Children's home SC474863

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness . This home provides a high quality of care and stability to the young people. The manager and staff understand that to maintain stability in the home it is crucial to ensure that young people are well matched. When there is a vacancy, the manager and staff very carefully consider the needs of the young person referred. They also consider if the staff have the knowledge and skills to meet these needs and if they are compatible with the needs of the current young people. The current young people are prepared well for a new arrival and are keen to help a new young person moving in to settle well. This new young person is being introduced into the home through a well-defined admissions process to welcome him and to help him get to know the home and people there.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people only move on because the aims and objectives of the placement have been met or they have reached the age of independence. When young people leave the home, the manager and staff provide excellent support to them and make appropriate challenge to other agencies if they believe a new placement not to be suitable. The manager and staff care deeply about the young people and want them to have the best opportunity to continue to develop from the foundations they have made. Young people, once they have left, continue to keep in contact with the manager and staff, sometimes for support and advice and sometimes just because they have retained a strong connection to the staff and other young people. A young person said, ‘This is our home, it will be hard for me to leave.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A real strength of the home is the excellent relationships that young people and staff make with each other. Staff like the young people and want them to do well. They understand each young person’s individual needs and know how to get the best out of them. Boundaries are firm but fair and are consistently applied. This provides young people with the certainty and structure that they need and they make improvements in their lives. Their educational attendance improves and they develop an interest in their learning. Their attainment improves as a result. They also learn to keep safe and modify their disruptive and antisocial behaviour. They do make mistakes, but staff successfully encourage them not to see these as a barrier but as a learning experience which they can overcome and learn from. The confidence they have developed leads them to achieve things that would not have been thought possible when they first arrived in the home. For example, one

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

young person has arranged a climb of Mount Snowdon for charity. Staff, young people and the local community support officer from the police are taking part in this. This has been a massive achievement as it has taken a lot of effort and commitment from him to make these arrangements. Another young person stated that he feels he has ‘moved on miles’. The young people have developed into pleasant young adults who have the confidence to try new things and deal with successes and failures appropriately. Living in this nurturing and caring environment has undoubtedly helped them to progress and develop as far as they have.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Serious incidents and occurrences of missing from care are infrequent and are dealt with effectively when they do occur. A parent said of her son’s behaviour, ‘It is all so positive from when he went there. He has done so well.’ However, the record keeping relating to missing from care needs some minor improvements to ensure that that it is clear when a young person has been offered an independent return home interview, and staff do not always remember to sign all entries in the log.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has recently left and the home is being managed by the deputy manager. She is planning to submit an application to be registered. This change in management has had little impact on the running of the home as the deputy manager has had a high level of input into the management of the home for some time. A young person said that the manager gets things done. He said that she ‘pulls the strings’ when in negotiation with his social worker.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been a number of new members of staff recruited, who have settled in well and the young people already say that they like and trust them. The manager and staff have an infectious passion to improve the lives of young people and to support them to become successful members of society. A parent of a young person said ‘Staff doing right by XXX. He has turned into a nice young man… the team are lovely. I am perfectly happy with it.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff report that they feel well supported, and new staff say that they are finding their induction and training very useful in helping them to gain the knowledge and confidence to care effectively for the young people. There continue to be strong working relationships with other professionals and agencies, and a coordinated approach is taken to supporting young people to progress in all areas of their lives.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some shortfalls remain in the staff recruitment process, and the requirement made at the last inspection has been repeated. The shortfalls relate to evidencing that references have been verified. Additionally, the manager was not able to produce, in paper form or electronically, evidence that the staff recruitment policy now includes the expectations about when overseas checks should be carried out for an applicant who has lived or worked overseas.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Generally it has been identified where improvements can and should happen. A requirement regarding the independent visitor periodically seeking the views of people external to the home has been met, and this gives her a more rounded view of the quality of care. However, it was noted that recommendations made in one month are not always reported on in the following month.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The statement of purpose has been updated to comply with the regulations and provides a comprehensive account of the aims and objectives of the home and how they will be achieved. The children’s guide has been improved and clearly sets out the contact details of other professionals and agencies that young people can approach for support and advice.

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered to accommodate and care for up to five 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

14 September 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. This is with specific reference to ensuring that for appointing officers the procedures include instructions about seeking overseas checks when an applicant has lived or worked in another country, and evidencing that references have been verified with the writer. (Regulation 32 (1)) 27 July 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 The independent visitor carrying out visits under regulation 44 must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. This is with specific reference to ensuring that any recommendations made and followed up at a subsequent visit are recorded in the report. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, Quality Standard 15.5, page 64)

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Recommendations

 Records kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home must be signed by the author, and details of whether an independent return home interview has been offered to a young person should be included within the record. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, Quality Standard 9.31, page 44)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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