Children's Home run by Keys Active 8 Care Limited in Wigan

inspection

Three compliance notices issued 15/10/2015 One compliance notice issued 23/11/2015

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Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Strategies to improve the attendance and attainment of some young people in education are ineffective; staff have limited success in helping them to sustain full-time attendance

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because:

 Some shortfalls have been identified in the health provision for young people. For example, young people are not engaging in drug awareness sessions, and this does not fully equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to help them stop taking illegal substances.

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because:

 Management arrangements at the home are not currently effective; this coupled with having no registered manager means that management oversight of practice and record keeping is inconsistent.

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The children's home strengths

 The management team is keen to embrace development and improvement. They have many new and emerging ideas to improve outcomes for young people.  Managers and staff work collaboratively with partner agencies. This ensures appropriate levels of support are provided to young people to keep them safe and well.  Risky behaviours such as drug misuse and missing from home episodes have reduced significantly over time. Furthermore, incidents requiring restraint and police intervention have also decreased between inspections.  Staff fully support young people to maintain contact with their families. As a result, young people benefit from improved relationships with people who are important to them.

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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

8. The education standard In order to meet the education standard to enable children to make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential, the registered person must ensure that staff 8 (2)(x) help each child to attend education and training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s education and the homes care plan 31/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

10. The health and well-being standard In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to attending the doctor, dentist, optician and specialist services the registered person must ensure that staff enable 10 (1)(b) children to receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being 10 (1)(c) children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles 31/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard 13 (2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos and deliverers the outcomes, set out in the homes Statement of Purpose 31/03/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that children are in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 28 paragraph 5.14)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to accommodate up to 4 children of mixed gender aged 10 to 17 years old. The home specialises in the care of children who present with emotional and behavioural problems. It is operated by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

28/01/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement

Young people are mostly disengaged with education. It was noted that one young person has yet to fully engage in education, since his admission in March 2015, although there was evidence that this is actively being encouraged. He is not, at this time, engaged in close to 25 hours per week of purposeful education and efforts to address this need to be given still greater urgency. Another young person, having left school, is making some progress in educational attainment by attending a work place learning environment three times a week.

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requires improvement

While young people enjoy good health and managers and staff support and promote health lifestyles, on-going health needs are not being met as young people do not wish to engage with health services. As a result young people will only attend services when in chronic pain. Preventive appointments, while encouraged, are not routinely attended. Young people smoke cigarettes and cannabis and do not wish to engage in services that would support them to reduce or to stop. This has an impact on their future health and as such a requirement has been made to address this shortfall.

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requires improvement

Outside of school young people are not engaged in a range of age appropriate sporting or social activities. Young people do not wish to engage with suggestions offered by staff and prefer to play on their Playstation or visiting friends in the community. Staff have supported young people to mix with their peers whilst ensuring arrangements are safe and suitable; for example by conducting welfare checks. They have also promoted family contact and are keen that childhood is as normalised as it can be.

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requires improvement

Young people identified one or more staff in whom they could trust, they draw security from the relationships they have built. Staff know and understand them in detail, take an interest in their daily lives and are sensitive to the particular circumstances of each young person.

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requires improvement

Children and young people have a real say in their lives, through both formal and informal systems. This has included imaginative developments, for example, the redecoration of the home. It was identified in advance what theme each room would have, and some young people were closely involved in the decision.

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requires improvement

Staff help young people to think carefully about their own role and choices in keeping themselves safe, taking responsibility for their actions and understanding their past lives. This is not always easy, but their relationships with staff are secure and non-judgmental and, to varying degrees, all young people have made progress.

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requires improvement

Young people learn to take responsibility for themselves and have some opportunities to learn life skills including shopping and cooking.

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requires improvement

Feedback from social workers on the quality of care provided in this home and the progress young people are making from their individual starting points is consistently positive. Recent comments include socialising with staff has also improved and key work sessions have also continued where he has been able to share his wishes and feelings with staff and express his views on matters that concern him.

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good

Robust security throughout the building promotes safety. Regular health and safety monitoring and service checks contribute to a safe physical environment for young people to live and play in. Staff undertake effective training in bullying and safeguarding children and young people. High levels of supervision, vigilance and risk management ensure that young people are kept safe. Young people very rarely go missing from the home, and if they do their whereabouts is known and staff regularly contact them to encourage them to return home. Staff provide consistent support and care to ensure young people experience low levels of anxiety and make improvements in their behaviour. Managers work proactively with other agencies, for example placing authorities and the police, to ensure that plans for young people are agreed by all relevant parties and are followed in practice.

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good

Staff have good insight and patience to explore triggers for behaviour. Records and discussions with staff show that this is mostly settled now after a more challenging period. It is notable that some episodes of challenge, including violence to staff, have been worked through well and young people concerned have reflected on and amended their behaviour. Behavioural management plans are in place and guide staff to be consistent in their approach. Interventions are meaningful and quick so young people are less anxious. Effective de-escalation means they are calmer and more able to engage with others and enjoy activities. Physical intervention is seldom and only ever used as a last resort because of the behaviour management ethos at the home. Judgement grade

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requires improvement

The registered manager, who had managed the home since Summer 2015, has resigned from his post and is no longer working at the home. Interim management arrangements are in place which includes an operations manager working at the home three days a week, and the three senior care workers at the home sharing managerial tasks between them the remaining time. This is not consistent with the approach and ethos for the home and fails to deliver the best outcomes for young people. However strategies to address shortfalls and optimise strengths are emerging.

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requires improvement

Staff advocate well for young people. As a result, they have taken steps to ensure that plans for the care and education of young people are reviewed and changes to arrangements are made where necessary. For example, one young person’s contact plan has been amended to afford him greater stability, and another young person has had the opportunity to increase his contact to overnight stays. This demonstrates that leaders and managers develop collaborative working relationships with partner agencies to secure improved outcomes for young people.

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requires improvement

Appropriate systems are in place to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons of significant events that occur. This ensures that relevant people are kept informed, and this means that young people’s welfare is promoted. Staff report they feel well supported and receive supervision regularly. Staff describe supervision as ‘very helpful’ with one person saying, ‘it provides an opportunity to step back and reflect on my own practice’. This process aids staff development.

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requires improvement

Staff have access to a range of training courses, and are able to articulate how training informs their practice. For example, a recent anti-bullying course facilitated a greater understanding of the dangers and consequences of bullying. In turn, staff used this understanding to work directly with a young person about this issue.

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requires improvement

Three compliance notices and eleven requirements were made at the last full inspection relating to the outcomes, protection of young people and staffing of the home. A subsequent monitoring visit identified that these in the main had been met, but one compliance notice was re-issued as the management had failed to keep young people safe. During this inspection young people were found to be safe but two requirements remain outstanding as not having been met. As a result, these requirements have been repeated to secure improvement moving forward. The management team promotes and embraces feedback, including issues arising from independent and internal monitoring processes. The home’s development plan sets objectives for development and fully acknowledges the need for a more child focused care planning infrastructure in the service. However, new ideas and emerging ideas are not yet embedded throughout the managerial and staffing

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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

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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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