Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

This monitoring visit

A compliance notice under Regulation 8 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 was served on this home following an interim inspection on 13 January 2016. This was because there had been no improvement in respect to young people’s school attendance since the full inspection on 21 July 2015.

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This monitoring visit

On 13 January 2016, of the three young people living at the home, there was only one in formal education.

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This monitoring visit

The overall picture has improved, but not for one young person who has refused to go to school and is frequently leaving the home without permission for long periods of time. The negative pulls in the local community are proving to be too strong. Consequently, funding has been agreed for an imminent specialist residential school placement to try to keep him safe and meet his specific educational needs.

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This monitoring visit

Initially, school attendance for one young person improved in January, but his behaviour deteriorated and by March it was deemed unsafe at the present time to educate him in a classroom setting. However, alternative education was immediately provided to good effect, in contrast to the historical picture where there was unacceptable drift. Also, specialist support was provided in a timely manner to help meet his complex emotional needs. There have been no further incidents of self- harm which is significant progress. A positive increase in effective partnership working has ensured that a clear and agreed plan is in place for reintegration back into school after the Easter holidays.

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This monitoring visit

The introduction of clear financial incentives is having the desired effect. Consequently, one young person is now positively engaging in the 10 hours a week alternative academic education currently provided, plus 6 hours physical education specifically to try to positively channel his intense emotions. He is also enjoying the educational opportunities offered every day by the residential staff. This has demonstrated his talents as a cook, baker and artist which have demonstrably increased his self-esteem.

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This monitoring visit

Improved monitoring has shown a pattern of him not attending his work experience in mechanics once a week, so an alternative is actively being sourced within the construction industry.

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This monitoring visit

The staff are much more responsive to school, in respect to decisions by one particular setting to send a pupil home when his behaviours are challenging. They also now provide additional support within the school, if needed, to meet his complex emotional, behavioural and learning needs. If a decision is still made to exclude, they now insist on clear documentation from the school to justify this. Consequently, there has been one five day exclusion in the last three months, which is a significant reduction.

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This monitoring visit

As planned, one young person was discharged in February to a more specialist placement to try to keep her safe and improve her school attendance. Her social worker wrote to the staff in appreciation of their sensitive handling of this transition and concluded, ‘They ensured that she left with dignity and pride.’

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This monitoring visit

There have been three admissions since the interim inspection. One was carefully planned and two were emergency placements. In respect to the latter, both were supposed to be for 72 hours but both were extended. This enabled an appropriate longer term placement to be found for one young person. She was in full time education and continued to attend every day whilst living at this home.

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This monitoring visit

The other young person has been living at this home for nine weeks. He is being supported to prepare for independence and to return to his home town, which is his expressed wish. He is currently attending a course aimed at improving his employment opportunities and plans to go to college in September. After Easter he is taking part in a six week course exploring positive relationships and staying safe online and in the community.

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This monitoring visit

One young person has been living at the home for a month and is attending and positively engaging in his individualised educational package. This includes Mathematics and English and working towards a level one certificate in engineering. This is to enable him to commence a college course of his choice in September.

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This monitoring visit

Since the interim inspection there is clear documentary evidence of: not allowing young people to lie in bed on a school day; the home refusing referrals if they were not attending school; escalating educational concerns about the young people living in the home to senior officers; and, actively engaging the virtual school who have proven to be a very supportive service. This means the team are more pro-active in ensuring that the young people receive the most appropriate educational provision to meet their assessed needs.

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This monitoring visit

In line with the compliance notice, the staff have also successfully ensured that personal education planning meetings have taken place and are recorded. The meetings ensure clear actions are agreed by all relevant parties and promote young people’s educational progress. Moreover, individualised educational targets are now known to the staff team so they can effectively help young people to achieve them.

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This monitoring visit

The management team say they have learned a lot during this compliance period. Keyworkers have been given more responsibility and the staff team as a whole feel empowered and motivated again. They accept they had, ‘let other things slide’ as all their energies over several months were spent trying to keep young people safe.

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This monitoring visit

Positive new developments include, having three education champions within the team to ensure this is always kept high on everyone’s agenda. One individual is now responsible for maintaining an educational resource file which includes websites and ideas for trips. Flowcharts have also been produced as prompts for staff when considering a new referral and they have held a workshop for all the team so they know what support the virtual school can offer.

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This monitoring visit

The staff demonstrate a new determination and confidence. Comments include, ‘We are no longer struggling in isolation. There is better partnership working and our immediate line managers have been supportive and have escalated our concerns to the highest level‘, ‘We will not try to compensate for other agencies again but we will escalate immediately. Other professionals are finally listening to us’, ‘We are challenging more and evidencing it. The staff team are thinking outside the box in ways to engage young people in educational activities’ and, ‘We have now got a good supportive relationship with the virtual school so we would be comfortable approaching them again in the future.’

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This monitoring visit

Since the last interim inspection in January, the educational provision, attendance and progress of all the young people is now being given high priority at this home. Individualised action plans are in place clearly identifying key tasks and timescales. These are frequently reviewed and revised and there is ample documentary evidence of the staff robustly ensuring that these are addressed by all agencies responsible. Consequently the authority has complied with the notice.

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Information about this children's home

This home is provided by a local authority and is registered to provide for up to six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home can accommodate young people over the age of eighteen within the overall maximum numbers.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the home since their last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. 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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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