Children's home in Belfast

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:

 The home has a new registered manager. She provides strong and supportive leadership. She has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has plans to address any shortfalls.  Children and young people make significant progress in their education, behaviour, emotional well-being and relationships with their families.  Staff are enthusiastic and motivated to provide a good service for children and young people. A social worker wrote: ‘I would recommend this home to anyone else.’  Staff work well with other professionals and parents. They communicate well and develop plans to support children and young people together.  Some minor shortfalls were found. A trampoline mat had small holes in it and was not removed until the inspection. Some staff are unclear about whistleblowing procedures. The views of children and young people are not always recorded in the sanctions record.

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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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12. The protection of children standard

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to hazards in the home: 12(2) In particular, the standard requires the registered provider to ensure (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 30/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s internal whistleblowing procedures through the induction process. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9)  Ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home's care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. This specifically refers to recording children's comments in the record of consequences. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Information about this children's home

This children's home provides care and accommodation to up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is privately owned.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

22/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Children and young people have made substantial progress in their education, behaviour and contact with their families. They get on well with staff and each other. Staff have warm and supportive relationships with children and young people. They know and understand them well. They have a good understanding of why they behave in the ways that they do. They have access to good information about them, which helps them to provide consistent care with strong boundaries. This helps children and young people to feel safe and secure. The health of children and young people is promoted. They are in good health. They have access to healthcare professionals as required, including mental health services. The company’s therapy service supports staff to provide a therapeutic approach, aiding the emotional well-being of children and young people. Children and young people make significant progress in attendance at school, and

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Good

most are achieving well. A child said: ‘School’s all right.’ A headteacher said of a young person: ‘His behaviour and attitude towards learning has changed dramatically and he got the ‘most improved student’ award.’ Staff facilitate and support their learning. A headteacher said: ‘Staff sit with them in class and encourage.’ This helps children and young people to access learning. Children and young people benefit from positive contact with family and friends. These important relationships are fully supported and facilitated by staff. Furthermore, they have helped children and young people to strengthen their relationships with family. Children and young people are encouraged to give their views and wishes about their care and their home. They have weekly house meetings in which they can discuss any concerns they have, such as the menu, the house and activities. They also attend their statutory reviews and are encouraged to voice their views.

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Good

The environment is becoming a more homely place for children and young people. A youth offending officer said: ‘The living room looks fantastic. Feels like it would be good to chill in here.’ Bedrooms are highly personalised and provide children and young people with privacy. Communal areas provide spacious living accommodation where children and young people can be away from others if they wish. The garden, with its football goals, is also spacious and well maintained. Judgement grade

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Good

The behaviour of children and young people has significantly improved. A social worker wrote about a young person: ‘His incidents of absconding and criminal activity have decreased. He seems more settled and is able to present himself in an appropriate way when talking to professionals.’ Incidents continue to occur but less frequently. For some, the poor behaviour previously exhibited has gone. Staff have fully implemented the therapeutic approach adopted by the company, with support from the home’s therapist. Staff believe that this has made a substantial difference. A police officer said: ‘It’s very rare we’re called out to the home. They manage incidents well in house.’ Staff have the skills to manage incidents of violence and aggression well. They receive regular training, which includes de-escalation techniques. Consequently, incidents of physical intervention are reducing. Records are detailed, and the

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Good

registered manager provides good oversight. Children and young people appreciate the incentives scheme, which has had a positive impact on their behaviour. Sanctions (consequences) are given for poor behaviour. The children and young people have the opportunity to reduce their sanctions by demonstrating good behaviour. However, their comments are often missed from the sanctions record, which means that it is difficult to ascertain how the child or young person felt about the sanction. The registered manager said that this is something that she is working on with staff. Risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing from the home, have dramatically reduced and are now rare. Children and young people say that they still smoke cannabis but rarely do this while at the home. Staff talk to them about the dangers of smoking cannabis, and evidence shows that this has reduced some young people’s use of the drug. Children and young people do climb onto the roof of the

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Good

bungalow, but these incidents are also reducing. A young person said that staff talk to him about going up onto the roof and try to stop him. Staff do all that they can to prevent children and young people accessing the roof. Staff have a good understanding of most of the home’s safeguarding procedures. They work closely with social care and the local authority designated officer. Some staff demonstrated a lack of understanding of whistleblowing procedures though. This issue will be addressed with further training. Health and safety systems are generally well managed. However, it was not reported when a young person put holes in the mat of a trampoline. Therefore, no action was taken until the inspection, when a child said that he would not go on the trampoline because it was no longer safe, as he had put holes in it. The trampoline was immediately dismantled and a new system of checking was put in place to prevent this situation from occurring again.

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Good

The recently registered manager is not yet qualified but is taking the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare and expects to complete this by April 2017. Nevertheless, she offers good support and leadership. Monitoring systems provide her with a good oversight of the home’s strengths and weaknesses, and she has good plans in place to address any shortfalls. The recommendations made at the previous inspection have been completed. The home has a relatively new staff team, which the registered manager says she wants to ‘support and nurture’. She wants staff to ‘exude an air of aspiration and commitment, which will ultimately get our young people to where they want to be’. The registered manager, with the support of the operations manager, has the skills required to develop, challenge and extend the staff team. Staff are provided with an adequate induction into the home. They start with a few

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Good

shadow shifts during which the children and young people and the member of staff get to know each other. During their first six months in the home, they attend a range of mandatory training courses, which include safeguarding children. However, for some staff, whistleblowing has not been properly explained, and, consequently, they do not have a good understanding of it. The operations manager said that this is something she will go over again with all staff, as it is such an important issue. Staff have access to good training opportunities. Part of their mandatory training is a company-produced package about the therapeutic approaches used in the home. Staff are fully supported by a company therapist to develop strategies to meet agreed targets for children and young people. Staff feel very well supported by each other and the registered manager. They receive regular staff supervision that provides them with the space and time to

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Good

genuinely reflect on their practice. The staff team has stabilised after a turbulent period. The rota is well organised to include experienced and new staff on each shift. Very few staff are qualified, but all are either completing an appropriate qualification or are enrolled on the course. All staff demonstrate a passion and enthusiasm for improving the lives of children and young people in their care. Staff work well with other professionals and parents. A social worker wrote: ‘The overall communication is good. I get regular updates with what takes place. There is consistency of staff and my young person gets on well with most of them.’ Social workers receive weekly reports about their child or young person. Some parents also receive weekly reports. This helps them to continue to feel part of their child’s life. A police officer regularly visits the home for a cup of tea and a chat with the staff and young people. This has helped children and young people to appreciate

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Good

the police and see them as something positive. A social worker wrote: ‘I would recommend this home to anyone else.’

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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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