Children's home SC032715

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 have warm, trusting relationships with staff.  The manager and team know the young people well. This allows positive, enabling relationships to develop.  Episodes of missing have reduced and staff analyse the data around such episodes to improve practice, resulting in young people feeling safe and cared for.  Supervision of staff has improved and, as a consequence, practice is more consistent.  Young people take part in regular activities which improve their health and well- being.  There is a strong understanding of internet safety and how the influence of this can lead to risky situations for young people.  The home is warm and welcoming. Young people contribute to decisions about the home’s decor, both in terms of their individual and the communal space.  ‘Holding the Space’ councils allow for the exploration of group living by young people and staff and the impact that this has on them as individuals.

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Statutory requirements

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

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if: (a) a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious (c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there (d) a child protection enquiry involving a child: (i) is instigated (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry) (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (5) A notification made under this regulation: (a) must include details of: (i) the matter (ii) the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified (iii) any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the

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Requirement Due date

matter (b) must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4), (5)) 11/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to updating risk assessments and staff following strategies contained within them, the registered person is required to ensure: (2)(a) that staff: (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 (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm 19/08/2016 (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. (2) The registered person must: (a) maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 (b) ensure that the records are kept up to date (c) retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child: (a) the date of the child’s admission to the children’s home (b) the date on which the child ceased to be accommodated in the home (c) the child’s address immediately before being accommodated in the home (d) the child’s address on leaving the home (e) the child’s placing authority (f) the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated. 19/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulation 12 (2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

 Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills, such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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Recommendations

 All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Recommendations

 Some records may be kept electronically (regulation 38) provided that this information can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. Electronic records should be held at the individual home in accordance with data protection principles. IT systems should ensure the safe storage of these records and business continuity planning should be in place to prevent loss or damage to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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Recommendations

 Regulations 35 to 39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to care for up to six young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. It is provided by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

02/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people state that they enjoy living at this home. A young person said, ‘The staff are really caring.’ The home is welcoming and, although still undergoing redecoration, is well equipped. Rooms that have been decorated are bright and homely. Young people have chosen the decoration for their bedrooms and have personalised them. The result is that young people develop a sense of belonging.

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Good

Young people are listened to and have their views taken into account. This is achieved by a variety of means, including young people’ meetings. At such meetings, information is shared both ways between staff and young people, allowing issues to be addressed. In addition, consultation documents are used as part of the emotional resilience analysis undertaken by key-workers. Information is gathered in relation to how young people feel about a range of topics, including relationships within the home. During such consultations, a young person highlighted that pets form part of a family and this was responded to by the introduction of rabbits. The result is that young people develop an improved sense of self-worth. In addition, the introduction of pets enables young people to develop empathy for others.

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Good

Individual sessions with key-workers take place regularly and are recorded. While the topics discussed do relate to the plan of care for the young people, they are reactive rather than planned in terms of topics covered. Such planning would enable outcome monitoring to be stronger and ensure that the identified needs of young people are met.

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Good

Young people’s attendance and achievements within education are mixed. Some achieve success and have a clear pathway they wish to follow. For others, improvements are evident from their starting points. Staff support and recognise education achievement. Computers and books are available to assist young people in education achievement. Staff advocate well on behalf of young people and work hard to ensure that they receive opportunities to test out work or college placements and make choices that suit their abilities.

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Good

The range of activities available to young people has improved. Young people enjoy activities such as scouts, arts and crafts, bowling and taking part in school trips. However, activities continue to be organised in a reactive rather than planned way but young people state that they can see an improvement. A young person said, ‘I have a good time on activities now.’ Friends visit, providing they have positive relationships with the young people, and are welcomed by both staff and young people. Young people who have previously lived at the home return regularly, demonstrating their appreciation for the help they received and their sense of belonging. A young person visiting during the inspection with her partner stated, ‘This is a good place, I enjoyed my time here even though I didn’t want to come at first.’ The result is that current young people see positive role models who they can relate to.

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Good

Young people are enabled to develop skills and knowledge to manage their lives as adults successfully. An independent living skills programme is in place, but the completion of this is inconsistent across the group of young people. Staff support young people who don’t yet feel ready to tackle the development of such skills. However these programmes are not persistently applied, undermining young people’s best opportunity to deal with the tasks of adulthood.

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Good

Young people are healthy and manage to attend appointments. Some young people do have issues around their health and engage well in services. They are supported by the staff, who transport them and attend appointments when young people request this.

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Good

Young people have a clear complaints procedure to follow. Where complaints are made they are investigated and a response is forwarded to the young person. The impact is that young people gain a sense of being valued, which improves self- esteem.

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Good

Contact is recognised as important in the lives of young people. Most young people have improved family relationships since coming into the home. They have been able to use the positive relationships they have with staff to reflect on their histories. The impact is that they are able to develop coping strategies that allow them to rejoin their family, either permanently or to visit, including overnight. This allows young people to manage the inner conflicts they experience when living away from the family.

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Good

Young people are safe and state that they feel safe. Risk assessments that explore individual and generic risks have improved. However, strategies to manage the risks are not always followed, in particular when young people are reported missing. In addition, these events and incidents do not always trigger an update of the risk assessments. This results in inconsistent assessment of the overall risks, causing unnecessary confusion for staff about the most effective action to take. Episodes of missing have reduced and there are clear plans of action for staff to follow to minimise the need to involve the police at an early stage. Where episodes do occur, return interviews are carried out. This gives young people an opportunity, independent of the home, to discuss any concerns that may have led to their episode of missing. The impact is that young people have an increased sense of safety and an understanding that their concerns will be listened to.

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Good

Transitions to and from the home are recognised as important times for young people. Staff plan such transitions well and consider the risks of a young person joining the group. However, these do not examine the impact of this for individual young people, and this oversight risks undermining the stability of placements.

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Good

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques and restraint is rarely used. There has been one incident of restraint since the last inspection and the information contained gives a clear picture of the actions of staff. Individual crisis management plans are in place that direct staff to the triggers for behaviour and strategies to follow if an incident occurs. This results in behaviour being addressed consistently and quickly. This adds to young people’s sense of safety.

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Good

Sanctions are used minimally and most relate to restitution for damage. Staff are working with other professionals to develop a more restorative approach to dealing with behaviour. A social worker said, ‘They show good resilience in working with (name) and deal with (name) appropriately.’ This approach will further develop young people’s understanding of impact and empathy.

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Good

Potential bullying is anticipated well and risk-assessed in the home. Occasional incidents of low-level bullying do occur, but are quickly addressed by staff and recorded appropriately. This ensures that a culture of no tolerance of bullying, as stated in the young people’s guide, is developed.

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Good

Staff have received up-to-date training in safeguarding, including preventing child sexual exploitation. There is a child sexual exploitation champion within the team who attends regular multi-disciplinary information sharing meetings. This results in risks being identified at an early stage that allow for a proactive approach to safeguarding.

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Good

Young people and staff have a good understanding of safer ways to use the internet. Staff have up-to-date training on safe use of the internet, the manager is involved in rolling this out across a range of homes and it is recognised as a strength. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. Improvements in leadership and management can be seen within the processes of supervision and monitoring. The lack of support for the manager from senior management and his need for additional training have now been addressed. The impact is that he is now aware of the strengths and areas for development within the home but continues to struggle to have an impact on the culture of the team.

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Requires improvement

Supervision takes place regularly, although the quality of records remains variable. The result is inconsistencies in practice within the team. Appraisals have been undertaken, but there are gaps in the subsequent development planning for staff. However, staff still feel that there is a lack of direction from the manager. A member of staff said, ‘People need to be accountable and not blame others.’ Communication between the members of the team was raised as an issue of concern by both staff and other professionals. A handover observed during the inspection exemplified this, where a lack of planning and recording led to some information being vague. This ultimately has an impact on the delivery of support and safe practice to young people. Communication between staff needs to improve and be recorded to ensure consistency in terms of ethos and practice.

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Requires improvement

The quality assurance and monitoring that the registered manager completes has improved, reflecting more evaluation and analysis. However, the evaluation does not include strategies for practice improvement. The impact is that staff are not enabled or directed following learning from such monitoring.

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Requires improvement

Records and recording remain an issue. There is an electronic system, but this proves to be difficult to navigate and access. The manager states a lack of understanding of information technology in some staff has led to difficulties experienced during the inspection. Duplication is an issue and where information should be stored in two places it is only evident in one. There are inaccuracies in recording, including wrong dates and information which has been cut and pasted. This increases the risk of communication not being clear and effective. The register of admissions and discharges of young people is a further example of inaccurate recording. Dates and information were missed and the electronic register only held the most recent admissions. As a result, this does not present an accurate record of who has lived at the home. This information is required and is subject of a requirement raised at this inspection.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager and staff team continue to need to have their understanding of the regulations and quality standards expanded. The links between information and how this evidences work undertaken with young people continues to be an area of weakness. Most incidents of safeguarding in relation to young people are notified as required. However, the recent suspension of a member of staff was not. This does not allow the regulator the opportunity to ensure that all relevant protocols and processes were followed. A requirement has been raised at this 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 ‘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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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