New Park Project (The)

Good

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

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 The home and the staff team are very well managed, monitored and supported by an experienced registered manager, who makes sound safeguarding and admission judgements. She receives good support from her line manager and has the confidence and skills to advocate strongly for the young people when required.  The stable, experienced and qualified and carefully vetted staff consistently place the young people’s interests at the heart of their work. This stability in the staff team has had a major positive impact on the outcomes for the young people.  The home provides a harmonious and settled environment for the young people, where high quality, nurturing care is provided to help them to develop individual interests and achieve their potential.  The home manages risk very well. Although not all of the young people allow the staff to keep them safe all of the time, a pragmatic and realistic approach to risk assessment ensures that positive, protective factors are

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

carefully weighed with the uncertainty around young people’s whereabouts. This avoids a risk-averse environment and supports the young people to make informed choices.  The registered manager and staff work extremely effectively with social workers, independent reviewing officers and the police to ensure that the service to the young people is consistent and fair.

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

In order to meet the health and well-being standard and with particular reference to the provision of appropriate and acceptable therapeutic services, the registered provider must ensure that:

p.4

Requirement Due date

(1) (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.4

Requirement Due date

(b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being;

p.4

Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.4

Requirement Due date

(c) that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. 30/11/2015

p.4

Recommendation(s)

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

p.4

Recommendation(s)

The design of the home should, where appropriate, enable children to develop independence skills within the supportive environment of the home, including through encouraging independent use of kitchen and laundry areas. In particular, review the door alarm systems as part of the wider programme of refurbishment and development, to avoid the locking of internal doors at night. ( Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, paragraph 3. 25)

p.4

Information about this children's home

This privately-owned children’s home is one of a group of five operated by the same company, based in the south of England. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. 

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

13/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

p.5

good

The home delivers good quality, individual care and positive outcomes for the majority of the young people who live there. All the young people who have lived there recently have made progress in some way. The extent of their progress depends upon their starting points and willingness to allow the staff to help them. The stable, experienced and well-qualified staff team delivers consistent, nurturing care. The quality of the relationships between the staff and the young people is good. Even young people who have struggled to trust others in the past, have begun to respond and develop positive relationships with the staff. Some of the young people were school friends before they began to be looked after, and this helps them to feel stable and secure in the home. Any decision to move the young people for their own safety, is only taken after very careful consideration and involvement from all the other relevant agencies.

p.6

good

Young people’s physical healthcare needs are very well met. They are all registered with local doctors, dentists and opticians and there is therapeutic support available through the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) if young people choose to accept this. Not all the young people are receiving the therapeutic help that they need, because they are struggling to accept a CAMHS assessment. The home has not to date been sufficiently creative in sourcing and offering other types of therapy that the young person might find more appropriate to their needs. Young people who smoke are keen to reduce their intake, and to this end, some are using alternative sources of nicotine. The looked after children’s nurse is available to advise on smoking reduction, sexual health and contraception as well as general healthcare matters.

p.6

good

Most of the young people have improved in their educational outcomes since arriving in the home. Staff are well aware of the challenges facing looked after young people in schools, and advocate strongly for their residents when there are disagreements over the most appropriate consequence, or when the young people consider that the school is making unfair demands. The young people enjoy a pleasant, relaxing and homely environment. They can personalise their bedrooms and some have chosen to do this in a highly creative, individual way. The staff have worked hard to establish a small garden at the rear of the home, which provides an attractive space for the young people, their families, friends and staff team to sit and talk. Some young people are well on the way to preparing for independence, and the registered manager is keen to implement her plan for remodelling the kitchen so that they can have more space for their own fridge and freezer, cooking and food

p.6

good

preparation. Some of the young people attend college, and have voluntary jobs which provide them with valuable interests and work experience.

p.7

good

The young people say that they feel safe and secure in the home, and that staff protect them from harm. They regard the home as a refuge, for example, when the situation at school is difficult. Staff set clear boundaries to support the young people and encourage them to behave appropriately. The young people feel able to talk to any member of staff if they have concerns. Some young people have chosen to raise complaints occasionally, but these are rare. The only complaint since the previous inspection concerned a former resident disrupting other young people when they came in late at night. This was resolved through restorative measures, which allowed the young person to learn from the experience. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the young people’s backgrounds and how this impacts on their behaviour. The home’s risk assessments are very well constructed, with clear strategies. This practical

p.7

good

awareness of risk helps the home to keep young people safe because incidents of concern are identified and responded to very quickly.

p.7

good

The home makes detailed and effective notifications to Ofsted and other agencies to inform them about specific incidents. Other agencies commented positively on the quality of the communication and the readiness of the manager and staff to work collaboratively in the young people’s best interests.

p.7

good

Most young people do not go missing, and if they do, it is of short duration. One resident regularly stays out late, and their whereabouts is not always known. There is no evidence that this young person is being harmed, and there are a number of protective factors in place, such as daily contact with supportive family members. Some elements of this young person’s behaviour do give rise to concern. The staff and manager respond to this by liaising regularly and effectively with the young person’s social worker and the police, to keep the risks under constant review. The professionals interviewed confirmed that the registered manager and staff are extremely proactive in initiating meetings with other agencies to safeguard past and present residents who are at risk in the community.

p.7

good

The home has very good relationships with the local police and works with them closely to help keep young people safe. The young person receives ‘return home’ visits from the police, although it is unclear how much impact these interviews have because the young person does not always engage with them. This function is about to be transferred to a national charitable organisation that specialises in working with young people who are at risk.

p.8

good

When previous residents could not be kept safe in spite of all measures taken, the home’s managers made the difficult decision, with the placing authority, that their placement should be terminated. This shows that the home is not afraid to take decisive action when it becomes clear that a young person’s needs cannot be met.

p.8

good

The registered manager assesses prospective new admissions to the home very effectively, to ensure as far as possible that the young people will be able to live together with a reasonable degree of harmony. The current group of young people get along well together and some choose to share activities, despite a significant difference in their ages. Some have known each other since early childhood, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

p.8

good

The young people are given appropriate levels of responsibility and are supported to become increasingly independent, in line with their abilities. The home is not risk-averse and this enables the young people to lead relatively normal lives in the community. This allows the young people to enjoy free time and to develop trust with the staff.

p.8

good

The home works with young people by developing relationships and providing high quality, nurturing care. Restraint is rare and there have only been three incidents since the previous inspection that required physical intervention. These restraints were all appropriate and recorded clearly, with good management oversight and review.

p.8

good

The home has a fair system of rewards and consequences that is easily understood by the young people. Consequences are reasonable and restorative in nature, so that the young people can learn from the experience.

p.8

good

The company has a safe system of staff recruitment. All the required documentation is present on staff files to demonstrate that effective checks have taken place. All appointed staff are subject to a risk assessment and have their performance regularly monitored and reviewed.

p.8

good

The staff are clear about how to respond if there are any child protection concerns. Any child protection or wider safeguarding concerns are discussed with the young people’s social workers as soon as practicable. The home has good links with the Local Safeguarding Children Board and works well with the local authority designated officer and placing authority staff to minimise risks to the young people. When there have been concerns about past residents who were thought to be at risk of exploitation, the police were alerted and the home triggered a series of meetings to keep the young person’s safety under constant review.

p.8

good

The home provides a safe and secure physical environment for the young people. Fire safety and other regular checks are managed well in order to ensure that the young people are protected from unnecessary risks.

p.9

good

Household security is generally good. There are alarms in place on the young people’s bedrooms doors, but they are currently switched off because they cannot be isolated to work on individual rooms, and individual risk assessments indicate that not all of the young people need them. Risk assessments make provision for staff to lock an internal door at night to prevent young people from leaving the building through the back door, which is not alarmed. Locking internal doors is institutionalised practice, therefore a recommendation has been made to review the door alarm system and locking of internal doors as part of the wider programme of refurbishment and development.

p.9

good

The home is exceptionally well managed. The home is very well managed by a highly experienced registered manager, who is qualified at NVQ level in management and who has over 10 years’ experience in working with children and young people. The manager was registered with Ofsted four years ago. The home has sufficient staff to meet the young people’s needs. The staff team is stable and well qualified, with all experienced staff holding a level 3 qualification and more recently-appointed team members working towards this award. The team is a diverse mix of genders and ages, which provides appropriate role models to the current residents. The registered manager monitors the home efficiently and has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The home has a clear development plan and considerable work has already taken place. For example, the staff and young people have developed the small garden into an attractive, relaxing outdoor

p.9

good

space with a logia and imaginative planting. This has enhanced the home and consequently, respects and values the young people and the staff. The manager has clear plans to develop the kitchen so that it provides a better working space for young people progressing towards independence. This ambitious plan will involve considerable remodelling of the house. Professionals have commented on the positive relationships that they have with the staff and the manager. They say that the stable staff team is making a big difference to their young people, who are beginning to respond to this stability and start to form basic relationships. The registered manager and staff work hard to promote and maintain really effective, positive relationships with placing authorities. They participate in care planning and reviews, and advocate strongly for young people’s rights when required. The home also has very good links with

p.9

good

the schools’ head teachers, CAMHS service, the police and other agencies, which helps to ensure that the young people receive consistent support. Leaders and managers understand the importance of an achievable care plan, and take swift action when it becomes clear that a young person cannot benefit from their care. Staff receive good quality, regular supervision and value their manager’s input. They also receive all the training required to do the job. Staff particularly commented on the very full and comprehensive induction programme, and some said that they had never been so well trained in any previous employment. Staff members talked about being proud to be part of a stable, long-term and cohesive team which works together to support the young people and meet the requirements of the home’s statement of purpose. Although the home does work with some young people with very challenging behaviour, there is considerable

p.10

good

clarity about what is achievable and safe. Consequently, all the young people who have lived at the home have made some progress, and in some instances this has been exceptionally good.

p.10

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.11

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.11

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.11

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.12

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.12

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.13

Information about this inspection

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

p.13

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.13

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.13