Children's Home run by Enabling Futures Ltd in Derbyshire

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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 receive highly individualised care from a dedicated staff team. They share positive relationships with staff who show them warmth and affection. A carer commented, ‘It’s a marvellous place. The staff care and that matters. X knows that she can have a cuddle when she wants one. It’s a vocation not a job.’

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff work with young people, their families and professionals in a coordinated manner to ensure young people’s holistic needs are fully met. Consequently, young people make good progress in many aspects of their lives including managing their behaviour, education and preparation for independence.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff understand how each young person communicates and effectively use nonverbal techniques such as Makaton, to gain young people’s views and help them have a say in the decisions affecting their lives.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are safe. Care practice is underpinned by good safeguarding procedures and well thought out risk management strategies. Challenging behaviour is patiently and effectively managed as young people find improved ways of dealing with their anxieties and frustrations.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home is well run in the best interest of young people. The manager and staff are well equipped and suitably skilled to understand and overcome the challenges associated with caring for young people with a diverse range of disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

This is a private home that provides care and accommodation for up to eight young people with physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/02/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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people living in the home are

Staff provide young people with highly individualised care, which is making a difference to their lives. They are sensitive to young people’s needs, including those associated with their disabilities. They make every effort to provide young people with a supportive and nurturing environment that creates the right antecedents for progress.

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people living in the home are

Staff are notably tolerant and patient in helping young people manage their frustrations, which has resulted in positive attachments and improved behaviour. Professionals and parents confirm this and express satisfaction with the care provided by the home. One social worker said, ’The staff minimise young people’s distress. They are calm and X has settled really well. The staff are laid back and relaxed with young people. They do not jump in too quickly so that they do not heighten their anxieties.’

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people living in the home are

Staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding of young people’s complex needs. They skilfully establish young people’s individual preferences by observing, listening to them and gaining information from parents and other professionals. For example one young person is a keen fisherman. Staff have encouraged him to take responsibility and ownership for his equipment and have provided him with a shed. This has helped improve his level of responsibility and assisted in promoting his independence.

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people living in the home are

Staff are good at finding ways to enable young people to express their opinions about their care and influence the decisions affecting their lives. Young people are supported to participate in their case reviews. When appropriate staff gather their views and advocate on their behalf. A number of young people are limited in their ability to communicate verbally. Staff creatively use alternative forms of communication such as the use of signing and Makaton. This creates a sense of belonging for young people because they feel that their views are important and considered by staff.

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people living in the home are

Staff have high aspirations for young people. They provide them with the necessary support they need to regularly attend school. This includes transporting young people to school and helping them settle into the education environment. Staff work closely with education staff and communication between the two disciplines is effective. They will regularly discuss strategies and approaches, which help develop consistent responses to meeting young people’s needs and managing their behaviour. This has improved young people’s attitude towards school and has contributed to them making good academic and social progress. For example, some young people are now engaging in group settings rather than relying on individual teaching.

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people living in the home are

Young people enjoy a wide range of cultural, social and recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, horse-riding and attending church. Staff are keen to support young people to develop their own hobbies and interests and enjoy spending time with them in their pursuits. For example, staff recently sold raffle tickets on behalf of a young person who was raffling a picture she had painted to raise money for charity. A parent commented, ‘Staff provide loads of opportunities and activities. My child has achieved things that I never thought they would ever be able to do.’

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people living in the home are

Young people have carefully assessed; well supported and meaningful contact with their families. Staff work in a coordinated way with young people and their families to foster and encourage positive relationships and overcome the barriers to contact. They help parents understand their child’s behaviour and develop ways of managing this effectively. A parent said, ‘It’s amazing how X is much calmer when I see him. Staff have done this by allowing him his own space. He is sleeping, which he never did at home. Our relationship is so much better thanks to the staff.’

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people living in the home are

Young people are provided with good opportunities to develop basic life skills and increase their levels of independence. The home has recently opened an additional resource for the purpose of preparing young people for their transition to adult services and living a more independent life. At the right time, young people are supported to make a gradual transition into this accommodation, helping them get used to smaller group living and less intense staff support. Young people learn a variety of life skills including cleaning, cooking and self-care, and particularly enjoy caring for the home’s pet rabbits. The nature of young people’s disabilities means that they will continue to require a great deal of support throughout their lives. However, this resource serves as good stepping stone to future adult placements.

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people are helped and protected

Staff take appropriate action to support and protect young people. They encourage young people to overcome the risks associated with their disability by supporting them to learn how to become more independent safely. For example, staff have helped one young person to safely manage walking to the local youth club without the need for staff support. They did this by gradually reducing staff presence until the young person was confident to make the journey without staff supervision. This approach assists in developing young people’s confidence and independence while ensuring that they are safe in the community. A parent said, ‘X is very safe and knows and needs it. The staff have the ability to keep young people safe.’

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people are helped and protected

Staff ensure young people have an understanding of issues such as bullying, intimidation and discrimination. They help young people to read and understand relevant information and learn about the importance of treating people with respect and dignity. Staff are aware of the impact some young people’s behaviour can have on others and provide appropriate supervision to ensure this is managed effectively. High levels of staff supervision mean that there have been no incidents of young people going missing from home.

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people are helped and protected

Young people’s known vulnerabilities are considered and planned for, from their point of admission to the home. Relevant information is gathered about behavioural triggers from young people’s families and professionals. This information is used to formulate risk and behaviour management strategies and provide the right antecedents which will reduce young people’s levels of anxiety and challenging behaviour. For example, a young person who showed distress in the company of other young people was provided with a room away from the living room. This enabled the young person to enjoy time away from others at times of heightened stress and anxiety.

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people are helped and protected

Staff have an excellent knowledge of young people. They promote positive behaviour and use well thought out strategies to reduce negative behaviours. They talk to young people about how to manage their behaviour and work hard to provide them with the right levels of support and a calm environment. Young people are aware that staff will use physical restraint to keep them safe because this is made clear in the children’s guide. Records confirm that on the five occasions when restraint has been used, it has been used appropriately, for the minimum amount of time, to keep young people safe. Following each incident staff talk to young people to ensure they have the opportunity to reflect and understand their experiences, and raise any concerns they may have. All incidents are scrutinised by the manager to ensure the actions taken by staff are appropriate and in the best interest of young people. Staff use sensory communication profiles to assess young people’s perceptions of

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people are helped and protected

the world, including their understanding of other people’s sounds and movements. This information is used to gauge their sense of danger and devise individual risk management strategies to keep them safe. For example, staff will ensure that obstacles are removed and young people wear their helmets when they are enjoying time riding their bike.

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people are helped and protected

The home has effective links with the Local Safeguarding Children Board and the local authority where the home is located. Staff work in partnership with the local police who visit the home monthly to provide support and advice for staff. Young people enjoy the visits and like to listen to the police walky talky. This also means that staff are well-informed of issues in the community and are able to help and support young people to make better choices about their safety and well-being. Young people live in a safe and secure environment which protects them from harm. The home is located on a vast amount of land where young people are able to safely enjoy various outdoor activities such as riding their bikes and playing on the trampoline. Sturdy fencing and gates ensure that young people can enjoy themselves safely with limited restrictions on their movements.

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leaders and managers

The Registered Manager is suitably experienced and qualified and has been in post since February 2011. There is strong leadership within the home which is effective at all levels. The manager is child-focussed and proactive in prioritising the needs of the young people in the home. Her knowledge of the young people is excellent and she drives her staff to provide high quality care.

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leaders and managers

The manager works hard to develop and maintain professional relationships with a variety of external services. This helps promote a multi-discipline approach to meeting young people’s needs. These links are also used to provide staff with information training and support in meeting young people’s needs, as well as providing direct support for young people. This has proved effective in helping young people make positive progress in terms of their individual goals including keeping themselves safe from harm. Care plans are bespoke and comprehensively reflect young people’s needs and experiences. The Registered Manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided in the home. She routinely learns from observation of staff practice and seeks regular feedback from young people with a view to improving their care experiences. She maintains good oversight of young people’s plans and ensures they are meaningful, achievable and consistently put into practice by staff. This

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leaders and managers

ensures care planning and care practice is clearly focused on helping young people make good progress in achieving their individual targets and goals.

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leaders and managers

The Registered Manager and staff work proactively and positively with other agencies and professionals. They have positive relationships with parents and placing social workers to secure good outcomes for young people. They work effectively with education staff, independent reviewing officers and healthcare agencies. This collaborative working supports young people to develop in all aspects of their care.

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leaders and managers

The home’s statement of purpose clearly sets out the ethos and objectives of the home. The home is well staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the young people. The staff team is stable, suitably qualified and competent in the delivery of good quality care and support for young people and their families. Staff have a positive relationship with the manager and receive regular supervision and appraisal. They confirm that they find it helpful to reflect on their practice and discuss their professional development options. A staff member said, ‘We are supported by management and the manager is great, if I’m ever wondering how to tackle something I think about what the manager would do.’

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leaders and managers

Three senior staff members have commenced the level 5 qualification in leadership and management. The organisation intends to develop its senior structure and this is included in its workforce development plan, created in July 2015. This plan sets out how each role will progress within the hierarchy of the organisation. Also, the organisation has plans for an adventure park and is in the process of gathering information from specialist suppliers. The plan is to include swings and a slide, designed specifically for children and young people with disabilities. This focus on development will further improve the services and support available to young people.

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leaders and managers

Young people benefit from being cared for by well-trained staff that have a good understanding of how to meet their needs, including those associated with their disabilities. All staff complete mandatory training, which is complimented by needs specific training such as understanding autism. These training opportunities ensure staff are well equipped to meet the diverse range of needs which young people currently have.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

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 . 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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