Children's home in St. Helens

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:

 This is a well-managed home with good staffing ratios at all times which safeguards and promotes the welfare of the young people and meets their unique and highly complex needs and positively responds to their diverse personal preferences.  Young people are always at the centre of this home’s practice, irrespective of the significant challenges they present.  There is a good range of opportunities for young people to positively contribute to their day-to-day lives and to the continual development of the wider organisation.  Staff have the proven ability to re-establish constructive family contact for young people and ensure that it remains a safe and positive experience for all concerned.  The staff are strong and effective advocates for young people in ensuring that they receive the assessments and specialist services they require to best meet their specific and more complex needs.  Young people have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of

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The children’s home provision is good because:

constructive activities. Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported, which strengthens confidences and competencies.  This is a competent staff team who effectively, calmly and safely manage some extreme behaviours without resorting to police involvement.  There are particularly good internal auditing systems in place, identifying patterns and trends, key strengths and areas requiring further development. Three recommendations have been made to further improve: the scrutiny of agency staff’s qualifications and experience prior to working at the home; the robustness of independent monitoring visits; and the children’s guide.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  To meet the leadership and management standard, the home should demonstrate that before an agency member of staff commences a shift, there is a robust process of checking that they have the qualifications, training, experience and competencies required to meet the complex needs of the young people living at this home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)  To meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, the home should produce children’s guides in appropriate formats for each young person to ensure that they are meaningful documents. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The independent person appointed to carry out monthly visits to the home

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Recommendations

should undertake unannounced visits to avoid compromising a rigorous judgement about the safeguarding arrangements in place and the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2016 Interim Declined effectiveness

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Good

Both young people are happy and settled at this home and are developing a strong sense of belonging. They benefit from being well cared for by an experienced and stable staff team who know their individual needs and nuances extremely well. The staff actively listen and show a genuine interest in the young people’s daily experiences and share their delight in all their achievements. A teacher of a new admission said, ‘It was really lovely to see staff supporting his awards ceremony as he has never had that before.’ A young person said, ‘I am praised for good behaviours and achievements all of the time.’ The staff have ensured that estranged family relationships have been re- established. This helps young people to better understand their backgrounds and maintain their unique identities. The staff are suitably trained and are highly skilled at supporting family contact so it remains a safe and positive experience for all

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Good

concerned. Staff place the well-being of young people at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the significant and sustained challenges they present. Furthermore, they show them dignity and respect at all times. High staffing ratios enable them to be extremely attentive to young people’s individual needs. Young people’s wishes and feelings are central to the day-to-day running of the home. As an example, one young person has positively engaged in 45 consultations over a six-month period. Frequent individual sessions explore highly relevant issues, including e-safety, healthy lifestyles and appropriate relationships. Young people also influence the development of the company as a whole due to their active involvement in the children’s care council. They were particularly thrilled when they successfully negotiated an increase in pocket money. Any reasonable request is positively responded to if it is in their best interests. For

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Good

example, one young person had a change of key worker and increased his free time to 10pm. Another young person’s family contact has increased from school holidays only to every month, which he is very happy about. This reinforces the fact that their opinions genuinely matter, which demonstrably increases their self- esteem and confidence. Consequently, the young people living at this home are all making good progress from their individual starting points. Comments include: ‘Moving to this home was a good thing. I like the food and get on well with the staff. They took me for a Chinese buffet which was really good’; ‘I am happy here. I like all the staff and I enjoy contact with my family.’ Since the last interim inspection in March, one young person’s whole persona has changed. He no longer has a hood hiding his face but gives good eye contact and was seen smiling, chatting and enjoying appropriate banter with the staff team. An

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Good

independent visitor highlighted, ‘There has been a significant reduction in incidents compared to when he was first admitted. He has come a long way in a short time.’ One young person particularly benefits from strict routines around bedtime. This helps him to settle and so he is not tired in the morning and behaves well at school. Schools confirm good partnership working with this home. This ensures excellent attendance and sustained progress. Staff transport young people to school every day and effectively support one young person in school to enable him to reach his full potential. Daily handovers ensure a consistent approach. He also benefits from sessions with the company’s educational psychologist, a mentor and individual tuition. All this support has effectively maintained his school placement, having previously been permanently excluded. His teacher is very impressed with his progress. He said, ‘He used to be restrained

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Good

daily due to aggression towards staff and other pupils. There has been none since March. He has shown an improved attitude to learning and has developed positive relationships. He has improved self-reflection about when it is appropriate to listen and speak and is developing tolerance of other pupils’ opinions.’ This is outstanding progress given his complex diagnoses. A key strength of this home is the wide range and frequency of constructive activities young people take part in, both inside the home and in the local community. In fact, they enjoy at least 30 meaningful activities every month. This includes membership of local organisations. One young person attends army cadets and has recently been awarded ‘cadet of the night’ on three occasions. He has now passed his recruitment course and has attended a three-day camp. One young person goes to a youth club three times a week and has sustained a positive

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Good

friendship and now enjoys going for tea with his peers. These are all very significant achievements given the young people’s recognised attachment and learning difficulties. These opportunities all serve to strengthen the young people’s sense of belonging. Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported, which further develops their competencies and confidences. Current examples include fishing and art. The staff are also particularly proactive in helping young people to explore new hobbies. They have a good knowledge of the local area and keep abreast of meaningful activities and events young people can take part in. Comments from young people include: ‘I take part in lots of activities I enjoy. Camping with the fire cadets was brilliant. I really like playing pool with staff and I love go-karting’; ‘I like fishing and last time I caught 20. Staff took a photo of me with a perch because they said they are rare’; ‘I went camping and jet-skiing and

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Good

was told I could choose what we put on the barbecue because it was my holiday, so we had steak every night.’ This young person thoroughly enjoyed this new experience and ‘behaved impeccably all weekend’. This is outstanding progress given the complexity of his needs. This home offers the young people frequent age- and ability-appropriate opportunities to learn the practical, emotional and social skills necessary for future successful independent living. One young person on admission was extremely anxious, on lots of medication and did not want to leave the house. Four months on and he is no longer on any medication. Moreover, he thrives on taking part in activities outside the home, is competent to do his own washing and cooking, and is now volunteering at a local animal sanctuary. This is all outstanding progress. Personal hygiene has markedly improved, which positively impacts on self-esteem. One young person has a talent for baking, much to the delight of the staff.

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Good

One highly vulnerable young person has just started going to town independently on the bus. Currently, the staff follow in the car and meet him at the terminus to check he is not anxious, then he goes to the youth club on his own. The staff are strong and effective advocates for young people in ensuring they receive the assessments and specialist services they require to best meet their specific and more complex needs. For example, one young person with cognitive impairment is receiving specialist input to help him better understand, and therefore feel less anxious, about natural changes to his body and appropriate relationships. Social workers are consistently highly satisfied with the quality of care provided at this home. Recent feedback includes: ‘This home is warm and inviting and decorated to a good standard. The staff are quick to respond to individual needs. In particular, they provide a varied activity programme and good support to meet

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Good

his health needs’; ‘This home is providing the safety and stability my young person needs and I am kept well informed of his progress’ and ‘The staff are doing everything to meet my young person’s challenging needs. They are fully aware of, and work to, his care plan and promote his wishes and feelings at all times. I have good relationships with this team and communication is excellent. This includes weekly updates.’ Judgement grade

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Good

Young people with significant attachment disorders are building trusting relationships with the staff. This is enabling them to openly express their feelings about previous traumatic events and to discuss more appropriate ways of managing their anger and frustrations. They also feel safe to enjoy being children again and to take part in lots of age-appropriate activities. One young person is particularly benefiting from positive caring male role models. This has all resulted in their anxiety levels demonstrably reducing. One young person is very clear that ‘If I can’t go home, then I’m not leaving here.’ Other comments include: ‘I want to stay here because the staff keep me safe’ and ‘I have been helped to understand why I am in care and staff understand my feelings.’ A commissioner wrote, ‘This young person has complex needs. He has lived here since September 2015 and is much more stable. His previous placement only

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Good

lasted a few weeks. This home responds quickly to his changing needs and will ensure additional support is sourced when required to ensure everyone is kept safe. They are always open to working in new ways to meet needs and have the best possible outcomes. The communication is very good, including fortnightly meetings with the operations manager.’ Impact risk assessments are completed prior to any new admission, taking into account the needs, vulnerabilities and views of young people already in placement. This is to ensure that everyone is kept safe. None of the young people take illicit drugs or drink alcohol, go missing or commit offences, so they are not putting themselves in unsafe situations. The staff have the competence and confidence to enable young people to take age-appropriate risks as they develop into adulthood. There is ample documentary evidence of frequent discussions on how to keep safe and act appropriately online and in the

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Good

community. This home emphasises the positive reinforcement of good behaviour and efforts. One young person said, ‘I got some fish and ornaments for my tank because I have been good.’ The relatively few sanctions imposed are evaluated by the manager to ensure that they are effective and proportionate to the particular misdemeanour. Appropriate rules and boundaries are frequently reinforced and consistently applied in spite of some extreme challenges. All the staff are trained in behaviour management and are highly skilled at de- escalating techniques. One member of staff said, ‘The behaviour management training has helped me massively in understanding how each child responds differently to situations.’ This team demonstrates resilience, patience and calm in effectively managing some significantly challenging behaviours without resorting to police intervention. The appropriate use of restorative justice has also successfully avoided

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Good

criminalisation of young people while still encouraging them to reflect on their behaviours. The use of restraints is stringently monitored by the manager to ensure safe practice at all times and that the least restrictive hold is applied for the shortest duration. The need to restrain one young person has continued to significantly decrease because he is being effectively helped to manage his emotions and has formed trusting relationships with the staff. He said, ‘After I have been restrained, staff talk to me about it.’ All the staff are regularly trained to ensure an appropriate response to any allegations of abuse. Records show correct procedures are followed in full collaboration with relevant safeguarding agencies. This team also reflects on all significant incidents and considers lessons learned to try to prevent a reoccurrence. This home is decorated and furnished to a good standard throughout and young

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Good

people’s bedrooms are highly personalised. All the required health and safety certificates are in place to ensure a safe and well-maintained environment, and the young people have benefited from specialist input to ensure a good understanding of fire safety. Robust recruitment and selection processes are in place for employees of this organisation to ensure a safe and competent workforce. However, the information forwarded from the agency they use to maintain high staffing ratios does not adequately reflect the subject’s experiences and competencies. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager of this home is newly registered with Ofsted. She was promoted from her deputy position on 1 April 2016. This means she was already competent at supervising, appraising and developing staff and completing rotas to ensure that the home is always appropriately staffed. The manager is suitably experienced and has commenced the required management qualification for this highly responsible position. She has excellent organisational skills and a particularly calm and caring approach during the management of extremely challenging situations. This makes both the young people and staff feel safe. The manager provides clear direction and good support to her team. She is very child-focused and leads by example. Consequently, she is held in high regard by her colleagues and team. Comments include: ‘All her decisions are child-focused, supported by sound rationales. She is very organised and methodical in her

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Good

practice. All administrative tasks are completed promptly and to a high standard’ and ‘She has proved to be an effective member of the management team. She is committed to the children, her team and the organisation. She has shown she is able to lead and direct staff and, when necessary, deals with performance issues.’ There have been no changes to the permanent staff team, so young people are well cared for by a stable, experienced and competent team with a diversity of skills. This manager has very good team awareness and takes full advantage of, her team’s individual strengths including recording, computer and organisational skills, promoting sports, activities and independence. This is a strong motivator so staff morale is high. The home’s statement of purpose is frequently updated to ensure that it always accurately reflects the home’s aims, policies and practices, and the qualifications and experiences of the staff who work in the home.

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Good

The home’s development plan is discussed at every team meeting so there is a sense of shared responsibility and accountability. Comments from staff include: ‘We are always striving to improve and we include young people’s views’ and ‘We discuss our views in team meetings about improving the home and we are listened to.’ Staff confirm their receipt of regular, good-quality supervision and timely annual appraisals. They say management support is good and the directors of the company are accessible and approachable. They are very satisfied with the quality of training provided to aid their continual personal development and to meet young people’s specific needs. Comments include: ‘My induction prepared me very well. I got all the appropriate training courses I needed and was always on duty with experienced staff’; ‘I get a lot of support from my team and my manager. In supervision I am set new challenges for my development. E-safety was the last project I did with the young

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Good

people’; ‘I feel we are supported very well. I get monthly supervision, but my manager is always there to help anytime’ and ‘I receive loads of training and refresher courses. They are all very helpful because they are specific to the children we work with.’ This company has increased the range of courses available, recognising they have a number of highly experienced and competent individuals. Recent examples include ‘Young people and pornography’ and ‘Young people, sex and the law’. Two requirements were made at the interim inspection on 3 March 2016 in respect of the internal and external monitoring processes in place. The reports of independent monitoring visits since the last inspection now show increased consultations with young people and stakeholders in reaching an opinion on the conduct of the home. However, the visits are not unannounced, which compromises a rigorous process. There are now very good internal auditing systems in place. The first report by the

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Good

new manager following her initial review of the quality of care provided is accurate, analytical and evaluative. It demonstrates she is a reflective practitioner and has identified areas for development. Three recommendations were made at the last inspection. In response, the quality of paperwork has significantly improved and the service has secured independent advocacy for all the young people. The children’s guide has been revised so it is more child-friendly and there is clear evidence that the contents were discussed with young people. However, the format is still not meaningful to the young people currently living at the home given their levels of understanding. Detailed notifications of significant incidents are forwarded to Ofsted in a timely manner. These demonstrate that correct procedures are followed and effective collaborative working is well established with all relevant safeguarding agencies to

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Good

ensure young people’s continued protection.

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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, 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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