Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

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 speak positively about the care they receive and the quality of their relationships with staff. They enjoy the activities they take part in and say that they like living at the home.  Young people live in an environment where they confirm that they feel safe.  Young people benefit from good health and there is a high level of support offered to young people to ensure that their health needs are met.  The manager ensures that contact with significant family members and friendships for young people are encouraged, supported and maintained well.  Staff ensure that young people’s views and opinions are central to the running of the home and carefully considered in all decision making.  Staff are proactive in supporting young people to attend education, with realistic targets in place for them to achieve.  The manager ensures that staff have a good understanding of safe working practices and have established effective collaborative working with all

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The children’s home provision is good because:

relevant agencies to safeguard and protect the welfare of young people.  The manager and staff ensure that young people are consistently encouraged and supported to increase their independent skills in line with their age, ability and level of understanding.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 There are a few shortfalls in practice. These include the manager not undertaking regular supervision with staff and not updating the children’s guide.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience, specifically on a consistent basis (Regulation 33(4)(b)). 08/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): Ensure that the children’s guide helps children to understand: what the day-to-day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’), and the care they can expect to receive while living there. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned service is both a children’s home and a school that provides care and education for up to 10 young people who have significant social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The children’s home can accommodate up to 10 young people, with a further two young people accommodated in the satellite home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people benefit from good-quality care that contributes to them making very good progress in many aspects of their lives. This is because a competent staff team places young people’s individual needs at the centre of their everyday practice. One social worker reported: ‘[name] is totally a different young person from what he was when he was placed. He’s turned his behaviour round and his personality is well noticeable.’ The manager ensures that placement plans are clear and set out what staff must do to meet the needs of young people. All staff are aware of the detail of plans, which are regularly updated and highlight whether young people are making progress or require more support. This ensures that young people are treated consistently, and know what their objectives are and how these will be met. Young people are registered with GPs, dentists and opticians. They attend their routine health appointments with good support and encouragement from staff. The

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Good

organisation’s therapeutic team works alongside staff and young people, providing clinical oversight and offering one-to-one sessions with young people. This means that young people with specific emotional health needs receive appropriate support. The manager ensures that medication is stored safely, and that arrangements for the administration and recording of prescribed and non- prescribed medication are effective. All young people attend the organisation’s on-site school. There is a good relationship between education and care staff that ensures consistent care and support both in school and within the children’s home. Young people have achieved good attendance in school and have made considerable progress relative to their individual ability. A social worker reported: ‘He’s making steady progress in his education and has a better attitude.’ The manager ensures that there are opportunities available for young people to

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Good

give their views about the home. Regular residents’ meetings take place with the manager and individual key-working sessions are completed. This means that young people have some influence over their care, activities, meals and the house rules. Young people are involved in a range of activities, such as football, fishing and youth club, and enjoy holidays and visits away from the home. They are encouraged and supported to follow individual interests and hobbies to develop their talents. The manager ensures that young people have clear contact plans in place to ensure that they retain positive links with family members and friends. Staff support these arrangements practically, as well as providing emotional support to young people. This ensures that young people remain close to individuals who are important to them and benefit from being involved in a wider support network outside the home. The service has a satellite home that is under the same registration. The main

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Good

house includes the school, and there is a smaller home situated close by that accommodates young people on semi-independence plans. Young people work with key workers and take carefully planned steps towards achieving independence. They learn about money management, shopping, cooking and taking responsibility for their own healthcare. A social worker reported: ‘this placement has provided him with the right environment and commitment to help him mature and thrive.’

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Good

Young people’s safety is promoted because staff understand how to keep young people safe; they are well trained and understand the procedures to follow in relation to safeguarding concerns and allegations. Staff work with young people individually to address any vulnerabilities and risks. One young person reported: ’Yes, of course I’m safe, the staff always look out for us.’ Young people know how to complain about the service if they wish to do so. The staff will support young people in making complaints if necessary and they understand their role as advocate. One young person reported ‘I know how to complain but I have nothing to complain about, I am quite happy’. Young people confirm that staff make it clear to them that they can tell people outside the home if they are unhappy, and they provide information and contact details of independent advocate services for this eventuality. Individualised risk assessments and behaviour management plans identify risks for

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Good

young people, which help to protect them. Regular individual care planning sessions, incentives and rewards are all used to good effect to help young people develop socially acceptable behaviour. Staff are trained in the appropriate use of physical restraint but only ever use this as a last resort, preferring to use de- escalation techniques. All incidents are recorded and evaluated at staff meetings to ensure that any learning is captured. The manager ensures that locally agreed protocols inform the home’s missing- from-care procedures. As a result of this, staff work effectively with the police and the local safeguarding team to ensure that information about young people is appropriately shared so that they can be protected from risks in the community including exploitation. The manager ensures that the main house and the semi-independent provision are safe places for young people to live. Regular health and safety checks are carried

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Good

out, and all young people participate in regular fire drills so that they know how to exit their home safely in the event of an emergency. Young people are protected by the organisation’s recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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Good

An appropriately qualified registered manager is in place. The manager has been in post since April 2014 and holds a national vocational qualification in leadership, health and social care at level 4. The manager ensures that an independent person visits the home every month to monitor and report on the quality of care provided. Monitoring reports review the home’s performance and young people’s progress, and identify areas for improvement. Regular consultations with young people, parents and other professionals influence the progress of the home and ensure the monitoring of the quality of care provided. The manager ensures that there are good working relationships with other agencies and organisations, utilising their skills and experience to inform staff practice and to support young people. For example, the local police and community support officer (PCSO) is a member of the school council and regularly attends the

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Good

home to speak to young people both formally and informally. The manager ensures that all staff complete a range of mandatory training, refresher courses and training in particular areas such as attachment and radicalisation. This ensures that staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are competent in looking after young people. All staff members have a minimum of either a national vocational qualification in childcare at level 3 or are imminently due to complete their course within the regulatory timescales. However, staff supervision is not taking place regularly. This means that the monitoring of individual staff performance is not being undertaken and their practice is not being supported. The manager ensures that young people receive support as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. It provides clear information about the level of service provided, plus clear information for stakeholders about the home’s aims and

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Good

objectives and the facilities offered. This helps users of the service, including young people, their parents and social workers, to be clear about what the home provides. The home’s children’s guide is a generic organisational document that does not provide specific information on the home. This means that young people are not able to access unique information about the home or the area in which they live. The manager has in place a detailed development plan to help drive forward further improvements to the service. This plan is currently under review. There were no requirements or recommendations arising from the home’s last inspection.

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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 the ‘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 that 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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 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.ofsted.gov.uk

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