Children's Home run by MacIntyre Care in Central Bedfordshire

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:

 New residents experience very good transitions into the home. The impact of their needs is fully considered against those young people already in placement.  Young people make progress and their outcomes improve because of living in this home.  The home enables young people to make active choices, which contribute to their day to day living.  Young people’s family and the wider professional team believe the home has significantly contributed to young people’s progress and improved outcomes.  The staff team enable and facilitate meaningful contact between the young people and their extended family.  All staff build trusting and sustaining relationships with young people. They genuinely care about their welfare and hold high aspirations for their future.  Staff work closely with the wider professional team and family members to ensure young people experience consistent and co-ordinated care.  Close monitoring and analysis of incidents ensures the safety of young

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The children's home provision is good because:

people and a reduction in occurrences.  The home has a consistent staff team, who are passionate about delivering high quality care, which creates positive changes to the lives of young people.  The inspection identified some shortfalls. Risk assessments that consider the placements of children and adults living within the home are not in place. Changes to an assessed area of need was not in all relevant plans. A workforce plan was not in place.

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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 the registered person must ensure that staff: (2) (a) (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 01/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard: In order to meet the care planning standard the registered person must ensure that: 2 (c) each child's relevant plans are updated and followed. 01/03/2016

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

Identify and minimise the risk and impact to children living in the home, in respect of every adult living in the home. (Guidance on inspecting and regulating children's homes that provide care and accommodation for adults (wholly or mainly a children's home) page 4, point 6) Ensure that the registered person has a workforce plan, which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20) the plan should:

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Recommendations

 Detail the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose;

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Recommendations

The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff - including the home’s manager. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53 paragraph 10.8)

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for five young people with learning disabilities. A charitable organisation owns and operates the home. The organisation provides a separately registered education facility, which is based locally.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

23/07/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

The young people have a range of additional needs due to their individual levels of learning and physical disability. The team ensure that young people experience a consistent and familiar home life, where routine and structure offer a sense of safety and security. One parent said: ‘Staff have an excellent rapport with him; he is absolutely well cared for.’ The motivated staff team genuinely care about young people’s wellbeing and have high aspirations for them.

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Good

The young people experience a homely environment where their personalised bedrooms reflect their likes and personalities. They benefit from large open living spaces where there is room to work alongside staff on independence skills, or other activities, such as art and craft work. Independence work is linked to education and targets are set for areas of learning such as self-care and independent living.

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Good

All young people attend the home’s separately registered school. A collaborative, close working relationship between home and school ensures that young people experience a consistent approach. The targets set link closely between both establishments. The home has developed creative methods in which to capture the progress young people make. Achievements are celebrated and young people show a sense of pride in their attainment.

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Good

Staff meet the health needs of each young person. Individually tailored health plans capture their unique health needs and all staff receive training in the administration of medicine and first aid. The organisation has a substantial team of health professionals, who work alongside the home and school to meet specific health needs of young people. For example, the sensory team sourced a specific listening programme for one young person. This has enabled him to move on from an echolalic style of communication. This young person now has choice. He can now choose an activity from two or three offered rather than repeating the last activity spoken by staff.

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Good

Recently introduced choice boards and mood boards offer successful methods of communication and are a key tool used in young people’s regular key work sessions. These visual aids help young people to express their preferences and their feelings, which supports and promotes their emotional wellbeing. They have been a great tool to support young people to contribute to how their home operates and how they want to be cared for. Staff use this communication to gain young people’s preferences over a range of topics. Examples include, food preferences, staff they want to accompany them on outings or activities and crucially, who they want to undertake their personal care. This demonstrates how young people are very much valued and respected.

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Good

Young people access a range of activities both at home and in the community. Some young people prefer to be at home although great effort is made to motivate community activity. For other young people, they embrace community activities. One parent noted: ‘He is always out, they offer him a great deal of community activity; I could never do that.’ These opportunities support young people in their social competence, independence skills and opportunity to enjoy fun times. All activities are risk assessed, however, not all reviewed information is translated into up to date plans. This shortfall in practice means the most up to date information is not available to all. This may lead to an external complaint and has the potential to compromise the welfare of a young person.

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Good

Staff celebrate and support young people in their particular talents. One young person is particularly skilled in fine art and craft, creating impressive sequin art and bead work. Staff create opportunity for the young person to sell her art and craft work. This not only creates funds to purchase more craft materials but offers the young person a unique independence opportunity and builds confidence.

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Good

An excellent strength of the home is their facilitation and support of family contact. They have an open and inclusive relationship where they facilitate direct contact in line with the placement plan. One parent said: ‘Contact is so much more valued by us. We can actually relax in the home and it has given us family time back. As a parent I will treasure these times.’ Family members also report good relationships with staff and excellent communication from the home, where they feel able to phone or call in at any time. This ensures family ties are sustained, are strengthened and the young person’s identity is preserved.

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Good

Staff creatively encapsulate each individual’s life story. Photographs capture young people engaged in activities or particular moments in time. These visual memories get stored into photo books for young people, offering a record of their childhood and time spent at the home.

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Good

Young people experience the care of a consistent staff team. Creative communication programmes have afforded young people opportunity to make significant choices, such as which member of staff they want to carry out their personal care. This enables young people to develop positive, long lasting, trusting relationships where they feel safe and well cared for. One parent commented: ‘I trust them.’ A social worker added: ‘The real strength of the home is that the staff team genuinely care and are passionate about the young people.’

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Good

No young people have gone missing from the home. Risk assessments adequately consider this possible risk and appropriate levels of staffing and high levels of vigilance offer preventative strategies. The managers liaise with local police to ensure that well-coordinated responses, in accordance with policy and procedure, are in place should a young person go missing. It is believed that no resident is at risk of child sexual exploitation. Staff are knowledgeable and clear about the procedures for acting on and reporting safeguarding concerns. These measures safeguard young people and protect their welfare.

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Good

Young people’s support plans and behavioural support plans offer a structure of routine and preventative strategies to ensure potential incidents are minimised. The manager’s analysis of incidents and physical intervention has ensured alternative methods of management are in place. This has seen a positive decrease in some of the more challenging behaviour presented. The use of social stories and choice boards have also engaged young people meaningfully in understanding appropriate behaviours. Young people are experiencing a calmer, more settled home environment as a result.

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Good

Young people experience an excellent transition into the home. A robust impact assessment considers the presenting behaviours and health needs of any new young person against those already in placement. This ensures the suitability of new residents. Staff are able to meet the needs of all young people placed and secure good outcomes. Staff work as part of the professional team to create a well-planned introduction timetable to ensure the smoothest transition and to minimise anxiety. For one young person, anxiety remained a feature and an increase in more challenging behaviour was apparent. However, with consistency and changes to behaviour management, the young person’s anxiety reduced and behaviour improved.

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Good

This home provides accommodation wholly or mainly for young people. However, due to the vulnerably and disability of the young people it may not be in their best interests to leave the home before their eighteenth birthday. This results in young people sharing their home with young adults. When this has occurred the home has not undertaken a risk assessment on either the young person or the young adult. Risk is minimised as all young people and young adults living in the home receive a one to one staffing ratio. Also, due to the complex health needs of some residents, they are under constant observation via monitors. However, the lack of appropriate risk assessments does not safeguard the welfare of young people nor does it consider the possible vulnerability of young adults. Judgement grade

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Good

The registered manager has been in post since December 2014. As a qualified social worker she has a sound knowledge base of child care practices and theories and has over four years’ experience of working within child care services. She is currently undertaking the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership in Health and Social Care and plans to have this completed by May 2016.

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Good

The home has a permanent staff team and agency staff are rarely used. This offers the young people a home life that is consistent and familiar. The recruitment of staff and subsequent robust checks prior to appointment ensure that only suitable people work in the home.

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Good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision where the needs of young people and staff’s performance are a consistent feature. Staff have their performance annually appraised and the targets set become part of the supervisory agenda. Managers are confident in tackling areas of poor performance if required. This ensures that the young people experience safe and effective practices by a competent staff team.

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Good

A driven manager provides a service where young people receive high quality, consistent care. Young people are at the centre of the practice and the managers and staff know each of them and their individual needs well. The staff are passionate about their caring role and hold high aspirations for the young people. They work closely with them, recording and celebrating both their small steps and their big achievements. Managers and staff work well with the wider professional team. One professional reports: ‘The manager is a superb leader; she has developed a strong team and is a powerful advocate for young people.’ Close liaison and collaborative working ensure young people receive a holistic approach. Specialists come together to meet their needs and offer best opportunities for their continued learning and development.

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Good

The manager knows the strengths of the service and has significantly revised monitoring tools to offer a greater depth of knowledge, which informs future planning. The monitoring tool, which considers the quality of care delivered, has improved. The analysed data now adds value to the development plans and has effectively improved outcomes for young people.

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Good

The organisation provides staff with essential learning as part of their mandatory induction training. This ensures they know their roles and responsibilities in carrying out their assigned tasks. The systems fail to consistently record further training undertaken by staff. The home does not have a workforce development plan, as such, staff’s competence and professional development training is not considered alongside delivering the statement of purpose.

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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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