Children's Home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

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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 are making good progress and have positive experiences as a result of living in this home.  The home continues to be led by an experienced and committed registered manager.  Young people enjoy living here. They benefit from a staff team who know them well as individuals.  Staff proactively support young people’s education. As a result, difficulties that previously impacted upon young people are addressed and young people’s learning opportunities are promoted.  Partnership working with a range of specialist services is effective in ensuring young people are provided with the necessary support to meet all their assessed needs.  Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated. Staff however do not consistently recognise the significance of some young people’s behaviour patterns. They have not received specific training to provide them with the necessary knowledge and skills to recognise these.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There are a few practice shortfalls. Safe recruitment procedures are not consistently rigorous. A comprehensive workforce plan is not available to ensure appropriate staff planning.

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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 protection of children standard the registered person must ensure

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Requirement Due date

(iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. 05/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. They must ensure full and satisfactory information available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matter in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3(b)) 05/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. This is in relation to training in sexually inappropriate behaviour. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 05/10/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Ensure there is a workforce plan in place which can fulfil the requirements of Regulation 16 Schedule 1. (The Guide to the quality Standards, page 53,paragraph 10.8)

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Information about this children's home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and/or behaviour difficulties. The service is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

06/02/2012 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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people living in the home are

Young people are making good progress and have positive experiences as a result of living in this home. Their needs are clearly identified and met through a combination of staff support and the involvement of other specialist agencies.

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people living in the home are

Relationships between staff and young people are good. As one young person commented ‘they are good to talk to, funny and know how to care for me’. Staff clearly care about the young people and are interested in their welfare. They use their own resources to research areas of interest, for example, where young people may be able to do voluntary work and music teaching videos. As a result, young people feel staff care about them, listen to them and take their views into account. As one social worker observed, ’there is a real family feel to the home’.

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people living in the home are

Young people are fully engaged in their education provision, which is consistent with individual needs and circumstances. Those who have been previously not been in full time education provision have been supported to return. Their good attendance has been sustained because staff closely monitor progress through regular dialogue with teachers and support staff. The home’s routines prioritise and promote learning as being an important aspect to young people’s future success. This approach has benefited them as they engage well in education in comparison to previous times.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s physical and mental health needs are met by a range of specialist services. Staff encourage them to engage with a range of health care professionals to ensure their needs are addressed. For some young people there has been a significant improvement in the stability of their emotional health. Health professionals are consistently positive about the communication and support they receive from staff.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s participation is actively promoted. They have regular young people’s meetings and their views are taken on board and acted upon where possible. They also complete a written questionnaire every month, which the manager reads and acts upon. They are actively involved in choosing activities, planning menu’s and house décor. They are encouraged to contribute to the daily logs completed by staff members.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s interests are encouraged. For example, one young person is very interested in the royal family. He has been supported to visit places with royal connections including Buckingham Palace. In the words of one young person, ’staff take me to do things I’m interested in’. Their sense of identity is promoted. They are supported to maintain their religious faiths. For example, through facilitating attendance at local temple and church. Staff and young people compile memory books which document their journey in the home. This supports young people to develop a positive sense of identity.

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people living in the home are

Young people know how to make a complaint. They all receive a personalised young people’s guide which clearly outline the process and contact details for key agencies. They are confident that any complaints they make will be addressed quickly. Young people do not live too far from their home area and are well supported to stay in touch with people who are important to them. Staff are flexible about supporting contact arrangements and welcome family members into the home.

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people are helped and protected

Young people say they feel safe. They are confident that staff care about them and will listen to them. As one young person commented ‘staff make me feel safe’.

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people are helped and protected

Young people are protected by well documented and carefully assessed risk management strategies which staff implement in practice. Staff regularly review and update plans but do not consistently recognise the significance of some young people’s behaviour patterns. This compromises their effectiveness in protecting young people.

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people are helped and protected

There have been no incidents of young people going missing since the last inspection. They receive high levels of supervision, consistent with their placement plans. Staff undertake regular key–working sessions to address personal safety.

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people are helped and protected

Staff closely monitor young people's relationships and any poor behaviour is quickly challenged. Incidents of bullying have been effectively addressed. Staff model their behaviour in a way that promotes clear and reasonable boundaries. This practically demonstrates to young people how to conduct positive and respectful relationships. Consequently, young people are encouraged and motivated to behave in ways that are socially acceptable.

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people are helped and protected

Behaviour is well managed in this home. Staff have firm boundaries which provide young people with a sense of safety and security. Staff use incentives and positive relationships to achieve positive outcomes. Physical intervention is rarely used. Since 2013 there has been only two incidents. These are appropriately recorded and evaluated. Staff recognise and celebrate positive behaviour and success. At the end of each day staff identify a positive praise for each young person. This helps to positively reinforce behavioural expectations.

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people are helped and protected

There are good relationships with the local police, who visit regularly to provide advice, support and build up relationships with the young people.

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people are helped and protected

The home is comfortable and well maintained. Health and safety are well managed, resulting in an environment that is safe. Fire drills and checks are carried out regularly and young people are clear about what to do in an emergency.

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leaders and managers

The home continues to be led by an experienced and committed registered manager. She is a qualified social worker and holds a NVQ4 Registered Managers Award with children and young people.

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leaders and managers

She effectively uses both the external and internal the monitoring arrangements to improve the quality of care and support the home’s development plan.

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leaders and managers

She obtains regular written feedback from young people, parents and social workers which helps inform her about the quality of care provided. Similarly there is good managerial oversight of placement plans, all of which are comprehensive, up to date and reflect young people’s views. This enables the manager to monitor progress and outcomes as well as oversee staff practice.

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leaders and managers

The development plan is ambitious but achievable. The registered manager has a clear vision of her intends to develop practice in the home. She has plans to develop staff supervision to reflect evidence based practice and strengthen the challenge provided by the current external monitoring arrangements.

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leaders and managers

Staffing levels are consistent with the statement of purpose. There is flexibility to respond to changing circumstances. For example, to facilitate supervised contact or support to young people in school. There is a good level of qualification and experience in the team. Staff describe a ‘good ethos’ which is reflected by their commitment to support new staff. Recruitment generally follows safe recruitment practices. However not all newly recruited staff have employment histories consistently verified. This means that young people may be being cared for by people who do not have the appropriate experience to take care of their needs. Staff are supported to develop their practice through weekly team meetings and regular supervision, both of which enable them to reflect on their practice, discuss how well the young people are progressing and provide challenge. Staff access a number of relevant training courses to further enhance their knowledge. This

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leaders and managers

includes autism and mental health. However, the training does not extend to staff having access to training to address the presenting needs of some young people who may display sexually inappropriate behaviour. This compromises their effectiveness to support young people. There is no workforce plan which hinders staff planning against the needs of young people.

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leaders and managers

Staff have developed very positive working relationships with a number of agencies. These include the police, the looked after children nurse, schools, social workers and independent reviewing officers. All are positive about the level and quality of communication, which enables and promotes effective partnership working. As one professional observed ‘they are good at coming up with solutions’.

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leaders and managers

There were three requirements made at the last inspection, all these have been met.

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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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