Children's Home run by Archways Care Limited in Worcestershire

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:

 Young people are cared for by a skilled, qualified and knowledgeable staff team, who know the young people’s individual needs well and recognise the progress that they make.  Leaders and managers work well in partnership with external partners. They are not afraid to challenge partners to ensure that young people receive good quality care.  Young people’s education progress is tracked well. Clear progress is recorded from their starting points.  Staff provide clear, evidence-based records, in preparation for young people’s reviews, which stand up to challenge under scrutiny.  Young people learn to develop positive, healthy relationships with staff and each other.  Preparation for leaving care helps young people to develop crucial life skills that will enable them to transition smoothly into adulthood.  Young people’s behaviour improves over time. Incidents of missing from care and the uses of physical intervention are reducing.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The garden where young people play is not maintained to protect them from nettles.  The records of young people’s accounts do not always record actual money held.  Inaccuracies in young people’s records are not rectified. Staff supervision records are not kept up-to-date.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to the maintenance of the garden, the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. In particular, in relation to young people’s accounts. (Regulation 37(2)(a)(b), Schedule 4(7)) 30 June 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘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

The home is one of four children’s homes within a privately run organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people. The home’s statement of purpose indicates that the age range will be between 12 and 17 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

3 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

20 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people benefit from good quality care from skilled, qualified and knowledgeable staff. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘Staff have a good approach because they know his history well.’ This means that young people receive care that is individual to their needs.

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Good

Young people form positive relationships over time with staff and their peers. There is a sense of calm in the home that makes everyone feel welcome. This is due to the trust and respect that everyone has for each other. Young people all engage well with staff and are happy to discuss their daily experiences when returning home. One young person said, ‘I get on well with everyone. Staff are really nice.’ As a result, young people learn how to accept each other’s individuality.

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Good

Young people have regular contact with friends and family who are important to them. The staff ensure that any visitors are made to feel welcome. A young person said, ‘I have friends here on occasion and I keep in touch with my family.’ This helps to maintain relationships and strengthen family bonds.

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Good

Young people know the plans for their futures. They actively participate in their reviews of care and discuss with their key worker how they want their future to look. Staff prepare a report prior to the review that informs every one of the progress that the young person is making. This helps young people to remain central to the care they receive.

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Good

Young people make significant improvements in their educational outcomes. One young person was disappointed in having to leave school early to attend an appointment, and said, ‘I didn’t want to come home from school today. I’ve missed my best subject.’ Another young person spoke highly of her new school and said, ‘I love school and want to stay and not leave. It’s the best thing that has happened to me since September. I can do my work when I want to. They really understand and don’t shout at you.’

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Good

The education co-ordinator works in excellent partnership with the team and the virtual head. This positive communication and engagement has helped to secure funding for a young person to be provided with a laptop to aid their learning. Education progress is tracked exceptionally well from young people’s starting points. The document has a clear way of capturing progress from educational starting points right through to the current time. This enables the reader to pick up progress from any point. Additionally, graphs show progress and demonstrate improvement. This provides an innovative way of capturing information and progress. As a result, young people see the progress they make and continue to achieve while enjoying their educational experiences. A social worker said of another young person, ‘Staff make significant progress in supporting his education. He is really doing well and is a lovely lad.’ A school staff member said, ‘Staff tell us

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Good

daily how he is doing and what his mood is like: this helps us to prepare for him arriving at school.’ Staff ensure that young people are consulted. Daily discussions, house meetings and key working sessions all help them to have their say. When young people are not happy, they actively voice their opinion. For example, one young person was not happy about the house chores and felt that they were not fair. A roster was planned which distributed chores evenly. This means that young people are listened to and action is taken to improve areas following consultation. Young people benefit from a variety of activities that enhance their social experiences and meet their diverse needs. Staff encourage young people to keep a scrapbook that shows activities that they have attended. Young people also enjoy their free time in the home and make informed choices about how to use it. For example, one young person made some personalised gifts and another played on

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Good

the Xbox during their free time. This helps young people to develop socially acceptable behaviour. Young people remain in good health. Staff prioritise young people’s health and ensure they have access to a range of health services to meet their needs. Young people enjoy physical exercise and benefit from a healthy balanced diet. This keeps they fit and well. Young people are prepared well for independence. A staff member said of one young person, ‘She is doing really well. She has a job and attends college.’ Young people are encouraged to take more responsibility for themselves while approaching the age of leaving care. They benefit from good pathway planning that considers their views about their future. This helps to prepare for a smooth transition when leaving care. The home is well presented and offers a welcoming environment that enables young people to feel safe and protected. Each part of the home is excellently

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Good

presented and suitably furnished, providing more than enough space for young people to relax. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people are safe and say that they feel safe. A young person said, ‘I have built lots of trust and bonds and can tell staff my problems. They do treat me like an adult and listen and educate me. They have really helped me a lot.’

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Good

Staff are clear about procedures to safeguard young people. They receive training that informs them how to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse. A staff member said, ‘The whistle-blowing procedure is in place to raise concerns. We know who to report concerns to and how to inform the local authority designated officer.’ This protects young people from harm or abuse.

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Good

The manager monitors the health and safety of the environment. Regular fire drills are completed, along with equipment visual checks. However, some areas of the garden that present a hazard have gone unreported. For example, some nettles in the garden have appeared in large clusters near to pathways. They present as a hazard, particularly where young people play football, and have the potential to place young people at risk of harm.

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Good

Young people learn how to manage their behaviour through constant support and praise from staff. The home has clear boundaries that help young people to respect the home and each other. Individual risk assessments outline how staff should manage behaviour. This ensures that young people receive individualised support. As a result, the use of physical intervention is only used as a last resort by trained staff. A staff member said, ‘If a young person is unsettled, I talk to them to find out what is wrong. I look for other staff who they may be more comfortable talking to. If they are causing harm to themselves or others, we are trained to use physical intervention as a last resort.’

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Good

Young people do go missing from care. However, incidents are reducing because staff understand the reasons and work closely with young people to find a solution. For example, since providing more free time for a young person, incidents of missing from home have significantly reduced. A young person said, ‘I had some missing episodes, but it’s better now.’ Staff work proactively with the police and follow guidance to ensure that young people return home safely. This protects them from harm or the risk of exploitation.

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Good

Young people know how to complain and have access to independent advocates. Staff provide complaint forms for young people to raise concerns. When young people complain, staff take appropriate action to address the concern promptly and provide an outcome. This ensures that the voice of the young person is heard and that action is taken to respond.

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Good

The home is led and managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. The manager has been in post since February 2015. He is supported by a deputy manager and a stable staff team. Most staff are qualified. Those who are unqualified are within regulatory timescales at present to obtain their qualifications within two years of starting work.

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Good

Financial records of young people do not always adequately record actual money held. For example, money given as a gift from family, to young people is not recorded on their finance sheet but is kept in an envelope separately. This does not protect young people’s finances and leaves them vulnerable to financial abuse.

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Good

Staff are provided with help and advice when they need it through regular supervision. However, although staff are regularly appraised their records for tracking each supervision are not always recorded. This means that the record is not kept up to date.

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Good

Partnership working is good. The manager and staff team work well with external professionals and share information where necessary. They challenge poor practice to ensure that young people continue to receive good quality care in line with their plans.

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Good

The manager and staff monitor young people’s files. However, inaccuracies are sometimes overlooked. For example, a letter to a social worker referred to another young person instead of to the one it was intended to refer to. This means that information retained on their files is incorrect.

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Good

External monitoring of the home is completed monthly, and biannual quality of care reports are sent to Ofsted by the manager. This ensures that the home continues to improve the quality of care that young people receive.

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Good

Staff speak highly of the manager and value the support that they receive. A staff member said, ‘The manager and the company are very good. They provide good training, induction and probation. They ask questions to challenge our understanding and practice.’ As a result, staff develop skills and experience that enhance their personal development. The aims and objectives of the statement of purpose are met. Staff have good knowledge and understanding of the ethos of the home, demonstrated by the quality of care provided. The manager said, ‘We review the statement of purpose regularly and have added information about bedroom door alarm use.’

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Good

The manager has updated the home’s area risk assessment and shared current information with external partners. The revised locality risk assessment is now more effective. It plays a valuable part in assessing risk when placing vulnerable young people in the home. This keeps young people safe.

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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, work- based 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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