Children's home run by SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd in Sutton

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

Since the last inspection, there have been some changes involving the staff and the young people. A young person and his key worker transferred to another home within the organisation. In addition, a young person was admitted within the last month. These changes have not caused any disruptions nor affected the staff from providing the young people with good quality care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people who have resided in the home the longest make reasonable progress. They understand their placement plan goals and actively engage in education and therapy. Young people that are new to the home have settled quickly and engaged well with the staff. All the young people feel safe and adhere to the rules of the home without major safeguarding incidents.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have taken the necessary steps to ensure that all documentation for the young people is signed and dated. All recording reviewed during this visit, evidenced the improvement; therefore, the recommendation made at the full inspection has been acted upon. All placement plans are up to date and reflect the most recent review by the placing authority; they also reflect the views of the young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are helped by the staff to make informed decisions about their long- term plans. A young person has enjoyed the time he spent in the home. He appreciates the support he has received so much that he wants to remain long term. The staff, the local authority and his parents are supporting his views. Young people have a greater chance of leading productive lives when provided with this continuity and security.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The admittance of young people to the home remains a thorough process. The historical information used and the assessment of the motivation of the young person usually leads to an informed decision. The deciding factor is the impact a potential new person could have on the others already in the home. The newest young person admitted is currently mixing well with the young people without incident. All young people continue to attend education on a regular basis. The education facility associated with organisation continues to provide a consistent educational environment for young people that enables them to improve academically. Young people who historically displayed poor engagement in school now attend well.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. They attend all their medical appointments with the support of the staff. When young people have specific medical concerns that requires medication the manager ensures staff have current training in administering medication or other required interventions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to engage in activities that build their self-confidence. They make progress in learning independent skills that allow them to earn certain levels of independence such as free time. The young people maintain their sense of identity by participating in safe contact arrangements with their significant others. The staff often supervise this and provide additional support to the young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management continues to make decisions that are in the best interest of young people. A specific example, involves a young person being relocated to a smaller home within the network. He will benefit from being placed in a situation where staff can give more individualised care. The move was considerate of the young person’s feelings and well planned. By having the young person’s key worker make the move with him, the transition has proved to be successful.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to be very effectively safeguarded by the staff. They put forth an endless effort to ensure that the young people understand what it takes to keep themselves safe. There have been no missing from care incidents, or any other serious safety concerns since the last inspection. The one incident that occurred at school was reported promptly to professionals and Ofsted notified. Effective behaviour management and the young people’s having learned to adhere to specific boundaries are the main reasons for low number of safeguarding incidents.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has been busy thinking of creative ways to improve the service for the young people. He is in the process of developing an alternative way to easily track their progress. Life storybooks will be introduced into practice, providing the young people with a visual collection of their time in the home. During the inspection, several small safes were delivered for the young people that will provide them with a place to securely store personal items in their bedrooms.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager considered the member of staff that left a key loss due to their experience and commitment to the young people. He believes that the remaining staff are keen to ‘step up’ and show that the loss of one staff member will not influence how young people are cared for. They are rapidly gaining experience, effectively caring for the young people. Some have successfully completed their probationary periods and others are completing their level three qualification. A new staff member has joined the team after working in another home within the network. The staff member will be a welcome addition as she is familiar to the young people and works part time with the therapeutic team. A new deputy manager has been appointed and will start the first week in April.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff supervision records reflect that all staff receive regular supervision. They usually discuss the young people, their workloads, duties and responsibilities. The manager in the form of advice, tips and pointers addresses any practice concerns.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff remain up to date in their basic training and have recently completed P.A.C.E training, which stands for playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy. The goal of the training is to provide the staff a new way of thinking, feeling, communicating and behaving that aims to make the young people feel safe. The use of this technique has resulted in a drop of behavioural incidents and an increase in rewards.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The monitoring of the service continues to be completed in line with the regulations. The independent visitor continues to provide an external view of the practice in the home. In addition, surveys have recently been sent out to professionals and parents seeking their input into the service young people receive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to be maintained to an acceptable standard providing plenty of space for young people to engage as a group or individually. The downstairs toilet was observed to be untidy and in need of cleaning, prompting the lone recommendation from this inspection. The bathroom should be accessible and maintained properly for all to use at any time.

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Information about this children's home

The service is a four-bedded children’s home registered for boys with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private organisation that specialises in the assessment and treatment of male adolescents who have experienced some form of abuse and have subsequently been involved in perpetrating abusive behaviour themselves.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments what meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.). (Guide to Children’s Home Regulations, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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

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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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