Children's Home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

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’s life chances are significantly improved through their experience of living in this home.  Young people benefit from a stable and experienced staff team.  The house feels like a family home, it is a friendly and welcoming environment where young people feel relaxed.  The registered manager strives to achieve the highest standards for the young people in her care.  The registered manager and staff are ambitious and have high aspirations for the young people and show tenacity in helping them achieve their goals.  Young people’s safety is extremely well managed resulting in them displaying very few behaviours that place them at risk of harm.  Family contact is recognised as being key to young people’s well-being.  Young people are consulted in a wide variety of ways to ensure that their voices are heard.  There is one shortfall identified. There is insufficient challenge to other agencies whose service provision detrimentally impacts on young people’s

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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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met standard the registered person must ensure that :

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Requirement Due date

5(c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. This is in particular reference to promoting educational attendance and challenging service provision that detrimentally impacts upon this. 01/02/2016

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children's home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

Young people benefit from living in a home that provides a warm nurturing environment. Staff effectively balance the need to promote independence whilst continuing to offer a high level of care in a comfortable caring environment. Young people are able to have pets, which add to the homely feel. One young person said ’it’s like a family here. It doesn’t look or feel like a care home. My friends feel comfortable when they visit.’

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good

Care planning is highly individualised and staff have a very good understanding of the uniqueness of each young person. Plans are developed in conjunction with the young people and this results in them feeling a sense of ownership and accountability in striving for and achieving their own goals.

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good

The relationships between staff and young people are close and mutually respectful. Young people understand why staff have high expectations in respect of achievement, participation and behaviour and are helped to take responsibility for their actions and behaviour in the home and the community.

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good

Young people’s voices are strong. There are a number of consultation processes in place to ensure that young people’s views are taken account in the day-to-day running of the home which gives them a sense of value. For example, young people’s questionnaires are used to help inform the staffs’ appraisal process.

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good

Some young people have complex health, emotional and behavioural needs. Staff spend time talking to, encouraging and supporting them to take increased responsibility for maintaining their overall well-being. All young people attend routine health assessments and appointments with doctors, dentists and opticians

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good

Staff effectively support young people to fulfil their educational potential. Young people attend education or are actively seeking full time employment. Some young people have achieved exceptional academic success. For example, one young person has achieved twelve GCSE’s in recent exams. Others have successfully completed vocational courses to improve their employability. All successes are recognised and celebrated in the home. Staff communicate effectively with education providers to ensure a consistent approach. Young people value the support they receive, as one said ‘it has given me the confidence and knowledge that I need to assist me making appropriate career plans’.

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good

Young people benefit from a wide range of social and recreational activities. Each young person is encouraged and supported to pursue their own interests. Some undertake part time work within the local area and are actively involved in community groups.

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good

Staff promote contact for young people where it is safe and in their best interests. Family members and carers are made welcome.

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good

Staff effectively support young people to develop independence skills such as cooking, travelling on public transport and budgeting. This means they are well prepared practically and emotionally for the transition to adult life.

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outstanding

High quality risk assessments are developed where risks are identified. Support provided is matched against risk assessments to ensure that young people become increasingly safe. Young people do not engage in criminal behaviour, self-harm or go missing. This demonstrates significant progress for young people who prior to their placements displayed a number of these risk taking behaviours. They develop emotional resilience, which means when facing challenging times they have not reverted back to previous risk taking behaviour. Although the current young people do not go missing, there are robust systems in place should a missing from home incident occur. Each young person has a missing from home plan which includes trigger behaviours and strategies for prevention. There are good systems in place for recording any missing incidents should these be needed.

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outstanding

The risks of sexual exploitation are well understood and managed in a careful and sensitive way. The robust systems in place in respect of internet use also helps minimize the risks of sexual exploitation.

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outstanding

Professionals and families hold a high level of satisfaction with the home’s actions in respect of keeping young people safe. As one professional comments ‘I leave feeling confident that risk is well managed‘.

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outstanding

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted in the home. There have been no incidents necessitating physical intervention for two years. The staff team are all committed to this being the last option for managing challenging behaviour and extensive work is undertaken to de-escalate and prevent the need for physical intervention. Staff willingly spend large amounts of time managing difficult behaviour through discussion to allow young people the time and space to explain their feelings and emotions. Sanctions are rarely used. When they are used the sanction is specific to the incident and the effectiveness of the sanction is reviewed.

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outstanding

Robust recruitment practice ensures staff are carefully selected and vetted to prevent young people being placed at risk of harm. Staff receive excellent ongoing training in protecting children and are clear about the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about the safety of a young person.

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good

The home is led by a manager who has recently completed their Level five diploma in Leadership and Management for Children and Young People, Residential services and has a highly supportive deputy who holds the same award. She keeps the young people at the centre of her practice and communicates the importance of this to her team. Her commitment to ensuring young people have the best possible outcomes is evident. One young person comments ‘she is the best manager of any home I have been in, she goes the extra mile.’ She creates a culture of high aspiration for the young people and the staff team alike and is ambitious for the young people in her care.

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good

Staff morale is high and there is good communication between staff to ensure that care is consistent. The approach of the staff is professional, caring and committed. Young people report good relationships with staff with one young person commenting that ‘they are considerate and kind’ and that ‘they’ve made such a difference to my life’.

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good

Staff receive regular formal and informal supervision which is appropriately recorded. Appraisals are completed and staff feel well supported in their roles. Staff report a very high level of satisfaction with the management of the home, citing the manager as ‘creative, good at sharing learning and keeps everyone focused on the young people’. There are clear lines of accountability within the staffing structure and staff are confident within their roles.

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good

The manager uses monitoring systems to good effect, learning from practice and feedback to improve the experiences of young people in the home. She is keen to identify areas of weakness and put plans in place to address these but also has the skills to acknowledge the strengths of the home and to commend the staff team where they deserve it.

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good

Positive working relationships with other agencies are evident, and effective communication with family members and social workers is developed which helps to ensure a cohesive approach to achieving the best outcomes for young people. However, there is insufficient challenge of some young people’s care plans to help enhance their educational attendance due to competing priorities of specialist service provision.

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good

The home’s statement of purpose sets out clearly the ethos and objectives and the home works in accordance with these. The statement of purpose is kept under regular review. Case records are of a high quality, they are concise, relevant and kept up to date.

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good

There were no requirements made 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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