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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made in the leadership and management of the home and the quality of care provided to young people. The registered manager has met all of the requirements and recommendations made at the last full inspection. He has reviewed the systems in place for ensuring that they act upon young people’s wishes and feelings. Improvements have been made to the care planning systems, and young people are actively involved in their behaviour management plans. Since the last inspection, young people have been making significant progress. A social worker said: ‘It is a fantastic placement. My young person is doing really well; she is safe and her risks have reduced. Staff know her and work with her.’ Some young people have excellent attendance at school and college. They are achieving in their day to day education and are starting to plan for further education. Staff help young people to complete college applications and take them

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to college open days. Young people have aspirations. When some young people’s attendance at school has declined, the registered manager has been proactive in addressing this. For example, he arranged a multi-agency meeting with virtual headteachers and the placing authority, where it was agreed that a tutor could come into the home. The registered manager is committed to ensuring that young people access education and that they achieve qualifications. Since the last inspection, one young person has left the home in a planned way. The registered manager recognised that the placement was not meeting his needs. The transition was successful. One young person has moved into the home. This was a planned move and she visited the placement prior to moving in. The young person says she was made to feel welcome when she arrived at the home, that she has positive relationships with her peers and staff and that she likes living

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

there. Two young people are due to leave the home in the near future. The registered manager has started planning for their transitions by working with the placing authorities to identify suitable accommodation. He is proactive in ensuring that young people have planned and purposeful transitions. The registered provision has improved young people’s behaviour management plans. They are now child-focused, with young people directly contributing towards them through key worker sessions. Young people identify how staff can support them. For example, one young person said she likes staff to make her a hot chocolate to help her calm down when she is upset. However, young people’s risk management plans lack individuality and young people do not contribute to their risk management planning. Risk management plans are generic and do not take into account the individual needs of young people around issues such as child

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

sexual exploitation and self-harm. Young people’s incidents of risk-taking behaviour have reduced since the last inspection. Incidents of young people going missing are rare and when young people do try to leave without permission, staff robustly implement the young people’s missing protocols. This has meant that young people have quickly and safely returned to the home. Staff and young people enjoy positive relationships with one another. Staff know the young people and are able to de-escalate situations. Consequently, there are a low number of physical interventions. After physical interventions, staff ensure that young people have an opportunity to talk about the physical intervention. The registered manager quickly and robustly resolves young people’s complaints. He works with young people, placing authorities and other professionals, such as the police, to resolve any concerns. There is a strong focus on mediation. As a result, young people are safe and say

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

that they feel safe. Partnership working is a strength of the home. The registered manager has forged strong professional links with the local police team and the police lead on child sexual exploitation. The police have completed e-safety training with young people and have given them certificates. They are completing child sexual exploitation training with the staff team. The registered manager is committed to enhancing the staff knowledge base and skills in order to enable young people to make progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

On the whole, there is robust management oversight of professionals’ practice. Regular team meetings review young people’s progress. The registered manager is passionate about ensuring that staff understand young people’s histories and how their past experiences contribute to their emotional needs and behaviours. However, staff recording of some incidents is not always explicit regarding the behaviours that young people are displaying, and staff do not always rigorously document staff interventions when young people are in crisis. On one occasion, a physical intervention was not rigorously scrutinised. This reduces the opportunities for staff to learn from incidents and implement new ways of working with young people. Recommendations have been made within these areas.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned home registered to provide care for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The principle of listening to the children and taking their views, wishes and feelings into account when planning and undertaking their care, with specific reference to risk management planning, applies to all children (Guide to the Children's home regulations, paragraph 4.5, page 21).

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child (Guide to the Children's home regulations, paragraph 9.59, page 49).

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child (Guide to the Children's home regulations, paragraph 14.4, page 62). 

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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, work- based 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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