Lower Roach End Farm

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:

 Children and young people are engaged in their education.  Children and young people are positive about the care and support they receive and feel safe and comfortable.  Children and young people are kept safe through excellent working practices and comprehensive risk assessments.  Social workers report that they are satisfied with the quality of care.  Children and young people are encouraged to be involved in planning and reviewing their care.  Children and young people receive support from a committed, knowledgeable and experienced staff team.  Children and young people make good progress in all aspects of their development from their starting point.  Partnership working is effective. The manager and staff work well with other professionals to support children and young people.

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for eight children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. 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

11/03/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

p.4

good

Children and young people make good progress overall from their starting points on admission. They are able to make and sustain positive relationships with staff, friends and professionals outside the home. The management and staff remain totally committed to improving the quality of life for the children and young people in their care. A social worker reported ‘he has made very good progress since moving to the home, his behaviour has improved, he has made progress in school. All to the credit of the staff both in placement and at school’.

p.5

good

Children and young people have a good understanding of health issues and maintain a healthy lifestyle. They have a good daily routine, eat healthily and are involved in activities that involve exercise such as walking and cycling. Children and young people attend routine medical appointments which means that their health is monitored. Children and young people benefit from the home's arrangements for managing medication. These are robust and mean children and young people receive prescribed medication important to their health.

p.5

good

Children and young people’s attendance and engagement with the onsite school are excellent, particularly given their starting points. Some children and young people have not engaged with education for a considerable period of time. Children and young people now speak very positively about their education due to the work carried out by the team which has successfully instilled the importance of education.

p.5

good

Children and young people have positive relationships with the staff. One young person said, ‘staff are good they always try and help you’. Through therapeutic and key working sessions children and young people are supported to develop a positive self-image and to be aware of their own personal needs. They receive a consistent level of help and support to learn new things and to develop their independence.

p.5

good

Children and young people have access to a range of activity inside and outside the home, including table tennis and caring for the two pigs that live on the site. They enjoy activities in the community including fishing, cycling, going to the cinema and walking. The home works well with families and placing authorities to establish and promote contact for children and young people. The staff regard it as key that children and young people maintain meaningful relationships with those important to them as this is part of their individual identity.

p.5

outstanding

Children and young people report that they feel safe. They are kept safe through excellent working practices and comprehensive risk assessments. These assessments are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain up to date, are relevant and continue to protect children and young people. One social worker said ‘The home has made a difference to him this is a really good placement, prior to being placed here he was out of education and engaged in a variety of risk taking behaviours’.

p.6

outstanding

The home uses weekly team meetings to ensure that everyone is up to date about how to promote and protect the children and young people's safety. The home uses a reflective cycle model during team meetings to enable staff to reflect on any incidents of significance and how they can learn from them. This means that the learning is captured from significant incidents which enable staff to learn and develop greater skills in their role.

p.6

outstanding

The home ensures that children and young people know how to complain, by explaining the process to them and appropriately assisting them. There is also clear information in the children’s guide about how to make a complaint. Children and young people confirm that it is made clear to them that they can access an independent advocate if they wish.

p.6

outstanding

Children and young people are receiving care from committed competent staff that are experienced and appropriately trained to meet their needs. All staff are trained in a wide variety of safeguarding and safety subjects. That includes fire safety training and first aid training that incorporates outdoor first aid due to the rural location of the home. Regular refresher training is provided in a range of subjects to enhance the staff team's competency to meet the needs of the children and young people. Behaviour management strategies, together with staff knowledge, training and understanding of the children and young people, means that difficult behaviour is managed well. Children and young people are supported to achieve and positive behaviour is regularly praised. This practice reduces the use of sanctions. The use of physical interventions are minimal and only ever used as a last resort to safeguard a young person or others. Consequently, there has been a significant

p.6

outstanding

reduction in the difficult and challenging behaviour displayed at the home.

p.7

outstanding

The number of children and young people going missing from care has been consistently low. The home has clear procedures in place to identify and respond to individual levels of vulnerability and presenting risks. For example, if a young person normally returns from a contact visit upset, the home will be proactive in ensuring that a key-work session or activity is put into place to support them.

p.7

outstanding

Children and young people’s views are consulted with through the weekly residents’ meetings. This forum gives children and young people opportunities to have their views heard. Bullying is a standing agenda item, other areas discussed at the meetings includes menu planning and personalisation of private space. Children and young people are given a response to a request the same day where possible.

p.7

good

A suitably qualified manager who has been registered with Ofsted since June 2014. The Registered Manager is currently on maternity leave with an expected return in September 2015. The Registered Manager is supported by a full time deputy manager.

p.7

good

Children and young people are protected by the organisation's robust recruitment practices. These ensure that staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before they start work in the home. New members of staff receive good quality induction training before commencing work with the children and young people. This contributes to protecting children and young people from unsuitable individuals gaining access to the home.

p.7

good

Staff report that they find supervision helpful and supportive. Performance management systems are effective in challenging staff to maintain high standards of care. Annual appraisals are used well to ensure that staff are provided with appropriate development opportunities

p.7

good

The internal and external monitoring of the home takes place regularly and reports are forwarded to Ofsted as required. Any action points raised by them are quickly acted upon. This means there is good monitoring of the quality of care for the children and young people.

p.8

good

The home promotes and develops effective partnerships with other agencies including the police, placement officers and social workers. A social worker reported ‘Staff communicate well with myself and other agencies that are involved, i.e. health and the virtual school. They attend meetings, reviews, with prepared reports’. As a result of this collaborative approach, children and young people are better protected.

p.8

good

The home is spacious and well maintained and there are plans to refurbish the kitchen. All children and young people have contributed to the personalisation of their bedrooms. The home is in a rural area and children and young people have access to substantial grounds with its own gardens that are utilised as a football pitch and for outdoor play.

p.8

good

There were no requirements or recommendations raised at the last inspection.

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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 cildren and children and 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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