Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

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:

 This service is good because the manager supports the staff well and they receive appropriate training.  The staff are energetic and focus firmly on the needs of the children. They understand each child well.  Children benefit from a school that is on site and from regular visits from therapists.  Children receive very clear direction and lots of individual support from caring staff. This helps them to learn new strategies for dealing with their emotions.  The statement of purpose and location of the service give children an opportunity to reflect and to redirect their lives. They are much safer than previously and learn how to keep themselves safe.  Staff engage well with other agencies and parents, especially when children go missing.  Children make good progress from their starting points. They usually enjoy their stays here and learn much that is relevant to them afterwards.  The children have fun. Staff engage in a playful but professional way, which

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The children's home provision is good because:

helps children relax and bond with them.  The service has no major failings. However, the targets that staff set for children are sometimes not clear enough. Furthermore, the standard of bedrooms and monitoring of some fire extinguishers has slipped.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, to ensure that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe, the registered person must ensure (2)(b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. This is with regard to fire extinguishers being readily available, staffs’ pets being fully assessed, and individual bedroom door keys being easily identifiable. 29/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered provider must ensure (1)(a) that children receive effectively planned care in the children’s home. This is with regard to children’s individual targets being specific and attainable, and to their bedrooms being maintained to a satisfactory standard. 29/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Staff need to have the knowledge and skills to understand each child's education and training targets and their next steps for learning. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.11)

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Information about this children's home

A large provider of children’s services operates this home. The home is located in a rural area and may provide care and accommodation for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

10/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

‘Children experience a warm and welcoming approach’, wrote one professional. ‘Staff are very friendly.’ This is the basis of the good progress made by the children. Staff keep children occupied with a range of activities. On the day of inspection, staff and children were playing water games in the hot weather. Everyone enjoyed the occasion and, like other events, it educated the boys about playing safely and fostered good relationships between them and the staff. Children speak about staff fondly and confirm that ‘staff like a laugh!’ The home currently provides care for boys up to the age of 14. They have a range of complex needs that present themselves as emotional and behavioural difficulties. Some children benefit from direct input from therapists while others find this too sensitive. Because of the consistent and robust support of staff, children learn to manage their emotions. For example, one now accepts cuddles,

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Good

which he could not do previously. Others can now control their anger and engage in reasonable conversations. One child has learnt to accept that his return home will not occur immediately. This progress means that he benefits more from his relationships with staff and the opportunities on offer. In the context of children’s emotional health, parents feel extremely positive about the service. Even those who live a long distance away feel the same. They have no concerns about the service and are pleased that contact between them and their sons improves over time. One has begun to see her son alone for the first time, which promises much for the future. Children understand the value of this and they give it great value. A professional said that the practice of staff in this area is excellent: ‘Staff have been extremely flexible in promoting the relationship between this young person and his family. There is regular communication

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Good

between staff and the home, and they have made all decisions jointly.’ Children learn to conform to unfamiliar routines. This is a substantial development, which prepares them well for future placements. These skills mean that they enjoy better physical health because they undertake appropriate personal care tasks and attend regular appointments with doctors, dentists, and other healthcare professionals. Their minimal use of illegal substances contributes to their well- being and helps them to engage with educational and social activities. The home is in a high, rural position, and many of the staff enjoy outdoor activities. A current favourite among the children is fishing, even among those who otherwise find it difficult to concentrate. This gives them an important bond with the staff, teaches them how to organise themselves and provides a skill that will last a lifetime. One professional observed, ‘There is good banter, but also respect

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Good

for roles and responsibilities.’ The children gain much self-confidence from these events and talk eloquently about the details. Most children enjoy living here. One informed the inspector firmly, ‘There’s nothing to change here.’ The purpose and location of the home means that it helps children to get back on track rather than fine-tune their independence skills. Within a few years of admission, most children go to community settings. This is usually a planned and positive process. Some children remain for only a short time, but this is increasingly rare, as the manager has improved the admission processes. This continuity helps the whole group to feel secure. Children engage in a daily education programme at the onsite school, which Ofsted is currently registering. The extremely high attendance rates are a major achievement for all the boys, who had previously disengaged from formal education. To their surprise, they find enjoyment and success in the classroom.

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Good

One is doing particularly well at art and said, ‘It’s all right. I go every day. It’s different to other schools I’ve been to.’ However, staff do not completely understand children’s educational targets. This reduces their ability to support children with studies at home, for example, or to identify emerging difficulties.

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Good

Children are safe and feel safe in the home. Since the last inspection, there have been no allegations against staff and no complaints. The location reduces but does not remove the incidence of children running away. Occasionally, children go missing for a substantial amount of time. The rural setting means that staff usually locate disgruntled children before they have gone far. Staff work vigorously with the police, parents, taxi companies and other people to find children who are missing. Although there is a potential risk of sexual exploitation of several children when they are unsupervised, the known likelihood is very low. The staff team itself provides an unusually high level of continuity, and only familiar adults care for the children. New children are the ones most likely to go missing. Usually the incidence falls as relationships with staff are established and children understand the expectations of

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Good

the staff. Staff know that prevention is the best solution to negative behaviour and act accordingly. They are clear and energetic role models for children and ensure that each child is fully engaged in a programme of varied activities. Because of the high risks presented by most children, they rarely have unsupervised free time off site. Staff reward positive behaviour and children earn privileges. This way, they invest well in their own progress. Each child has targets to achieve, some of which are for undertaking jobs, such as helping to clean their bedrooms. The individualised targets for some children, however, are too complicated for them to achieve, which is demoralising. Staff accompany this process with ongoing and substantial dialogue about behaviour and choices. In a written response to Ofsted, one professional said that there is a ‘significant and consistent investment from all staff to encourage reflective thinking by children’. As a result, children increasingly make

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Good

safe decisions. The nature and size of the group mean that bullying is a recurring risk. Like other risks, staff carefully assess and review it. They address incidents promptly and to the satisfaction of children and their social workers. As a result, children consider themselves safe from bullying. In nearly all extreme situations, staff successfully use methods other than physical intervention to keep children safe. Staff review all incidents carefully with the children concerned to help everyone learn how to avoid a repetition. Whatever negative behaviour children present, it is noticeable that staff speak about them in a positive and optimistic way. This is an intrinsic and invaluable feature of the service, which engenders effective relationships with children. The key workers teach every child what to do in an emergency, such as a fire. Some children pose fire safety risks. The processes used by staff, including routine

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Good

equipment checks and tests, keep the property safe. However, minor shortfalls occur in two areas. Two fire extinguishers located near the office are not readily accessible in the event of an emergency, and the individual keys for children’s bedrooms are not readily distinguishable from each other. Both these issues could potentially delay emergency action. Staff occasionally bring their pet dogs to the home. The children love the dog that was on site during the inspection. This pet visits regularly and appears to pose no direct risk. However, staff do not manage their pets according to a clear policy or risk assessment covering, for example, safety, supervision and hygiene issues. This raises the risks unnecessarily. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager worked at the home as deputy manager since it opened and became registered manager in March 2016. He has a leadership and management qualification in residential childcare at level 5, as required, and ensures that the service addresses its statement of purpose well. The transition between managers went smoothly, but inevitably led to some minor shortfalls, as identified in this report. However, the new senior team is now in place and shows energy and skill. There is a clear focus on the needs of each child. The progression of staff into higher positions is good and contributes to the excellent continuity of care that children experience. The sympathetic support of staff by the manager has a systemic effect on the service. The home has a happy and inclusive atmosphere, in which each individual is recognised and supported. Staff receive the guidance and training necessary to do the job well and can describe how they use their skills for children’s benefit.

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Good

One member of staff said, ‘My manager regularly gives me new projects to help with my training and my role.’ The majority of staff are qualified and those who are not are on track to complete within statutory timescales. The last inspection identified a shortfall in the reports produced by the independent visitor. The visitors inserted some conclusions in their reports prior to finding the evidence. Satisfactory improvements have occurred to this element of the quality assurance processes. During this transitional period, the new manager has correctly focussed his attention on supporting staff and creating an effective senior team. He has a satisfactory plan for the further development of the home based on the monitoring tools at his disposal. There is some slippage in the supervision of staff. For example, following a previous inspection, the manager made key workers responsible for maintaining the standard of young people’s bedrooms, but this has

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Good

lapsed. This undermines the otherwise high standards of respect and dignity afforded to children. Staff record the individual needs of each child in their placement plans or ‘trackers’. These documents are up to date and show how to address each child’s religious or cultural needs. The documents are not child friendly, and the manager is considering ways of addressing this. For children, however, the impact of this is minimal because they know what their targets are through frequent conversations with staff. Other professionals are very pleased with the communication from team members about children’s progress. This coordination is a vital component of children’s care and key to their good progress. Such communication also means that staff readily prompt social workers, for example, if they delay arranging meetings.

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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

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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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