Children's home SC459255

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 are making good progress from their starting points. The managers have a clear vision for the young people. They prioritise education and training, ensure that there are good structures and routines to support this, and encourage staff to be aspirational and ambitious for each young person.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people benefit from good and improving contact with family members and friends. They report that staff have helped to build relationships where there have been difficulties in the past.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The staff develop positive, nurturing relationships and are good role models for the young people.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff support young people practically and emotionally and ensure that they have a network of support in place as they prepare to move on to independence.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff in this home understand and apply equal opportunities and anti- discriminatory practice. They ensure that all the necessary information about young people’s identity and cultural needs is known in order to inform their care plans.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Some safeguarding practice requires improvement. In particular, risk assessments in respect of two young people should be more robustly implemented.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Repairs are needed to damaged areas of the home, and the recommendations from a recent health and safety audit should be promptly actioned.

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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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The protection of children standard

12.—(2) The protection of children standard requires the registered person to ensure—

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The protection of children standard

(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child 12/09/2016

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The quality and purpose of care standard

6.—(2) the quality and purpose of care standard requires the registered person to—

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The quality and purpose of care standard

(c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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The quality and purpose of care standard

(i) meet the needs of each child 03/10/2016

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned and is registered to care for up to six 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

16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

22/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Young people in this home receive good care. They make good progress from their starting points, their achievements are celebrated, and positive behaviours are reinforced. The good relationships that staff develop with young people are one of the strengths of the care they receive.

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Good

There is a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere in the home. All young people are made to feel welcome from the start. As part of the admission process, young people visit and are encouraged to share information about their personal likes and dislikes. Staff in this home understand and apply equal opportunities and anti- discriminatory practice. They ensure that all the necessary information about young people’s identity and cultural needs is known.

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Good

There is an education welfare lead, who works closely with home staff and the young person. He liaises with the virtual school and the placing local authority to ensure that there is an up-to-date assessment of educational needs and an appropriate education or training placement for each young person.

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Good

Young people are making good, and in some cases exceptional, progress from their starting points. This home prioritises education and training. There is excellent communication, sometimes daily, between home staff and education staff. Young people who have previously not engaged in learning settings are sitting exams and taking on additional studies within the home. Staff and managers are aspirational for them.

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Good

One young person was not in education before moving to this home, and poor management of a health condition was impacting on his routines. His health is now generally stable and he is doing well in his work and college placements. A social worker said: ‘Staff have worked really well with professionals and the young person. He has made significant progress in training and in responding to his health needs. When he came here, he was not engaging with anyone. This has changed as a result of the staff here working with him.’

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Good

Another young person who was starting to disengage with education has just had a positive school report as a result of effective liaison between his key worker and school mentor. He is bright and ambitious and is now back on track to stay on at school into sixth form.

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Good

On admission, young people have comprehensive placement care plans, which include health plans. They benefit from preventative health appointments and regular check-ups. As a result, young people have improved health. There is a smoking minimisation policy and young people have been encouraged to stop smoking or reduce smoking. Changing young people’s smoking behaviour is a challenge, but staff are consistent in the messages they give about the harmful effects of smoking and all substance misuse. One young person has cooperated in attending a medical and an optician’s appointment, having previously refused to engage.

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Good

The placement care plans outline clear routines and boundaries and are underpinned by consistent care. The staff develop positive, nurturing relationships and provide good role models for the young people. This means that young people who have moved on often return and maintain contact. For example, one young person had recently returned before he was due to attend an interview, and staff had coached him for his interview, as well as providing encouragement.

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Good

There is lots of evidence of young people enjoying hobbies and interests such as fishing and cycling, as well as social activities and holidays. As a result, their social skills and confidence are enhanced.

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Good

Young people also benefit from good and improving contact with family members and peers. They report that staff have helped to build relationships where there have been difficulties in the past, and that staff support and facilitate regular contact arrangements. One young person said: ‘The staff make sure we have everything we need. They have helped me have contact with my family, which has got better. I respect what the staff do to help me and they respect me. One member of staff here has particularly helped me to think differently about my life and I am much more positive now — I want to do well in the future.’

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Good

Staff support young people to move on. While living in the home, all young people are encouraged to develop independence skills, such as doing laundry and ironing, and acquiring cooking skills. There is an accredited independence skills package so that young people benefit from a structure for their learning and have concrete evidence of their skills and knowledge. They can share this with accommodation and training providers and/or employers.

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Good

Staff recognise that young people can find the transition to independence difficult and can present challenging behaviours. They support young people practically and emotionally during this significant time of change and ensure that they have a network of support as they move on.

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Requires improvement

To ensure that all young people are fully protected from harm, improvement is required in the way that potentially harmful behaviours are identified and addressed. Although there are detailed risk and behaviour management plans for each young person, this inspection identified that the risk assessments in place did not reflect the significant risks and vulnerabilities of young people. In addition, the management of the implementation of the risk and behaviour plans, in both cases, required improvement.

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Requires improvement

When this was raised during the inspection, managers sought additional information and addressed the weaknesses in the plans immediately. Managers will also undertake a review of information sharing, in these cases, and consider lessons learned to strengthen staff practice and understanding in the future.

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Requires improvement

Despite this shortfall, staff generally demonstrate a strong understanding of the help and protection needs of young people. Given the complex needs of the young people, the number of notifiable incidents is relatively low. There is reduced offending behaviour, reduced substance misuse, relatively low levels of unauthorised absence, and no incidents of young people going missing from home. This reflects the consistent and structured care.

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Requires improvement

Staff consult with social workers and managers appropriately. Staff are trained in de-escalating and distracting young people, and only intervene physically as a last resort. There have been two incidents since the last inspection where staff have intervened to prevent young people from harming themselves and/or staff.

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Requires improvement

When young people have not returned home as planned, staff remain in contact with them, proactively search for them and on their return to the home, complete an exploitation assessment tool. They also have a discussion, as do the social workers responsible for the case, in order to try to prevent this happening again.

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Requires improvement

Managers and staff evaluate the safeguarding information to identify patterns or peaks, so that work can be undertaken to prevent concerns arising again. There was a period of a couple of months when one young person was unhappy about his care plan and this led to a number of incidents of damage to the property. This inspection identified that during this time, some young people’s behaviours did impact on the stability of other young people. They reported that they were unhappy about the damage to the home and felt unsettled. This inspection also found that repairs to the property have not been undertaken in a timely way .

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Requires improvement

Sanctions and reparations are used to address behaviours; records are kept of these and their impact is evaluated. Individual work by key workers with young people is undertaken to enhance their understanding of the impact of some of the choices they are making to their own life chances and to others care experiences.

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Requires improvement

Staff has worked closely with the youth offending service and police to reduce offending behaviour. They have supported young people to complete community orders and to reduce their risk-taking behaviours. Staff have undertaken one-to- one sessions with young people, enhancing their knowledge and understanding of criminal behaviour and its consequences, and the use of reparations. As a result criminal behaviour has reduced and, for some young people, has ceased.

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Good

There have been some changes to the management team since the last inspection; a new registered manager and deputy have been appointed. Both are experienced staff from this home and are suitably qualified. At the time of the inspection, the deputy was on duty in the home. Experienced managers within the provider group have provided advice and guidance for the new management team. The managers also report that senior managers are supportive and visible.

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Good

The managers have a clear vision for the young people. They prioritise education and training, ensure that there are good structures and routines to support this, and encourage staff to be aspirational and ambitious for each young person.

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Good

The managers have ensured that the requirement and recommendations from previous inspections have been addressed promptly.

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Good

This home has a diverse, representative workforce. A senior member of staff said: ‘We are a very committed, nurturing staff group. We always challenge prejudice and work with young people to enhance their understanding of equality and diversity.’

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Good

Staff report that they receive a range of training and development opportunities as well as regular, recorded supervision. A small number of staff are moving on as a result of promotion and career opportunities. However, recruitment is taking place to replace them. Young people are invited to contribute to recruitment programmes.

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Good

Managers and staff work in partnership with professionals and young people’s families. One professional said: ‘There is brilliant partnership working with this home. This young person does not form relationships easily but staff have persevered, together with education and the youth offending service. He realises they just want the best for him and he is achieving it now.’

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Good

There have been particularly good working relationships with health services, which has resulted in significant improvement in one young person’s management of a health condition. Staff and managers also refer to specialist agencies and services such as community groups to meet young people’s specific needs.

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Good

Managers receive monthly reports from the independent visitor about the safety and well-being of the young people. Managers report on key performance indicators to monthly management meetings. The registered manager completes a six-monthly review of the quality of care provided to the young people. Therefore, the care that young people are receiving is subject to a range of quality assurance mechanisms. The managers have identified the use of this information to improve the quality of care, and effective reporting on the progress of young people as areas for development and training for all staff.

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Good

There is an established process for considering referrals and assessing the risks and needs of potential residents in relation to current residents. This includes managers attending placement meetings with commissioners for some of the referrals. This provider has also appointed a placements referral officer to support managers in this decision making. Consequently, the managers in this home carefully consider the impact on the current group of residents before accepting a referral.

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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 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, 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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