Children's home SC034627

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 service provides short breaks that are life-enriching, offering children varied opportunities and valuable independence skills. This builds children’s self-esteem and expands their interests.  Children enjoy and achieve new things which contribute to their informal learning.  Children enjoy high quality relationships with staff who have a strong understanding of their needs. Staff are ambitious for children, helping them to fulfil their potential. The service celebrates children’s achievements. This recognition further enhances their self-esteem.  Staff ensure children’s views are important. Parents said that their children have a voice. Storyboards assist with expanding the children’s levels of understanding.  Parents and social work professionals greatly appreciate the service. They explain that the service helps ‘to stabilise families’ and prevents children ‘from coming into care’.  The service strongly promotes independence, focusing on children’s abilities.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

A strength of the service is their transitional work. This facilitates the smooth transition of young people as they grow older and move on from the service.  Children benefit from the effective leadership and management arrangements. The new registered manager is suitably qualified and has instilled renewed confidence and purpose into his team.  Children receive care from an experienced, committed staff team. Staff are in tune to children’s needs and they express significant satisfaction with their work.  Children enjoy their stay in a building that meet their needs. Children enjoy the varied, communal outdoor and indoor spaces. Specialist interactive technology enables children to play games and to create their own music.  Children are safe and have breaks in a safe environment. There is a renewed emphasis and greater awareness of safeguarding matters.

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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

(4) The registered person must ensure that staff have the appropriate level 3 qualification. 1 March 2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Agree an approach to meeting any relevant educational targets while the child is at the short break setting. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.22)

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Recommendations

 Establish whether a child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan. If the child does, staff must take account of the health objectives it specifies. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.6)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children’s positive behaviour is reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff continually and actively assess risk. This specifically relates to reviewing children’s individual risk assessments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the children’s guide helps children to understand how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that appraisals take into account, where reasonably practical, the views of other professionals and children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority managed short break service for seven children who have a learning or physical disability.  

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18 January 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18 August 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

12 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Children enjoy life-enriching short breaks, which enable them to fulfil their potential. Their engagement in meaningful activities expands their experiences. They are able to nurture their talents and explore their personal interests. Staff positively share the hobbies and interests of children, examples being music, arts projects and sports. Children benefit from personally tailored activities within the setting, in the local community and further afield. The high staffing levels enable them to have individual attention, where necessary. Parents highlight how happy and settled their children are. A parent describes the service as ‘fantastic’. Another comments that staff ‘are doing an amazing job’.

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Good

Staff understand children’s needs. The service celebrates children’s achievements, and this recognition further enhances their self-esteem. A staff member remarks that it is ‘great to see children smile and laugh’. A professional highlights the improved quality of interactions, meaningful engagement and communication between children and staff. This contributes towards children’s improved moods. A social worker highlighted that a child had made a ‘complete transformation’. Parents highlight that their child is calmer, more sociable, more independent and self-assured. Parents particularly appreciate that children’s opinions matter and the service gives them ‘a voice’. Giving children the confidence to express their wishes and positively inform their time at the home. Storyboards also assist with expanding children’s levels of understanding. Creatively explaining important matters effecting them.

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Good

Care planning effectively details individual needs. Staff follow these plans which ensures that children receive a personalised service. Parents take a key role in the care planning process. There is an acknowledgment that this process could have greater uniformity. For example a few plans lacked education targets and health objectives. Short breaks enable children to enjoy and achieve new things which contribute to their informal learning. Where a child has an education, health and care plan this should inform the home’s care planning. This led to missed opportunities to incorporate relevant documentation.

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Good

A strength of the service is their transitional work. This facilitates the smooth transition of young people to alternate adult provision as they move toward adulthood. The service strongly promotes independence, focusing on children’s abilities. Opportunities to help children learn include staff encouraging the undertaking of daily personal and household tasks. Where possible, children make their beds, assist with serving food and with other aspects of their daily routines. Staff use hand-over-hand techniques, to ensure that all children increase their capabilities. Activities such as baking and shopping also contribute towards their independent living skills. Staff undertake good partnership working with a range of professionals. An example is using the communication tools learned at school to promote a consistent approach to working. This enables children to assert their views and choices; which informs their daily routines and preferred activities.

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Good

Children enjoy their breaks in a building which is continually improved. A staff member describes the building as ‘unrecognisable’. A professional confirms that the building is ‘more welcoming’. Children’s art work, new furniture and soft furnishings contribute to a less institutional atmosphere. Children enjoy the varied communal outdoor and indoor spaces. Specialist interactive technology enables children to play games and to create their own music. In addition, multi-sensory areas provide a calming and stimulating environment.

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Good

Children are safe and live in a protected environment. Children using this service have very limited comprehension of risk. The comprehensive internal and external security system ensures that there is no unauthorised access to children or unknown adults. The location risk assessment includes a good police synopsis of the neighbourhood. Children do not go out unaccompanied and there are no issues with them going missing from the setting. There is a good understanding by staff of child sexual exploitation and the need to be vigilant whilst out in the community. There are no concerns in relation to children expressing extremist views. Staff are fully aware of their duties under the ‘Prevent’ guidance.

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Good

Children learn the importance of personal safety. Fire evacuation plans are tailored to their specific needs. This ensures that children receive the appropriate support during fire drills and in the event of an emergency. They also receive protection by staff knowing the hazards highlighted in their individual risk assessments. It is the expectation that these documents are reviewed at least annually. Records indicate that individual risk assessments are not always updated within this time scale. Staff do, however, identify collective risks, as part of their shift planning. There is a clear complaints procedure and issues are positively and promptly resolved.

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Good

There is a renewed emphasis on, and greater awareness of, safeguarding matters. The revamping of policies and procedures means they now meet regulatory requirements. A large safeguarding information display provides staff with extensive written materials. Staff feel confident in this area and are clear about their responsibilities. They benefit from general and bespoke safeguarding training. The home has effective links with the local safeguarding personnel. There is an efficient response to child protection concerns, which are immediately shared with the local authority. Each shift has a designated safeguarding lead. The protection of children runs like a thread throughout individual supervision, appraisals and team meetings. This helps to create an open and safe ethos.

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Good

Staff benefit from comprehensive training which enables them to manage children’s behaviour positively. The ethos of the home requires the use of de- escalating techniques and non-physical intervention. Staff do not restrain children but skilfully distract them in a non-invasive way. Staff constructively work with parents to address behaviour management. This involves openly sharing information which helps in managing children’s moods. An example is using music to soothe a child during times of distress.

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Good

Children generally learn the importance of behaving in a socially acceptable manner. A good example of this is apologising for their negative actions. Staff do not use sanctions, but it is the expectation that they routinely discuss unacceptable behaviour with each child. However, incident records do not always detail whether this action has taken place. There is a need for a more consistent approach to promoting positive behaviour. The Guide to the Quality Standards highlights that staff should routinely ensure that positive behaviour is reinforced, praised and encouraged and poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. This will assist children with their personal development and strengthen their understanding of right and wrong.

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Good

Children benefit from the effective leadership and management arrangements. The highly supportive senior leaders have a clear understanding of the regulatory framework. Parents and social work professionals greatly appreciate the service. The latter highlight that they are ‘very impressed’ with the service. They also wish that the home had the ‘capacity to do more’. They explain that the service helps ‘to stabilise families’ and prevent children ‘from coming into care’. This is a valued service and there is an acknowledgment of the need to embed practice further. Through the introduction of significant changes they are building a good foundation for providing high quality care.

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Good

The new registered manager is suitably qualified and has over 20 years of social care experience. This individual has instilled into his team renewed confidence, purpose and pride in its work. Parents describe the registered manager as being ‘very good’ and ‘going over and above’ to meet their needs. A professional describes them as being ‘a breath of fresh air’. The registered manager proudly states that ‘exceptional is our standard’. They express exceptional satisfaction with their staff team and their individual skills, knowledge and abilities.

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Good

Parents and professionals confirm that the service has improved. Parents highlight the increased communication and the easily accessible registered manager. They gave an example of emailing concerns and having an open dialogue with staff. There is good continuity of care through the introduction of a communication book between the service and parents. Parents’ consultation events enable them to share their views in a formal setting. Staff are also working with parents and children to develop a life skills programme.

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Good

Children receive care from an experienced, committed staff team. A parent highlights that staff ‘are doing an amazing job’. A professional describes them as ‘shining stars’. A staff member gave a touching example of helping to make a child’s ‘dream come true’. The good rapport between staff and children contributes to the relaxed amiable atmosphere and to their job satisfaction.

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Good

There is a strong focus on developing the workforce. Staff training is in progress to meet the level 3 vocational requirements. This mainly relates to staff who hold other professional qualifications. Individual supervision and team meetings enable staff to reflect routinely on their practice. Along with ongoing training and annual appraisals, these facilitate continuous learning and improvement. Staff additionally have lead areas of responsibility. A staff member describes this as being ‘very empowering’. Staff also share their expertise within the department.

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Good

Children benefit from the clear plans to further prioritise their needs and take the service forward. Quality assurance corresponds to standards and regulations. The system enables management to evaluate the quality of care effectively.

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Good

The children’s guide is currently being updated. The draft document does not have the contact details for the Children’s Commissioner. This means not all information regarding independent advocacy is available.

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Good

Staff have a meaningful appraisal which clearly highlights their achievements and identifies future objectives. Although appropriate the system misses the opportunity to take account of the views of children and other professionals.

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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 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 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 children looked after 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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