Children's Home run by My Life - My Choice Ltd in Lancashire

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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 enjoy a variety of positive experiences. They make progress in all aspects of their development.  Staff know the young people very well and they understand their needs. Staff are insightful and skilled in respect of the complex needs of each young person.  Staff provide young people with structure and routine and young people feel safe and well supported.  Staff are innovative in their approach to facilitating communication with young people. Young people contribute to the running of the home where they can. They are supported to express their views about their future plans.  Comprehensive risk management plans helps ensure young people’s safety.  Good multi agency working and partnerships with families means that care plans are effective and relevant.  Staff treat each young person with respect and dignity.  The registered manager has high aspirations for each young person. She is

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The children's home provision is good because:

a strong manager and sets high standards for the care and welfare of young people.  Shortfalls include addressing improving opportunities to explore the wider community, competencies of staff in managing the missing from care procedures and individualised social targets for children and young people.

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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

12. The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard to enable children to be protected from harm the registered person must ensure the day-to-day care is arranged and delivered through effective care planning and risk management so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (b)) 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

make necessary arrangements at the point of referral to reduce the risk of harm and help each child understand how to keep safe through direct work and risk assessment (Regulation 12 (2) (a) (i) (ii)) 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

ensure young people receive effectively planned care that is consistently reviewed, updated and followed (Regulation 14 (1) (a) (b) (ii) (c)) 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of opportunities and encouraged to participate in fun and enjoyable activities. Staff should support children to take part in school trips, clubs, volunteering and leisure activities. (Guide to the Quality Standards 6.5)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to accommodate up to 8 children of mixed gender aged 5 to 17 years old on a short break basis. The home specialises in the care of children who present with learning disabilities. It is operated by a private organisation.

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people living in the home are

Young people make good progress in all aspects of their lives. They develop a positive self-view and increased confidence. This is because young people receive excellent personalised individual care reflecting their abilities, needs and vulnerabilities. A professional said, ‘I cannot praise the team highly enough, they are exceptional’. A relative said, ‘Staff do things with him that no one else has done, nothing is too much trouble. He has made such progress there’.

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people living in the home are

Young people have positive relationships with staff who are courteous and treat young people with dignity and respect. They are able to let staff know their views and wishes as staff take time to understand what young people are trying to communicate. A variety of communication tools in the home further reinforces and enhances the importance of young people’s voices. Some young people are helped to express their views by using Makaton or picture symbols. Young people know that staff value their views and opinions and their self-respect and confidence grows as a result.

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people living in the home are

Young people are supported by staff who make considerable efforts to explain and reassure them if they are troubled or distressed. Staff are imaginative in how they enable young people’s understanding of complex scenarios such as their personal safety, healthy eating and puberty. Young people’s understanding is increased and safety enhanced.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s enjoyment of food has been harnessed and they are involved in food preparation and baking with staff. The weekly menu allows young people to begin to recognise healthy options and the effect on their health of making balanced choices.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s health needs are met as detailed health plans clearly and concisely describe their medical needs. Close communication with health professionals ensures that positive outcomes are maintained.

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people living in the home are

There is very good liaison with schools and young people attend school promptly following their overnight care. Young people’s educational opportunities are enhanced and their learning maximised.

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people living in the home are

Young people enjoy a small range of opportunities and activities in the home and community. Plans reflect young people’s choices. They enjoy new opportunities, widening their experience and community involvement, but this could be developed further to provide more life enriching experiences.

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people living in the home are

Young people contribute to the running of the home wherever possible. This includes helping with clearing away toys in home and keeping their rooms tidy. Young people develop age appropriate skills that help them move towards increased independence suitably equipped with life skills. When young people move to their next placement, staff are dedicated to ensuring the transition is smooth as possible. Young people are supported at each stage as staff are proactive and forward thinking about careful planning and preparation of each young person. Young people’s distress and anxiety about change is reduced, as they are informed and prepared for each stage.

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people living in the home are

Contact between young people and their families is promoted wherever possible. Families are welcomed in the home, and staff support contact in the community. A relative said, ’Staff are always there for us if things become difficult. They have made a difference as I feel reassured that they are there to help us’.

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people are helped and protected

Staff have a good understanding of children and young people’s safety; they effectively identify, understand and manage risks. Clear, individualised risk assessments and behaviour guidelines are in place and include known triggers and intervention strategies that staff follow. Regular review and updating of these documents ensures that staff have relevant up to date information. Restraint is rarely used and any physical interventions are well-recorded with consistent management monitoring and oversight.

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people are helped and protected

Communication between staff and young people is good. Young people are consulted and informed about their plans. They feel safe and secure as they understand the boundaries and house rules. Behavioural incidents in the home are minimal and are handled sensitively and well. The atmosphere in the home is calm and welcoming for all.

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people are helped and protected

Comprehensive risk assessments in place enable children and young people to take risks appropriate to their individual level of understanding and ability. For example, some young people go swimming with the appropriate supervision and specialist equipment identified in their individual risk assessments. Wherever possible, realistic and practical, staff enable children and young people to take managed risks to allow them to develop and learn.

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people are helped and protected

In response to the wide range of needs of the children and young people who use this home, staff set challenging goals but these are not always individualised. This is a shortfall the Registered Manager has been asked to address. Staff hold regular and effective contact with parents, social workers, schools and other professionals. They attend care planning meetings to enable collaborative working towards children and young people’s goals. A social worker comments ‘we work as a multi- disciplinary team for the child’s best interest’.

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people are helped and protected

Staff supervise children and young people according to their individual ability and understanding; staffing is in place according to individual need. Within the framework of required supervision and support, children and young people are encouraged to maximise their independence.

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people are helped and protected

The quality of relationships between staff and children and young people is an immense strength of this home. Nurturing staff meet children and young people’s holistic needs. A parent commented ‘It’s been absolutely amazing; he has excellent relationships with staff’.

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people are helped and protected

The home has effective links with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and utilise LSCB training.

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people are helped and protected

Young people do not go missing from the home due to the supervision and support of staff. However on one occasion a child did leave the building unnoticed. The child was quickly found safe and well. Additional measures have been put in place to ensure that young people using the home are kept safe, in addition two requirements has been made to further strengthen staff practice in this area.

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people are helped and protected

Young people have complex needs and appropriate staffing ratios ensure that they are kept safe. Young people are cared for by a consistent committed staff team. This means that they develop trusted relationships with known staff and can talk to them if they want to.

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people are helped and protected

There is a safe system for managing young people’s medication. This contributes to a good standard of care. The registered manager has oversight and audits the records and practice to ensure safety and compliance.

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people are helped and protected

Young people live in a home that is safe and secure. Regular safety checks are undertaken with gas, electric and fire systems to ensure good working order. Young people are familiar with the need for checking fire alarms and completing fire evacuations from time to time. Young people practise evacuations from different points in the home and are helped to try different scenarios. This helps them understand about fire risks and promotes their safety.

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people are helped and protected

Young people’s safety is further promoted through the appropriate vetting of staff. There are effective and safe recruitment practices in place meaning that young people are protected from adults who may wish to harm them. Judgement grade

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leaders and managers

The registered manager has been in post since 2009 and has an NVQ level 4 qualification in children and young people’s care. The registered manager provides strong and effective leadership. Her focus is on the care of individual young people and ensuring they progress in all areas of their development. She is enthusiastic and provides motivation and inspiration for staff to maintain good standards of care in the home.

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leaders and managers

The staff team is well balanced in terms of gender and life experience and this provides young people with opportunities to have positive relationships with a variety of adults. The home rarely uses agency staff. This means that young people develop relationships with adults they see regularly and who provide consistency of care.

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leaders and managers

Young people are supported by staff who receive regular supervision, training and appraisals. They benefit as staff have opportunities to reflect on young people’s welfare and progress. All staff complete the home’s induction and core training. Additional training is provided for staff where young people have specific needs. For example, in-house training in autism spectrum disorder and anxiety, reflecting most young people’s needs. This ensures that staff have the necessary understanding and skills to meet young people’s needs.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager understands the strengths and areas for development for the home, and she has an ambitious and achievable plan in place to ensure the service continues to progress. These plans include team development, additional training for staff, and plans for holidays with young people and improvements to areas of the home and grounds. Young people benefit as the care they receive and the environment they live in continues to evolve and improve.

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leaders and managers

The statement of purpose is clear and concise and the service provided by staff meets its objectives. The registered manager constantly monitors the standards within the home through well organised methods of self-scrutiny. The registered manager works closely with the monthly independent visitor who provides rigorous external scrutiny of the service provided by the home. The registered manager values the suggestions made by the independent visitor and sees these as an opportunity to improve the service to young people.

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leaders and managers

Partnership working is a great strength of the home. A relative said, ‘The manager and staff are excellent, all staff are well trained. I would recommend them to anyone!’ Social Workers commended the registered manager and staff on the regular and good quality recordings, ‘Written and spoken communication with staff about young people is excellent’.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager ensures that all necessary information is available to staff about the needs of young people. Where there are shortfalls in receiving information from other professionals, the registered manager and staff, ensure that these are forthcoming. This ensures that staff have all the relevant and updated information about young people and their plans necessary for their need to be understood and met.

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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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