Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Telford and Wrekin

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:

 Relationships between young people and staff are positive. High levels of meaningful engagement achieved.  Young people make remarkable progress from their starting points. They have a strong identity with the home and are proud to be associated with it.  Staff ensure young people have a broad range of experiences that enhance and respect their spiritual, social and emotional development.  Young people feel safe as a consequence of the care and support they receive from staff.  Self-evaluation is rigorous. It is utilised effectively by the registered manager to drive forward ongoing improvements in the quality of care.  Staff morale is high and professionals remark positively about the immense efforts made to meet young people’s diverse and complex needs.  Staff are alert to the emotional, physical and social needs of young people and are sensitive to background information.  The registered manager is a strong advocate for young people, especially in

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The children's home provision is good because:

ensuring they gain early access to specialist services including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)  There are two shortfalls, one relating to physical restraint records and staff training.

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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 ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure. (Regulation 35(a)(v)) 31/12/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. This includes training around mental health, child sexual exploitation and e-safety. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 53 paragraph 10.11)

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children's home. The home accommodates up to three young people with 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

16/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

Young people experience good quality care from a consistent and stable staff team, who they talk fondly about. They feel listened to, valued, consulted and involved in decisions made about them. Staff stay highly motivated and work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people. This in turn, helps young people to thrive physically, emotionally educationally and socially. One young person remarked, ‘I have achieved so much since I have been here. I have been supported so much and when I have had problems at school, the staff have come in and supported me. Everything you need will always get done’. Young people benefit from early and ongoing assessments to identify their mental health needs including risks of self-harm and suicide. This extends to accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This co-ordinated support gives young people the help they need to better manage their emotions and to

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good

have a range of strategies to self-regulate themselves safely. One health professional commented that they have seen a young person make remarkable progress, describing them has having ‘greater maturity and are now able express themselves. They are doing well at college and more willing to express feelings which did not happen before the placement’. Staff respect diversity and are sensitive in their practice to race, culture, religion, gender and sexuality. They ensure young people have access to confidential services and support groups. This in turn, helps young people to feel valued and to be able to express and celebrate their identity. Sibling relationships are supported and family contact encouraged when it is in the young person’s best interest. Staff provide opportunities for young people to develop skills for independence. These opportunities help them to have the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes

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good

to prepare them for adult life. Young people get support to achieve qualifications appropriate to their abilities including GCSEs and accredited awards. School attendance is good. They get regular opportunities to celebrate their achievements and receive positive reinforcement from staff, which they value. Young people have aspirations which are understood by staff who in turn offer support and encouragement to achieve future goals. For, example, one young person wants to be a hairdresser and another is aiming for an apprenticeship in plastering. Young people have access to an array of activities including the gym and being able to form social networks, in which they are encouraged to bring friends home. All young people describe the service as very homely, settled and very welcoming. The registered manager ensures all necessary steps are taken so that the matching of young people is comprehensive. This extends, to consultation with young people

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good

and staff and valuing their views before making any decision.

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good

Staff are alert to young people vulnerabilities and risk of harm. Staff are particularly, aware of the risks to young people from others who are prepared to exploit their vulnerabilities. For example, staff have quickly intervened when young people’s use of social media has placed them a risk. There are clear policies and procedures for dealing with bullying, drugs misuse and safe use of the internet, which are implemented effectively by the registered manager and staff. Staff create an excellent climate that actively promotes and rewards good behaviour and addresses challenging behaviour by helping young people to learn safer ways of expressing their emotions. These effective measures have resulted in the home, not having to use any form of physical intervention for some considerable period of time. However, records that are required for physical interventions do not hold all key information. For example, logs do not trigger staff

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good

to report on any de-escalation. This hinders staff making accurate records, in the event a physical restraint was necessary. Young people are aware of how to complain and confident their concerns are both listened to and acted upon. The home environment is kept clean and free from everyday hazards whilst still taking in consideration young people’s rights to privacy, support and comfort. Where young people place themselves at risk through self-harming staff instigate procedures of support that includes bringing in specialist service partners to help young people through periods of crisis. None of the young people in placement have gone missing from care. The registered manager and staff are well informed over set procedures that would be used if there was an event where a young person did go missing. Staff are clear over their responsibilities to ensure young people’s safe return. The registered manager ensures the home safe area assessment is kept up to date, so that staff

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good

stay alert to any presenting risks to young people from the wider community.

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good

The home has a well-established registered manager who has been in post since 2008. She holds a degree in therapeutic childcare, level 4 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in children and young people and her registered manager’s award. She has a wide range of relevant personal qualities and interpersonal skills, including the ability to create confidence and motivate and inspire others. The registered manager ensures that the young people access all required services through her commitment to multi-agency partnership working. This level of commitment ensures young people’s diversity needs are fully met. These links include psychologists, medical services, social workers and other such agencies. Personalisation is part of the home’s culture with staff aware of the social, emotional and learning needs of each young person. Young people, comment very positively about the home and staff, describing staff as nice and caring and the

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good

house feeling homely and very much their home. Systems for self-evaluation are thorough and well established, taking into account the views of all stakeholders. These are used effectively to inform practice and enhance the progress and experience young people make. The registered manager ensures all staff are supported, supervised and accountable in their work. This extends to being regularly appraised. Training and staff development is well established, enabling them to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and qualifications to enhance their practice. Key training includes child protection, first aid and self-harm. However, staff training around child sexual exploitation, mental health and e-safety is less well developed and leaves a few gaps in their knowledge over these key elements in safeguarding young people. The deployment of staff is centred on the needs of young people. This ensures family contact, activities and appointments are never compromised.

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good

Staff, young people, parents and other stakeholders have a clear understanding of the home’s aims, core purpose and values through an informative statement of purpose that is regularly reviewed. The home has a detailed workforce development plan which the registered manager uses effectively to ensure staffing continue to meet young people needs. The home had no requirements or recommendations made at their last inspection.

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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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