Children's home run by Break Charity

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The full inspection in November 2015 resulted in three requirements and five recommendations. The requirements and three of the recommendations are met; two recommendations remain outstanding.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following a serious incident review, staff have made changes to recording processes that provide an extra safeguard for young people and staff. These include different staff who make checks during the night as opposed to one member of staff. These checks were missing at the last inspection; therefore this is an area of progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following a recent medication error, where staff gave a lower than prescribed dosage of medication to a young person due to records being out of chronological order, there has been a failure to make changes to prevent recurrence. This was minor and did not cause any adverse effects to the young person. However, this was not identified.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff routinely undertake risk assessments prior to group and individual activities. A template has been devised and, on completion, a senior member of staff signs off the risk assessments. This ensures that location, supervision and transportation risks are considered before taking young people out.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff discuss incidents of physical intervention with young people. Follow up discussions are in line with individual levels of understanding and preferred communication methods. This ensures young people understand why the intervention took place and do not feel confused. There has been one physical intervention since the last inspection. Use is minimal and proportionate; staff are trained in intervention techniques and consider their knowledge and experience before using any intervention. Young people do not go missing from this service. Their individual needs and vulnerabilities result in high staff ratios and constant supervision. Parents spoken to all said they feel reassured and confident that young people are safe. The interior of the home presents as welcoming and comfortable. Bedrooms have been painted and the garden is equipped with a wide range of play equipment. Use of the office facilities by other staff within the organisation has reduced. Staff

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

try to make this unobtrusive and, although this is not ideal, it is seldom and other office space options are being explored.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Regular fire drills have taken place and a new system ensures that no-one is missed. However, staff do not use information from fire drills to update evacuation plans. There are a number of personal evacuation plans that have not been reviewed within reasonable timescales and therefore lack information. Safeguarding training has been booked for all staff. This will be tailored to the ethos of the home and specify the specific needs of the young people who use the service. Care plans have been developed . Staff have condensed information about each young person into a more sizable version. This is concise and provides clear guidance. This will assist staff in daily care routines. However, one new care plan lacks proper description and uses an analogy that could be stigmatising.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager’s review of care details improvements but this does not capture any feedback from stakeholders or parents. The use of feedback forms and questionnaires has not been developed. The service is highly valued by the families who use it. It provides a support option that enables them to have respite breaks and that young people thoroughly enjoy. Parental feedback is very good but not actively sought and therefore not used to inform improvement. There have been no complaints since the last inspection. Several meaningful compliments cite the individual care and transition for young people, who are new to the service, as very good. A qualified, experienced manager provides consistency during a number of staff changes. The home is fully staffed and there is a stable staff team who have bonded. The service runs smoothly, with young people’s needs foremost, however monitoring, record keeping and review require a more robust oversight.

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Information about this children's home

A registered charity owns the home. It provides short breaks for up to six young people at any one time. The young people who use the service have a learning disability or a social and communication disability within the autistic spectrum. The young people may also have associated physical disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

27/03/2015 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

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children that ascertains and considers the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 31/04/2016

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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 that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This is with particular regard to ensuring that staff keep personal evacuation plans up to date. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42 paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are 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. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62 paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 Scrutinise practice in the home and make best use of internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55 paragraph 10.24)

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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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