Children's home run by Utopia Children’s Services Ltd in Stroud

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people settle and progress here; attendance in education has improved. One young person has moved on to live independently, he keeps in touch with the staff and a strong attachment remains. One young person said ‘this is a good home, I am doing well, I am at school now and learning things that will help me get a job’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are proud of their home. They take responsibility for its presentation and become respectful of the ‘home from home’ environment. Some young people volunteer for chores in exchange for extra pocket money. A young person said ‘I have everything I need and my room is fine’. The home is well presented and young people think the new kitchen looks ‘smart and expensive’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people and the staff team went through an unsettling period when a new young person moved in. An increase in incidents, physical interventions, missing for the young person increased the number of notifications to Ofsted. The registered manager ensured this young person had extensive support to assist them to settle in. However, senior leaders considered the impact of this disruption to all young people; this resulted in the young person moving on. A member of staff said ‘it was difficult, we were all upset but had to keep everyone safe’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Physical interventions rarely occur here but did increase during one young person’s stay. Staff managed these incidents well; records provide a clear description of events leading up to the incident including a diverse range of distraction techniques. The registered manager implements an effective system to enable young people and staff to talk about any incidents where behaviour has been challenging. These records are succinct and can be linked to good quality key working sessions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When young people go missing from the home, staff adhere to good working practices and procedures. The recorded dialogue provides a comprehensive chronology of events. Collaborative working with the police ensures that young people return home safe and well. Staff offer young people the opportunity for an independent return interview, on occasions young people have refused these.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s care plans and risk assessments are meaningful documents that develop in line with changing needs. Staff update the plans daily to include new information, risks and strategies to minimise them. Young people are part of this process and have access to their information as appropriate.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Working together with young people their families and other professionals comes naturally to staff. Young people have a core team of support services built around them to support their individual needs. Young people receive good support and education in key areas, such as child sexual exploitation and drug and alcohol misuse. Staff receive good training opportunities on high risks topics.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff advocate on behalf of young people to ensure that they get the services they need. They support young people to challenge agencies when young people feel they have been let down. One young person has recently expressed to a professional how a late assessment is impacting on them and their family. Staff recognise that this is an achievement for the young person, who have developed the ability to express their feelings in a controlled and appropriate manner.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The senior leadership team are visible and have good knowledge of the home. A member of staff said ‘the home is managed very well’. The registered manager has effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care young people receive. Regulation 45 reports are clear and provide some analysis of the impact that care practice at the home has upon young people. The senior leadership team do not consistently record their monitoring explicitly. Incident records fail to capture the high quality oversight senior managers have of behaviour management.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has ensured that the requirements and recommendations set following the previous inspection are sufficiently met

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for a maximum of three young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

13/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  improve the evidence of the registered managers monitoring of the quality of care; in particular evidencing learning and good practice from incident records (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55, paragraph 10.24).

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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