Children's Home run by Brighton and Hove City Council in Brighton and Hove

Good

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

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Recent refurbishment and redecoration throughout improves the home environment. The home provides well-equipped indoor and outdoor space for young people.  Staff support young people to engage in activities they enjoy. They take part in football, swimming, bus-trips, indoor skiing and the bouncy castle.  Staff support young people to develop new skills, some learn self-care skills, others choose a meal to cook; progress made is celebrated.  Young people develop trusting relationships with staff, particularly their keyworkers. Parents comment that their children like staff and enjoy staying at the home.  The home works in partnership with parents and other services to meet young people’s needs. Young people benefit from a consistent approach to care.  A suitably qualified Registered Manager leads the home with a job share partner. Management monitoring of the home is not effective, resulting in

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

overdue staff appraisals and delays in updating care plans.

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

13: The leadership and management standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered provider must:

p.4

Requirement Due date

(2) (f) understand the impact the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress of and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; with a written development plan.

p.4

Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 30/10/2015

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d)) 30/10/2015

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 3(4)(c)) 30/10/2015

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 30/10/2015

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): Ensure staff skills for safeguarding include being able to identify signs that children may be at risk, particularly in respect of child sexual exploitation. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

p.4

Information about this children's home

The local authority operates the home. It is registered for up to eight children with a learning difficulty. Children can be accommodated for respite or permanent care placements.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.6

Recent inspection history

16/02/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

p.6

good

The home environment is newly decorated and well equipped. The spacious building gives young people the opportunity to spend time alone or together. An enclosed garden offers outdoor equipment and a hut equipped for art and craft activities.

p.7

good

Young people build relationships with staff and their peers. They trust staff; staff know them well and understand their needs. A young person talked affectionately about his keyworker and their time together on bus trips, an activity that he particularly enjoys. A parent says ‘he has attachments to staff and gets on well with another young person; they do activities together’. Staff care for young people and meet their needs, as a result young people in respite and long-term placements develop a sense of belonging.

p.7

good

Young people take part in decision making about their care, they choose the staff they spend time with, the meals they eat and the activities they undertake. Young people, including those with specific communication needs, participate in decision- making One young person selected to complete a jigsaw with a member of staff and received praise for her achievement, another was excited to go shopping with staff to choose a present for his friend’s birthday party later that day.

p.7

good

All young people are in full time education that meets their needs. Termly visits to schools by keyworkers alongside regular ongoing liaison, builds strong partnership working between home and school.

p.7

good

Behaviour support meetings promote progress in young peoples’ behaviour. Child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS), school, parents and staff meet regularly to review young peoples’ behaviour, and to make plans for ongoing behaviour management. Partnership working promotes consistency and supports young peoples’ behavioural progress.

p.7

good

Staff members come from diverse backgrounds and their individual skills and interests benefit young people. They provide opportunities for recreational activities according to young peoples’ interests including trips on busses, tennis, football, youth clubs and the bouncy castle. Activity planning is inclusive; some young people will attend the summer camping trip overnight, others will visit during the daytime.

p.7

good

Staff support young people to learn new skills. Some learn to cook others develop self-care skills. A parent comments ‘she is quite new there but is starting to hold her toothbrush’. Young people work towards individual goals; one young person looked at pictures of meals to select a recipe to cook with staff. Staff members interact warmly with young people and take pride in their success. Certificates of young peoples’ achievement are on display.

p.7

good

Staff develop good relationships with families. Family and friends visit the home to attend celebration events and a regular parents coffee morning. A parent says ‘They are really good, they call me every night. We have a communication book and they write what he is doing, eating and drinking’. Proactive work with parents includes parental representation on interview panels for staff recruitment.

p.8

good

Staff understand, review and minimise risks associated with individual young people. All young people have individual risk assessments with action plans to minimise known risks. Specific risk assessments support young people to try new experiences. Young people use the climbing wall, ski slope and go camping. A parent says ‘we can’t do as many activities at home, there she has one to one support so can do more activities’. Risk assessments enable young people to engage safely in activities they enjoy.

p.8

good

Use of physical intervention is only under regulation. Improved recording now includes young people’s response and feedback; this enhances the review of behaviour management strategies. Staff ratios meet individual need; this ensures effective supervision of young people. Careful behaviour planning results in effective ‘ABC’ plans to equip staff to work with young people’s challenging behaviour. Staff understand behavioural triggers and use individual strategies to de-escalate challenging behaviour.

p.8

good

Staff support young people to develop their understanding of safety within and outside of the home according to their individual level of understanding and ability. Parents consistently report they feel that their children are safe and well cared for. A parent comments ‘staff understand and meet his needs; I feel he’s 100% safe’.

p.8

good

Current staff recruitment procedures do not maximise safeguarding; recruitment checks are not complete to regulation standard and lack exploration of gaps in employment and reasons for leaving previous employment. A requirement addresses this issue. Induction for new staff is thorough and a clear induction programme guides this process. A comprehensive training programme ensures staff are well equipped to carry out their role and have up to date knowledge to meet young people’s needs. A trained nurse provides medication induction and training; only trained staff administer medication. Child sexual exploitation is not included on the training programme; this means that not all staff have a good understanding of child sexual exploitation in order to safeguard young people. It is a recommendation that child sexual exploitation training is provided to all staff.

p.8

good

Policies underpin safeguarding in the home. Missing policies and protocols are in place and known to staff. There have been no incidents of young people going missing. All staff have up to date safeguarding training and follow safeguarding procedures; recording and reporting of safeguarding concerns is without delay. Staff members understand the risk the internet may pose and supervise all computer use; an online safety policy underpins this work. Effective links with the safeguarding authority informs safeguarding and is a training resource.

p.9

good

Recent renovation provides a newly modernised home environment. Health and safety checks are all up to date and fire drills, undertaken regularly, include all children and young people. Staff take health and safety seriously which results in a safe environment for all.

p.9

requires improvement

A suitably qualified and Registered Manager, working as a job share, leads the home. The Registered Manager has a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management and eight years of management experience. She works in partnership with a new manager who has relevant experience along with the Level 4 Diploma for Residential Childcare. Her registration with Ofsted is in process. Management in the home is now stable after a period of transition.

p.9

requires improvement

Management monitoring within the home lacks consistency and effectiveness. Individual case files lack management oversight resulting in inconsistent updating of information. The lack of consistency in Management analysis of significant incidents means that not all sanction and behaviour management receives timely review. Regular external monitoring provides additional quality assurance; however recommendations made do not always receive prompt management action, reducing the effectiveness of external oversight.

p.9

requires improvement

Individual care plans address young people’s needs; their review is not to timescale and care plans lack staff signatures. It is unclear if care plans are up to date and whether all staff members are familiar with care plan updates. The previous recommendation to include information about a child’s identity in their files remains unaddressed meaning that files do not fully reflect young peoples’ backgrounds.

p.9

requires improvement

A permanent staff team delivers the majority of care. Regular bank staff provide additional staffing with occasional agency use. Current staffing arrangements are occasionally insufficient to meet planned respite. However, staff supervision of young people has not been compromised. This is because in order to maintain the high staffing levels that individual young people require there has been a reduction and or cancellation of some recent respite. Staff recruitment is in process to address this.

p.10

requires improvement

Proactive work with other agencies means that young people receive the service they require. Staff visit schools each term and close liaison with the school nurse supports young people’s health needs. A named CAMHS worker visits the home regularly and provides specific consultation and support.

p.10

requires improvement

Staff develop trusted relationships with young people. Keyworking relationships are a particular strength and young people say they value their keyworkers and enjoy spending time with them. A parent says ‘they are good at reading her and understanding her. She has good relationships with staff and has learnt to sign some of their names; her relationship with her keyworker is particularly good’.

p.10

requires improvement

Managers receive regular supervision accompanied by written supervision records; they feel well supported in their role. In turn, managers support staff through regular supervision. A staff member says ‘managers understand the issues in working on shift; they say I’m here if you need anything and check to see if you are ok at the end of the shift, I feel supported’. Annual appraisal is overdue for some staff. The lack of a clear monitoring system for appraisal means that appraisal timescales are difficult to track and it is unclear whether all staff have received appraisal annually. This means that staff performance issues and training needs may remain unaddressed, potentially reducing the quality of care provided to young people.

p.10

requires improvement

Where decision making for young people is not in their best interests, managers challenge plans. They challenge adult services where there is delay in transition planning and make child centred decisions about young people coming to stay at the home, accepting only suitable referrals.

p.10

requires improvement

Effective transition planning helps young people to settle more easily during short break and longer term stays. Managers’ visit young people in their homes and schools and carefully plan transitions to meet young people’s individual needs. Home visits to parents and parental visits to the home help them to understand the service and feel at ease. One parent says ‘I’m really happy with the home, the staff have been very kind working with us, he’s well looked after and they do a good job’. A written development plan, recommended at the previous inspection, has yet to be completed. The lack of a written framework for development weakens management planning and leaves development timeframes vulnerable to drift.

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.12

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.12

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.12

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.13

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.13

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.14

Information about this inspection

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

p.14

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.14

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.14