Setting SC032240

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Outstanding at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness . Young people are looked after by competent and caring staff who enjoy working with them and helping their lives to improve. The Registered Manager is on long term leave, and a very experienced residential manager has stepped into a temporary leadership role. She intends to apply to be registered with Ofsted. A period of transition was arranged, to ensure staff and young people receive continuity in their oversight, and the home runs along familiar lines.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Communication is a strength of the home. Detailed handovers and team meetings ensure that daily information is passed on, and that strategies, plans and any developments are shared. As a result, young people are cared for by staff who know them and support them really well. They live in the home for relatively short periods of time, up to six months. Staff use clear assessment, matching and review criteria, to ensure that young people arrive with a clear plan that they are confident they can support. Staff offer high levels of emotional awareness and nurture, effective reflective practice and skilled behavioural support to ensure young people make continual progress. They encourage young people to speak for themselves, and offer practical help and emotional support that values their aspirations. Young people have confidence and trust in staff. They say things like ‘This is like a family’, and ‘The work I completed (in the home) has made me

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s views, wishes and feelings are welcomed and valued, however upsetting their behaviour becomes. Staff ensure young people are kept safe by using a range of strategies that reflect individual needs and strengths. They prefer to engage young people in group and one to one positive reflection sessions and provide coaching about their emotions and past trauma. The majority of progress is underpinned by this approach. However, staff assess the need for more restrictive measures, and take additional action such as following young people who place themselves at risk by leaving the home. They use restraint when necessary to ensure the safety and welfare of all. Records demonstrate that every incident is reflected upon, both from the point of view of staff and of young people. They think together about ways to prevent such crises re-occurring. Young people are empowered to accept help from external professionals such as

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

psychologists, sexual health workers, and therapists because they understand that staff will support them when they feel daunted by their plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person is receiving help to stop smoking. He has a clear treatment plan in place that staff reinforce with positive rewards as well as encouragement. They have liaised with school, to ensure that his support is consistent wherever he may be. This approach is working well, and he remains committed to quit. This improves his health and wellbeing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following a recommendation made at the last inspection, staff have reinforced relationships with education professionals. This has strengthened expectations that young people will be engaged in productive and developmental learning or training. Some young people have changed schools, which has helped them to be more suitably educated. Staff demonstrate the importance of school by helping young people to develop clear routines for attendance. They build relationships with tutors and teachers and share strategies and risk assessments with them so that young people experience consistency of expectation and boundaries. Staff reinforce learning by creating projects in the home, such as encouraging young people to enter a ‘design a poster about bullying competition’. Although young people didn’t win the competition, staff are spreading the very strong messages that young people created in their posters by having some of them

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

professionally reproduced to be circulated in youth organisations in the local area. This celebrates young people’s efforts and improves their self-confidence.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have been enabled to move on from the home in a planned way, to new lives that they are happy with, and can engage with productively. This is because staff ensure young people’s dreams and wishes are considered in their future plans. One young person was unable to commit to long term plans for her to move into a family. Staff supported her to consider the implications, and weigh up the balance between that and her expressed wish to move on to a more permanent placement in another children’s home. Her social worker said, ‘They are very proactive. They dealt with any anxiety, they implemented the plan and cooperated well with her new home. They are staying in touch, and I am pleased about that.’ This long term commitment to young people is evident in all relationships. It helps young people to experience continuity in their lives, for some for the first time. Some young people who are now living independently shared

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Christmas celebrations with the group. Staff are proud, and enjoy seeing them develop and thrive in their future lives.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All staff are trained in the specific care and therapeutic approaches used in the home. This means that there is consistency of approach and frequent review of young people’s progress. Staff have included young people in reviewing some of the records in the home, because young people are encouraged to see them as ‘their’ records about their lives. This has resulted in planned placement session records that now identify very clearly the positive aspects of the week, as well as the work they undertake on improving their behaviour, school attendance or appointments. Young people comment upon their own performance, and also the support they have received from staff. This trusting, partnership approach maximises the progress young people make, and enhances staff practice because the records are also used to inform staff development needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s development plan outlines the areas required to complete proposed improvements to care practice. Young people are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, and since the last inspection staff have endeavoured to make the property more domestic with new furnishings and improved bedroom flooring and curtains. Due to an ongoing service review, the plan is sketchy about long term goals. Instead it concentrates on developing the quality of the care being immediately provided. This includes new guidance to staff about their role and expectations of professional conduct, and improvements in the style of reflective supervision undertaken by staff. While it is clear that many actions have been implemented, such as revising health care plans; improving records of missing from home; streamlining information about young people’s plans and strategies; the impact of these changes are not routinely analysed and evaluated. This limits

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

further enhancement of these effective systems.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are established systems to monitor the quality of care in the home. The home has independent visitors, who visit alternately. They bring different interests and approaches to the visit, and this creates some inconsistency in oversight and quality of evaluation of records. The manager uses their insights and observations to improve the care provided, for example by discussing educational plans with one professional whose expertise is in this field. The reports provide a clear picture of each young person’s life in the home, but does not consistently evaluate the effectiveness of staff actions to improve their safety and welfare.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are confident in their role, and participate in multi-professional meetings to ensure young people’s wishes are front and centre of any decisions made about them. Staff have a good understanding of the home’s purpose, and work consistently to deliver short, solution focussed care. Professionals value the work they do. A psychologist said, ‘(The home) has done a wonderful job. By having a cohesive team around her, she has improved her understanding of safety.’ A reviewing officer for another young person said, ‘‘I was impressed with the sense of care ownership and enthusiasm… it made all the difference to the young person and his experience of being in care.’ These comments are typical of professionals’ appreciation of the efforts of staff to improve young people’s lives.

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children’s home is registered to care for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties, and learning disabilities. The aim is to enable young people to become better equipped to achieve permanence in their future placements whether this is within their families, other children’s homes or securing independence.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/03/2015 CH - Interim improved 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):  Ensure that any plan to improve the quality of care provided is evaluated for effectiveness. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  Ensure that independent visitors consistently and rigorously report on the effectiveness of staff actions to ensure the safety and welfare of young people. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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

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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