Children's home run by ABC Care and Education Ltd in Lancaster

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Positive relationships are evident between staff and young people which promotes trust and security for young people. Young people can identify trusted members of staff who they would look to for support.  The company employs a therapist and an education coordinator who facilitate the implementation of plans for individuals which ensure good attention to young people’s educational and emotional needs.  A creative approach is taken to promoting young people’s engagement in education where they have been out of education for long periods and are reluctant to engage.  A key strength of the home is the nurturing approach taken with the young people placed. This helps improve self-esteem and confidence and encourage participation.  The home is good at recognising young people’s specific risks and putting plans in place to manage those risks. Staff are trained in most areas of safeguarding, but further training in self-harm and online safety would

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The children's home provision is good because:

benefit the young people placed.  Young people make good progress in respect of their risk taking behaviours from their starting points.  The leadership and management of the home continues to develop well and there has been a positive response to the requirements and recommendation set at the previous inspection.  Good partnership relationships are developed with external agencies, although more could be done to ensure placing authorities provide the home with the most recent review of a child’s placement.

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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 maintain records for each child which include the information and documents listed in schedule 3 in relation to each child. Specifically the most recent Looked After Child Reviews should be on file. 1(a) 22/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that the home's day to day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and protect each child effectively from harm. Specifically this relates to ensuring that all staff are fully trained in self-harm and online safety. 22/02/2016

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Information about this children's home

The home is one of three owned by a private company. It is registered to accommodate three young people aged nine to 17 years. The home offers care to young people of either gender with emotional and behavioural problems. It offers emergency, medium and long-term placements.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

20/10/2015 CH - Interim declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

31/07/2014 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

p.5

good

Young people benefit from living in a home where the staff have a good understanding of their care needs. This helps them to develop secure relationships that are based on trust and respect which impacts positively across all areas of their lives. From their starting points, challenging behaviour reduces and young people learn alternative ways of expressing themselves, for example through speaking to the company therapist. One young person in particular spoke very highly of the company therapist and felt she had made a huge impact on her emotional and behavioural progress.

p.5

good

Progress in education is positive with one young person who previously had very low engagement now working towards qualifications and undertaking a variety of educational activities both within and outside the home. Another young person is achieving success at college after being out of mainstream education for a prolonged period of time. Care planning is detailed and thorough and this ensures a good level of individuality is evident. Each young person is recognised as unique and their package of care is developed around their specific needs. Young people’s need to have a high level of staff attention is recognised and staffing levels are put in place accordingly, this means that young people do not have to behave negatively or compete with each other for attention.

p.5

good

The home provides an extremely nurturing environment for the young people placed. This helps them to build confidence and self-esteem in an environment which feels safe to them and is neither threatening nor judgemental. This is evident in the home’s approach to young people’s engagement in education and their response to young people who self-harm.

p.6

good

There is an ethos of not using sanctions to modify behaviour, but talking to young people about appropriate behaviour and negotiating with them to reach acceptable outcomes and engage in restoration work.

p.6

good

Young people have the opportunity to express their views through key-worker sessions and young people’s meetings as well as speaking to staff on a day-to-day basis. They know how to make a complaint and any complaints that are made are dealt with appropriately with the outcome communicated to the young person.

p.6

good

Some young people are getting ready to move on from the placement and staff work hard to continue to engage with them and to help prepare them for more independent living. The staff recognise the confusion and mixed emotions that young people feel when they are preparing for transitions and anticipate and respond well to the unsettled behaviours resulting from this.

p.6

good

Young people living in this home acknowledge the progress they have made in respect of their safeguarding issues. They attribute this, in part, to the location of the home but also to the positive relationships they have and the trust developed with some members of staff. Progression in relation to child sexual exploitation is a particular area of success.

p.6

good

Risk assessment is a strength of the home and there are detailed assessments in place covering all the pertinent risks for young people with triggers and warning signs identified along with prevention and intervention strategies. For some risk areas the trigger and warning signs are extremely well documented which allows staff to be extra vigilant if an episode may be impending. Risk assessments are regularly updated and these updates are evident to anyone reading the document which ensures all staff are fully aware of any changes to risks.

p.6

good

Staff are generally well trained across all areas and have training specific to a number of safeguarding areas. Additional training in self-harm and online safety would benefit them in having a fully up to date understanding of the risks and how best to manage them. However, the staff response to any issues of self-harm and online safety is entirely appropriate.

p.7

good

The home recognises that the young people placed need to be able to enjoy free time safely and put measures in place to ensure that young people are regularly monitored and their free time arrangements are regularly reviewed. The placing authorities for some young people are reluctant to allow free time and the home make efforts to put the young people’s views forward and advocate for them in this area.

p.7

good

Where young people go missing from home there is a coordinated response to locate and return them. There are clear plans of action for each young person should they go missing. Some young people who were very high risk of missing from home at the point of placement have reduced this risk significantly. The home’s very rural location has a positive impact on the number of times young people go missing, because it is difficult for them to access public transport. Whilst this is recognised as a positive, the home are aware that young people need to develop the skills to keep themselves safe in higher risk environments and make plans for young people to have some opportunities for this ( for example through free time in a local town).

p.7

good

There are clear boundaries in place in respect of managing challenging behaviour, although young people’s behaviour does escalate at times resulting in criminal damage to the home and assaults on staff. Staff are generally consistent in their responses, although lean towards a positive nurturing approach which avoids conflict and challenge where possible.

p.7

good

Physical management of behaviour is rarely used with the young people currently in placement. On occasions when it has been used it is proportionate and well documented. All staff are trained in the appropriate method of physical intervention, which keeps young people safe. Judgement grade

p.7

good

The home is led by a newly appointed registered manager who has been in post since April 2015 and was registered in November 2015. The manager does not yet have the relevant level five qualification but is working towards this. He has a number of other qualifications and relevant experience of working with children and young people.

p.8

good

Regular monitoring activity takes place, with improvements noted in line with the recommendation at the previous inspection in respect of the analysis of physical intervention data for identifying emerging patterns or trends. An independent visitor provides the home and the regulator with regular reports relating to quality assurance and these are used positively to inform and develop practice within the home.

p.8

good

The staff team are supported through regular supervision and receive additional support through attendance at staff meetings and training events. Support is provided to staff who want to develop and progress within the company.

p.8

good

The home’s statement of purpose sets out the ethos and objectives of the home and provides care in line with this statement. The information provided is accurate, detailed and informative.

p.8

good

The manager and staff work pro-actively with external agencies including placing authorities, youth offending teams, independent reviewing officers, colleges and health services to ensure that the all-round needs of young people are met. Where the home identifies a deficit in response from an external agency they advocate on behalf of the young person. The placing authority’s review of a young person’s care plan is not always chased up where it is not sent out promptly to the home following a review.

p.8

good

The records relating to young people are generally of a very good standard albeit with some variation in quality and depth. The records are well organised and maintained and are kept securely in a locked cabinet in the staff office and on a locked computer; this addresses a requirement set at the interim inspection.

p.8

good

There is clear prioritisation of the needs of young people and good understanding of the progress young people are making. Any areas where young people are not progressing as well as hoped are identified at an early stage and plans put in place to address this, with a good level of success.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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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 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

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Information about this inspection

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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