Children's Home, Residential special school run by Underley Schools Limited in Westmorland and Furness

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:

 Pre-admission planning is detailed and thorough young people make good and in some cases exceptional progress from their starting points due to the highly personalised care that is offered.  Children’s health needs are comprehensively understood and supported. Those with complex physical and emotional health needs benefit from the close collaboration of an on-site nursing team and commissioned specialist services that work well with external health provision.  Good communication is maintained with parents and carers and contact is promoted in line with children’s best interests. Children’s views are taken into account and respected to promote enjoyable and meaningful contact with family and friends.  Children are well engaged and make good progress in education. Learning is well supported; care staff liaise closely with teaching colleagues and are proactive in assisting children with the completion of homework and reading

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The children's home provision is good because:

activities  Children feel safe and well supported. Staff have good knowledge and understanding of young people’s specific vulnerabilities and address risks comprehensively.  Staff are showing greater effectiveness in managing children’s behaviour. Risk assessment and behaviour management planning is well developed and understood. Recent monitoring reports identify a reducing trend in the use of physical intervention and no incidence of children missing from the home.  There is a new manager in post who is dynamic, motivated and has great vision for the service. Her drive to improve outcomes and to achieve the very best for children is impacting positively on all aspects of the home.  Managers have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Whilst no formal development plan is in place there is clear drive for progression and further improvement of the service.  Staff report that they are well supported and guided although formal

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The children's home provision is good because:

supervision does not always occur in line with the company agreed frequency.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

Use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. This relates specifically to using such systems to create and effectively inform written development plans. (Regulation 13(2)(h)) 10/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. This relates specifically to supervisors conducting regular staff supervision in accordance with the company’s agreed frequency. (Regulation 34(4)(b)) 10/12/2015

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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 staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This relates specifically to making improvements in recording of fire drills to identify the duration of evacuations and action taken to improve practice when delays occur. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraphs 9.5)  Ensure a record of supervision is kept for all staff, including the manager, and that a record detailing content and outcomes of any supervision session is provided to the relevant staff member. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61, paragraphs 13.3 & 13.4)  Ensure staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This relates specifically to records relating to the use of those young people who use a Safe

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Recommendations

Space area. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

This section should outline:  the home may only provide care and accommodation for up to 48 children  the home is privately owned  the home may provide care and accommodation for children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities (LD)  the home must reduce the number of children by the number of people aged 18 and over for which it also provides care and accommodation  the service is also registered with the Care Quality Commission for young adults accommodated on site post 19

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/03/2015 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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good

Children and young people’s experiences at this home are good. Staff are knowledgeable about their histories, individual care needs, preferences and personalities. Care planning is highly effective, regularly reviewed and personalised, ensuring that the care being delivered is in accordance with their individual requirements, wishes and feelings.

p.6

good

Some children and young people use different methods of communication and staff have a detailed understanding of how young people express their needs and moods. This is effective in reducing frustration as they feel well understood and responded to by staff. Staff demonstrated a very detailed understanding of the children and young people they support and care for. This has strong, positive and trusting relationships to be developed between children and staff which helps them to feel happy and supported and enables them to progress well.

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good

Management attention to the transition of new children and young people into the home is a key strength of this home. Professional multi-disciplinary staff input from across the home and school, ensures that the matching process is highly developed. This results in children and young people being correctly matched and placements having a very high rate of success with minimal incidence of placement breakdown. One professional stated ‘There is excellent planning, communication and work undertaken with young people prior to their move to the home. I was very impressed from start to finish how the transition was planned taking into consideration the individual complex needs of X.’

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good

Children and young people know how to make a complaint, subject to their understanding and ability. Procedures are clearly displayed in the home in a way that is understandable and appropriate to their differing abilities. Children and young people are able to successfully communicate their views and ideas in regular children’s meetings. This enables them to participate and influence decision- making about their immediate home environment. Additionally, the manager meets with children and young people at regular intervals to be clear on their views, wishes and feelings, ensuring that their voices are being heard and their views fairly communicated.

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good

A team of on-site nurses work collaboratively with the company counsellor and various therapists to ensure children and young people’s needs are comprehensively assessed and addressed. External health services are also accessed as required, complementing the health care support children receive. Children and young people have robust health plans that effectively address their needs, covering all areas from their physical and emotional health needs to their need for a balanced diet and exercise. Staff demonstrate particular success in supporting children and young people with weight and personal hygiene issues; some children and young people have made exceptional progress in this area. One parent commented, ‘We give everything full marks. He has made so much progress. He has changed beyond all recognition. Care staff are brilliant, I can’t fault them.’

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good

Education provision is accessed on site, with a newly opened primary school in a separate building to the senior school. Children and young people benefit from close liaison between school and care staff through meetings and handovers which ensures information from the children and young people’s day in education is passed on. As such they enjoy and have positive experiences in their education placement. Care staff offer support to children and young people in completion of homework and reading practice, ensuring that their learning is encouraged and well supported.

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good

Children and young people have a number of opportunities to engage in a wide variety of activities both with their peers in the home and also those in the wider community, enabling positive friendships to develop. Children and young people have good opportunities to develop their own interests, accessing a number of community facilities such as golf, horse riding, trampolining and swimming. They enjoyed a very successful group holiday during the school summer break, with a large majority participating in challenging physical activities that promoted healthy exercise. Children also enjoy an on-site cinema/youth club as well as a music room. Young people enjoy organised activities such as discos and talent nights that provide good opportunities for fun and socialising. One young person commented, ‘I want to stay here forever. I like it here.’

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good

Staff offer considerable support and encouragement to children and young people to learn new skills that help prepare them for independence. For many this includes meal planning, shopping and the preparation of meals and other household tasks. Some participate in voluntary work that also helps their preparation for adult life, promotes good self-esteem and helps builds confidence.

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good

Children and young people communicate that they feel safe in this home and enjoy spending time with staff that are familiar to them. Staff are acutely aware of the high vulnerability of the many children and young people they care for. They understand and are familiar with the wide range of risks that may compromise children and young people’s safety and wellbeing, including health conditions, lack of self-awareness as a result of disability as well as other environmental and child protection issues.

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good

Staff regularly access a range of training to support their practice and ensure they have the relevant skills and knowledge to help and protect the children and young people they care for. The home has taken steps to ensure that staff possess a good understanding of all current child protection issues, over and above those relevant to the children they are presently caring for. For instance, staff have trained and are now knowledgeable about the risks of child sexual exploitation and the threat of radicalisation and extremism despite children being highly supervised and their immediate risk being assessed as low.

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good

Children and young people do not go missing from this home and as such are protected from a range of risks they could encounter outside of their immediate safe environment. However, staff are fully aware of the procedures to follow to promote a child or young person’s swift and safe return should such an event occur.

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good

Staff manage children’s behaviour well, committing time to developing positive and trusting relationships. Risk assessment and behaviour management planning is well developed and understood, enabling staff to deal effectively with any challenges presented. Recent monitoring reports identify a reducing trend in the use of physical intervention. This reduces the potential for injury or harm and positively reflects staff skill in de-escalating potentially challenging situations.

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good

The home environment is well maintained and physically safe and secure to meet children and young people’s varying protection needs. The home is comprised of a number of bungalows that accommodate small groups of children and young people. Staff are attentive to minimising risks in each home, addressing potential hazards and supporting children to understand how they can help and protect themselves. For example, fire safety is well prioritised with each child and young person having a personal fire evacuation plan that takes account of their ability and understanding. Fire evacuations are practiced regularly and always after a child or young person is newly admitted. This ensures that they are familiar and well-rehearsed about what to do in the event of a real emergency. Helpful records are generally maintained enabling good evaluation of the success of these practice evacuations. It was noted in one bungalow that recording fell short of the usual

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good

good standard in reflecting learning and forward planning for future practices. However, this has not had any immediate impact on children and young people’s safety.

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good

Staff and managers are responsive to potential child protection concerns. Procedures are well understood and a positive working relationship have been established with the local authority safeguarding services and designated officer (LADO). These arrangements promote good child protection practice, ensuring that information is appropriately shared and thoroughly addressed to protect children and young people from harm.

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good

The home’s new Registered Manager is firmly established in her new role. She has considerable experience of working with young and older adults with both mental health and learning disabilities and has a thorough knowledge of good child care practice. She has previous experience of the home, having been the Registered Manager for the young adult’s service based on the home’s site. She possesses a Level 4 Registered Manager’s award and is currently enrolled and working to achieve her Level 5 diploma in Leadership & Management, Children and Young People (Residential Care).

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good

The new Registered Manager demonstrates a passion for working with children and young people with complex and demanding needs. She is highly motivated to deliver a high quality service and shows strength in her leadership and management of the home. Staff report confidence in her management and leadership abilities, identifying clear communication of her expectations and approachability as particular strengths. One member of the staff team noted, ‘This is the ninth year I have been here and it’s the best I’ve known it.’

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good

She has implemented changes to the home’s staffing structure that has improved management accountability and consistency in staffing arrangements. This positively supports staff to build and develop their relationships with children and young people, understanding their individual needs, behaviours, preferences and personalities. Staff know their children well and as such are able to report confidently on the good, and at times outstanding progress they have made since coming to live at the home.

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good

Staff feel well supported in their roles, identifying the availability of management advice and guidance and regular training opportunities as important features that help them provide a good quality of care. Although the home has clear arrangements to provide regular formal supervision this has not consistently been achieved for all staff. Additionally, on some occasions when supervision sessions have been conducted, staff have not always received a written record that reflects discussion and details any actions or outcomes from the session. In terms of these shortfalls, they reflect gaps in staff support and communication. However, there is no suggestion that this has negatively impacted on any child or young person. Children and young people’s records are well maintained and organised and provide a good account of their daily activities, achievements and future planning. Although staff development arrangements have focused some attention on

p.9

good

improving the quality of recording practice, some records were identified as lacking clarity, appearing inconsistent with planning and causing some uncertainty in interpreting what the writer was trying to convey.

p.10

good

Since the last inspection the Registered Manager has consolidated her monitoring arrangements and provided Ofsted with her six-monthly review report. This demonstrates good co-operation with the home’s independent visitor and improvement in using monitoring systems to evaluate practice, act on weaknesses and identify progress. Although some key areas for improvement have been identified and she can articulate a clear vision for further development of this service, this has not be recorded or shared in written format. This means that the staff team do not have a consistent and full understanding of the home’s development planning and the timeframe for improvement or change.

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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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