Children's Home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Bury

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 young person lives in a friendly nurturing environment where he receives good care and support. Staff highly value him and have created a warm atmosphere enabling him to make positive relationships with his staff.  Staff encourage and support the young person to engage in education. They work collaboratively with education staff and the virtual head to promote educational progress.  Staff introduce a range of leisure opportunities and experiences to the young person. Thorough risk assessments and behaviour management strategies support him to safely participate in community activities, which assists in developing social skills and preparation for adulthood.  The home has strong links with the organisation’s therapeutic team and external agencies such as safeguarding, education and health. This ensures that young people’s holistic needs are addressed.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people’s safety is given high priority. Staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the young person’s risks and vulnerabilities and ensure that the right action is taken to keep him safe from harm.  The manager is highly motivated and committed to promoting the best outcomes for young people. She is a strong leader and has high aspirations for the staff team. She is focused on driving improvement to ensure that young people have exceptional individual care and support.  The manager has strong working links with a range of care, education, health and safeguarding agencies. This collaborative approach is highly effective to ensure that young people are provided with the right level of care and support to meet their specific needs.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager has excellent oversight of the home and effectively monitors and reviews the development and progress of young people. She is extremely proud of the achievements they make. The manager is highly competent to identify when young people are at risk of harm and is proactive in working with placing authorities and the police to ensure the risks are minimised.

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Information about this children's home

The home is a privately run children's home, which provides care and accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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good

The home is a large property which has recently been refurbished to a high standard. The young person who lives there is afforded good quality care which has helped him make significant progress in a relatively short time. He benefits from living in a warm and welcoming environment where he is encouraged and supported by staff to personalise his home. This process has enabled him to settle well and gain a sense of security and belonging. Staff know the young person well and continue to develop positive, trusting relationships with him. They provide clear, consistent boundaries and routine. They invest their time with him, taking an interest in his experiences, listening to his views and supporting him with situations which cause him anxiety. Staff offer reassurance and help to address anxiety inducing situations in a calm way. This positive approach is helping him to manage difficult situations. A member of staff

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good

said: ‘we know that by watching TV it helps X to disassociate from his anxieties.’ Staff value education and have high aspirations for the young person. They have a good knowledge and understanding of his specific educational needs and ensure he receives the right level of support. Effective links are developed with education staff and virtual heads to support and encourage him to reach his full potential. Staff listen to his views about his long term future and are committed to help him work towards his chosen career. They support him to overcome anxieties by communicating daily with education staff and accompanying him into school to help him feel safe and secure. This proactive approach means that the young person has managed to regularly attend and participate in his education provision. A member of staff commented : ‘He has massive ambition to get good school grades and go to university and we want to help him achieve this.’

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good

The young person’s health needs are well supported. He is registered with health care professionals and attends appointments to promote his general health. He also has the benefit of the input from the organisation's therapeutic service. These measures ensure that his physical, mental and psychological needs are met.

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good

Care practice is underpinned by good care planning. The young person is supported to contribute to his own placement plans. This process is effective in helping him gain a good understanding of his specific needs and how he can achieve his individual targets and goals. Formal keywork sessions provide opportunities to discuss areas of intervention, and are supplemented by informal opportunities to talk about his hopes and progress. Staff encourage and support the young person to engage in a variety of activities in the community. They know what he likes and are able to identify a range of activities which are based on his hobbies and interests, such as joining a local karate club. These opportunities and experiences help to build his self-confidence and self-esteem. A staff member said: ‘He loves activities and has been to Blackpool where he saw the lights and fireworks. He adores animals and we took

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good

him to Knowsley Safari park, he really loved this experience.’ Staff understand how the young person’s experiences and emotions can be communicated through his behaviour. They support him to communicate his feelings in a safe and nurturing environment, helping him to devise strategies to manage these in a positive and safe way. He is gaining clarity about acceptable behaviour which will assist him in his adulthood.

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good

Staff consider and plan for young people’s known risks on admission. Important information is gathered in relation to their behavioural triggers from their families and placing authorities. This information is used to develop behaviour management plans to provide the right strategies to reduce young people’s levels of anxiety and challenging behaviour. Staff have a good insight into the young person’s specific emotional needs, and understand how his frustrations and anxieties may impact on these. They work sensitively with him to ensure that he has ample opportunity to discuss issues which may worry him. They pre-empt situations which could cause a change in behaviour and develop plans with the young person to help manage these more effectively. Consequently, he learns what safe and acceptable behaviour is, and makes better choices to this effect. As a result, the use of physical restraint has not been necessary and there has only been one sanction used since his admission.

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good

High levels of staff ensure that young people are safe. There are no young people living at the home who are at risk of sexual exploitation. Staff have a good awareness of the signs and will follow the organisation’s missing from home protocols and liaise with safeguarding agencies if this becomes a cause of concern. The home has effective links with the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and the local authority where the home is located. The managers have met with the local police and are well-informed of issues in the community and who to contact if necessary. The manager and staff work collaboratively with safeguarding agencies and professionals to keep the young person safe. Information is shared to promote a multi-agency approach to help him to manage his behaviour and vulnerabilities. Staff employed at the home are subject to organisational vetting procedures and do not start work in the home until all appropriate checks are complete. All fire,

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good

gas and electrical equipment is routinely serviced to ensure they are in good working order. This ensures the environment is safe and that young people are protected from persons who may present a risk to them.

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outstanding

The home’s Manager has been in post since March 2015 and was registered in May 2015. She has the necessary skills and experience to provide clear leadership and management for a highly motivated and committed staff team. She is particularly child-focused, confident and proactive and has an excellent understanding of the individual needs of vulnerable children and young people. Staff report that they feel highly valued by their manager. She motivates her staff to take responsibility for working on treatment plans, and provides learning opportunities and experiences, such as taking them to meetings within the organisation. A staff member said of the manager: ‘She is brilliant, she empowers me and I am now able to make decisions without asking her first. We have a mutual trust and respect for each other. She pushes me to develop and with her guidance and support I am working towards achieving a senior position in the

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outstanding

home.’ Care planning is of a high standard and is designed to meet the individual needs of the young person. The manager regularly monitors and reviews his progress, enabling her to identify any developing patterns or trends. Consequently, she can take action to quickly address any areas of concern that are identified. All significant events concerning the welfare of the young person are notified to the appropriate authorities swiftly. This ensures that appropriate action is taken to protect the young person whenever necessary. The manager compiles clear, evaluative reports and participates in meetings with the young person, advocating on his behalf and escalating issues with placing authorities to ensure that his individual plans are effective and achievable. The manager and staff fully understand the young person in their care. They know how his past experiences are highly likely to contribute to his complex behaviour.

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outstanding

Staff consult with the young person, families and placing authorities to gather historical information. Care practice is highly individualised and notably concentrates on young people’s specific needs. Strong links and a collaborative approach with a range of external professionals ensure that children and young people receive the individual care and support that they require to reach their full potential.

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outstanding

The Registered Manager is highly effective in assessing the quality of care afforded to the young person. She learns from feedback, evaluates practice and the impact of strategies used. She is dedicated to improving the home and plans to develop the young person’s life story work by gathering visual evidence of his past and present experiences and achievements. This will provide the young person with a significant understanding of his history and identity.

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outstanding

The manager maintains positive professional relationships with a number of external services, promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting the young person’s needs. She seeks feedback from all agencies and works collaboratively with the organisations therapist in order to provide individual care in a therapeutic environment. As well as providing direct support for young people these links are also used to provide staff with information, training and support which enhances their skills in meeting young people’s needs. This has proved effective in helping young people make positive progress in terms of their individual goals, including keeping themselves safe from harm. ’ The home is consistently managed and effective in meeting the aims and objectives outlined in its Statement of Purpose. Child focused practice is embedded within the home's ethos and has resulted in the young person achieving positive

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outstanding

outcomes in many aspects of his life. A staff member said: ‘He has had star pupil in school a number of times which is a massive achievement given his fears.’

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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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