Children's Home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 The home's assessment and care planning does not support young people to meet their full potential. Assessment of need is sometimes inconsistent, objectives are too generic and there are no timescales by which to measure and review progress.  There is confusion about the kind of skills that young people need to develop their independence. Their views are not always included in independence plans.  Supervision does not allow for enough reflection of young people's experiences, needs and plans. This limits the extent to which the manager can fully monitor their progress and the impact of staff intervention.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people experience safety and stability. They have generally positive relationships with staff and turn to them for help and support.  Effective practice helps to protect young people and reduce risks.  All young people are engaged in some form of education and, overall, are making reasonable and in some cases good educational progress.  Young people know that adults listen to their complaints and take them seriously.  Young people benefit from good partnership working with safeguarding, health and education professionals.  Requirements and recommendations from the last inspection are met and plans for further improvement are heading in the right direction.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person should ensure that each child's transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving, both practically and emotionally (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the minimum standards’, page 17, paragraph 11.9). Specifically ensure there is an accurate assessment of young people's independence needs.  The registered person is responsible for leading a team, which provides high quality care for all children living at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4). Specifically ensure staff supervision is focused on children and young people's experiences, needs and plans.  Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording (‘Guide to

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Recommendations

the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4). Clearly specify care-planning objectives and set timescales in order to prevent drift and better monitor young people's progress.

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority children's home. It is registered to care for five children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

9 February 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

19 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Young people's progress and experience remain mixed. The home's assessment and care planning processes do not always support young people to fulfil their potential.

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Requires improvement

For example, some young people have mastered some of the basic skills they need for independence, but the independence needs of others are not always accurately recorded. In one case a young person was assessed as needing help with personal hygiene as part of their independence plan, while another assessment noted that they had no problems in managing this.

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Requires improvement

Individual plans lack consistent assessment and clear objectives. They are often generic, and no firm timescales are set for review or completion of tasks. This carries the risk of drift, particularly where re-engagement in full-time education and preparing for independence are concerned.

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Requires improvement

Although young people's views are not always captured in their plans, there is a good level of consultation. The pathway for making complaints about care planning and other decisions is clear and accessible. Young people are fully supported throughout this process. One young person has met directly with the responsible individual to express his views. This reassures young people that their views do carry weight and that they are being listened to.

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Requires improvement

One young person is highly motivated and fully engaged in preparing for her future career. Attendance levels for others can fluctuate but are improving, and examination prospects for some are very good. Young people are now offered alternative learning opportunities until they can return to full attendance. This was a recommendation made at the last inspection and is now met.

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Requires improvement

A requirement to do more to improve young people's dietary intake is met. There are more frequent welfare checks on where young people are during the day and whether they have eaten. Breakfasts that can be eaten on the go are now provided, and there is plenty of fruit to hand. One young person with more complex health needs is closely monitored, and she is receiving the nutrition that she needs. Young people's overall health is good. They receive the advice and guidance that they need about diet, exercise, smoking and drug use.

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Requires improvement

Young people have very complex psychological needs and require a high level of emotional support. They, and the staff who work with them, benefit from effective guidance from clinical psychologists. This enables young people to achieve a level of functioning in the community and to get on with their day-to-day lives.

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Requires improvement

Staff have acute insight into the behaviours of young people, and the impact of their own responses. For example, one member of staff feels that they sometimes over-compensate for young people's early life experiences, and said, 'We do too much for them and end up de-skilling them.'

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Requires improvement

Staff know young people very well. An independent reviewing officer (IRO) commented that one young person 'does have trust in staff.' Nevertheless, young people still choose to have only their basic needs met by staff. A recommendation for the manager to explore ways in which this can be improved has been met, although a clear strategy has yet to be decided upon and embedded in practice.

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Requires improvement

Young people feel that their cultural needs are met. They are of an age where they are establishing their individual identities; this can affect the amount of contact they choose to have with their families and friends. Staff support young people with these arrangements to ensure they are safe and appropriate.

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Good

Following the last inspection, senior management took decisive action to safeguard children and young people. Risk has been re-assessed and is being better managed. As a result, young people are safer, as are individuals in the community. This is a requirement from the last inspection that is met.

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Good

Young people who are potentially at risk of exploitation are supported by specialist workers. Their fluctuating level of risk is kept under close scrutiny and managed well. This is a joint enterprise with a range of partners responsible for ensuring that such individuals are clearly identified and remain on the at-risk radar.

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Good

There have been no missing-from-home incidents although young people may arrive back later than expected, for example. Young people always return home. Staff are better at keeping in touch with them to check on their welfare and whereabouts.

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Good

Because of their very complex emotional needs, young people's behaviour can sometimes be volatile and explosive. These situations are managed well by staff, with calm but firm guidance. Staff have worked well in partnership with another home to reduce the risk to two young people who are in an unhelpful relationship. On the rare occasions when restraint is used, these incidents are scrutinised by the manager. Staff are challenged in debriefs as to how these have been managed. This helps to improve practice and to ensure that both staff and young people are safe during such interventions.

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Requires improvement

The manager holds a social work qualification and registered manager's award. She has managed this home since 2006.

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Requires improvement

A requirement and recommendation to improve monitoring are met. The manager's monitoring processes continue to develop. This is supplemented by the scrutiny of a new independent visitor who brings helpful suggestions and creative thinking to help make further improvements.

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Requires improvement

Staff supervision is one way in which the manager measures the impact of staff interventions. However, supervision lacks focus on young people's experiences, needs, plans and feedback. This limits its usefulness as a means of assessing the quality of care providing to young people.

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Requires improvement

All members have staff have appropriate qualifications. One new member of staff has embarked on his diploma course and another new member of staff will begin later this year.

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Requires improvement

There is a sufficient range of training and learning opportunities for staff to maintain a good working knowledge and to give young people the support that they need. Consultation with clinical psychologists on each young person's emotional and psychological needs also provides a valuable addition to the knowledge and skill-base of staff.

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from effective partnership working. One IRO feels that staff are proactive in working with educational professionals to address barriers to young people’s learning. A representative from the child exploitation team also commented positively about how close working relationships with staff strengthened safeguarding measures.

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Requires improvement

The current operation of the home is now in keeping with the service’s statement of purpose. This was a requirement from the last inspection that has been met.

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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. Its 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 children looked after 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 that 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 whom 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

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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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