John Greenwood Shipman Centre

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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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

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

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This inspection has demonstrated that progress has been made in a number of areas of practice, enhancing the children’s experiences during their stays. The full inspection identified a shortfall about the need to ensure the staff team were cohesive and that practice was consistent across both wings. This would lead to a more effective use of resources. Managers have begun this process, however there is further development required to ensure that the two wings are fully integrated. This has led to the judgement of sustained effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This service provides good, child-centred, short break experiences for children with a range of complex needs. All of the children require high levels of support and supervision, and some require nursing care. Skilled, experienced staff know each child’s individual needs. Children have comprehensive placement plans, informed by detailed health, education and social care plans.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

A social worker said: ‘One of the children I am case responsible for has complex medical needs in addition to learning disabilities. This means she is extremely vulnerable. Her parent has said she trusts this home to care for her child safely and reliably. Also, it is clear that she really enjoys her stays.’

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Since the last inspection, there has been improved practice in capturing evidence about the progress that children are making. Goals are identified for each child, linked to their developmental needs. Staff create social stories to engage each child in reaching their goal. Each goal is broken down into small steps. In this way, there has been enormous progress for children from their starting points, enhancing their daily life experiences. For example, one child who loved visiting shops needed to change some behaviour that prevented him enjoying the experience. This was carefully explained with the use of a social story, his behaviours have changed and he is having a positive experience visiting shops again. Another child’s understanding of road safety has improved, so that he is able to enjoy walks.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Older children are making progress in learning life skills. For example, one young person has been supported to overcome anxieties about shaving and he is able to shave with assistance. His family have celebrated this achievement with him, as he is about to transition to an adult service provision. All children and young people have child-centred records of their progress to illustrate their achievements.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There has also been progress in improving children’s communication skills, supported by good partnership working and sharing of expertise with schools and speech and language specialists. There have been communication aids fitted within the environment: these help to guide children and have encouraged them to engage in developing their communication skills.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There continues to be excellent practice in planning and preparing admissions, so that children with complex needs, who find change difficult, are supported to settle and get the most out of their short breaks. Planning includes a visit to each child’s family home, school placement and the opportunity for them to visit the short breaks home as many times as they require before they stay overnight.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff and managers contribute to multi-agency planning meetings and to assessments of children’s needs. Sometimes their assessments conclude that children and young people require a different service to meet their needs. Staff demonstrate skill and sensitivity in evidencing and sharing difficult information with families and agencies. When it is agreed that young people will be moving on, staff are proactive in supporting children and families to visit resources and in sharing relevant information with potential providers. This supports children to make positive transitions to new placements.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

All staff receive safeguarding training and they are familiar with and understand relevant safeguarding policies and procedures. Staff are skilled and trained in managing challenging behaviours safely. There are detailed risk and behaviour management plans for each child. There are very low incidents of physical interventions. They are low level interventions and are used to keep children safe from other children or to prevent children harming themselves. There are detailed records made of any incidents, and managers review them to inform a child’s placement plan and risk assessment, and/or develop practice.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home staff and managers provide a range of opportunities for consultation with children and families, to listen and respond to them.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This inspection identified a shortfall in the records relating to allegations made by a child. There are no concerns about a child’s welfare. However, it does highlight that recording practices need to be strengthened, and a recommendation has been made to reflect this.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The requirements made at the previous inspection have been addressed. The garden and patio areas are free from hazards and were well equipped so that all of the children can safely enjoy outdoor play.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Managers have worked with staff in team meetings and individual supervision to enhance their understanding of quality assurance mechanisms and quality standards. As a result, staff are working flexibly, sharing expertise and skills in order to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There is a team development day booked, to reflect on and reinforce progress. There is further work and developments planned to ensure both wings of the home are working consistently, and resources are shared effectively within the service.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

One member of staff said: ‘This is an experienced staff group, our focus is ensuring the children are enjoying their stay and family receive helpful information about their stay. We work hard to resolve any difficulties, so that the children do not experience any changes to their plans.’

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Information about this children's home

This home is a 12-bedded residential short break service for children with learning disabilities and children with physical disabilities and associated health care needs. The service is managed by a healthcare foundation trust and is also registered with the Care Quality Commission as care arrangements include regulated activities within the health care provision.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/01/2015 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):

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Recommendations

 Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home's child protection policy (‘Guide to the Quality Care Standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17).

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Recommendations

This is with specific reference to the recording of the allegations made and the response by staff and managers to those allegations.

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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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