Setting SC034825

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 sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home was last inspected in September 2015. One requirement was made and this has been met in full. Four good practice recommendations were made and the manager has made satisfactory progress in addressing most of these. This demonstrates a commitment to improving the service provided.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people and their families continue to receive good support that helps rebuild and strengthen relationships. The short break service provides young people with positive experiences, space and time to help them reflect upon their difficulties and begin to make positive changes. They benefit from care delivered by a competent and child focused team who have an exceptionally good understanding of their needs. One social worker wrote: ‘I would like to identify that this service has been monumentally supportive of this family. The service provided to this family has been instrumental in improving the situation within the family home.’ Parents are equally positive; one relative commented: ‘this service has been a godsend. It has given myself and my family respite and therapeutic time with the peace of mind of knowing my son is in safe hands and enjoying his time. He has formed a special bond with his worker, for which I’m grateful for.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In addition to planned breaks the team continue to provide additional services to young people and their families. On average the team provide over twenty outreach sessions a week to families in the local area. Family sessions include providing emotional support and guidance to parents on managing difficult and risky behaviour. Evidence gathered at this inspection highlights that this has had a positive impact on helping parents implement preventative strategies, improve family competency and strengthen relationships within the family home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home makes good provision for safeguarding young people’s welfare. Staff are confident in all areas of child protection and have the necessary knowledge and skills to keep young people safe. Risk assessments are individualised and reflect the diverse needs and personalities of each of the young people. They provide a good overview of identified behaviours, triggers, warning signs and control measures. Staff are particularly skilled at undertaking direct work that targets specific areas of difficulties and vulnerability. The impact of this is unquestionable. Young people are now more able to reflect upon their behaviour and are steadily making safer, more socially acceptable choices.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been incidents of young people going missing, albeit rarely. When this occurs staff take swift action and go out and actively search known areas, make several attempts to contact them and go out and collect them when they are located. The home is resourced to ensure that staff can spend time looking for young people when they are missing and return them home. While good practice is noted in relation to staff action, missing from home return interviews are not consistently competed. This is something the manager continues to address and recognises the value in these being undertaken by an independent person. That said, there is clear evidence that this remains an area for development as current processes are insufficient.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

T he home has robust safeguarding procedures for staff to follow in the event of allegations, suspicion of abuse or unsafe practice. Records demonstrate that staff apply rigour to the management of incidents, investigations into allegations or concerns about staff practice; they are handled fairly and in consultation with appropriate external agencies. This provides effective protection for young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The majority of staff receive regular and effective supervision. However records demonstrate a small percentage of the team have not had supervision for some time. This is something the manager has acknowledged and has taken the necessary action to address the shortfall. Some progress has been made to ensuring the views of young people, relatives and professionals are gathered for annual appraisals. Moving forward, this will strengthen the manager’s ability to critically appraise professional practice and competency.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The Registered Manager is responsible for maintaining good employment practice and in the main staff files are well organised. However, records indicate that at least one staff member’s DBS renewal is out of date. Reasonable steps have been taken to obtain this check and to some degree the delay is beyond the provider’s control. That said, the check remains outstanding and the manager has not sufficiently assessed the circumstances in which to allow the individual undertake their role safely.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leadership and management arrangements remain strong and rigorous monitoring drives improvement in the interests of young people. The manager and deputy manager are organised and their proactive support to the team drives improvements in the home. The manager has a clear vision for the service and has identified clear priorities for further development; this incudes further investment in the workforce to ensure that high quality standards and outcomes are maintained. The Registered Manager is very child focused and firmly believes that every young person deserves opportunities that will help them achieve their full potential. This is very much an ethos shared by the rest of the team.

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Information about this children's home

This is a children’s home owned and run by a local authority. The home provides short break accommodation for young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The service has two main functions. This first is to provide short-term intensive outreach work within the community. The second is to provide short break care. The home can accommodate up to four young people on a short break and one bed is reserved for use in emergency situations, such as a placement breakdown.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

14/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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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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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice. (The Guide, page 61 13.2)

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulation 31-33, the registered persons is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. This specifically relates to ensuring that all reasonable steps are taken to obtain DBS renewals. (The Guide, page 61, 13.1) (Page 61.13.1)

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Recommendations

 The Missing from home return interview should be carried out within 72 hours of the child returning to their home or care setting. This should be an in-depth interview and is normally best carried out by an independent person (ie, someone not involved in caring for the child) who is trained to carry out these interviews and is able to follow-up any actions that emerge. (Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care, page 14, paragraph 32)

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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

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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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