Lower Roach End Farm

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:

 Children speak positively about the care they receive and the quality of their relationships with staff.  Children enjoy the activities they take part in and say they like living at the home.  Children are consulted on a regular basis through during key working sessions and house meetings.  Staff are well trained and use their skills to keep children safe.  Staff support children to maintain contact with family and friends.  All children are engaged in education.  Staff work in partnership with the onsite School to ensure that young people have every opportunity to reach their full potential.  Partnership working is effective and placing social workers say the home maintains good communication with them.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home’s children guide needs to be developed so it is more age appropriate.

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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 children's home must produce a children's guide. The children's guide must be made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency) and must be age appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 24, paragraph 4.22).

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for eight children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

27/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Children experience planned individual transitions into the home. The manager reviews all referrals and undertakes a thorough matching assessment and analysis considering the needs of the existing children alongside the needs of the new child. Children make good progress overall from their starting points on admission to the home. Examples of these include, positively re-engaging with education and learning to manage their behaviour. Staff ensure children have detailed care plans that stay up to date. The plan addresses all aspects of a child’s needs and specify actions and tasks to ensure that good outcomes are achieved. Staff build positive relationships with children by providing them with a good level of supervision. Children are happy and settled at the home, one child reported, ‘the staff here are great, they are loving, caring and friendly with you all the time’. Staff help to ensure children’s individual health needs are met. All children have

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Good

access to specialist services and support to promote their physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Young people have access to the organisations therapists where they are able to explore their feelings and emotions in a safe and supportive environment. Appropriately trained staff make sure that medication is stored safely, and records are maintained on the administration of medication. The manager ensures that there are clear policies and procedural guidance in place to support staff. All children attend the organisation’s onsite school. Children have made good progress in engaging in education based on their individual needs and starting points. School and home staff have effective daily communication regarding children that provides a good consistency of care. Children benefit from making a positive contribution to their home and their care plans through a variety of forums such as key worker sessions, weekly house

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Good

meetings and statutory reviews. They also have the opportunity through informal discussion about routine and day-to-day matters. One child reported, ‘it feels like a real home. I don’t class the carers as staff they are like family’. Staff support children to maintain family contact. The staff assist with transport and where required the supervision of contact. They also facilitate phone calls for children who live far from home. This means children are able to maintain significant relationships whilst living in the home. Staff ensure that children are engaged in positive activities outside the home where they can develop sporting talents and interests. For example football, cycling and going to the cinema. This provides children with opportunity for fun and enjoyment. One young person reported, ‘It’s a very fun and active place with loads of wild life adventure and caring staff’.

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Good

Children confirm that they feel safe. Staff manage the balance between protection and enabling children to take age appropriate risks well. For example, wearing the appropriate safety wear when on a cycling activity. Staff are trained in safeguarding and aware of the procedures to follow. The home supports and encourages children to develop socially acceptable behaviour along with using their positive relationships with children to de-escalate challenging behaviour. Because of this, there is a low level of behaviour management within this home. There has been no instances of children being missing from care since the last inspection. This means that children are safeguarded from harm and are not at risk of being exploited. Children know how to complain if they wish to do so. The staff will support children in making complaints if necessary and understand their role as advocate. Children are also provided with details of how to access independent advocate services if

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Good

they wish to speak to someone outside of the home. Children live in a home that is physically safe and secure. Staff complete regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect children from potential hazards. This includes fire drills, to ensure children know what to do in case of an emergency. Children are protected by the organisation's robust recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of the children by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them. The home is a large spacious farmhouse in a rural area. Children live in a healthy environment that actively supports their physical and emotional health. Children can personalise their bedrooms to reflect their individual tastes and personalities.

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Good

The home has a registered manager in place. The manager has been in post since May 2014 and is currently undertaking her level 5 national vocational qualification in leadership health and social care after a period of maternity leave. Staffing levels are appropriate to meet children’s needs and they state that they receive regular supervision and appraisal. All staff complete a range of mandatory training, refresher course and training in particular areas such as conflict resolution and self-harm. This ensures staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are competent in dealing with any incident. All staff members either have a minimum of a Level three qualification or are imminently due to complete their course within regulatory timescales. This means that all staff will be fully qualified to meet the needs of children. The home uses weekly team meetings to ensure that everyone is up to date about

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Good

how to promote and protect the children's safety. This includes uses a reflective cycle model that enables staff to reflect on incidents and to learn from these events. The Statement of Purpose has recently been reviewed. It provides clear information about the level of service provided plus clear information for stakeholders about the aims and objectives and facilities offered. The home’s children guide is not child friendly to meet the needs of the younger children in the home. This means that children are not able to access information about the home they live in. Monitoring visits from someone independent of the home take place every month. The person undertaking these visits talks, where possible, to staff and children. In addition, and where possible the visiting officer talks with the parents or relatives of children themselves. These visits help to ensure that the home is compliant with regulations and standards, and that children are well cared for.

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Good

Social workers report that communication with the home is good. They appreciate staff keeping them up-to-date. One professional involved with the home commented, ‘the staff always ensure to call me whenever they need to share information or have any concerns’. There is also an effective relationship with the local fire service, who are due to attend the home to undertake a piece of fire safety work with the children. The home’s location risk assessment, that reviews the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises, highlights all the potential risks in the area. This means, all potential risks relating to location are identified. The manager has a development plan for the home that sets out clear and realistic targets to improve the service. There were no requirements or recommendations raised at the last inspection.

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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, 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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