Children's Home run by HAVEN CARE GROUP LIMITED in Staffordshire

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:

 Young people experience a warm and welcoming environment with clear boundaries where they can feel secure.  Committed and skilled staff provide young people with positive and trusting relationships.  Staff keep young people safe and enable them to understand how to keep themselves safe.  Staff understand how to recognise and respond appropriately to issues of child sexual exploitation and when children go missing.  Young people are encouraged to express their views, wishes and feelings by staff who listen to them and respond positively.  Staff engage young people in a range of enjoyable activities, which support their self-esteem, emotional well-being and physical health.  Young people make significant and sustained progress in their social and educational development and in their ability to manage their own behaviour.  The child focused, highly experienced and skilled registered person ensures that the staff team receive the support and guidance required to provide a

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The children's home provision is good because:

good service to young people.  Staff are highly trained to understand and meet the complex needs of young people. Supervision and team meetings enhance their learning.  Staff liaise closely with professionals and families to effectively address a wide range of issues including drug abuse, therapeutic needs and offending behaviour.  The registered person responds quickly and effectively to any staffing issues that could impact negatively on young people.  Areas for improvement include involving young people in their risk assessments and behaviour management plans.

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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, with specific reference to involving children in their risk assessments and behaviour management plans, children are encouraged by staff to see the home's records as ' living documents' supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis.(The Guide to the quality standards page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Information about this children's home

This privately-owned children’s home is registered to provide care for up to 4 young people aged between 8 and 17 years.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

29/01/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

good

Young people settle quickly in this welcoming, homely and well-maintained environment. They personalise their bedrooms and can relax in the comfortable living rooms and large garden.

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good

The support and stability they receive from the warm and highly committed staff, enables them to make significant progress in managing their own behaviour, attending education and developing trusting relationships with staff. Young people benefit from, for example, reducing drug dependency, accessing therapeutic services and developing independence and routines.

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good

Young people have positive relationships with staff who strongly support their individual interests and aims for the future. One young person has made a rap music cd, another has expressed a wish to construct things for the home and staff are planning for him to build a barbeque. Young people like to keep fit and enjoy regular trips to the gym and kick boxing classes with staff. Young people confirm that they are happy here and that they feel their needs are being met.

p.6

good

Young people engage in weekly meetings, key work sessions and informally with staff when they are able to express their views, wishes and feelings. Staff demonstrate understanding of the impact of their personal histories on their emotional well-being. A clinical psychologist visits the home regularly and provides guidance for staff and therapeutic services, when needed.

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good

Young people benefit from proactive staff who encourage them to develop independence and confidence. One young person was helped by a staff member to make a written complaint about the behaviour of a colleague on her work placement. The staff member attended a meeting with the young person who successfully addressed the matter with her employer.

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good

One young person, who has previously refused to engage in education, now has 100% attendance at college, which he thoroughly enjoys. He aspires to go to university, which staff are supporting. Another young person is benefitting from a programme of interesting activities provided by staff, whilst his placing authority identifies an appropriate education provision for him. For example, his interest in motorbikes is being encouraged by staff with visits to transport museums.

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good

Staff, who regularly facilitate family contact, effectively support young people’s identities. The provision of, for example appropriate cultural food choices, enables young people to express their diversity.

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good

Family members and professionals are positive about the service and the progress young people make. The parent of one young person commented that he now goes to the gym and attends medical appointments, which he had previously refused to do. The social worker for a young person commented on the improvement in his ability to manage his behaviour and that, despite a history of assaulting care staff, there had been no incidents of this nature in this placement.

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good

Staff provide young people with the security, stability, and consistently firm boundaries that enable them to feel secure and begin to reflect on their own behaviour.

p.7

good

Young people no longer engage in gangs, drug abuse and absconding. There has only been one incident requiring physical intervention by staff since the last inspection.

p.7

good

Impact assessments are thorough and careful consideration is given to how the service can meet each young person’s needs before they are admitted. Staff regularly review and update risk assessments. Staff are trained to use strategies to de-escalate young people’s behaviours without the need for physical intervention. Staff training in safeguarding is up to date and there is an ongoing programme of face-to-face and online training to address highly relevant issues of child sexual exploitation, bullying, first aid and substance misuse.

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good

Staff help young people to understand the consequences of their behaviour in order to keep themselves safe. In-depth key work sessions address issues of, for example, sexual health and substance misuse and engage young people to reflect on behaviour.

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good

The service staffing model of 1:1, with a senior member of staff on duty on each shift, ensures a high level of supervision and support is available for young people. Recruitment is safe with staff being subject to robust recruitment processes.

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good

Young people confirm that they feel safe, and parents and other professionals consider young people are safe. One parent said confidently, ‘ He's a lot safer here’. Judgement grade

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good

The current manager is new in post and is applying to be the registered manager. She has over nine years’ experience of working with young people on the autistic spectrum in residential settings. The previous manager resigned in November following a period of illness.

p.8

good

The home underwent a period of recruitment of new staff and a management restructure during 2015. No young people were in placement between April and August. Despite a subsequent change of manager, the child focused registered person has effectively driven up standards of service.

p.8

good

The responsible person responded to the requirements of the previous inspection by providing Ofsted with an updated statement of purpose, reports from the independent visitor and the manager’s review of the quality of service. She has enabled the service to progress from adequate to good since the last inspection.

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good

The registered person ensures that recording systems are clear and accessible to staff, enabling them to understand and meet young people’s needs. She constantly reviews staff training needs in supervision and team meetings. All staff have completed their in depth induction programme. Staff have read the home’s statement of purpose and the quality standards and regulations. The registered person reviews and updates all policies and procedures.

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good

The new manager, who has only been in post for a matter of days, has demonstrated efficiency, child focus and significant knowledge. She is keen to put new and even more effective systems in place. She has designed and distributed a questionnaire for the staff in order to seek their views on the service and involve them in identifying areas and strategies for improvement.

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good

Regular team meetings and supervision enable staff to engage in their own development and the home. Key work is focused, appropriate, timely and clearly recorded.

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good

Effective systems for feedback capture views from young people, staff, parents and professionals. The registered person incorporates this, along with feedback from the independent visitor, into her quality reviews of the service.

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good

The registered person ensures that staff establish and maintain strong links with a wide range of agencies including education, drugs and police, and invites professionals to visit the home. She challenges placing authorities when they fail to provide the services that young people need and is proactive in escalating concerns if they are not resolved. The responsible person has demonstrated an ability to address any shortfalls in staff practice quickly and effectively, identifying training needs and ensuring that staff understand policies and procedures and are receiving sufficient support within the team.

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good

Parents and professionals confirm that staff provide them with regular and helpful written and verbal communication. One social worker stated that he receives weekly updates and that staff are working with him on an independence plan for one young person. One parents said of the staff, ' they are great'.

p.9

good

Staff miss the opportunity to increase young people involvement in formulating their risk assessment and behaviour management plans. This missed opportunity hinders them gaining more insight into their behaviour and to take a more active role in identify potential solutions.

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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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