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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 have built strong and well-established relationships with the core staff team that cares for them.  The nurturing care approach implemented by staff provides young people with a safe and secure environment in which to live.  Staff have established positive relationships with the young person’s family. Consequently, the young person greatly benefits from his frequent visits from family members who are extremely important to him.  Staff work collaboratively with other professionals in the interest of the young person, promoting his well-being and safety.  The young person’s self-confidence and daily life experiences are built on through the promotion of positive activities, interests and hobbies.  The young person makes progress, with a reduction in risk-taking behaviour due to clear consistent boundaries being in place and positive aspirations being encouraged.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge it to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5, engaging with the wider system, to ensure that children’s needs are met (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15). In particular, they must ensure that robust challenges are made to the placing authority, to make certain that young people’s new education placements are sourced quickly.  The registered person must actively seek independent and internal scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulation 44 and 45), to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement

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Recommendations

breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24). In particular, there should be clear evaluation of the lessons learned detailed in the regulation 45 report.  The registered person should seek to establish a diverse staff team with a range of interests, skills and experiences. They should lead staff to share those interests, skills and experiences with children to enrich the children’s lives (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.6). In particular, when filling staff vacancies, they should ensure that the staff team has sufficient experience and a gender balance.

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation and provides up to two medium- to long-term placements to young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

5 Feb 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

10 Feb 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

Good

The young person has flourished as he builds secure and trusting relationships with the staff who care for him. The young person said, ‘I get on really well with all the staff,’ and an education provider said,’ I have noted the good relationships that the staff have built with X.’ Because of these connections, the young person listens to advice and engages, keeps himself safer and has more positive daily life experiences. Staff know the young person very well. They demonstrate being aware of his specific care and support needs. The young person has good health. He has participated in all health check-ups. He undertakes regular physical activities, while pursuing his interests and hobbies of golf and football, which keep him physically fit. The young person explained that it is routine for him to give his views and opinions and to make choices that affect his daily life. He said, ‘Staff ask me my views all

p.6

Good

the time,’ and ‘I decide each week the activities I want to do and the menu for the week. I chose the colours for the lounge being decorated and the curtains. I think I have good taste as they look great.’ The young person knows the complaints procedure and named particular staff whom he would go to with any concerns. His views about his care and future plans are gained when he attends his statutory review. Thus, it is routine to listen to and consult young people. The young person has built on his independence skills, meal planning, cooking, baking and budgeting. He takes pride in keeping his home clean and tidy. He has a real flair for cooking. This ensures that he has a good level of independence skills appropriate to his age. Staff work very closely with the young person’s family. They are supportive and facilitate visits. The young person said, ‘My family visit every week: my mum one week, my nan and grandad the next.’ Family members say that the staff are great,

p.6

Good

keep them informed, and make them welcome when they visit. This provides the young person with a strong sense of identity, and ensures that he keeps in touch with those who are important to him. There is a strong focus on building the young person’s leisure interests and hobbies. In turn, this increases his self-confidence and social opportunities, and brings increased enjoyment and further positive experiences. The young person engages in a number of sporting activities, goes to the cinema regularly and on day trips. These have included going to Alton towers and the coast. There has been disruption to attendance and engagement at the young person’s education placement. This has been due to the placement having to be changed because of a court directive. While the manager has been proactive and contacted the young person’s social worker and virtual school head, the allocation of a new placement has been slow. During this period, the young person’s previous

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Good

education placement has sent some coursework to be undertaken. Staff have promoted and delivered aspects of other education-related subjects, including physical activities and visits to places of interests. This has not fully met the young person’s education needs for several months. However, a new education provider and tutor commenced the week before the inspection.

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Good

The young person said, ‘I do feel safe here. It’s more than the house,’ and ‘I get on with all staff. They are the best thing about living here.’ He confirmed that the staff talk to him frequently about how to keep himself safe. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures, including how to proceed if the young person was to make a disclosure of mistreatment. This supports the continued protection and safety of young people. Staff know the risks and vulnerabilities that relate to the young person in their care. These include, offending behaviour and the misuse of drugs. Staff are able to express distinctly the strategies that they use to reduce or eliminate the dangers. Any changes in the identified risks prompt a risk assessment review and update. As a result, the number of incidents relating to risk-taking behaviour have reduced. These practices keep the young person safe. The number of episodes of the young person going missing have reduced. There

p.7

Good

have been five such incidents since the last inspection. Staff work in conjunction with the police and promptly implement the missing-from-care protocols. The young person receives return home interviews from an independent person to ascertain the reasons for his taking this course of action. Staff are clear that, in the main, these incidents relate to the young person wanting to see family and friends. Staff continue to work with the young person. Regular family visits take place to reduce these occurrences further. The young person receives a consistent message about positive behaviour. Staff meet with the psychologist to discuss and devise suitable and individual behaviour strategies. The young person benefits greatly and responds to the clear rules, boundaries and incentives in place. Consequently, over time his behaviour has improved. Angry outbursts and negative behaviour have reduced. Young people live in a homely, safe and secure environment. Health, safety and

p.7

Good

fire checks on the premises and appliances are routinely carried out. This assists in maintaining everyone’s safety.

p.8

Good

The new manager has taken up post from March 2016 and is currently in the process of registering with Ofsted. She has 14 years’ relevant experience of working with children and young people. At present, she holds a national vocational qualification (NVQ) at level 4 in care, and is to complete the level 5 diploma qualification in management. The manager disseminates her priorities to the staff team. These focus on the needs of the young person in her care and include implementing the home’s statement of purpose. She demonstrates a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the service. This has informed a plan to continue to develop and improve the service and care provided to the young person. The manager has acted to implement the two requirements and one recommendation made at the last inspection. Recruitment to some staff vacancies has not taken place. Recruitment files now detail the specific support plans

p.8

Good

required for the new employee. New carpets for the lounge, hallway and staircase are in place. These actions support improvements to the quality of care, safety and the environment. Staff receive a good level of support through supervision. They have daily shift handovers and regular team meetings, which promote effective communication and consistency. A member of staff said, ‘Our main strength is being consistent in the care we provide to our young person. We work very well as a team.’ Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the young person’s needs and care plan. Their consistent care approach results in positive progress and outcomes for the young person. Staff have built positive relationships with professionals and agencies. These include health services, the youth offending teams and education providers. An education provider said, ‘We have good communication which supports X. Staff phone and email frequently. Staff work tirelessly to encourage and support the

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Good

young person to engage in education.’ The service reports all significant events to the appropriate individuals and organisations, including Ofsted. This demonstrates that the service has taken all the necessary actions and precautions to promote the welfare and protection of the young person concerned. Staff are well trained, the majority holding an NVQ level 3 in care qualification. They receive regular refresher training in areas such as fire safety, medication, first aid and health and safety. There is more specialist training in behaviour management, the service’s safe and sound model and drugs awareness. Staffing levels are appropriate and remain at two to one, for the young person in residence. Although there has been recruitment to some vacancies, the team is still short of the stipulated complement. There is a deficit of male staff. It is not significantly affecting the young person’s care. However, it could do so if not addressed in the

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Good

near future. Detailed monitoring systems ensure that the quality of care provided to young people is of a good standard. Monitoring reports reflect areas stipulated in the regulations. However, the regulation 45 report lacks a full evaluation. It does not always clearly stipulate how to address the shortfalls identified.

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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 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 that 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 whom 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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