information that raises their concerns relating to child sexual exploitation. Robust safe recruitment practice means that only suitably vetted staff work at the home. Routine checks on visitors to the home also prevent inappropriate adults gaining access to the young people.

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Good

Some young people place themselves at risk by being absent from the home without permission. When this occurs, staff make determined efforts to encourage them to return home, including searching for them in the community. They follow agreed local protocols correctly so that partner agencies such as the police are alerted to concerns promptly. As a result, young people return quickly and the risk of abuse and exploitation is minimised.

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Good

Staff use rewards and incentives well to encourage positive behaviour. This positive approach has seen a reduction in challenging behaviours as young people are motivated to behave well. This approach is balanced by appropriate use of reparation and restorative approaches so that young people learn to take responsibility for their actions and understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Consequently, young people become increasingly socially aware and develop improved social skills.

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Good

Staff are trained to restrain young people safely, when behaviours place themselves or others at risk. The registered manager carefully reviews each incident to ensure that the actions of staff are appropriate, necessary and in the best interest of the young person. She also ensures that staff are given time to reflect on their use of restraint. This enables them to develop improved de- escalation strategies and gain a better understanding of how to support individual young people in crisis. The number of restraints has reduced over recent months because of this approach.

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Good

Risk assessments ensure that the home environment is free from avoidable hazards. Risk assessment is careful but proportionate. It does not limit the opportunities available to young people. Young people undertake stimulating and exciting activities, such as gymnastics, in a safe, planned way. Maintenance of the home is good. The registered manager deals with repairs quickly so that the environment is safe and pleasant. There is a high standard of decoration and personalisation in each room. There is art work on the wall which makes the rooms very welcoming and celebrates the creativity of the young people. Photographs of the young people are displayed which makes them feel valued. Consequently they feel a sense of pride and belonging. They say that, ‘this home is smart, really tidy and clean’. Judgement grade

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Good

A well-qualified registered manager leads this home. She has many years’ experience of working in this type of setting which means she is very knowledgeable and competent. She motivates the staff well through one-to-one meetings. These meetings are regular and challenging for the staff regarding their practice. This has helped staff to reflect positively on the role they play in young people’s lives. The registered manager ensures that there are personal development plans for staff to help them improve their skills and performance in the home. For example, when some staff needed support with writing daily logs the manager developed a check list which helped them to improve in this area. Staff speak highly of their manager. One staff member stated that the manager always ’reminds us to do our best’ for young people. Another says that, ‘she really helps us to focus on the young people’.

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Good

A small, committed group of staff work in this home. Staffing levels are good and there is little use of agency or bank staff. There has been a slight turnover in staff as some have moved within the organisation. However, new staff have been recruited to replace them. This provides a high level of consistency to the young people. Suitable induction and ongoing training is provided to all staff in a range of areas. This enables them to provide high quality care and promote the safety of young people. Staff say that their training has been helpful to them in understanding and addressing the needs of young people.

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Good

Monitoring is good. The registered manager uses a well-defined tracking tool to see how the young people have progressed. This helps to identify areas of the care plan that are completed. If young people do not make the expected progress, an action plan is put in place to improve on this. An independent visitor is commissioned to evaluate the quality of care each month. Their reports highlight areas of strength and detail any shortfalls. The registered manager responds quickly to make up these shortfalls and improve the outcomes for the young people. The registered manager knows that the home’s strengths lie in the quality of the relationships that staff build with young people, and in the commitment that staff show. She also has a clear understanding of how to build on these strengths to achieve continual improvement. For example, one of the areas that she is keen to develop is a more rigorous approach to recording so that staff can better

p.8

Good

evidence the progress that young people make. She has detailed plans in place to achieve this objective.

p.9

Good

The staff and manager have good relationships with placing authorities. They provide regular, well-written, updates which inform decision making processes. The registered manager confidently advocates for young people when external agencies do not meet expected service standards. For example, she has been in touch with a placing authority to ensure that review meeting minutes are promptly made available to young people. Staff are in regular contact with the police and have a good working relationship with the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. This ensures that young people have quick access to emotional and mental health support services.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

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 .

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Information about this inspection

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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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