Children's home run by Silverlining Childcare Limited

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged as requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

During the six months since the home was last inspected, two young people have moved on, and one young person has arrived. One young person has lived here for a number of years. The two young men here now are making what the monthly visitor calls, ‘slow and steady progress.’ There are a number of new staff. The outgoing and new managers have taken some action on the requirements and recommendations raised in September 2015. However, they have not made sufficient improvements for the home to be more effective.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person who came in the autumn said, ‘It’s alright. They help me.’ The social worker for the long-term young person also said, ‘He has matured significantly in his time. His behaviour has significantly improved.’ However, staff are not doing sufficient work to help young people mature emotionally so that they understand and manage relationships well enough to cope as adults.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s behaviour inside and outside the home is improved, and the home enjoys a generally settled atmosphere. Young people are prepared to work towards relevant incentives, and are generally taking care of themselves and their home. Young people take part regularly in their house meetings, and staff demonstrate real enthusiasm and insight in their work.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted received a complaint about insufficient window covering and privacy in young people’s bedrooms. The home was being decorated and, as the manager described, ‘deep cleaned’ during the same week that this inspection took place. Staff and the manager have been very slow to rectify damage to the curtain poles and curtains. A new pole was fixed, but new curtains were not yet hung. A young person said that they got dressed in the bathroom. This young person lived for many weeks without curtains.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are not currently engaged in any training or education. Despite staff’s efforts, they have not successfully helped young people to sustain engagement in any recognised programme. Young people are often out locally visiting shops, meeting friends and spending time at girlfriends’ homes. Some young people are developing an interest in Sikhism, and want to follow teaching and advice that they receive at a nearby gurdwara that they visit regularly. Staff contact and visit local adults who are spending time with young people. They keep in touch with parents and social workers. They take young people to local museums and places of interest, and endeavour to broaden their horizons. However, staff have not developed their work with other adults enough. In addition, they do not pick up on young people’s comments and ideas proactively enough. Young people are still unclear in their understanding of safe relationships.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This means that they continue to be vulnerable to exploitation and/or radicalisation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people who have left the home since the last inspection did so because the home served notice. Staff and the manager were not able to break a continuous cycle of young people going missing and of assaults on young people and staff. Staff did not prepare young people well for moving on, and did not keep in touch with them. Young people’s ‘feel good books’ are still in the home, and staff did not help them to prepare memorabilia of their time here. The new manager says that young people were not well matched and that staff could not get them to engage.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A new young person who came to the home in the autumn went missing on his first day. Staff and young people were not sufficiently well prepared for the admission. They did not provide a good enough welcome and induction to the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The new manager was appointed to the home in October 2015. The new manager has managed children’s homes for over two years and is suitably qualified. She provides a consistent day-to-day presence in the home, and is supportive and appropriately challenging to staff. She ensures that the record keeping and meetings in the home are well organised. However, she is not sufficiently progressing her own professional development or that of staff. She is supervised by the registered individual, but has no records of supervision or any clear training plan for herself. Staff do not have training or personal development plans, and are not receiving annual appraisals.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has not given priority to monitoring and developing the home and staff. She has not reviewed the quality of care, or made organised use of the messages given either at inspection or by the home’s monthly visitor. She has not developed effective ways to consult with parents and stakeholders. There are no six-monthly reviews of the quality of care or any development or action plans to help drive forward improvements. As a result, the enthusiasm and insights of staff are not capitalised upon, and young people’s progress is slow.

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Information about this children's home

This is a three-bed home for children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is run by a small private partnership company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

02/09/2015 CH –Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

17/02/2015 CH –Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

28/03/2014 CH –Interim Inadequate 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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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must: (2)(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child, and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 29/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the registered person completes a review of the quality of care provided for children (a quality of care review) at least once every six months. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (the quality of care review report). The registered person must: (a) supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed (b) make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. The system must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff (Regulation 45(1)(3)(4) and (5)).

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the registered manager undertakes such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the registered manager has the skills needed for managing the home 29/03/2016 (Regulation 29(4)).

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure: (2)(a) that staff: (ix) help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. 29/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must: (2)(b) ensure that staff: (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult (vii) provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably (ix) make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. 29/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure that arrangements are in place to: (2)(b)(i) ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. 29/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure: (2)(a) that staff: (vi) help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate 29/03/2016 according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all employees: (a) undertake appropriate continuing professional development (c) have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year (Regulation 33(4)(a) and (c)). 29/03/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that as well as providing longer-term support for children to move on from the home effectively (Regulation 6(2)(b)(vi)), the home plays an important role in supporting each child leaving the home in the period immediately before their departure. The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child's transition is planned, and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally (‘Guide to the Quality Standards’, page 57 paragraph 11.9).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person ensures that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and understands the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home (‘Guide to the Quality Standards’, page 53 paragraph 10.11).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person makes best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice (‘Guide to the Quality Standards’, page 55 paragraph 10.24).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that there is a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: − Detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure, and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose − Detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, and health and safety, and mandatory qualifications) − Detail the process for managing and improving poor performance − Detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (Regulation 33(4) (b)), and keep appropriate records for staff in the home.

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Recommendations

The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home's manager. (‘Guide to the Quality Standards’, page 53 paragraph 10.8)

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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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