Norwich Road (15)

home are

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress in this home across all areas of their development.  Staff have developed good skills to help young people to settle quickly in the home. Consequently, they begin to feel comfortable and start to build strong and positive relationships.  Staff make every effort to promote and maintain young people’s education placements.  Young people say that they are safe in this home. Managers and staff have a good safeguarding approach.  Incidents where young people have been absent from the home have reduced.  Staff identify risks and good practice manages these risks. However, the recording of risk assessments is inconsistent.  The home is fitted with closed circuit television system and door alarms are in place, which monitor the young people’s movements in the home. The placing local authority has not given consent in writing to this monitoring at the point of admission.  Some staff have not completed refresher training in restraint and the

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

independent visitor has not reported on this shortfall to the Registered Manager. The impact of this shortfall is minimised by the skills that staff have in de-escalating situations.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered provider must:

p.4

Requirement Due date

2 (c) ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of the child. 29/10/2015

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (b)) 29/10/2015

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.4

Recommendations

Ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed with the home and their placing authority must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day to day basis. In particular, individual risk assessments should be in place promptly following admission. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.4

Recommendations

Make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulation 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement, to anticipate difficulties and review incidents. In particular, in monitoring the training pathway for staff. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

p.4

Information about this children's home

This home provides emergency and short-term placements for up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by the local authority.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

24/03/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

people living in the home are

Young people make good progress in this home across all areas of their development. The Registered Manager works hard to ensure that the staff have the relevant information to support young people to settle quickly into the home.

p.5

people living in the home are

Staff have developed good skills to help young people to feel relaxed in the home as soon as their placement commences. These placements often begin following the sudden breakdown of family placements or other care arrangements; as a result, young people may arrive distressed. A social worker commented: ‘The staff quickly tuned into the young person’s wishes and views and made him feel welcome, so much so that very quickly it felt like he’d been there for some time.’

p.5

people living in the home are

For some young people the support offered has resulted in a planned return home or on to extended family. Others have moved into foster care or alternative provisions, which can meet their long term needs. The home has helped other young people towards independence. Staff work quickly to ascertain the wishes and views of young people. They share these views with social workers so they can be included in individual care plans. This means that their care plans are more likely to meet individual needs and wishes.

p.5

people living in the home are

Staff take time in direct work sessions to discuss the issues that young people raise with them. This helps them to build strong, positive relationships with trusted individuals. Staff hold young people in positive regard and are determined to give them every opportunity to develop their skills and these relationships.

p.6

people living in the home are

Communication between the staff and young people is warm, open and friendly. An independent reviewing officer commented on the quality of the relationship built with a young person, saying: ‘The staff have got to know the young person really well. This developed his self-esteem and promoted his long term plan.’

p.6

people living in the home are

The staff support contact for young people with their extended family. Family meetings take place in the home to plan contact arrangements to meet individual needs. For example, contact for one young person was some distance from the home. This changed due to the support of the staff to bring it closer to the home. This helps to maintain important relationships and reduce excessive travel times.

p.6

people living in the home are

Staff make every effort to promote and maintain education placements. Multi- agency partners comment on the ‘positive action the home takes to promote and maintain these placements’. This means that they can retain friendship groups and they can continue to make progress within a school that already knows their needs. If there has been an interruption in school attendance, the home uses an on-site venue to support young people to maintain their education. Staff use online teaching resources or activity based learning to engage young people in education. This helps to maintain the routine of school as well as work towards recognised qualifications. This is available until their education plan returns to a full time curriculum.

p.6

people living in the home are

Staff promote young people’s health needs and young people maintain relationships with those professionals who are able to support them in keeping well. A healthy home cooked meal and activities such as attending the gym, swimming, and other sports are encouraged to help to promote physical health and fitness.

p.6

people living in the home are

A useful guide describes the services provided to young people whilst they are living in the home. This includes details of the complaints procedure and useful contact numbers such as child line. Planning meetings and direct work sessions reinforce this. Staff have contacted independent advocacy services for young people. There are regular meetings between young people and staff to consider activities and discuss issues which are affecting the group. Consequently, young people are involved in the decisions about the running of the home and have regular opportunities to express their views. Staff take time to get to know the young people. In particular, they look to understand their history and background. For example, when a young person who spoke very little English came to live in the home, staff worked in partnership with specialist interpreters and agencies to meet his needs. They also used smart phone

p.6

people living in the home are

‘apps’ to help to communicate with the young person when an interpreter was not available. This enabled him to settle and contributed to a positive, planned move to a suitable placement that could meet his long term needs.

p.7

people are helped and protected

Young people say they are safe in this home. One reflected that ‘the staff are here for me and will make sure that I am are safe’. The home is fitted with closed circuit television system and door alarms are in place, which monitor the young people’s movements in the home. They feel that these devices help to promote their safety. The Statement of Purpose and the children’s guide list these devices but the placing local authority has not given consent in writing to this monitoring at the point of admission. The impact of this shortfall upon young people is minimal as young people are of aware and understand the use of this monitoring.

p.7

people are helped and protected

Incidents where young people have been absent from the home have reduced. At present there are no concerns regarding missing or absent from the home. Staff know the process to follow and have used this in the past to ensure that the police and other agencies are informed. They have followed young people into the community to persuade them to come back home when they have left. The police comment that the staff have worked well with them to reduce these incidents.

p.7

people are helped and protected

Staff keep in contact with young people who are away from the home during free time and this gives the young people reassurance. One young person said this ‘shows that the staff are aware of my safety’.

p.7

people are helped and protected

Staff understand the issues, as well as the signs and symptoms of sexual exploitation and work hard to manage these risks. The Registered Manager has developed a good relationship with the police to work together to agree how to keep young people safe.

p.7

people are helped and protected

Staffing levels are suitable and the provider has an adaptable approach to staffing levels and deployment. This helps to promote safeguarding. The Registered Manager and the senior staff respond to changes in risk factors within the home to increase staff on duty to ensure safety. This means that young people have an appropriate number of staff available to meet their needs. A parent commented: ‘I have every confidence that this home can meet my child’s needs while a longer term placement can be found.’ Staff work together providing clear consistent messages regarding appropriate boundaries and behaviour and the consequences of poor behaviour. Direct work sessions identify incentives and rewards and monitor positive outcomes. The manager reviews all consequences and rewards against identified goals. Recently, the use of negative consequences has reduced, which is an indicator that this approach is working.

p.7

people are helped and protected

There have been two restraints since the previous inspection. These restraints have occurred following extensive attempts to de-escalate the situation. The manager and staff have taken feedback from the young people involved in the restraint and reflected on the incident. Consequently, restraints are rare, as staff have developed behaviour management skills to ensure restraint only happens as a last resort.

p.8

people are helped and protected

Safe recruitment processes are in place to ensure that only appropriately vetted adults have access to work with these children and young people. There are suitable checks made on visitors to the home prior to them gaining access, which also promotes safe care. Staff fully understand the whistle-blowing policy and are able to explain who they need to contact if they have concerns about any issues.

p.8

leaders and managers

The Registered Manager is suitably qualified with a diploma in social work as well as national vocational qualification at level four in child care. He has been in post since 2012 and has experience in working within residential child care for many years prior to this. He leads the team to deliver a good service to young people who are often in crisis following the breakdown of previous care arrangements. There is regular supervision and annual appraisal of the staff practice. Consequently, staff receive the support and guidance needed to meet young people’s needs. The manager spends time with the young people and can observe staff in their daily interaction. This means he can act if he sees practice that concerns him and can be a role model for staff who observe him working with young people. Internal and external monitoring does take place and the independent visitor provides a regular report to the managers of the home. The manager is developing

p.8

leaders and managers

further monitoring tools to help him record the progress of the young people while they live in the home. This will help him to reflect more on how the home has worked successfully with young people and collate evidence about how the home could improve its performance. There is a shortfall in the renewal of training for staff. Some staff have not completed refresher training in restraint. This has not been identified in the monitoring of the home. The impact of this shortfall is minimised by the skills that staff have in de-escalating situations, which means that there have only been two occasions where restraint occurred since the previous inspection. In mandatory areas such as safeguarding, first aid and health and safety, all staff have completed their training. Well attended team meetings provide an opportunity for staff to have their say in the running of the home as well as providing the manager with an opportunity for sharing important information.

p.9

leaders and managers

The manager reviews the care records for young people. This helps to measure the progress that they are making. It also helps to identify areas that staff need to focus on to secure further progress. Staff complete group dynamic risk assessments ahead of placements. This helps to ensure that the home is able to meet the individual needs of all of the young people in the home, ensuring that they can keep them safe. The details of these risk assessments were not included in some care or placement plans. This means that individual records do not reflect the risk factors identified. The impact of this shortfall is minimised by the diligent work of the shift leaders who verbally inform the shift team of the risks and the steps to take to safeguard young people. The manager has reviewed the services provided in the home. He has worked with the independent visitor and the responsible individual to consider the outcomes of

p.9

leaders and managers

the work of the home. This has ensured that the services provided are in line with the Statement of Purpose. This document is easy to read and, along with a parent and carers guide, means that all parties have a clear understanding of the home. The manager has a good relationship with the placing authority and proactively works to ensure that young people are getting the service they require. For example, one young person was not receiving the therapeutic support that they needed. The manager quickly met with the service concerned and this led to the young person engaging with the therapy that he needed.

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.10

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

p.11

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 .

p.11

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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12

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

p.12