Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Young people do not have free access to all areas of their home.

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because:

 Risk assessments are not sufficiently individualised and do not continually and actively assess risk.

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because:

 The home has failed to meet a previous requirement.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are alert to the emotional, physical and social needs of young people and are sensitive to their culture and religion.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people are well supported to access education.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people are supported to have meaningful contact with family members.  Relationships among staff and young people are positive.  Partnership working is strong and enables the manager and staff to work closely with other key services important to young people’s health, safety, education and welfare.

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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

The registered person must ensure that children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises. (Regulation 21(b)) With specific reference to the kitchen. 07/03/2016

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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 staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis.10 (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for up 6 young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by an organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/02/2015 CH - Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory progress

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requires improvement

The home has undergone a significant number of improvements since their last inspection. This includes improving the gender balance of staff, putting in place intense training around safeguarding, ensuring all risk assessments are reviewed and having safer recruitment practice. However, there is still not enough consideration given to the impact of individual risk assessments on all young people, meaning that care is not individualised. Young people are still having restricted access to the kitchen and this detracts from a homely environment.

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requires improvement

Young people have positive relationships with core staff and talk positively about them. One young person commenting, ‘Staff are very open and welcoming, they are fun and friendly’. Professionals also note the good relationship between staff and young people. One commented ‘The staff have done very well to build relationships with the young person and he gets on well with all of them’.

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requires improvement

Education is promoted and valued. The home is good at facilitating additional tuitions to aid learning where needed. Two of the young people are consistently accessing education, which they enjoy. Another young person recently admitted to the home is not yet in education. Robust efforts to identify an educational provision are being made. The staff have ensured the young person is supported by an education coordinator to help promote learning, whilst a suitable placement is secured.

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requires improvement

The home has a councillor who visits young people regularly. This supports their emotional development. In addition, staff ensure that young people’s cultural and religious needs are sensitively met. This includes visiting local places of worship, celebrating cultural events and challenging views on identity and ethnicity.

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requires improvement

Staff enjoy spending time with the young people and supporting them to engage in a wide range of positive activities. Particular favourites are going to the cinema, go-karting and attending the gym. This helps to improve their physical health and increases opportunities to socialise with other young people and the community. The staff and young people share a particular interest in completing charity work. This is celebrated and recognised by the home and by the charities themselves.

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requires improvement

Health is well supported and promoted. As part of young people’s independence plans, they arrange their own health appointments, such as regular visits to the opticians and general practitioners. Keyworker sessions help young people to understand health issues further. This in turn helps them to develop their understanding of well-being.

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requires improvement

Transition plans into semi independence are clear, taking into consideration the young person’s wishes. This helps young people to feel empowered and reinforces that their views are valued.

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requires improvement

Staff ensure the young people sustain meaningful contact with siblings and parents. This helps relationships to strengthen and to keep a sense of identity. One professional commented ‘[the home] have worked hard to maintain a positive relationship with both the young person in placement and his family. All the staff have taken an extremely active and positive role in this and I have been impressed with the service’.

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good

Risks are generally well identified, understood and managed. Young people are now supported to take age appropriate risks. For example, using public transport to go to education. These risks are considered with the young person and their social worker and form part of their transitional planning.

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good

Young people feel safe and cared for. One young person commented ‘If I’m out they check out I’m ok. It’s shows that someone cares, this helps me and it helps them at the end of the day.’

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good

Where serious incidents occur, the staff team take effective and appropriate actions. For example, when a situation occurred surrounding potential child sexual exploitation, staff were quick to take action to safeguard the young person. This has ensured the young persons’ ongoing welfare is protected and they know that staff put their safety first.

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good

Clear complaints procedures enable young people to raise concerns. One young person commented ‘I knew how to make a complaint, I can write it down or tell staff. Staff are very open to what you have to say. I’ve not needed to make a complaint’.

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good

There have not been any physical restraints since the last inspection. The use of sanctions are appropriate and contribute to helping young people to manage their behaviour. Positive behaviour is focused on helping young people to have a feeling of self-worth.

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good

Collaborative working with the local Police is well established. For example, the local police visit the home every one in nine days to talk to staff and young people. This provides an opportunity to share information when required and largely, ensures that young people have the opportunity to view the police in a positive light.

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good

Safe recruitment practice now ensures only suitable adults get to work with young people.

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requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post since November 2015. She is currently working towards her Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare qualification. She has a number of years’ experience of working in and managing children’s residential care service.

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requires improvement

Ongoing practice of locking the kitchen door compromises young people’s access to key areas of their home. This imposed restriction impacts on young people living in a homely environment.

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requires improvement

Staff are better supported and now have more informed understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They receive regular supervision that helps to appraise their performance and development. Training covers many aspects of practice including first aid, behaviour management and basic food hygiene. Many staff are also trained in other areas such as online safety and child sexual exploitation.

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requires improvement

The home works closely with a number of other agencies including education providers, Police and bail and remand workers. This partnership working has developed a positive culture of involvement and working together.

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requires improvement

The provider meets the aims and objectives outlined in the statement of purpose. The registered manager conducts regular monitoring of the service and an independent person visits the home monthly. The independent visitor reports provide the registered manager with an overview of the home’s operation.

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requires improvement

Monitoring systems emphasis young people’s progress and demonstrate their successes. Staff speak positively about the young people and are proud of their achievements.

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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

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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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