Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Derbyshire

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 go missing less and are safer than they were before coming to the home.  Young people engage in significantly less criminal activity. Consequently, they now have better experiences and outcomes.  Young people make some very good progress, which enables them to be well prepared for their life as an adult and for leaving care.  Interests are nurtured so that young people start to think about their chosen career at an early stage. Some have jobs or apprenticeships when they leave. This improves their life chances and quality of life for their future.  All young people progress well with their attendance and attainment in education. This is because their educational packages are extremely individual.  Managers and staff always see the good in young people and have a positive attitude of respect towards them. They genuinely want young people to do well in their life and some young people ‘turn themselves

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The children's home provision is good because:

around’ because of this support.  There are some shortfalls, which do not detract from young people’s very positive outcomes. These include the arrangements for ensuring that staff have relevant information in order to look after new young people when they arrive, fire doors and the management of staff and records.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6. The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, in relation to new admissions, the registered person must ensure— (3)(c)(i) that the care is delivered by a person who has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, in relation to fire doors, the registered person must ensure— (2)(d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 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 recommendations:  Ensure that everyone working at the home understands their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. There should be clear lines of accountability ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 54, paragraph 10.20).  Ensure that for the children's home to be a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children, they will in most cases be homely domestic environments ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9).  Ensure that case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.3).

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Information about this children's home

The children’s home is privately owned and provides care for three 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

29 September 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

17 February 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

There are positive relationships between staff and young people. During the inspection, where one young person’s achievements had been particularly positive in securing employment, staff were genuinely and openly moved by this. They demonstrated their pride, and respect for the young person and their journey. There is a positive ethos of appropriate boundaries with an emphasis on positivity, focusing on young people’s achievements. It is clear that staff really want young people to do well and they encourage them in all aspects of their development. Young people feel empowered because staff respect them and always listen to what they have to say. One member of staff talked about a young person saying, ‘I am really proud.’ Young people understand that staff want them to do well. Their comments include, ‘I can tell they want me to do good in my life.’ Education has a very high profile. The home’s highly individual approach ensures

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Good

that young people all make excellent progress, whatever their starting point. When young people have not been in education prior to coming to this home, they soon make good progress because their education package is tailored according to their needs and interests. This means that young people are more likely to enjoy education and to make good progress. Some young people have progressed from not attending school a year ago, to now being in a position where they have worked hard, made excellent progress and are ready for the workplace. One social worker said, ‘This is the first placement where they have engaged.’ Young people’s self-esteem is considerably improved because of this. Young people look forward to a better life, are proud of their achievements. It is likely that they will progress well in their chosen vocation into their adult life. There is also a focus on preparing for more positive relationships with family and friends, independence training and

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Good

preparing to move out of the care system when they become adults. Young people often make very good progress with their health. They learn how to look after themselves. Young people’s drug taking is significantly reduced, which has a positive impact on their overall health. One young person said, ‘I used to smoke weed bad but have grown up now.’ Staff ensure that they teach young people about maintaining good health. Staff regularly discuss healthy eating and sexual health with young people. Staff are creative in how they engage young people in this work. For example, they have developed handmade resources, including games, to teach young people about puberty and sexual health. Staff break down barriers to learning by ensuring that young people feel very able to speak to them openly about their problems and issues. This ensures that young people are well supported with their problems. Young people’s records are generally presented well and it is easy to see the

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Good

chronology of young people’s progress and difficulties. However, when young people are admitted, it is not clear what paperwork was produced at what stage, making it difficult to establish a timeline. Should young people wish to look back on their records, or should an investigation be necessary, this would prove difficult because the information is not always clear. The decor in the house looks tired in places, especially upstairs. There are some marks on paintwork, the landing carpet is stained, a young person’s room is in need of decoration and the banister is marked. It is good that young people can choose their own paint colour in their bedrooms, but more effort could be made to ensure that young people’s rooms are as well presented when they arrive. The process for placement matching is undertaken effectively, ensuring that the group of young people are compatible, and allowing for all to make progress. In

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Good

addition, where young people leave the placement, this only happens when it is felt that young people can no longer make good progress. Staff ensure that all young people have some very good memories of their time at the home. Happy memories are captured through memory boxes and photograph albums. This allows them to reflect positively on their time at the home, now and in later life. The extent of this work is very positive and the album is a true celebration of their time at the home. Young people will be able to make sense of what has happened to them during their childhood and will know that they were cared about at this home when they look back.

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Good

Where young people have had issues with going missing in the past, these episodes are drastically reduced at this home. This has made a positive difference to young people who are safer than they were before coming to the home. When young people have been missing, staff are vigilant in looking for them and working with the police to find them as soon as possible. Police praise staff for their work in this area saying, ‘The manager has always been approachable and willing to work with us to ensure that local missing protocols are followed.’ The manager and staff always make sure that they think creatively about protecting young people and are not afraid to challenge other professionals to think about their own views. For example, the manager has raised the profile of young males at risk of child sexual exploitation from older females. This has ensured a safer response and outcome for a young person. There are regular checks on fire equipment in the home, but these have failed to

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Good

pick up on faulty fire doors. While there was a quick and effective response to this during the inspection so that young people were protected, there is the potential for young people to be harmed in the event of a fire if this is not put right. Young people’s involvement in criminal activity is significantly reduced and there are examples of young people engaging better with help, and staying out of trouble altogether. One young person reflected on this saying, ‘I didn’t used to care and my criminal activity was bad. I know I don’t need to do that now and staff help me to manage.’ This progress enables them to get on with other aspects of their life such as making excellent progress in their education. Improved behaviour is something that all young people get out of their placement. Young people are very well supported in this area and time is spent individually with them to assist them to develop strategies to manage their frustrations more positively.

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Good

For example, one recently admitted young person had a key worker session in their first week to assist with the dynamics of the group. This has assisted them to develop more positive responses to difficult situations. Improvements in behaviour have been life-changing for some young people whose criminal activity and risky behaviour was a real problem for them previously. Those young people look forward to a better future and are doing well socially, in their education and with their transition to adulthood. They have more of a chance of success in their future as a direct result of this placement. There has been an isolated incident where relevant information was not sought about a young person’s safety issues prior to their admission and staff were not clear on how to protect them from the onset of the placement. Senior managers acknowledge that mistakes were made in passing on relevant information. They

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Good

also have plans to put this right. This young person and all other young people in placement all have very comprehensive risk assessments now, which are proactive as well as reactive. For example, the document does not just set out the steps to take if young people behave in a particular way, but also sets out steps to prevent the behaviour in the first place. This is instrumental to informing staff practice and drives creativity. This proactive approach makes a difference to young people’s safety and welfare, because the negative behaviour is broken down and interrupted.

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Requires improvement

Leaders and managers have not demonstrated a well-coordinated approach to managing information for new admissions. Recently, a young person was admitted and staff did not have sufficient information. They did not know the risks with regard to this young person’s health, or about their past behaviour and how best to manage this. The young person did not come to any harm and staff are clear that they were safe. However, if this is not put right, there is a risk that young people could come to harm in the future. This is because managers do not always ensure that staff have key information to reduce risks to young people and protect them sufficiently. Leaders and managers had not worked together with staff to resolve this issue. Therefore it was difficult to ascertain what went wrong and what could be done better in the future. Despite this shortfall, other aspects of the leadership of the home are extremely

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Requires improvement

effective. The registered manager has the level 4 National Vocational Qualification in management and is experienced and qualified to run a children’s home. She is aware of the positives and weaknesses in the home and continues to make improvements. The home has come a long way since it was judged to require improvement at the last inspection. Significant improvement has ensured that all young people have benefited and have had good experiences. The requirement set at the last inspection is met. If young people do not receive a good quality service from other professionals, the manager speaks out for them and challenges decisions that she feels are not conducive to young people’s progress. She has recently ensured that a children’s rights officer is involved in one young person’s case, to ensure that they have their say about a grievance. The recommendation made at the last inspection is also met and all young people now leaving the

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Requires improvement

placement have memory boxes and photograph albums to ensure that they will be able to reflect on their time at the home. Young people, professionals and staff speak very highly of the registered manager and her commitment to young people. One placing social worker reported ’she sees the good in every young person, despite their behaviour’ and ‘I would like to applaud them, they are really committed and that goes a long way’. The registered manager leads the staff team to ensure that all young people receive positive experiences during their time at the home and all young people make very good progress because of this strong leadership. Staff are motivated to do a good job and demonstrate their strong commitment to young people. Staff take pride in their job and are pleased to be involved in a home where young people can make good progress and achieve well. Staff are also sufficient in number and are

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Requires improvement

deployed effectively, ensuring that young people always have the right level of supervision. Staff are well inducted, trained, and supported through regular supervision and more informal support from their manager. However, when one member of staff was transferred from another home within the organisation, the manager was unaware of their last supervision session or of any related practice issues. This hindered the effective appraisal and monitoring of their performance. This could result in the registered manager being unaware of shortfalls in staff practice in the future if not put right. The registered manager ensures joint working with other professionals, who report positively about this. This work assists young people in their progress and in staying safe. There is a very high level of communication with placing social workers and emergency duty teams when young people are missing or when there

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Requires improvement

are concerns about their safety. The joint working ethos also ensures that young people get the help that they need from the appropriate professionals. For example, when young people have previously been involved in child sexual exploitation they are put in touch with professionals who are skilled in supporting them.

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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

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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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