Children's home SC451511

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 declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s progress since the previous inspection has been mixed. The majority of young people are making progress with their behaviour, social skills and education with most having excellent attendance. However, incidents of challenging behaviour has increased for one young person whilst another does not engage in the support provided by staff or other professionals. Their attendance and punctuality in education is of concern and this is compromising their educational placement. Within the home, they have not engaged in developing their independence skills. This means they are not engaging in the opportunities made available to them and are not being successfully prepared for adult life. Staff support young people to reflect on their feelings and behaviour in order to develop positive behaviour. This has resulted in a reduction in incidents of challenging behaviour for most young people. Where incidents have increased,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

staff understand the reason behind this and provide additional support. Sanctions are used appropriately and young people have opportunities to discuss restorative measures with staff. This enables them to appreciate the consequences of their actions. However, records do not demonstrate that managers have evaluated the effectiveness of sanction used. Staff have managed incidents that have required physical intervention well. Recordings of restraints have improved and now include a description of the measure, its duration as well as details of the steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure. This meets a requirement made at the previous inspection. However further improvements are required to ensure that it is clearly recorded which member of staff carried out the physical intervention and that each intervention is evaluated for its appropriateness and effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s risk assessments are not updated after incidents. For example, one risk assessment did not refer to a young person’s risk of damaging property although there had been recent incidents of this within the home. This means staff are not informed of all of young person’s risk factors or of the actions they need to take to keep young people safe. All safeguarding concerns have been managed appropriately and there have been no missing incidents since the previous inspection. Consequently, a previous recommendation regarding independent return interviews for young people who have been missing could not be tested at this inspection and remains in place. The current monitoring systems used by managers and staff to identify areas that require improvement have not been effective in developing the quality of the service since the previous inspection. The child protection policy had not been updated as required in the previous inspection report and areas of the home still

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

require redecoration. The requirement for fire safety also remains in place as some fire doors are damaged whilst gaps beneath the door need to be reviewed to ensure all meet the required measurement. At the time of this inspection, there was no registered manager in post. Currently the deputy manager has taken on this role until an appointment can be made. The deputy manager has the skills and qualifications necessary to undertake this role and is receiving support from the organisation’s deputy head of care. There have been no new admissions into the home or young people who have left since the previous inspection. This means the recommendation regarding impact assessments made at the previous inspection could not be tested and remains in place. Young people are able to develop trusting relationships with staff and feel able to talk about their feelings and concerns with them. When appropriate staff support

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

young people to remain in contact with family members and others who are important to them. This provides young people with a sense of identity and belonging within their families. Young people’s interests and hobbies are promoted and they are able to try new things providing them with a sense of achievement. They are able to develop friendships with their peers and staff encourage them to take part in activities together. As a result, young people are able to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to seven children who may have emotional or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by an independent provider

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/09/2015 CH - Full Good 16/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness 15/09/2014 CH - Full Good 28/01/2014 CH - Interim Good Progress

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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

To meet the fire precautions regulation the registered persons, after consultation with the fire and rescue authority must:

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Requirement Due date

(a) take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children's home.

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Requirement Due date

To meet the policies for the protection of children regulation the registered person must ensure the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(e) describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person is required to:

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Requirement Due date

2(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The registered manager should ensure the children's home provides a homely, domestic environment. In particular, ensuring, all communal areas are of a good standard of decoration. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards, April 2015, page 15 paragraph 3.9)  Staff in children's homes will play a key role in supporting these children in line with their personal education plan. To achieve this staff must obtain a copy of each child or young person's personal education plan and be aware of its contents. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards, April 2015, page 26 paragraph 5.3)  The registered persons should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the

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Recommendations

responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Managers must prompt this to happen (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards, April 2015, page 45 paragraph 9.30)  The registered persons must ensure that when considering new placements they fully consider the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children and evidence their judgement supporting compatibility with existing residents (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards, April 2015, page 56 paragraph 11.4)  The registered persons should demonstrate how staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them to ensure they remain effective. This is in regards to ensuring young people's risk assessments are updated after incidents (Guide to the Children's Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations including the quality standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5).  The registered persons should ensure staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home's support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards, April 2015, page 17 paragraph 3.27)  The registered persons must ensure that records of restraint and sanctions enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity

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Recommendations

for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards, April 2015, page 49 paragraph 9.59)

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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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