Children's home run by Greenacre Care Services Limited

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:

 The child currently living in this home is happy to be there. He talks positively about the help and support that he receives. He feels that staff listen to him.  The present child has reduced involvement in community activity necessitating police intervention, representing a noticeable improvement from his starting point.  The current child is engaging with education. He routinely receives help and encouragement to achieve good levels of attendance at school. While at school he is making progress.  All agencies say that communication is good and effective.  Feedback from all agencies and the parent represented is praising of the time, effort and commitment from the registered manager towards working transparently to achieve the best outcomes for this child.  Physical intervention is not used to manage challenging behaviour.  The child’s placement plan is clear and shows that the registered manager

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The children's home provision is good because:

has invested significant time in seeking to understand this child’s background.  The registered manager has yet to re-register for the level 5 diploma and has not had recent opportunities to further her professional development.  Staff do not routinely access training opportunities, specifically refresher training for safeguarding and fire safety.  Practice in the home is not informed by current research and developments in social care.  Records of qualifications achieved are not routinely kept at the home.  While staff encourage the current child to take part in activities that he likes, they have not motivated him sufficiently to engage in fun, local leisure and community-based resources which promote positive interaction with peers.  Staff do not routinely receive a record of their supervision notes.  Staff do not routinely sign all paperwork.

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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 manager must undertake such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the registered manager has the skills needed for managing the home (Regulation 29 (4)). 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure a record of qualification relevant to work involving children is maintained in the home for each individual (Regulation 37 (2)(a) Schedule 4 (2)(e)). 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development with specific reference to refresher safeguarding training and fire awareness (Regulation 33 (4)(a)). 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must— (2)(g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met. 01/06/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that staff support children to try activities that are 'new' for them, with specific reference to local and community activities which promote fun and positive interaction with peers (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4).  Ensure that staff receive a copy of supervision records (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4).  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, with specific reference to the reading and signing of records made by the registered manager (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4).

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned home registered to provide care for up to four children with behavioural or emotional difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12 January 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

No new admissions mean that the staff continue to concentrate their efforts into providing bespoke one-to-one care and support for the current child. He says, ‘Of all the places I have been, this is the best by far. I like the way the staff are and I feel listened to. They are helping me and I can see that I am doing alright.’ This shows that he recognises his own progress and that he has trusting and meaningful relationships with the small group of staff. The registered manager, in particular, spends much time helping this child by talking to him about the impact of different choices. This is helping him to make informed decisions, and as a result he feels that the team of professionals working with him are taking into account his views. The arrangements for managing medication are safe. Registered with local health services, the registered manager encourages the child to develop more interest in his own health and well-being. This helps him to attend appointments and

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Good

promotes self-worth. In general, the current child is routinely attending education. The staff go above and beyond by providing transport each day. School staff say that his attendance is very good and where issues around reluctance to be present emerge, that the staff at the home are proactive and quick to reaffirm the expectation that he must get up and go. In school he is achieving, and for example he has successfully undertaken and passed functional skills in maths and English. This evidences that he is making good progress from his starting point. The current child is developing relationships within the local community. Some of his peers call to the home, which shows that he is integrating into the area. The staff are aware of his interests and some continue to try to encourage him to take forward his interest in motorbikes. He also spends time out of the home with friends on ‘free time’. There is no evidence to support that this in itself is resulting

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Good

in enduring problematic behaviours. However, staff are not yet collectively doing enough to motivate him to try alternative or new activities promoting fun and structured social interaction with peers. The home provides ample living space for children to relax. Where they show willing, there are opportunities to practise cooking, cleaning and laundry. The staff are working well to prompt and encourage the child to take charge more over his personal space, with success some days. This promotes responsibility and sows the seeds for independence. Judgement grade

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Good

The current child states clearly that he feels safe living in this home. The registered manager is proactive and responsive to ensuring that the priority is the child’s safety. She routinely ensures that there are updates about incidents for all agencies and parents. All agencies represented said that ‘communication is very good’. The registered manager works proactively with the child and the key agencies involved in care planning, to understand and reduce any risk of harm associated with, for example, the use of alcohol or offending. A representative from one organisation said, ‘Since being at this home the risks have reduced.’ Clearly constructed and well-documented plans and risk assessments compiled by the registered manager outline the placement aims and objectives. All staff working in the home do not yet sign these records. While this has no direct impact for the child, the shortfall demonstrates that some staff may be unaware of the

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Good

detail held within these documents. The registered manager has worked to good effect with external agencies to ensure that there is no unnecessary criminalisation of this child. Incidents of going missing have reduced drastically, representing a significant achievement for the child. Offending has reduced significantly, and willingness to cooperate with services is increasing. One agency said, ‘He has made great improvements since living in this home.’ Staff are not trained in the use of physical intervention and do not use this approach. Instead, they use their relationship with the child to offer praise and reward. For this child, the result is positive change. One agency said, ‘He is doing really well and that is down to what the home are doing.’

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post for over three years and has previous relevant experience. She holds a level 4 diploma. She has introduced some new systems to strengthen recording processes and continues to invest significant time working on shift. While the latter is of considerable benefit for the staff and the child, this impacts on her ability to reach required professional development milestones. For example, registration for the completion of the level 5 diploma in leadership and management. Additionally, during this inspection there were no certificates or records to show that she has successfully accessed new professional development opportunities. Recruitment processes are thorough. A new member has joined the small staff team and there are active plans for other staff to start, which will increase caring capacity. All current staff members have attained the required level 3 diploma.

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Requires improvement

However, recruitment files do not yet contain documentary evidence of qualifications held by each member of staff. This shortfall has no impact on the children. Both regulations from the previous inspection have been met. For example, the forms for recording episodes of going missing clearly show if the placing local authority have offered a return to home interview. This improvement also helps to demonstrate partnership working. The registered manager provides one-to-one supervision. Meetings are documented. However, all staff, including the registered manger, do not routinely receive records of the discussions in between meetings. This does not help to remind staff of the agreed actions. The responsible individual has initiated new services towards improving the internal monitoring of the home. The arrangements help the registered manager to maintain an overview of the home’s strengths and areas for development.

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Requires improvement

Training opportunities for staff continue to be poor. No dates have been planned for the completion of refreshment of training, such as safeguarding and fire safety, and this represents a failure to meet regulation and to ensure staff have up to date knowledge to underpin safe care. The registered manager has sought to discuss a practice development issue in the staff supervision records sampled in this inspection. However, overwhelmingly there was no evidence to support how any staff have the opportunity to improve or inform practice by taking into account research and developments into areas such as gang culture, radicalisation or child sexual exploitation. This means that the provider is not yet able to evidence commitment to developing opportunities to further the skills and knowledge of the workforce.

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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 that 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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