Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

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:

 Young people thrive in a nurturing, supportive environment underpinned with clear and consistent boundaries.  All young people receive an excellent standard of care and this means they commit to their placements and take responsibility for their behaviour.  Young people settle quickly in a nurturing environment. They make excellent progress across all aspects of their welfare and development, particularly in terms of education, health and behaviour.  Young people's views, wishes and feelings are central to their care planning and organisation of the home. As a result, they feel valued and respected as individuals.  Young people build strong and positive relationships with staff that are based on consistency. They benefit from a range of positive experiences and new opportunities.  The quality of relationships is exceptional, with interactions extremely positive. Young people feel safe and are protected from harm.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Highly effective communication and working relationships between the staff, social workers, parents and other professionals supports the development of young people.  The home is well managed. Staff are fully supported to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.  There is only one minor shortfall. This relates to the recording of supervisions.

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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 all employees, specifically the registered manager, receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. Regulation 33 (4)(b) 31/01/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (The Guide to the standards, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is part of a large organisation. The home provides care for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Education is available on site as the home is also a registered school. Therapy services are also provided.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/03/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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outstanding

Young people benefit from being cared for by a consistent staff team who have a thorough understanding of their individual needs. Care staff are committed to ensuring that young people do as well as they can in all aspects of their lives. Young people enjoy warm relationships with staff and there is an excellent rapport between them. Staff discuss difficult issues with young people and challenge inappropriate behaviours consistently and sensitively. One professional reported ‘Staff feel comfortable and at ease in challenging the boys where appropriate yet provide good fun high-quality care which would appear to be valued by them’. Young people’s care plans are well detailed, responsive to diverse needs and regularly reviewed. They address all aspects of a young person’s needs and highlight actions and tasks to ensure that good outcomes are achieved. Young people are very involved in their care planning arrangements. They have a say in

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outstanding

matters such as activities, daily routines and planning for the future. One reviewing officer reported that the staff ‘are always prepared for looked after children reviews and are supportive of the young person’s plan to move back to his family’. One young person reports the staff have 'helped me through hard times and when I have been stressed and upset’. Another young person reports ‘they’re the best staff I have had since being in care their firm but fair with you’. Staff hold key work sessions with the young people to help them build up a range of skills. This is developed and supported directly and indirectly through sessions with the organisations therapists. The health of young people is promoted positively. All are appropriately registered to the full range of health services available to them. A number have access to more specialised services such as mental health services. Healthy activities take

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outstanding

place such as climbing, gym, football and cycling. Young people are given choices about their food and the food served is both healthy and nutritious The home is part of a school, which is on site. Care and teaching staff work closely together to ensure consistency of practice to enhance the quality of care provided. Some of the young people are educated elsewhere and are fully supported by staff. All young people maintain good engagement in their education since coming to the home. This includes some young people who have previously not engaged with their education for an extensive period. A reviewing officer reported ‘They have managed to engage (young person) with education which I would suggest is a terrific challenge for them as (young person) has not engaged with education since January 2015’. Young people benefit from making a positive contribution to their home through a variety of forums such as key worker sessions, young people’s meetings,

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outstanding

placement planning and statutory reviews. They also have the opportunity through regular discussion about routine and day-to-day matters. The home supports contact with families and supervises contact where necessary to ensure it is a positive experience for young people. It facilitates regular phone calls for young people who live far from home and helps to maintain relationships between young people and their families by transporting them as necessary to meet up with their families. Young people are provided with a wide range of activities within the home. Staff spend individual time with young people, joining in games, or doing arts and crafts with them. Young people are also encouraged to take part in activities within the community such as horse riding, joining a football team or a local youth club. All of which, enhance their life experiences.

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outstanding

Young people say they feel safe because staff care and always offer them good advice and support on safety matters. One young person reports, ‘staff always make sure we are safe whatever we are doing’. Staff work in a planned way in partnership with placing authorities and other agencies to ensure that risks to young people are minimised. As a result, keeping young people safe is embedded into staff daily practice. There are no incidents of young people going missing since the last inspection, staff receive regular training to update their knowledge and have a full understanding of safeguarding policies, procedures and actions they should take, if an incident arises. Staff have a very positive view of the young people they look after and they work hard to engage with them. One staff member reports, ‘Relationships are great here, we are as close to a family as you can get, we interact all the time with the

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outstanding

young people’. Young people have incentives to reinforce positive behaviour. This helps young people to feel confident about their relationships with staff and supports their progress. Positive behaviour is promoted in the home. Individual behaviour management plans identify triggers for negative behaviour and the strategies for managing these behaviours. Methods such as incentive reward systems, and regular key worker sessions enable young people to manage their own behaviour more effectively. One young person comments, ‘since being here my behaviour has improved amazingly’. The use of restraint in this home is low despite some very challenging behaviour; this reflects the home’s commitment to supporting young people to manage their own behaviours to excellent effect. There is a robust system in place for the safe handling, administration, storage, disposal and recording of medication. This ensures young people receive

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outstanding

medication important to their health. Young people say that they understand how to make a complaint and are provided with the children’s guide on admission. The children’s guide contains details about their rights, along with the contact details of independent advocate services if they wish to speak to someone outside of the home. Clear and accessible complaints policy and procedures further enhances young people’s safety and well-being within the home. The staff recruitment and selection process is thorough requiring a full assessment and checks of all applicants for work. No appointment is confirmed until all checks are completed. No new staff have been appointed since the time of the last inspection. Young people benefit from a permanent, experienced and stable staff team that promotes their safety and well-being. Regular health and safety checks, routine servicing of equipment and robust risk assessments ensure that the home is kept safe for young people, staff and visitors.

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outstanding

Staff are trained in fire safety procedures and they ensure that young people take part in fire evacuation drills so they understand how to leave the home safely in an emergency. This means that young people live in a home that provides physical safety and security. The home is a large spacious farmhouse set in a rural location. It is well furnished and decorated. There is ample comfortable living space with large communal rooms for young people to get together and other rooms for young people to have privacy should they wish, each of the bedrooms have been personalised by the young people. There are large outdoor areas around the building that includes a barbecue area and a recently constructed all weather football pitch. Judgement grade

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good

The home has an appropriately qualified registered manager in place. The manager has been in post since January 2009 and holds a national vocational qualification in leadership health and social care level 4. A consistent, stable staff team cares for the young people. This is reflected in the stability of the young people and the excellent relationships that they have made with the staff. Staff are competent and have a good understanding of their responsibilities. Staff have all completed mandatory training and this is regularly updated through refresher training. This ensures that all staff are up to date with new legislation and guidance. The home uses weekly team meetings to ensure that everyone is up to date about how to promote and protect the young people. The home uses a reflective cycle model during team meetings to enable staff to reflect on any incidents of significance and how they can learn from them. This means that the learning is

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good

captured from significant incidents that enable staff to learn and develop greater skills in their role. Staff receive monthly supervision. The quality of the supervision records requires improvement so that staff performance can be measured in greater detail. The manager is uncertain of when he last received formally recorded supervision. This means the manager has not been allowed to reflect on his practice or receive feedback around his performance. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose. This document is available to placing authorities, families and other stakeholders and accurately reflects the current staffing arrangements and the services being provided by the home. Staff are clear about the aims and objectives of the home and work consistently to achieve these and promote positive outcomes for young people. Monitoring of the home is undertaken each month by an independent person.

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good

Monitoring reports are detailed, evaluative and identify areas for improvement. The independent visitor consults with young people, parents and other professionals to capture their views to contribute to the report. Information from monitoring visits contributes to the homes development plan, which identifies areas of strength and areas to be improved The staff team work effectively with parents, professionals and other agencies. This provides a consistent approach to young people’s care. Professionals speak positively about the communication they receive. A reviewing officer reported, ‘the home send me weekly written reports covering every day of the week including education, social time and behaviour. The communication is excellent. The manager has carried out a risk assessment of the home’s locality in partnership with other agencies. This comprehensive document enables staff to be aware of any threats to young people in the immediate area of the home and takes

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good

into account the home’s rural location and the differing risks due to seasonal changes. There were no requirements or recommendations raised at the 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

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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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