Children's Home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Lancashire

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 benefit immensely from the experience of living at this home. Placements are stable and young people are very happy because staff provide them with parent-like support and highly personalised care which is designed to meet their uniquely individual needs. Feedback from parents and professionals consistently affirms this and attributes young people’s progress to the efforts of a caring and nurturing staff team.  The manager and staff are consistent in their delivery of a child-centred programme of care which is based on the principles of assessment, monitoring and review. Staff take an enabling approach which focuses on young people’s potential rather than their disability. Care practice is underpinned by strong links with parents and professionals and staff ensure that each young person’s views are considered when making decisions affecting their lives.   Young people benefit from the care and support of a highly committed team of

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

staff who show an excellent understanding about working with young people with disabilities. All aspects of their care are built on strong attachments that have been nurtured over time.   Safeguarding practice is strong. Risk, vulnerability and behaviour are routinely considered and effectively managed to ensure young people are kept safe without limiting their potential to grow.  The home is effectively managed in the best interests of young people. The manager and staff are aspirational in their efforts to achieve continuous improvement. They are passionate about their job and are exceptionally proud of young people’s progress and achievements.  Two recommendations have been made. These relate to updating the behaviour management policy and Statement of Purpose and reviewing the restrictions on activities brought about by the organisation’s insurance policy.

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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 responsible person should seek to provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings. This is with specific reference to reviewing the homes liability insurance which currently places limitations on children’s choices of activities. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 31, paragraph 6.4)

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Recommendations

 Homes that care for children where, as a result of their impairment or disability, restraint is a necessary component of their care should include information relating to this in the behaviour management policy and Statement of Purpose. This is with specific reference to the use of harnesses which are used safeguard children from the hazardous consequences of their behaviour. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 47, paragraph 9.44 and 9.46)

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a privately owned company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who have a learning disability.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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outstanding

Young people receive an outstanding quality of care that is making a significant difference to their lives. Staff provide them with individual care and support which gives their unique needs, safety and wellbeing the highest priority. They take an enabling approach to caring for young people who have a diverse range of disabilities and complex needs, and are effective in their management of these. They use well thought out and consistently applied strategies that have resulted in personal growth, increased independence and improved behaviour. One independent reviewing officer commented: ‘The staff are clearly focused on young people’s needs. They explore plans and are constantly looking for ways of making improvements. I am very impressed.’

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outstanding

Young people enjoy very strong and trusting relationships with the manager and staff. Staff are constant in their efforts to provide them with the attention and support they need to keep them positively engaged. They know young people well and are proactive in helping them manage their behaviour, frustrations and anxieties, some of which can be attributed to their disability. They have realistically high behavioural expectations which are consistently reinforced through good routine and positive interaction.

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outstanding

Staff take an inclusive approach to group living and have helped young people develop increased tolerance and friendships within the group. This, as well as patience, good use of humour and strong relationships has resulted in a very settled group of young people who are very happy in their home. One social worker said: ‘Staff have supported and encouraged (Name) to mix with the other young people. They have taken slow steps but he is now spending time with the others which is a big success.’

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outstanding

The staff provide young people with considerable support to express themselves. When necessary, they creatively use a range of non-verbal communication tools to ensure young people are fully involved in making choices about their care. They are strong advocates and are not afraid to make challenges when young people are presented with barriers to participation. For example, one young person was not being afforded the opportunity to participate in the school’s holiday clubs. The manager has made suitable enquiries with school staff to explore the reasons and is currently working with them to provide a solution. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Staff care about (Name) and are truly focused on (Names) needs. They were intent on ensuring he got what he wanted.’ The manager and staff play an active role in making sure young people’s known and emerging health needs are provided for. Young people are fully supported to

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outstanding

access a range of health care services and are in good health as a result of this. Staff work closely with disability services to ensure the right specialist support is in place. This includes the use of specialist equipment, such as harnesses that are designed to help manage behaviour and risk and keep young people safe. The use of these is clearly outlined in care plans but not in the behaviour management policy or the Statement of Purpose.

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outstanding

The manager and staff clearly recognise and value the importance of education and training. Strong, cohesive links are maintained with a number of schools, and staff play an active part in ensuring young people attend school and achieve their potential. They regularly speak to teachers and promote a collaborative approach to overcoming any obstacles that may get in the way of young people fully engaging in education. For example, staff are currently providing direct support for one young person who goes to college. This has proven effective in ensuring the young person can regularly attend her catering course, where they are noted to be making very good progress with their studies. While proudly showing off the buns she had baked she said: ‘Staff helped me get onto this course and I really enjoy it. They have been good at helping me to attend and stay in class.’

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outstanding

Young people do lots of purposeful, fun and enjoyable activities such as going swimming, walks in the park, visiting the cinema, having meals out, arts and crafts and going to the youth club for example. Staff listen to what they want to do and do their best to provide them with opportunities to pursue their individual hobbies and interests. However, choice and preference is slightly restricted by the some of the limitations brought about by the home’s liability insurance. For example, a number of young people have expressed an interest in going horse-riding but have been unable to do this.

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outstanding

Young people see and speak regularly to their family and other significant people. Staff value the opinions of family members and work closely with them to maintain and improve strong relationships between them and their children. They share good practice and provide them with good levels of support and guidance to ensure contact is a positive experience for all involved. One family member said: ‘Staff keep in touch and keep me up-to-date. (Name) is in a place where staff care and have her best interests at the forefront of what they do. We enjoy the time we spend together and (Name) now does lots of things like making cups of tea and making her bed, which she didn’t do before. She is obviously happy living there and always looks forward to going back after visits.’

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outstanding

Young people get the right support to help them become more independent and prepare for adult life. They have plenty of opportunities to develop practical skills such as cooking, shopping and tidying their rooms, relative to their age, level of understanding and ability. The manager is proactive in her efforts to engage leaving care professionals in planning for young people’s transition to adult care. For example, she will take the lead in exploring accommodation and education options, making clear to the young person’s placing authority her expectations in terms of their involvement.

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outstanding

Young people are safe because all aspects of care practice are underpinned by strong safeguarding policies and procedures. These are consistently implemented by well trained and knowledgeable staff who give young people’s safety and wellbeing a high priority. Risk and vulnerability, including those associated with disability, are continuously assessed, monitored and understood by all staff. Well thought-out and proportionate strategies are used to effectively manage these and ensure young people’s personal safety and wellbeing is consistently maintained.

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outstanding

One to one staffing ratios ensure young people receive the right level of supervision and support they need to feel protected and keep them safe. The majority require this level of support continuously, and therefore bullying and missing from home is not an issue for them. Staff look for opportunities to reduce this level of supervision, such as when they attend activities, building trust and increasing free-time. There have been two incidents when one young person has chosen to go missing when they are under the supervision of other adults. Staff have taken appropriate action in both cases, locating the young person without the need for police involvement. They sensitively explored the reasons and took steps to minimise this risk by working with parents to increase contact. This has proven effective in terms of eradicating this behaviour but more significantly has further improved the relationship between the young person and her mother.

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outstanding

Staff take a calm, patient and gentle approach to behaviour management. They provide young people with positive praise and recognition and give constant reminders to keep them focused and on task. They make good use of their training, positive relationships and knowledge of young people to proportionately challenge poor behaviour and avoid escalation to the point of restraint. Given the complexity of some young people the effectiveness of this approach is evident in the low number of sanctions and physical restraint since the last inspection. On the nine occasions when restraint has been necessary, it has been done in a caring manner and for the right reason.

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outstanding

Four staff have been recruited since the last inspection. All staff working with young people are carefully vetted and selected. This ensures that they are safe and have the right skills, values and motivation to work in this home. Young people benefit from living in a very comfortable, safe and secure home. They are protected by a range of health and safety procedures, risk assessments and routine checks. These are designed to ensure the environment is a safe place for young people with learning disabilities to live. Individual evacuation plans, which fully consider the young person’s needs and abilities are in place. These are regularly practiced to ensure each young person and staff know what to do in the event of a fire. One young person spoke knowledgably about the actions she would take in the event of a fire.

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outstanding

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2013. She has considerable experience of working with young people with learning disabilities and is currently awaiting verification for completing the level 5 Diploma. She is passionate about the young people in her care and ensures that the home runs effectively in line with the aims and objectives set out in it’s Statement of Purpose. The culture and ethos of the home reflects a strong child-focused approach and commitment to promoting and safeguarding young people’s welfare.

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outstanding

The young people are looked after by enthusiastic and caring staff. They clearly enjoy their work and are proud of each young person’s progress and achievement. They show a strong commitment to ensuring that young people are safe, feel valued and are provided with the best opportunities to promote their life chances, regardless of the challenges they face. The deployment of staff considers each young person’s needs and ensures that these can be met without limitation.

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outstanding

All staff are very well supported by the manager through regular professional supervision and performance appraisals. New staff are thoroughly inducted into the home and given increased levels of support to facilitate professional growth and development. All staff are either qualified or on a suitable pathway to gain a relevant childcare qualification. Arrangements are in place to ensure staff complete mandatory training, which is regularly refreshed and updated. In addition, staff complete training which is relevant to the individual needs of young people including autism, epilepsy, safeguarding children with learning disabilities and person-centred planning. Collectively, this has resulted in a highly competent team of staff who are suitably equipped to meet the known and emerging needs of each young person. One social worker said: ‘There are lots of expertise within the staff team. They clearly know what they doing and how to meet the needs of young

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outstanding

people with complex needs and autism and challenging behaviour.’

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outstanding

The manager has strong, cohesive working relationships with parents, social workers and a range of health, education and safeguarding professionals to make sure young people receive the best possible support. Care plans are regularly discussed and reviewed to ensure they address young people’s needs and experiences, reflect changes to circumstances and set out the plans for their futures. Staff support young people to be involved in their reviews and help them to express their views. They are strong advocates and will champion their needs including appropriately challenging professionals when they are concerned that young people are not receiving the support they need.

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outstanding

The manager is diligent in her monitoring of all aspects of the home’s performance. She uses a range of effective quality assurance processes and is proactive in addressing any identified shortfalls. She has a realistic and insightful understanding of what the home does well and has a clear focus on maintaining and continuously promoting a high standard of care. External monitoring and scrutiny from an independent visitor offers additional rigour to the already strong monitoring processes.

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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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