Children's Home run by Institute of Integrated Systemic Therapy in Norfolk

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The home uses an Integrated Systemic Therapeutic model of intervention. This helps these young people to make significant improvement in their lives.  Young people are making excellent progress because they live in this home. Many have been through multiple family and placement breakdowns. They receive a high level of care and consistency here.  Staff build a warm rapport which is strong and caring with the young people. The emphasis is on helping children to develop relationships which will benefit them in understanding their behaviours.  Staff’s interactive work with schools and colleges has meant that some young people have accessed further education in a college in the community. This means that the young people are working towards recognised qualifications. This is a significant step for some of these young people who previously struggled to manage their emotional behaviour in education.  High quality risk assessments direct and guide the work that staff complete.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

Staff review these to make sure that they keep the young people as safe as possible.  Staff have engaged a local organisation that hold weekly group and individual work meetings with these young people. These are to discuss directly with them the risks in the community and managing safe and appropriate relationships.  The provider is using a research based tool to scrutinise the work that staff are completing to ensure that it is promoting the young people’s welfare.

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Information about this children's home

A registered charity owns and runs this children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is a therapeutic community, based on an Integrated Therapy Model.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

04/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people are making excellent progress because they live in this home. The young people have been through multiple family and placement breakdowns. Most have history which includes neglect, physical and sexual abuse and because of this their behaviour can be challenging and require a high level of care and consistency. The home uses an Integrated Systemic Therapeutic model of intervention. This helps young people to make significant improvement in their lives. This intervention requires staff to complete high quality observations, recording, and interpreting of behaviours. A multi-skilled team of therapists and advisers support the work that the staff complete and together they consider how this intervention is assisting the young people in fine detail. Staff are resilient to the challenge that looking after this group of young people can bring. They receive support from these multi-skilled colleagues to help them to maintain their approach.

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Outstanding

Staff build a rapport which is strong and caring with the young people. There is professional support for the staff to help them to develop attachments with the young people. The emphasis is on helping young people to develop relationships, which will benefit them in understanding their behaviours. This work enables the young people to be able to manage themselves in the community. The staff keep these relationships are at the centre of the work the home completes with the young people. A social worker commented that they: ‘Cannot fault the work that they do. The young person has progressed so much, they are like a different child. They have a very good relationships with the staff.’ Staff implement care plans that are of an extremely high quality. Staff use risk assessments that consider all aspects of the young people in careful and considerate ways. Discussions between the staff and the multi-agency team take

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Outstanding

place at weekly meetings. Because of this, staff understand the young people’s needs well. Staff then amend and update these plans in line with recommendations from this meeting. Staff support young people’s education and because of the interactive work with schools and colleges. Some young people have accessed further education in a college in the community. This means that the young people are working towards recognised qualifications. Attending schools and colleges also provides opportunities to make friends outside the home. This is a significant step for some of the young people who previously struggled to manage their emotional behaviour in education. Staff are providing support to engage in a wide range of independent living skills. Evaluation takes place regularly to ensure that these plans are meeting the young people’s needs. Staff will support with tasks such as laundry and shopping for groceries to help to prepare the young people for their move on from this home.

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Outstanding

There is support for young people to manage public transport. A young person explained how staff supported her in learning which bus they needed to get and which stop to they needed to get to and from college. Young people enjoy trips to theme parks, as well as holidays and days out. Staff and young people make plans for these events and future activities at the community meetings as well as in one to one sessions. These meetings ensure that staff can listen to the views of the young people. Some young people have engaged in clubs in the community such as guides, which the staff support the young people to attend. This helps them to build up a friendship group and a knowledge of the local area. There is intensive direct work with these young people designed to help them to talk though the issues which affect them. Staff consider every aspect of the young people’s behaviour to decide if the interaction

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Outstanding

is helping the young people. Staff make and help young people to keep appointments in the community with the doctor and other health providers. Home cooked fresh meals are prepared. Some of the young people smoke. Staff have provided advice and directed young people to services that can help them to end this habit when they are ready. A young person commented that: ‘Staff have made me leaflet with information about giving up which I have kept.’ The provider has invested time and resources in to detailed research that is helping them to understand the young people’s needs. Information from the care plans, reviews, and daily activities enable the senior management to review the progress that the young people are making. This research helps to formulate further care plans that focus on helping the young people to progress as much as possible.

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Outstanding

High quality risk assessments direct and guide the work that staff complete. Staff review these to make sure that they keep the young people as safe as possible. There is a warm and caring atmosphere in the home. This helps the young people to feel safe in the home. There is a great deal of direct work undertaken with the young people from link workers. This work helps to develop the relationships with staff and provide another trusted adult. Prior to a young person arriving staff complete careful assessments that ensure that the home can meet their needs. These assessments also help staff to balance the needs of the new resident with the needs of the young people already living in the home. Reviews of these risk assessments, in line with significant incidents or improvements in the young people’s behaviour, means that staff with the most up to date information are looking after these young people. The staff are acutely aware of the risks of child sexual exploitation They work hard

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Outstanding

to engage the young people to reduce this risk and the consistent monitoring reduces the risk. Young people do not go missing from this home. If they did, clear and concise assessments and protocols are in place. Staff describe action they take, such as following the young people in the community and helping them to return to the home. If the young person does go missing staff have contact details for the police and other agencies to report them missing and put in place the steps that are needed to affect their return. The registered manager has engaged a local organisation to hold weekly group and individual work meetings with young people. These meetings discuss risks that may be present in the community and how to manage safe, appropriate relationships. A social worker commented that the staff had: ‘Helped her develop confidence and safety on-line. They have employed an external provider to deliver

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Outstanding

an e-safety course on line, and have supported her in understanding some of the risks on the internet. As well as helping her to look at a range of relationships both on-line and in the real world.’ Young people have particularly complex needs because of their early life experience. For example, some young people have tried to self-harm. Staff have been trained to prevent this though talking therapies and, if needed, restraining young people. Restraint has occurred on 75 occasions this year. Staff and multi- skilled colleagues meet on a weekly basis to review these restraints. This meeting discusses each instance that restraint has occurred and challenges the staff to examine the incident meticulously. The staff group support each other in looking for other ways that they could manage these events differently. Because of this approach, self-harming behaviour has significantly reduced and the number of

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Outstanding

restraints have lessened. The staff and senior managers within the home have managed a number of serious safeguarding issues. This, along with the departure of a previous director has been an opportunity to develop better relationships with external agencies as well as developing a more transparent approach with the local safeguarding children’s board. The designated officer within the local authority commented on the relationship as being: ‘Very positive and there is a feeling of renewal for the home.’ The registered manager has robust safe recruitment processes that checks all staff prior to working in the home. Staff also accompany any visitors to the home. This helps prevent access to these young people from inappropriate adults.

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Outstanding

The manager has a National Vocational Qualification Level 4 for Care Management and an Advanced Diploma in Psychological Care. They have and has worked in this organisation for 10 years. This provides consistently high quality support and supervision for the staff which challenges them to continually reflect on the young people’s needs. The manager is available on-site to knowledgeably provide staff with daily support and guidance. This also means that they are there to listen to the young people and act on their concerns. Together the multi-agency team and the registered manager accurately monitor the progress that young people have made in the home. For some this has seen a significant reduction in self-harming behaviour. The intervention that the staff have provided has meant that some of the young people can focus positively on the future and start to plan for their eventual move to independent living.

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Outstanding

The provider is using a research based tool to scrutinise the work that staff are completing to ensure that it is promoting the young people’s welfare. This tool analyses their progress, the registered manager confidently guides staff to make sure that the young people develop. This tool also helps the registered manager to highlight any areas which staff need training or support in managing. All staff have received mandatory training in safeguarding, first aid, Norfolk Steps (physical intervention strategies), fire prevention, and food hygiene. Some of the young people take medication to help with their complex needs. Trained staff safely administer this. There are excellent relationships between the staff, placing authorities, and families. Social workers praise the consistency with which the home meets the young people’s needs. A worker commented: ‘Since the young person has been in this home they have developed very strong relationships with staff. This in turn has

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Outstanding

helped to develop some resilience in the community so that they are now going to college. Because of the preparation and thought that the staff have put in ahead of the move there has not been the concerns that they had anticipated.’ The registered manager is aware of the areas for development particularly in developing the independence living pathway for the young people approaching this next stage of their lives. They review the pathway plans to ensure that young people are gaining the skills and confidence that they require in this area. Staff have discussed the quality standards in team meetings. The senior management review the statement of purpose to ensure that it reflects the practice within the home. The independent visitor remains a robust challenge to the registered manager and through the regular reports, the registered manager takes action to make good any shortfalls highlighted.

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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

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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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