Children's Home run by N H Care Limited in Birmingham

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people enjoy a variety of positive and life enriching experiences. They make progress in all aspects of their development.  Staff know the young people very well and they understand their needs. Staff are insightful and skilled in respect of the complex needs of each young person.  Staff provide young people with structure and routine and young people feel safe and well supported.  Staff are innovative and tireless in their approach to facilitating communication with young people. Young people contribute to the running of the home where they can. They are supported to express their views about their future plans.  Comprehensive risk management plans helps ensure young people’s safety.  Excellent multi agency working and partnerships with families means that care plans are effective and relevant.  Staff treat each young person with respect and dignity.  The registered manager has high aspirations for each young person. She is

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

a strong manager and sets high standards for the care and welfare of young people.  Shortfalls include improving areas of the home to maintain the overall high standards, ensuring visitors sign in when visiting the home, and updating the medication policy to reflect changes in legislation.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure staff are familiar with and adhere to the organisational policy regarding the vetting of visitors. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 44, paragraph 9.19)

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Recommendations

 ensure all policies and procedures are reviewed regularly and revised where appropriate, in particular the home's policy regarding medication. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 44 paragraph 9.19)

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Recommendations

 ensure young people live in an environment which meets their basic day to day needs. In particular ensure all areas of the home are well decorated and the garden area is accessible to young people's needs. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 15 paragraph 3.7).

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Information about this children's home

The home provides accommodation for three young people who have autism and is run by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15/12/2014 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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outstanding

Young people make significant progress in all aspects of their lives. They develop a positive self-view and increased confidence. This is because young people receive excellent personalised individual care reflecting their abilities, needs and vulnerabilities. A professional said, ‘I cannot praise the team highly enough, they are exceptional’. A relative said, ‘Staff do things with him that no one else has done, nothing is too much trouble. He has made such progress there’. One young person said, ‘I like going out to places and I like the food here’.

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outstanding

Young people have very immensely positive relationships with staff. Staff are courteous and treat young people with dignity and respect. They are able to let staff know their views and wishes as staff take time to understand what young people are saying. A variety of communication tools in the home further reinforces and enhances the importance of young people’s voices. Some young people are helped to express their views by using Makaton or picture symbols. Young people know that staff value their views and opinions and their self-respect and confidence grows as a result.

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outstanding

Young people are supported by staff who make considerable efforts to explain and reassure them if they are troubled or distressed. Social stories in widget format are regularly used by young people. Staff are imaginative in how they enable young people’s understanding of complex scenarios such as their personal safety, healthy eating and puberty. Young people’s understanding is increased and safety enhanced.

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outstanding

Young people’s enjoyment of food has been harnessed and they are involved in food preparation and baking with staff. The weekly menu reflects their choices, and young people begin to recognise healthy options and the effect on their health of making balanced choices.

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outstanding

Young people’s health needs are met as detailed health plans clearly and concisely describe their medical needs. Close communication with health professionals ensures that positive outcomes are maintained. A medical professional commented, ‘the carers display an excellent standard of knowledge and skills that support his emotional and behavioural health’.

p.6

outstanding

There is very good liaison with schools and young people attend school promptly and attendance is excellent. Young people’s educational opportunities are enhanced and their learning maximised. Where young people are not attending school, the home is tireless in progressing plans through persistent liaison with other professionals to achieve positive outcomes for young people.

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outstanding

Young people enjoy a wide range of opportunities and activities in the home and community. Plans reflect young people’s choices. One young person said, ‘I like going to football club. We go for walks. I like doing things every day’. Young people said they enjoy holidays with staff. They enjoy new opportunities, widening their experience and community involvement.

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outstanding

Young people contribute to the running of the home wherever possible. This includes helping with chores at meal times, cleaning areas of the home and keeping their rooms tidy. Young people develop age appropriate skills that help them move towards increased independence suitably equipped with life skills. When young people move to their next placement, staff are dedicated to ensuring the transition is smooth as possible. Young people are supported at each stage as staff are proactive and forward thinking about careful planning and preparation of each young person. Young people’s distress and anxiety about change is reduced, as they are informed and prepared for each stage.

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outstanding

Contact between young people and their families is promoted wherever possible. Families are welcomed in the home, and staff support contact in the community. Young people retain contact with important people in their lives reinforcing their sense of self and belonging. A relative said, ’Staff are always there for us if things become difficult. They have made a difference as I feel reassured that they are there to help us’.

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good

Young people are kept safe at the home as staff know them well, and have effective strategies in place to meet their complex needs. Staff regularly review and update individualised plans and risk assessments in response to young people’s changing needs.

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good

Communication between staff and young people is very good. Young people are consulted and informed about their plans. They feel safe and secure as they understand the boundaries and house rules. Behavioural incidents have markedly decreased as young people learn how to self-regulate their behaviour and ask staff for help and support. The atmosphere in the home is calm and welcoming for all.

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good

Young people use social stories and information cards to learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, one story discusses who young people can safely kiss. Young people’s awareness of risks from other adults and young people is raised and they learn to think about ways of keeping themselves safe, or telling trusted adults if there is a problem.

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good

Staff are innovative in working with young people to improve their comprehension of home and community dangers. For example, young people visit a local safety centre where a visual mock-up of scenarios assists them to understand kitchen safety, or road traffic dangers. Young people are able to practice walking safely next to open water or understand risks presented by fire and smoke.

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good

In the home, information is presented pictorially or in widget, appropriate to young people’s needs. Young people’s safety is increased as information is more accessible to them. Staff help young people to understand what they see, and this is reinforced by discussions with staff, in young people’s meetings and in one to one sessions.

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good

Young people are helped to understand the dangers presented by social media, and appropriate measures are in place to supervise and support young people’s use of the internet. Young people participate in discussions about bullying and how to make complaints at their weekly meetings with staff. They are reassured that adults take their views and concerns seriously.

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good

Young people do not go missing from the home due to the supervision and support of staff. Young people have complex needs and appropriate staffing ratios ensure that they are kept safe. Young people are cared for by a consistent committed staff team. This means that they develop trusted relationships with known staff and can talk to them if they want to.

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good

There is a safe system for managing young people’s medication. This contributes to a good standard of care. The registered manager has oversight and audits the records and practice to ensure safety and compliance. One shortfall relates to the need for the organisation’s medication policy to be updated in line with legislative changes in 2015.

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good

Young people live in a home that is safe and secure. Regular safety checks are undertaken with gas, electric and fire systems to ensure good working order. Young people are familiar with the need for checking fire alarms and completing fire evacuations from time to time. Staff have devised information sheets for young people which are presented pictorially. Young people practise evacuations from different points in the home and are helped to try different scenarios. This helps them understand about fire risks and promotes their safety. A shortfall relating to visitors is made as staff do not always ensure that visitors and sign in and out, contrary to their visitor policy.

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good

Young people’s safety is further promoted through the appropriate vetting of staff. There are effective and safe recruitment practices in place meaning that young people are protected from adults who may wish to harm them.

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good

The registered manager has been in post for two years and has an NVQ level 3 qualification in children and young people’s care. She hopes to complete the Level 5 Diploma in leadership and management in residential care in the next few months. The registered manager provides strong and effective leadership. Her focus is on the care of individual young people and ensuring they progress in all areas of their development. She is enthusiastic and provides motivation and inspiration for staff to maintain excellent standards of care in the home.

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good

The staff team is well balanced in terms of gender and life experience and this provides young people with opportunities to have positive relationships with a variety of adults. The home rarely uses agency staff. This means that young people develop relationships with adults they see regularly and who provide consistency of care.

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good

Young people are supported by staff who receive regular supervision, training and appraisals. They benefit as staff have opportunities to reflect on young people’s welfare and progress. All staff complete the home’s induction and core training. Additional training is provided for staff where young people have specific needs. For example, in-house training in autism spectrum disorder and anxiety, reflecting one young person’s needs. This ensures that staff have the necessary understanding and skills to meet young people’s needs.

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good

The registered manager understands the strengths and areas for development for the home, and she has an ambitious and achievable plan in place to ensure the service continues to progress. These plans include team development, additional training for staff, involvement of young people in activities for autism awareness month, plans for holidays with young people and improvements to areas of the home and garden. Young people benefit as the care they receive and the environment they live in continues to evolve and improve.

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good

The statement of purpose is clear and concise and the service provided by staff meets its objectives. The registered manager constantly monitors the standards within the home through well organised methods of self-scrutiny. The registered manager works closely with the monthly independent visitor who provides rigorous external scrutiny of the service provided by the home. The registered manager values the suggestions made by the independent visitor and sees these as an opportunity to improve the service to young people.

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good

Partnership working is a great strength of the home. A medical professional said, ‘The manager is extremely efficient and effective’. A relative said, ‘The manager and staff are excellent, all staff are well trained. I would recommend them to anyone!’ Social Workers commended the registered manager and staff on the regular and good quality recordings, ‘Written and spoken communication with staff about young people is excellent’.

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good

The registered manager ensures that all necessary information is available to staff about the needs of young people. Where there are shortfalls in receiving information from other professionals, the registered manager and staff ensure that these are forthcoming. This ensures that staff have all the relevant and updated information about young people and their plans necessary for their need to be understood and met.

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good

Young people have positive relationships with neighbours. The home is situated in a quiet, comfortable residential area and young people benefit from living in a large well - furnished and well maintained environment.

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good

The home provides a comfortable and well-furnished environment for young people. There are some areas of the home and garden area that could be improved to maintain and improve high standards of the home.

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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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