Children's home run by Young Foundations Limited in Wirral

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make excellent progress in all areas of their life.  Young people make meaningful and warm relationships with an experienced staff team that works hard to achieve a high standard of care.  The emphasis on safeguarding young people is strongly integrated into day- to-day practice.  Staff place the well-being of young people at the heart of their practice. This provides an extremely nurturing and welcoming environment that supports the complex needs of young people.  Staff strive to ensure that young people are supported to make continued progress in all aspects of their development.  Staff effectively challenge barriers that impact on young people’s learning. They are proud of the young people’s educational progress and celebrate every success.  The registered manager and staff team confidently and consistently meet their responsibilities to keep young people safe. Young people are extremely

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

well informed and supported, and are empowered to manage their personal safety.  Excellent partnership work ensures that the care and support that young people receive is specific to their individual needs.  Highly effective communication with families and professionals ensures that young people receive high quality and consistent care.  Staff are innovative and creative in supporting young people’s involvement in many aspects of the running of the home and in their care planning.  Young people enjoy a wide range of social and leisure pursuits that match their interest and preferences.  The registered manager is an exceptionally effective leader who sets high standards and motivates staff.  The registered manager is extremely motivated to learn from others and explores research to help her improve the service to the benefit of young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide for six young people with mental disorders and learning difficulties. Young people may stay after the age of 18 to complete their education. The home is one of two operated nationally by a private organisation. A DfE-registered school also operates on the site, in a separate building. Some young people may attend this school.

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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

09/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress in all aspects of their lives because of the care that they receive. One young person said, ‘I have been so lucky to find this place to live, they have supported me to understand my mental health and get my life back on track. The support that I have received here has been great, I am now ready to start college in September my mum and staff are so proud of me’

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Outstanding

Young people’s admissions and discharges are thoroughly planned. For example, the registered manager ensures that she has enough information prior to any new admission. This enables her to make sure matching between all young people is right and does not compromise anyone’s progress. When young people are leaving, staff support them to visit their new placement and continue this support after they leave the home. This shows that staff care about young people’s transitions and want these to be a positive experience for young children placed in the home.

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Outstanding

Young people identify strongly with the staff and are proud to be associated with the home. This positive relationship means that young people receive all the encouragement they need to make meaningful progress in all aspects of their lives.

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Outstanding

Staff strive continually to ensure that they communicate effectively with young people. A variety of innovative methods is employed to do this, including information being presented in pictures. This practice ensures that the voice of every young person is heard. One young person said,’ the staff have a ‘can do’ not ‘can’t do’ attitude, they have made me look at my life very differently. Staff have been open to learning new skills to meet my needs, they include me in making my plans and make sure my voice is heard‘.

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Outstanding

Through young people’s meetings, young people are involved in decisions about the development of the home. Young people are clear of their rights and have strong views on issues such as personal privacy, social integration and social stigma. Young people are fully involved in decisions affecting their life and their home and are particularly proactive in determining and influencing the service they receives. This enhances their day-to-day experiences of living in the home. Young people routinely receive feedback from staff, are reassured and know that their views and wishes are important and valued by others, thus enhancing their self- respect. One parent said, ‘Staff understand my son and that is so reassuring, I could not ask for more in ensuring that my son is safe and well cared by the staff. The home is amazing. The care my son receives is outstanding.’ Staff use their positive relationships with young people to work conscientiously

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Outstanding

with them to encourage positive behaviour to develop. This in turn helps young people to make safety decisions. For example, young people start to understand the house rules and that the rules are there to keep everyone safe. The number of behavioural incidents that they are involved in decreases and young people benefit from living in a calm and well-managed environment.

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Outstanding

Staff skilfully promote peer relationships. These relationships have significantly helped young people to be there for each other and to value difference. Consequently, their self-esteem grows, as they become role models for each other.

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Outstanding

Young people care a great deal about each other. One young person said, ‘My time here has been amazing. I care about all the staff and young people. I feel that this home is like a family. All the young people support each other especially if we are feeling low’.

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Outstanding

An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The staff are devoted to the young people that they care for; I was very impressed with how quickly staff had grasped the young person’s individual needs.’

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Outstanding

Staff vigorously pursue opportunities that enable young people to take part in their wider community. For example, one young person was recently supported to organise a fundraising charity event in their local community. Staff also encourage young people to prepare for adulthood by acquiring life skills. This includes engaging in work experience. These experiences allow young people to increase their self-esteem, confidence and their sense of personal identity. Young people also benefit from formal and informal opportunities to develop age- appropriate life skills and knowledge, such as managing personal care, learning independence skills and time management. These support greater independence and confidence in their own abilities. As a result, young people move towards semi-independent living better equipped with appropriate skills. The registered manager has established effective partnership working with other

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Outstanding

professionals and families. The staff complete monthly summaries about young people’s progress. These summaries enable staff and young people to review targets to make sure that young people have every opportunity to achieve their potential. Staff prepare comprehensive reports for young people’s reviews, detailing their progress and future needs. Young people are supported to attend their reviews if they want to, so that they are involved in and informed about their plans. Consequently, young people are empowered and understand how decisions are made about their lives.

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Outstanding

Particular health needs that can affect future outcomes are identified at the earliest opportunity and staff actively seek out specialist health workers support. This includes help from the organisation’s clinicians. Staff are provided with clinical input to their day-to-day care planning, using this guidance to ensure that young people receive continuity of care that takes account of past trauma. The clinicians also work with young people to monitor and reduce the level of harm that they cause to themselves and others and to help them build positive strategies for managing and enjoying their lives. This approach means that young people receive the specialist help they need to understand their difficulties and to learn new ways of making safer decisions. This in turn means young people develop coping skills to manage anxious that means behaviours such as self-harming decease.

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Outstanding

All young people are making exceptional educational progress because of the support they are receiving. Excellent liaison between schools and home staff ensures that young people are fully supported in their learning. Staff are innovative in their approach to supporting young people overcome educational barriers to learning. One young person had missed a significant period of education due to her mental health needs. This young person was supported to engage in education and attend school on a full time basis. Staff worked collaboratively with the young person and school to develop practical strategies to manage her emotions, while clinical support was made available to key staff at the school to support their understanding of this young person’s needs. This collaborative approach supported the successful reintegration to education for this young person, who is now on course to complete her GCSEs during the next academic year.

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Outstanding

Young people have their own individual interests that are actively encouraged and supported by staff. This includes using local facilities as well as trips further afield and sporting events. Young people are encouraged to be members of local clubs, meaning that they participate in community events and expand their social circle. Young people are empowered by contributing ideas and choosing activities. For example, staff recently sourced a tutor to provide guitar lessons for one young person at their direct request.

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Outstanding

Young people are given every encouragement to keep in contact with their family and staff readily give practical support to make this contact possible. Young people enjoy seeing their families, and their relationship with their loved ones is strengthened. One parent said, ‘the care my son receives is outstanding, staff understand my son and that is so reassuring. I could not ask for more, the home is amazing.’

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Outstanding

Staff give absolute priority to the successful progress and safety of young people. Clinical support is fully integrated into the practice on all levels. Staff continue to increase their knowledge and understanding of young people and continually re- evaluate their practice with the support of a clinician.

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Outstanding

A consultant psychiatrist said, ‘The registered manager and staff embrace the clinical input that is made available to them. They have a willingness to develop and enhance the service. Young people make excellent progress as a result of the care that they receive.’ This practice ensures that staff are able to meet the young person’s specific needs and work effectively in partnership with other agencies, increasing safety for young people. There have been no complaints or missing from home incidents for a significant period.

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Outstanding

Staff foster strong relationships with young people so that agreed strategies to reduce risks of self-harm, sexual exploitation and missing behaviours are successfully implemented. Young people are well informed about risk and understand how to keep themselves safe through effective key work with staff. Staff use their knowledge of young people well to recognise the risks they can face including sexual exploitation. They know the signs and symptoms and closely monitor all young people so that they can identify any potential risks. Staff are innovative in their approach and use effective partnerships with the police to protect young people from harm. Staff recently supported young people to become involved in a piece of police lead community work, raising awareness of child sexual exploitation. The linked police officer attended the home. Young people completed some artwork and signed a pledge to show their support for the

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Outstanding

National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day. This practice means young people are extremely well informed and supported to stay safe.

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Outstanding

Staff know the young people extremely well and have excellent insight to triggers that might result in a reoccurrence of a behaviour or an increase in likelihood that a young person might not cope with a situation. Staff provide exceptionally sensitive reassurance to young people and are proactive in breaking patterns of behaviour.

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Outstanding

Robust multi-agency planning ensures that young people are better protected by agencies that know young people well. Staff share information and communicate effectively in a way in which meets individual need, using widget, the media or simply through individual or group discussions. Young people feel that there are no barriers to their development and progress. Consequently, young people lead full and active lives and their emotional and mental health improves.

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Outstanding

Risk management plans are current and individualised. Staff practice and routines are adapted and adjusted quickly to respond to changing needs, which makes the service very vigilant and attentive to young people’s circumstances. Consequently, young people have the same social experiences as other young people of their age. Plans provide young people and staff with clear strategies to support them in everyday activities such as spending free time with friends and visiting friends’ houses. Staff achieve a realistically managed balance between ensuring that young people are safe and enabling them to take reasonable risks. As a result, young people are helped to develop the knowledge, skills values and attitudes to keep themselves safe and to prepare for adult life.

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Outstanding

The manager ensures that medication is stored safely, and that records accurately reflect the administration of medication. The registered manager robustly oversees and audits the records and practice to ensure safety and compliance. This contributes to a high standard of care and consequently increases safety for young people.

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Outstanding

Staff are carefully selected through a rigorous recruitment process. Effective and safe recruitment practices are in place, meaning that young people are protected from adults who may wish to harm them.

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Outstanding

The young people and staff have created and maintained very welcoming and personalised home and surrounding grounds. Any damage is quickly repaired. Young people are involved in the decoration and layout of the home. Young people are embarking on a sensory room as a new project. Two young people have taken the lead in developing this project. They are in the process of sourcing materials. Though the close consultation with all young people, it is planned that this room will create an additional sensory environment where young people can ‘chill’ and have a space to feel relaxed within the home.

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Outstanding

A highly committed, motivated and dedicated registered manager runs the home. She is very experienced in providing residential care services for young people and is currently working towards a level 5 diploma in leadership and management in children and young people’s residential care services, with a completion date of December 2016. The registered manager sets very high standards for the care offered by staff to the young people and makes sure that these are maintained through strong role modelling and effective supervisions.

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Outstanding

The home operates in accordance with the aims and objectives of its statement of purpose and children’s guide. Practice is based on individual therapy for the young people, which is person-centred and can draw on a range of therapeutic models including cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and attachment focused therapy. These therapies help young people to build up the confidence, self-esteem and resilience that they need to overcome difficult past experiences. The registered manager and staff team monitor the young people’s progress and the overall impact that the quality of care has on their experiences. The staff team uses reflective practice, research and clinical input to challenge their own practice and introduce new strategies to meet young people’s needs better. Recently, staff attended an autism awareness event and gained practical tools to enable communication with young people in situations of high distress. Staff have

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Outstanding

purchased a range of tools including a headset, which allows staff to experience what someone with autism may experience every day. Staff now routinely use this tool; they told the inspectors that the experience allows them to see life through the lenses of young person with autism. This enhances empathic practice and, as a result, the care young people receive is particularly well-informed

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Outstanding

Young people benefit from a suitably qualified and experienced staff team. Where staff do not have the necessary level 3 diploma qualification, they are undertaking this training within the required timeline. Staff have a thorough induction and say that they feel prepared for working with young people. Likewise, new staff are carefully introduced to young people, allowing contact and responsibilities to build at the pace of the young person. Young people are continually consulted throughout this process, to ensure that they are happy, feel safe and are comfortable with the relationships they have with each staff member.

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Outstanding

Staff are well supported through monthly supervisions, annual appraisals and regular staff meetings. The progress and welfare of young people is regularly reviewed, and all staff reflect on their practice and ways of improving and promoting young people’s welfare. This enables staff to identify patterns or trends that negatively impact on young people’s development and the opportunity to devise action plans to address identified shortfalls. Consequently, the service continues to evolve to reflect young people’s individual needs and ensures the continuation of high standards of care in the home.

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Outstanding

Young people’s records are extremely detailed and present an excellent overall picture of their experiences and progress to date. Records are maintained to a very high standard. Young people’s files are up to date and contain all the required information. The staff ensure that they are routinely checked for consistency and content. This ensures that all recorded details are in place, guidance is clear for staff and consequently young people receive continuity of care.

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Outstanding

The registered manager has an excellent understanding of the strengths of the service and the areas for further development. The registered manager and staff use development plans and internal and external quality assurance systems to monitor and improve the practice and outcomes for young people.

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Outstanding

There were no requirements or recommendations made in the last inspection report.

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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 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 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, 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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