Children's home run by BREAK

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:

 Staff use their knowledge of the children’s needs to develop positive relationships with them quickly. This helps the children to make the transition into the home well.  Children have positive regular meetings with staff to look at issues in the home. These meetings involve the children in decisions regarding activities and ensure that their views are heard. This also helps to raise the children’s self-esteem, by making them feel valued.  Staff at the home encourage attendance at school. As a result, children have made good progress at their schools. Children are now on track with national education expectations because they live in this home.  Positive work from the staff has supported family contact, which has increased in regularity. This helps children to maintain relationships with their families as well as to promote their understanding of their backgrounds.  Children talk positively about the staff. Observations of the interaction

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The children’s home provision is good because:

between children and staff show nurturing and understanding relationships.  Children’s behaviour has improved and sanctions have reduced. This is because the staff focus on behaviour management and take positive action with the children.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home, owned by a registered charity, provides care and accommodation for up to four 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

17/3/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

25/2/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Children have made good progress because they live in this home. The staff positively use their knowledge of the children to ensure that the individualised care plans meet the children’s needs. The proactive approach taken by staff to review the care plans helps them to focus on the progress each child is making. The staff use these plans to help the children’s transition into this home. A social worker commented: ‘Staff helped him to settle well. He has made lots of progress and his self-harming behaviour has reduced.’

p.5

Good

Children have good relationships with staff. They have regular planned key work sessions where staff spend time listening to the views of the children. As a result, the children have built trusted relationships and can share any concerns that they have. Children have regular meetings with staff to look at any issues in the home. These meetings provide opportunities for staff to praise the children for positive behaviour. This raises the children’s self-esteem. These meetings also involve the children in decisions regarding activities, which has led to the children taking part in go-karting activities and day trips out. Regular, focused and well-recorded key work sessions provide the chance to consider alternative activities. For example, one child discussed an interest in scooters and roller-skating and, as a result, he attended a nearby skate centre with staff. This supported him in meeting friends

p.5

Good

outside of the home as well as helping him to participate in an activity that interested him.

p.5

Good

Some children attend a therapeutic educational setting where they access all areas of their curriculum. A member of school staff commented: ‘Initially, they were not on track to meet the expected standards in English, mathematics, and science. However, there has been an improving picture in the summer term (since they have been living in this home) when there has been very good progress. They are now on track for national expectations in these subjects.’ Attendance is currently 92.5% for the year as an average for the children living in the home. Other children attend a specialist setting for pupils with complex needs. This includes a focus on social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Information collected by staff during this academic year shows that there has been good progress in mathematics. A member of school staff said: ‘Our expectation in 2016/17 is to focus on accelerating progress and confidence in English.’ Staff in the home

p.5

Good

promote attendance at school for the children, which helps the children to make academic progress. This raises their confidence, develops skills and knowledge, and increases their life opportunities. Children have positive contact with their families. Staff work in partnership with placing social workers to ensure that contact is successful. A social worker said: ‘Staff worked really hard to re-establish great family contact.’ Through this work, contact has increased in regularity. These sessions help children to maintain relationships with their families as well as promote their understanding of their backgrounds.’

p.5

Good

Children have remained in contact with health professionals, such as doctors, dentists and opticians. There has been positive work with medical professionals to help to manage specific health issues. The staff robustly manage the administration of medication. As a result, children remain as healthy as possible. Children eat healthy, home-cooked food. Activities such as attending the gym and participating in sports, for example rugby, help them to maintain their physical well-being.

p.6

Good

The children say that they are happy living in this home. They talk positively about their relationships with staff, describing them as ‘fun’. One child said that he feels, ‘happy and secure’ in this home. Observations of the interaction between children and staff show nurturing and understanding relationships. A social worker said: ‘The staff are aware of the background information, so they know how to respond. They have worked to help the children to deal with emotional issues. Initially, when they came into care, there had been a lot of concern about their behaviour. The staff have been able to communicate with them calmly and compassionately.’

p.6

Good

There are robust safeguarding processes in place. Recently a child raised concerns about an incident in the community. Staff ensured police involvement and provided opportunities for the child to discuss these concerns with key workers. Senior managers within the organisation reviewed the incident and notified Ofsted appropriately. As a result, the child’s concerns were heard, staff took the concerns seriously and managed the situation well.

p.6

Good

The interim manager has updated the location risk assessment to include recent issues in the neighbourhood. He has also reviewed individual risk assessments and shared the findings with staff. As a result, children’s needs are better known and this enables staff to meet these needs effectively. Placing social workers have no concerns about the safeguarding processes in the home. The last incident of missing from home was in June 2016. The children who are currently accommodated feel comfortable in the home and, as a result, they do not go missing. Staff are aware of the risks of exploitation if a child is absent. Each child has a missing from home protocol, detailing the steps that staff will take in the event of an incident of missing.

p.6

Good

Staff have not had to intervene physically for some time. They have developed skills in managing and de-escalating situations, which prevent the need for restraint. Staff review incidents to look at how they have been able to maintain a calm and consistent approach with children, which supports reflection on effective strategies.

p.7

Good

Children receive rewards for positive behaviour. Incentives, including additional activities and an increase in pocket money, have resulted in improvements in conduct. Staff have developed a restorative approach in managing behaviour. For example, a child helped to repair some damage he caused to the decor of the home. He worked alongside the maintenance workers and this helped him to begin to develop an understanding of the importance of respecting his surroundings.

p.7

Good

The registered manager has recently resigned from her post. Effective interim arrangements are in place. An experienced, qualified registered manager from another home within the organisation is temporarily responsible for the day-to-day management of this home. These arrangements are suitable while the provider is recruiting to this post.

p.7

Good

The interim manager has been effective in supporting the staff with good-quality and regular supervision. This helps staff to focus on the safe care of children, on the relationships between the staff and the children and on the staff’s ability to meet the needs of the children. All relevant staff have completed the national vocational qualification training required by the children’s homes regulations. Recently recruited staff have enrolled on this course and they have completed mandatory induction training, which ensures that the staff have the skills to work with these children.

p.7

Good

The interim manager completes a monthly review of care plans and risk assessments. This helps to focus the work that staff complete on aspects of the children’s care plan. This review also ensures that the recordings are of a good standard. Consequently, the acting manager is aware that the children have made good progress, particularly in their relationships with staff, in achieving educational targets and in developing their self-esteem.

p.7

Good

There is a positive professional relationship between the interim manager and the independent visitor. These visits support the manager to focus on the service provided to ensure that it achieves the standards as described in the statement of purpose. For example, the visitor reflects on the developing restorative approach to sanctions. This has helped the manager to review the impact of this approach. This has been positive in refocusing the staff’s practice in behaviour management. Children are encouraged to behave through rewards. Staff have reviewed the use of sanctions to enhance the consistency of approach. Staff are now able to consider more effective restorative sanctions, which has seen a reduction in the use of sanctions. This means that the requirement set at the previous inspection has been met.

p.8

Good

The recommendation from the full inspection is met. The staff have suitably recorded incidents where children have been missing from the home and worked with placing authorities to review these incidents. This has helped the staff to be aware of the factors that led to these incidents in order to reduce future occurrences.

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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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