Children's home run by BREAK

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 Improved effectiveness .

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the full inspection in October 2015, three requirements were raised, which the manager has fully met. The manager’s commitment to continued improvement is evident in new projects and better outcomes for young people.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The garden is well maintained and provides a safe contained outdoor area with raised vegetable boxes and a designated area for staff breaks that is clean and tidy. Young people have been fully and actively involved in a dining room refurbishment project. They have researched their ideas and picked an American diner theme with red walls. Staff are working on this while young people are at school. One young person has a new larger bed and there is a new sofa. Staff are creative and resourceful, investing time and energy into the home. This home is clean and welcoming, representing young people’s ideas and tastes. Managerial monitoring is good; scrutiny of restraint records has revealed patterns to behavioural incidents. The manager has changed routines to overcome these. Changes are effective and incidents have significantly reduced. The review of care collates monthly monitoring and demonstrates actions to improve. This captures

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

feedback from parents, professionals and young people, demonstrating many elements of recognised good practice. External monitoring has improved radically. A new independent visitor spends a day at the home each month, producing a report that has action points. This provides a critical overview and an extra safeguard for young people. Overall, monitoring is robust, objective and realistic. The manager is experienced and established. Staff are dedicated and work well as a team to continually improve the service. A staff team day has reinforced team spirit and highlighted individual strengths. These strengths are recognised and utilised by the manager, who deploys the staff skill set well. The staff all have high aspirations for young people. They work together to advocate for individuals and to provide young people with rich experiences. There are no missing from care incidents due to the staff supervision levels, in line

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

with young people’s vulnerabilities and needs. The shared safe homes protocol has been established and there are strong links with the local police community support officer. The home has excellent routines for each young person, which help overcome anxieties and encourage security. Two young people have very good school attendance records and one is making good progress. One young person has struggled with changes in transport, resulting in being marked as late. The staff have worked hard to overcome this. They provide transport and have equipped designated drivers with training to aid a smooth transition from home to school. One young person has found school increasingly difficult, following a change to his medication and a new teacher. Staff have met with the head teacher and a new teacher has been sought. A reduced timetable has worked for a period and this is to be increased again following the school holidays. Staff work very well with

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

schools, attending meetings and liaising daily to address any barriers. Staff have provided therapeutic and stimulating activities while the timetable was reduced. This includes horse-riding and hydrotherapy. An equine work experience placement has been sourced for one young person. This level of support enables young people to fulfil their academic potential. Young people benefit from an array of exciting activities that represent their age and interests. These include trips to the beach, camping trips, music festivals and outdoor activity centres. Young people are out and about in the local and wider community, participating in activities that would not be possible without a skilled competent staff team. This provides them with opportunities and experiences on par with their peers. There has been one notifiable incident since the last inspection. This was an altercation between two young people who were left alone by staff in the dining

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

room during meal time preparation. This incident was quickly diffused but was followed up by the manager who requested a police visit. Follow up work to this incident is clear in key worker sessions, and reflections with young people links well to their cognitive understanding. The manager responded quickly and appropriately to this and made all required notifications. Risk management plans were immediately updated to guide staff. Despite this, the follow up work and reflections with staff are not evident in records. There is no investigation record to evidence the lessons learned, which does not fully support making changes to future practice. The home has an excellent rapport with parents and professionals. Parents are warmly welcomed and regularly spend time with young people in the home. Compliments are captured from schools, parents and trustees. Social workers and parents spoken to during the inspection are extremely positive about the benefits

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to young people. Overall, the home has made good progress and continues to provide practice with many outstanding elements.

p.3

Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a charitable organisation and provides care for up to four young people who have a learning difficulty, physical disability or sensory impairment.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

20/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff are skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents to promote learning and inform future practice with specific regard to reflecting on incidents. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55 paragraph 10.24)

p.6

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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 .

p.7

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,

p.8

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

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

p.8