Children's home SC033441

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 settle quickly into the home and make progress from their individual starting points.  Young people benefit from a committed, permanent and well-trained staff team, led well by a skilled group of managers.  Outcomes for young people are positive. Staff secure specialist support early and use their skills and experience to plan effectively for moves on from the home.  Despite being an emergency provision, staff and managers rigorously control admissions, securing a full assessment prior to making a decision.  Key work is regular and well recorded. Staff strive to be open and honest with young people and forge trusting relationships.  Young people receive excellent support and access to education. One young person recently completed GCSE exams despite only recently arriving in the country.  Staff benefit from a number of training courses and a rich variety of learning opportunities. This supports managers in driving improvements and

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The children's home provision is good because:

developments in the home.  Communal areas of the home do not appear homely. Notice boards contain posters and leaflets which could embarrass or unsettle young people.  On return home from going missing, young people do not receive an independent return to care interview. This denies them support at a vulnerable time.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely and domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene and so on). However, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing

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Recommendations

risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30).

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children's home is registered to provide residential care for up to seven young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home provides short-term care usually up to 12 weeks, with one medium-term placement for up to 12 months.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

3 December 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

27 January 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

Young people settle well in the home and visibly grow in confidence, despite often arriving in a traumatised state. Staff focus on establishing a solid and secure attachment by supportive and regular key work sessions. This encourages a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Staff take genuine pleasure in the progress achieved by young people. One young person comments, ‘the home has really tried. They supported me in everything. They are truly amazing and they are my first family.’ Young people achieve and make progress in education. The local authority provides a number of learning opportunities, including a recent residential week for young authors. One young person has recently completed five GCSE examinations, fully supported by staff. Staff quickly pursue education provision on a young person’s arrival. For those arriving from abroad, staff skilfully use domestic situations to promote understanding of English. One young person referred to the

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Good

home’s cook as, ‘My best teacher and I learn a lot from her.’ Young people learn transitional skills. Staff focus on budgeting exercises in key work. A semi-independent flat is on the premises. This offers young people a clear insight into the range of services available when they move on. The living areas of the home continue to appear institutionalised and contain excessive amounts of posters referring to issues such as drug use. A sign outside the home clearly indicates that it is a children’s home. This may be unsettling to young people arriving from abroad and/or in a traumatised state. Staff emphasise the importance of healthy living. Young people quickly access healthcare services on arrival. Staff use weekly planners to encourage young people to take medication regularly. The local authority’s dedicated nurse attends monthly monitoring meetings, ensuring that young people receive good care. Culture and difference is valued in the home. On arrival, staff introduce young

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Good

people to their preferred place of worship. Presently, night staff are supporting one young person’s observation of Ramadan by providing food prior to sunrise. Visitors are welcomed to the home. Staff use this opportunity to gain valuable information regarding peer group influences and advise accordingly. This helps to inform risk assessments and safeguard young people. Staff actively involve parents in the care planning process and feedback from parents is positive. One parent described the home as, ‘Always on the ball and they let me know everything.’ Staff work hard to support, monitor the impact of contact and address any issues in an open and transparent way. Staff use their sound knowledge of therapeutic practice to work through family dynamics to assist young people in rebuilding relationships and to make sense of difficult histories. Staff monitor progress at regular intervals over a 12-week assessment period. This

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Good

supports structured and targeted work. Risk assessments are in depth and of good quality. These reports incorporate the observations of specialist services such as the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to assist professionals in making informed care planning decisions. Staff use their deep-rooted knowledge of local semi-independent provision to ensure that future placements are fully equipped to meet the needs of young people. In the event that an appropriate placement is not located within the timescale, staff advocate effectively, avoiding drift and delay. On leaving the home, young people continue to visit the home for advice and guidance. Staff offer outreach work to provide further support and monitoring when young people leave the home. This helps to improve outcomes. Staff proactively seek services and opportunities for young people. One young person is due to move on from the home prior to the summer holidays. Staff

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Good

recognise the possibility of increased vulnerability and have accessed holiday schemes to address this. Staff readily access additional resources. An interpreter formed a close bond with a vulnerable young person. She now provides informal mentoring support and in-depth cultural understanding. This practice increases the possibility of a successful transition from the home.

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Good

There is a strong safeguarding culture within the home. Staff make excellent use of the local authority’s information system to communicate with key professionals and record concerns. The local community police officer is a regular visitor to the home and advises on any risk factors or concerns in the area. Local police report low levels of going missing behaviours and ‘excellent partnership’ working. Young people receive advocacy support and managers act quickly to respond to any complaints or concerns. Staff regularly consult on the drafting of the menu and activity provision. Staff recognise that the use of questionnaires and residents’ meetings needs improvement. This will support the development of the home. Behavioural management techniques are extremely effective and there is no use of restraint. When conflict occurs between young people, staff are quick to intervene and mediate. Effective use of behavioural contracts offers a clear explanation of

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Good

staff expectations and young people respond well. Staff liaise well with youth offending services to track and monitor compliance with community orders when young people go missing. Despite this good practice, independent return to care interviews do not occur on a consistent basis when young people return home after a period of being missing. This denies young people crucial support at a critical time. Young people enjoy safe access to the internet in the home. Controls over the internet provision stop any access to inappropriate websites from the home. Staff advise and guide young people over the dangers presented by the internet and social media such as Instagram and Facebook.

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Good

The home benefits from a committed management group with a vast level of experience of working with young people. The registered manager is qualified to level 5 and supported by two deputy managers. The registered manager was not present during this inspection. However, both deputy managers were an excellent source of information. External monitoring of the home is robust and provides effective scrutiny resulting in clear tasks with timescales for completion. Ofsted receives reports monthly. Despite the rigorous monitoring, two recommendations from the last full inspection remain repeated during this inspection. The impact of them not being addressed does not significantly affect the wellbeing of young people. The management team have a firm understanding of the needs of all of the young people. They lead a settled, permanent staff team. The most recent arrival to the staff team was recruited over five years ago and the longest serving staff member

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Good

has over 31 years of experience. Young people benefit from the consistency and harmonious atmosphere created. Staff have an in-depth knowledge of local resources, this helps to quickly access specialist services and support and guide planned moves from the home. Consequently, outcomes for young people improve. Multi-agency work is strong. Managers attend the local youth violence panel and neighbourhood community forum where strong relationships with partnership agencies are developed. Local residents are aware of the home’s contact details in the event of any concerns. Managers employ staffing resources effectively. Staff attend CAMHS appointments with young people and work in partnership, this ensures that agreed strategies remain implemented in the home and are effective. Staff morale is very high in the home. One member of staff commented, ‘I love my job here. My supervisor really understands me.’ The team is diverse in terms of

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Good

age and ethnic origin and supports the needs of young people effectively and consistently. Staff benefit from direct, clinical and group supervision. These sessions remain led by the in-house psychologist and allow easier discussion of issues. Admissions to the home are well controlled. Despite providing emergency placements, staff and managers use their high level of insight into the needs of the young people in the home to assess the impact of new arrivals effectively. This maintains stability in the home and allows young people to feel safe. There is a varied and extensive staff-training programme, supporting a vibrant learning culture. The home is presently implementing a therapeutic approach across all of children’s services within the local authority. This creates a strong sense of purpose and further consistency across all areas of practice. Staff learn new skills such as Arabic and therapeutic interventions to engage young people

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Good

and support the development of the home. Staff respond well to the allocation of ‘champion’ roles in complex areas such as advocacy. Staff feel empowered and valued by managers and make complex decisions on issues such as admissions. Information remains shared via regular staff meetings and supervision. Case files evidence very effective management audit and regular review of care plans and risk assessments. Managers regularly attend monitoring meetings within the local authority. These address issues of drift and delay and allow for specialist advice from key partner agencies, such as the police. This ensures that risk assessments remain of a high standard. Managers ensure that the home is in a good state of repair with all of the necessary risk assessments and checks undertaken in respect of the living environment.

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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

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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