Children's Home run by Young Alliance Limited in Cheshire East

This is the first inspection since the

Enforcement action since last inspection None

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Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people are very happy in the children’s home. They form trusting relationships with staff and are effectively consulted on all aspects of their care.  Detailed person centred plans ensure that care is tailored to the individual needs of young people.  Consistent health care planning ensures that all young people access the most appropriate external agency. This means that where additional professional support and guidance is required, young people receive this without delay.  Recreational activities tailored to the individual interests of young people are suitably sourced and supported by the home. Young people enjoy first hand experiences which enables them to develop in confidence, self-esteem and flourish in the home.  Appropriate contacts are maintained with families and friends. Young people are very well supported in order to have productive quality contact with their loved ones.  Picture story boards, signs and individualised communication systems are in

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This children’s home provision is good because:

place. This ensures that young people with verbal communication difficulties are able to make their needs known. Additionally, they are able to develop an understanding of the home’s children’s guide, routines and consultation documents.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people and staff benefit from a fulltime on-site clinical psychologist. This means that young people and staff receive guidance and support to help young people make positive changes in their lives.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 The needs of young people are consistently prioritised within the home.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 Since the home re-opened in December 2015 there have been no safeguarding incidents. This means no young person has been missing, absent, made an allegation or complaint or been subject to any child sexual exploitation concern.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 Protocols and strategies are in place and well implemented which ensures the safety of young people is consistently maintained.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 Risk assessments are updated and provide detailed information on the safe management of young people, they are consistently followed by staff.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people are consulted in the home. Staff work hard to ensure young people are provided with the most effective communication methods in order that they can make their needs known and offer views and opinions.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 The manager provides very good structured supervision for staff. This level of support has enabled staff to further develop their work with young people.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

Three recommendations are made to drive further improvement to the service provided in the home.

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This children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff have received all mandatory training and some additional training to help them in their work with young people. However, where staff may require additional support or knowledge for specific referrals to the home, training should be provided prior to the admission.  The home is well maintained, homely and comfortable. Young people recognise this as their home. However, although the home has taken care to safeguard young people accessing the exterior of the home by providing gates to both driveways, these are not secure should a young person attempt to open them.  External monitoring is inconsistent. Reports are not forwarded to Ofsted in accordance with regulation.

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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

ensure the registered person actively seeks independent review of the home and makes best use of information from independent monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (Guide to the Quality Standards 10.24 page 55)

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Recommendations

ensure the locking of external doors, gates or doors to hazardous materials as a security precaution where necessary, are applied within the normal routines of the home (Guide to the Quality Standards 9.62 page 50)

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Recommendations

ensure staff are suitably trained to meet the assessed needs of all young people in the home and those to be placed in the home (Guide to the Quality Standards 10.1 page 51).

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Information about this children’s home

 The home is owned by a private organisation and can accommodate five young people with learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/06/2014 Full Good 15/01/2014 Full Good

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Good

Staff understand that a transition to a new home can be a very anxious time for young people. To help reduce this stress, young people are invited to undertake visits, attend activities and have sleep overs at the home before admission. Staff spend time with the young people at their current placement learning about them and their daily routines. This enables young people to get to know the key staff members and who will be working with them and supporting them. Consequently, relationships are formed and the transition process is smooth.

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Good

Care planning processes are effective. A multi-agency approach ensures that young people’s emotional, social, physical and intellectual needs are assessed and planned for. The in-house clinical psychologist works closely with staff and young people to make sure the aims and goals of the placement are suitably addressed. Consequently, although young people have not lived in the home for very long, they have begun to make very good progress.

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Good

Taking into account the complex needs of young people, care is very sensitively planned. Individual daily routines reflect young people’s personalities including interaction strategies. Pictorial guides, signs and story boards assist young people to communicate their needs while also providing information about the home in a way best understood by them.

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Good

Some young people are preparing for a transition into local schools equipped to meet their educational needs. During this process an educational tutor works with young people to assess their current educational level and begin to build their confidence in preparation for transition. Young people make very good progress. The tutor said, ‘The young people are completely supported by the home’s staff. Plans for introducing young people with high anxiety levels to education, have proved successful. One young person could initially only tolerate fifteen minutes at a time. We have now extended this to one hour and fifteen minutes in only three weeks.

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Good

Young people are provided with many first hand experiences, including social activities. They are encouraged to try out new experiences, make friends and socialise with community peers. For some young people this can raise anxiety levels. However, staff work hard to alleviate these fears. As a result, young people make friends and try out a range of activities for the first time.

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Good

Arrangements for contact with family are in place and are suitably supported. A parent said, ‘They look after my child very well. He is safe and settled.’ Where contact is required to be supervised, arrangements are made within the home to ensure that the contact session is stress free and positive for the young people.

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Good

Consultation with young people is good. Staff work with young people to help them understand their plan and to seek their views and opinions. This is work in progress. Young people are beginning to understand their views are really important to the home and are slowly becoming more confident in having their say.

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Good

Since the home reopened in December 2015 there have been two residents with specific and complex needs. One young person’s needs were assessed by the home as being so specialised, that despite a multi-agency wrap-around programme of support, they could not meet the young person’s progressive needs. The manager said, ‘We want to be able to offer young people unique and positive experiences through planned and supported care management. We can only do this when we are given up-to-date information about all referrals to the home.’

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Good

Staff are trained in the use of physical restraint. Full reports detail the strategies used by staff in an attempt to defuse challenging situations and the action they take to manage dangerous behaviours. For a short period there was a significant increase in the use of physical intervention. A staff member said, ‘Some young people act out in order to be held as this gives them a sense of security and we understand this. However, where this becomes a constant pattern we understand we are not helping the young person. Since the discharge of one young person, there has been no further use of physical intervention.

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Good

Young people’s safety is prioritised in the home. Although there are no incidents of young people being missing or absent, individual protocols are developed. This makes sure that immediate steps are taken in the event a young person becomes missing or absent from the home. Due to the complex needs of young people, safety arrangements extend to the exterior grounds of the home. Gates are now fitted to both driveways and this stops young people running from the home onto a very busy road. However, where new referrals are accepted into the home, consideration needs to be given to those young people who may attempt to open the gates and access the road. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Good

Risk assessments are developed within a multi-agency team and are thorough. They provide the reader with a good understanding of presenting risks and the agreed strategies to safely manage them. For example, the use of particular words presents as a trigger for some young people. Staff are provided with alternative words to alleviate young people’s anxieties and also tools to discuss trigger points as a way to move forward. This is proving to be successful. While some words such as ‘food’ may still cause anxiety this has significantly reduced.

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Good

Young people are provided with information in various different forms such as, written, picture board and signs. The young people’s guide is simple and easily understood. Staff take time to ensure young people understand their rights, particularly around complaints. Information is displayed in each young person’s bedroom and contains names and contact telephone numbers for external agencies. Access to a private telephone is available to young people without a request to staff and in accordance with individual risk management plans. Furthermore, young people benefit from an independent visitor skilled in different forms of communication. This ensures that all young people have opportunities to be listened to and heard completely independently.

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Good

Young people’s positive behaviour and achievements, no matter how small, are consistently praised and rewarded. Star charts provide young people with a visual reminder of the progress they make. Where behaviour is unacceptable, staff take an individualised approach to manage this. As a result, most young people are learning how to recognise their emotions and take steps to calm down and talk about their feelings.

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Good

This is the home’s first inspection since the purpose of the home was changed. The home has been re-named and now provides care for young people with disabilities. A new manager and staff team are employed within the home. The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Good

Young people live in a home committed to meeting their individual needs. The service meets the aims outlined within the Statement of Purpose, and young people, families and social workers are clear about the service and support the home provides.

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Good

The home provides good standards of care. The manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering practice that aims to stimulate and assist in the development of young people. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the comments received by parents, social workers and teachers who praise the service and the positive impact on the young people in all areas of their lives.

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Good

The majority of staff are new to the home and have relevant experience in working with young people who have a disability. They are a happy and vibrant team who clearly are motivated in their work. The manager and deputy manager provide consistent reflective supervision which aids the ongoing development of the home. A staff member said, ‘The manager is great. She is very knowledgeable and shares this with all the team. I feel we have all jelled really well and are all working for the same aims.’

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Good

All staff have undertaken mandatory training in accordance with regulation and the home’s Statement of Purpose. Additional on-line training has also been provided with specific regard to autism, Asperger syndrome and health and safety. A training plan is available and this details suitable internal and external training for the home. However, consideration should be given to future referrals to the home and any specific training that may be required prior to admission. For example, young people who present with extreme anxiety. As a result a recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Good

Effective management strategies including the manager’s monitoring systems serve to suitably assess the practice delivery within the home. Therefore the home’s action plan identifies the strengths of the service and areas for further progression. However, the independent monitoring of the home is inconsistent. No reports were received by Ofsted during the period of short term closure or thereafter. The manager said, ‘We have employed a new external monitor who commenced employment in January 2016.’ The home must ensure the home is independently reviewed and reported on consistently and in line with regulation. Consequently, a recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Good

The manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to their work with young people and are consistent in their delivery of good child care practice tailored to meeting individual need. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the progress young people make.

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Good

The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents in accordance with regulation 40. This practice ensures that information is shared with the regulatory agency in order that the actions and outcomes for young people can be suitably assessed.

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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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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