Children's Home run by Roundhouse Care 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:

 The young person receive personalised care that reflects their needs and circumstances.  Relationships between the young person and staff are strong.  The young person enjoys living at the home.  Staff encourage the young person to express their views and opinions regarding their care and the development of the service.  Staff support the young person to develop independence skills.  Staff work well with placing authorities, local police, safeguarding agencies and other professionals.  The registered manager effectively challenges the response of other agencies when this is detrimental to the young person’s progress, safety and welfare.  Staff support the safety of the young person through effective monitoring of the home as well as following child protection expectations.  Staff are well supported by the management.  Some necessary development is needed. This includes; improving activity opportunities, increasing the detail of the locality risk assessment, ensuring

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The children's home provision is good because:

Ofsted are notified of significant events, managerial monitoring of sanctions and developing staff training.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard with particular reference to staff training, the registered manager must -

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Requirement Due date

(2 (c)) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure the home notifies HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there (Regulation 40.4 (c)) 29/02/2016

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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 the registered person specifies the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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Recommendations

 review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home's location and strategies for managing these (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

 ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Recommendations

 ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home (where appropriate) and are encouraged to participate in those activities (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

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Information about this children's home

The home is one of three within an independent organisation offering care. They meet the needs of young people with emotional and / or behavioural difficulties. Although the home is registered for two young people it is currently a single occupancy home to respond to the needs of the young person.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/12/2014 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

The young person receives a good level of care and enjoys strong relationships with the staff team. They have developed well following their return to the home in the summer. Good consultation systems are in place that support his involvement with both life at the home and the review process. House meetings take place regularly including discussions relating to menus and issues within the home. Staff have a very high awareness of the young person’s needs and are able to discuss how they respond to these in detail. The young person is positive about the home, stating that; ‘Here is good, I like the staff, they look after me.’

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good

Activities in the home are limited and dependant on the young person’s preferences, which are primarily to stay in the home. Although staff have enthusiastically suggested a range of other activities these have not been completed. This does not support the young person’s development and socialisation.

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good

Good thoughtful arrangements are in place to develop contact with the young person’s family, including visits to proposed venues and staff visiting the family to discuss expectations. Contact with friends is developing well and a visit to a friend’s family on Christmas day highlights the staff’s commitment to widening the young person’s social life.

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good

Staff work well with a range of health professionals and regular appointments are completed. Close inter-agency working ensures the young person receives help when they need it. This is particularly effective with the local Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service. Such an approach ensures that addressing mental well-being is seen as a normal part of growing up. Staff have promoted the reduction in medication, and subsequently the level of daily tablets has decreased following health reviews. Staff state that this has helped to see the ‘real’ young person come through in a very positive way.

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good

Staff’s consistently positive message regarding education ensures that the young person attends school well. Additional support with work experience means that they gain an awareness of the working environment and the need to work with members of the public. The young person’s voice is heard within educational reviews and education planning due to consultation prior to the meetings and staff’s high awareness of the young person’s views.

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good

The home environment is pleasant and homely. The young person’s bedroom is well personalised, including posters and pictures. A pleasant calming room allows space for relaxation. Communal rooms are comfortable and well cared for by both the staff and young person.

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good

Placement planning supports the staff team’s awareness of the needs of the young person and how these are to be met, ensuring a consistent approach to their care. Daily records are in the form of a letter to the young person, with some exceptionally well personalised comments from the staff relating to events throughout the day. This helps to engage the reader in the record and encourages them to respond. Plans for the future are in development and an allocated worker has visited the home to look at the best way to support the young person to move forward with his independence planning. The young person is aware of the need to start planning for his future; ‘I want to live here for a long time but know that I won’t always be able to.’

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good

The young people that live and have lived at the home are kept safe through staff being aware of child protection systems and having effective personal risk assessments in place. Individualised risk assessments are well written and give good advice to decrease level of concern that the young person may exhibit. However, the location risk assessment is basic and does not give a clear indication of the risks associated with the neighbourhood so that young people are safeguarded in their community.

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good

The completion of health and safety checks ensures the well-being of all who live and work in the home. Fire drills regularly provide the young person with opportunities to practice evacuation procedures. The servicing and testing of fire- fighting equipment, gas and electrical appliances further supports the maintaining of a safe environment.

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good

Most staff complete basic safeguarding training, with only more senior staff completing more enhanced levels. Safeguarding concerns are rare and when they have occurred, appropriate and swift discussions with the designated officer for the local authority have taken place. However, Ofsted has not always received notifications of these events. This hinders the regulator being informed between inspections about safeguarding. Young people have previously been absent from the home without permission. These have been brief events, with records showing staff’s diligence in ensuring young people’s safety through searches and discussions following the event. However, staff do not have a consistently high awareness of the statutory guidance on children who go missing or run away. This leaves gaps in their knowledge which reduces their insight into multi-agencies working to safeguard young people and minimises any risk, including those associated with exploitation.

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good

Staff consistently support positive behaviour within the home through the effective use of sanctions and rewards. Following restraints staff and the young person examine presenting behaviours in an attempt to decrease further such incidents. Senior staff have a good oversight of behaviour management, but do not date their signatures to show that this has been completed within 48 hours of the event.

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good

Recruitment checks are completed prior to staff working at the home. This ensures only suitable adults get to work with young people.

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good

The registered manager is qualified up to level four management award and has worked at the home since its initial registration six years ago. They have a high awareness of the differing needs of the young people that have been placed since the last inspection.

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good

Monitoring systems are good. The independent visitor regularly talks to the young person and reports clearly show their assessment relating to care practice. Suggestions for development are responded to swiftly, showing the staff’s enthusiasm for moving the service forwards. The managers own six monthly assessments are very detailed and further show how the home has developed.

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good

The registered manager is able to discuss the home’s development, challenging services to ensure that young people are able to receive appropriate care. They have worked well with social workers, highlighting necessary work to be completed by them regarding young people’s finances, and the appropriateness of placements. Good relationships are also in place with the local police, schools and health services to develop the young person and respond to their needs. The young person placed is from the local area so there are no concerns regarding their ability to interact with others from his previous area.

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good

The manager ensures that only those young people that are in line with its statement of purpose are admitted to the home. The home supports social workers expectations within care planning and regular reviews, which all capture how the home helps young people to make progress.

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good

Young people within the home have not made any complaints since the last inspection. A couple of minor neighbourhood concerns have been raised with staff, these have been responded to appropriately.

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good

The home is well staffed by individuals who enjoy working at the home and are enthusiastic about their role. Staff are well supported by regular supervisions and those more experienced within the home receive annual appraisals. These give good targets to staff to develop their working practice and increase their responsibilities within the home and with the young people. Those new to the team are completing the level three qualifications to bring them in line with the rest of the staff team.

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good

Most staff receive a basic level of training that ensures young people are safe. This does not sufficiently respond to the learning needs. This includes probable autism and learning difficulties.

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good

No requirements or recommendations were 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

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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