Children's Home run by First 4 Care Limited in Doncaster

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:

 The appointment of a new manager is providing effective leadership ensuring that the young person is making progress in all areas of her life.  The young person is attending education and the school consider that she is making good progress.  The young person enjoys warm nurturing relationships with staff; this has enabled her to develop in confidence and promote her self-esteem.  The staff team have worked hard to address the requirements and recommendations made at the last inadequate inspection.

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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

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement (''the statement of purpose'') which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1)) 01/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children's home if the individual satisfies the requirements in 01/01/2016 paragraph (3). The requirements are that - the individual is of integrity and good character; full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each matters in Schedule 2. If a person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, verification so far as reasonably practicable of the reason why the employment or position ended. (Regulation32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(d) and Schedule 2. 4)

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner- (j) other records; (Regulation 38 (j)) In particular, risk assessments must be accessible to all staff. 01/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

A responsible individual must have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home. (Regulation 26 (7)(b)) 01/12/2015

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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

The registered person should ensure that skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the homes workforce plan. (The Guide to the Quality Standards; page 43. Paragraph 9.12) In particular for staff to receive e-safety training.

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation and registered to provide care for three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties between the age of 10 and 17 years.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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good

The staff have worked hard to address issues raised at the last inspection. This is helping the young person make significant progress. She has greatly improved her attendance at school from 83% last term to everyday. On those occasions when the young person was reluctant to attend, staff have managed to cajole her into going to school. Staff impress upon the young person the importance of this school year and an incentive scheme is in place which has proved highly effective. Teaching staff say, ‘She has done a complete turnaround this term; her behaviour in school has improved; she has gained four silver and two gold merits already this term.’

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good

Staff support the young person’s broader education and have arranged a tutor from school to provide art sessions at home, which are of great interest to her. Clashes in timetable mean that the young person is unable to attend this lesson during the school day. Staff have also managed to secure a work experience placement for her a couple of hours per week, demonstrating that young people’s education is valued and promoted.

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good

The young person is developing in confidence and improving her self-esteem. Staff nurture this carefully reducing barriers that may prevent her from partaking in any activity or school attendance. For example, ensuring that she is confident with her appearance to go out of the home.

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good

The young person has built some friendships with peers from school and they have enjoyed a number of trips together including the circus and trips to the coast. This is emotionally very rewarding for the young person. The young person also organised a fund raising charity event which raised around £120. She is developing her social responsibility, social interaction and confidence as a result.

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good

The young person enjoys warm constructive relationships with staff. She says she always has someone she can talk to. Clear boundaries are in place with the effective use of an incentive of a holiday abroad during the half-term break. The young person is unsurprisingly very excited about this prospect, with this being her first experience of flying. She recognises that this is linked to school attendance and behaviours and is determined to achieve this goal.

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good

Care plans set out how the young person is to be cared for on a day-to-day basis; they are highly individualised and written in conjunction with the young person in a child friendly way. Social workers commend the progress the young person has made, ‘It is very clear that the home is now meeting (name) needs.’

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good

Staff work closely with the social worker to achieve agreed goals that the young person wants to achieve. To this end family contact has been increased with the aim of overnight stays and the possibility of her spending Christmas with family which she really wants.

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requires improvement

The registered person has improved some aspects of recruitment since the last inspection making it safer for young people. The requirement was not fully met at inspection but the registered provider took action at that time, starting an investigation to ensure the future suitability of all staff appointed.

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requires improvement

One risk assessment regarding lone working arrangements was not accessible to the staff. This does not ensure that the young person is protected from potential risks identified in the assessment. Close staff supervision reduces the impact of this.

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requires improvement

The young person says that she feels safe in the home. She is well supervised, does not go missing and there is no involvement in child sexual exploitation. The young person is accessing social networking sites supervised by staff and is requesting a phone that will enable her to access the internet. Staff as yet have not had e-safety training. This is limiting their awareness of the dangers of social networking sites and related issues.

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requires improvement

The appointment of a new manager was made in May 2015. She has submitted an application to Ofsted to become the Registered Manager. She has worked in social care for 16 years, including 12 in a management role and has the required level 5 Diploma.

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requires improvement

The new manager has been instrumental in achieving the improvements since the last inspection. This has helped the young person to make significant progress in many aspects of her life and promotes her safety. The majority of requirements raised at that inspection have been met, the others have been partially addressed.

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requires improvement

The Responsible Individual has taken a step back, enabling the manager to be in day-to-day charge of the home. This is providing better effectiveness in the management arrangements. The Responsible Individual has not yet provided Ofsted with the required information to assess her suitability for this role as required at the last inspection.

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requires improvement

The manager has not yet received professional supervision, although this is now planned and the home is now visited each month by an independent person, with the report sent promptly to Ofsted.

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requires improvement

Since the last inspection one young person left the home, returning to the care of his parent. This was a well-planned move with the home working closely with the social worker to ensure its success. The remaining young person has made significant progress in a short time. The effective liaison the manager has with the placing authority has enabled the plans to progress with the clear aim for the young person to eventually return to the care of her family.

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requires improvement

Staff have welcomed the appointment of the new manager. They feel well supervised and have training opportunities, although e-safety training is yet to be organised. The manager has built up an effective working relationship with the placing social worker who has attended the home with a specialist therapist offering support and advice to the staff team. Staff have implemented some of the strategies identified. For example, the use of a ‘worry monster’ which enables the young person to alert staff when she has issues causing her concern. The social worker said, ‘Something has changed over the summer, the manager is a Godsend, there has been a great culture change and they (the staff) are working on (name) emotional needs.’

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requires improvement

The Statement of Purpose lacks some of the requirements of the regulation. It does not give full information to interested parties of the services the home has to offer.

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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

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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