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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:

 Young people are well cared for and make good progress from their starting points.  Young people engage in education and training and acquire life skills that are essential for independent living.  Young people establish better relationships with family members and other key people, which helps to promote their identity and networks.  Young people are supported to move onto more independent living following a period of stability at the home.  Young people reduce their negative behaviours and become safer following a period of stability and continuity of care.  Staff are committed to helping young people achieve positive outcomes and are keen to see young people promote their life chances.  Staff provide young people with a safe home environment, enabling them to flourish and make good progress.  The registered manager provides good oversight and management at the home and ensures that young people and staff are well supported.

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Information about this children's home

The local authority home provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people with emotional and behavioural needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/10/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 (2) In relation to key work session and having a clear missing plan of action when a child goes missing, the protection of children standard requires the registered person to ensure- (a) that staff – (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe (b) that the homes day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child 15/03/2016 effectively from harm

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard (2) In relation to admissions in line with the homes statement of purpose, the standard requires the registered person to- (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the homes statement of purpose 15/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

This regulation applies to a child who is looked after by a placing authority. (Regulation 17(1)), with particular reference to each child having a placement plan at the time of admission. 29/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (the independent persons report) which sets out, in particular, the independent persons opinion as to whether- children are effectively safeguarded: and the conduct of the home promotes childrens wellbeing (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)) 15/03/2016

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Good

Young people make good progress in many aspects of their lives through the stable home environment that staff provide. They share warm, trusting relationships with staff, who actively listen to young people, invest time in them and show interest in their lives. This enables young people to develop a sense of permanence and belonging at the home.

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Good

Young people do not have any complaints but they know how to raise a complaint should they feel the need. They are able to raise their concerns with trusted staff members. Staff advocate on their behalf and support them in making age- appropriate decisions. Young people attend their looked after reviews. This enables them to participate and influence decisions that affect their lives. A reviewing officer said, ‘Young people take part in their reviews and have their own agenda. [Name of young person] led her review and I followed her lead.’

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Good

Health outcomes have improved, with young people attending health and dentist appointments from which they have previously disengaged. For one young person, this has enabled him to have a brace fitted and to undergo any necessary treatment. Others are taking regular medication, which is assisting in keeping their physical and mental health stable. Staff ensure that young people have the right input from health and specialist services to help promote their well-being. One young person has a detailed significant support plan helping to address her complex needs.

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Good

The majority of young people engage in education and training opportunities. For those without appropriate provision, staff advocate strongly and challenge where necessary to secure good quality facilities. This ensures that support and opportunities are available to help young people to fulfil their potential.

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Good

Young people take part in positive activities in the community, including playing football for local teams, attendance at the Young Women’s Christian Association and the Care for Us Council. In addition, they engage in social activities with friends and family members, which keeps them integrated and helps them to develop a sense of belonging. This promotes their life and social skills helping them with independent travel, budgeting, and making and sustaining relationships.

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Good

Young people learn the basic skills required for independent living and the transition to adulthood. Early intervention and advice from caring staff ensures that they have the knowledge to care for themselves, to maintain healthy relationships and to spend their money wisely. Staff support those on work placements to adopt a strong work ethic and by highlighting the importance of timeliness by waking them up in the morning. Balanced against their age and need for independence are their levels of maturity. This means that young people receive targeted support, based on their functioning and individual abilities, enabling them to make progress at their own pace.

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Good

Young people transition into adult services at a time that is suited to their individual needs and abilities. Staff ensure that they have the necessary essentials and support the young people with the move. They provide ongoing advice and assistance, reinforcing the clear messages about keeping safe. Where there have been concerns about young people that have transitioned from the home, staff follow these up with parents and any professionals that remain involved. This reinforces the message that staff care about them and are available if needed.

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Good

Young people live in a home environment where staff keep them safe and protect them from harm, abuse and neglect. Where young people feel there are incidents of bullying from peers, staff take immediate action to minimise this. Young people relate to a trusted adult in the home who they are able to talk to about their concerns. As a result, young people feel safe and protected in the home. One young person’s response when asked whether she felt safe was, ‘Yes I do. There is always someone here when I need them, day or night.’

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Good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s individual vulnerabilities and their risk-taking behaviours. When young people are missing, staff have a good understanding of their possible whereabouts. However, there are not always clear plans addressing young people’s curfews and the actions required by staff should they not return. The risks from this shortfall are minimised, as staff have a good understanding of individual young people and the actions required should this occur.

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Good

There are few episodes of young people being missing from home. Staff have good relationships with placing social workers and other professionals involved with young people. Good communication with these people and parents helps keep them informed of any necessary plans and actions to keep young people safe. When identifying concerns, the registered manager proactively liaises with safeguarding professionals to arrange multi-agency strategy meetings to discuss young people’s welfare. This helps to ensure that plans are effective and actions are up to date and appropriate, in line with safeguarding policies.

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Good

Young people who are new to the home are welcomed through a series of visits and through information about the home. This provides them with the details they need to make informed choices about their placement. It also enables staff to gain insight into their behaviours and complexities and plan for these accordingly, while allowing young people to get a ‘feel for the place’.

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Good

Staff use their humour and de-escalation skills to prevent negative behaviours influencing others. An example of this is in the one episode of physical intervention since the last inspection. Although young people continue to demonstrate challenges, staff use restorative sanctions targeted to help them learn about consequences, in a bid to prepare them for adulthood. Records detail the reasons leading to the sanctions and young people are encouraged to write their views and comment on the incidents. This approach allows them to reflect on their behaviours and increase their sense of personal responsibility.

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Good

Young people vulnerable to exploitation and to risk-taking behaviours, such as substance misuse and criminality, access support from a variety of professionals. This enables them to access advice and support from many people. However, staff themselves are not always proactive at addressing these issues with young people. Limited key work sessions have taken place, which can help young people further in recognising and reducing their risk-taking behaviours.

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Good

Robust recruitment and selection of staff further enhances young people’s safety. Only staff suitable to work with young people work at the home. In addition, health and safety checks are routinely undertaken, reducing any potential hazards in the home.

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good

The registered manager has a history of effectively managing children’s homes for many years. She is suitably qualified and experienced in her role. A stable staff team support her in effectively delivering quality care. The staff are both committed to and caring of young people. The manager has high expectations and leads by example.

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good

The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. This is enhanced through regular internal monitoring, which ensures the swift identification and management of any shortfalls. The independent visitor’s monthly monitoring further complements this. However, this is not in line with regulations, in that the visitor does not always provide their opinion on whether the home’s conduct promotes young people’s well-being and effectively safeguards them.

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good

Where young people are not making satisfactory progress, the manager meets other professionals to highlight her concerns and raise awareness. She and the staff team advocate strongly on behalf of young people and consider the suitability of the placement when there is little evidence of progress. As a result, professionals meet regularly to review young people’s plans and identify ways of making progress. For example, the manager shared her concerns about an excluded young person’s education timetable. This has led to the identification of a new learning provision in the hope that educational progress is forthcoming. The manager ensures that the young person’s best interests, and her ability to keep young people safe, is at the heart of decision-making.

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good

Both the manager and staff receive regular supervision, keeping them appraised and up to date with new policies and procedures. This also ensures that staff remain child-focused in their actions and considerate of young people’s individual physical and emotional experiences. Staff receive good quality training, keeping them skilled and competent at meeting young people’s complex needs.

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good

The manager makes child-centred decisions and considers group living arrangements when looking at new referrals. She has recently devised a new matching document that identifies any conflicting behaviours that may impact negatively on the existing group arrangements. However, in her absence, the home accepted an unplanned, short-term admission. This is contrary to the home’s statement of purpose. Although this had little impact on the existing group because of the short stay of the young person involved, it did have the potential to cause significant disruption to the existing group. The manager has effectively shared her concerns about such practice with her senior managers.

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good

The manager and staff share any significant events through notifications to the regulator, enabling transparency and oversight. Advice and consultation with partner agencies enables appropriate action to keep young people safe. Case records reflect their actions and young people’s achievements, allowing young people to have good records of their life at the home.

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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

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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