Children's Home run by Footsteps a Path to Change Limited in Staffordshire

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people are positive about the staff team and feel looked after and safe. Young people are listened to and their views acted upon.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people have developed in their attendance at school and are making good progress in achieving educational goals.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Good health arrangements ensure that young people’s physical and mental health is promoted throughout their time at the home.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff are aware of safeguarding procedures and can discuss how they would support young people should an incident occur.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Good behaviour management systems have resulted in a reduction in restraints and sanctions.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 The home does not currently have a registered manager, although the current management team works well to support both the young people and the staff.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Monitoring systems are good, although there is a lack of a clear plan for the development of the care provision. Some improvement in training records is also necessary to show how staff develop their knowledge and skills.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff have worked well to respond to previous recommendations and requirements.

p.3

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.4

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must– 13.2 (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 30/09/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home (Regulation 27.1). 30/09/2016

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the workforce plan be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8).

p.4

Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a small private organisation. It offers care for up to three young people, primarily with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is set within a rural environment.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

14/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

26/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

Young people receive good-quality day-to-day care that is individual, and sensitive to their needs. It promotes positive self-esteem and has helped young people to develop a sense of belonging. Young people are provided with an environment where they have developed trusted and secure relationships with a stable team of experienced, qualified and skilled carers. Staff attempt to help young people to develop a sense of permanence. Relationships between young people are positive, which helps them to feel settled and view the home as a long-term option. The staff team are committed to listening to young people and are active in seeking their views about the care they receive. Young people can express their views, both in a group setting or individually by several means. Their views directly inform menu planning, shopping lists, activity planning, holiday planning and furnishing and decorating choices in the home. A recent upgrade of the television

p.6

Good

‘package’ they can access has come directly from requests made at young people’s meetings.

p.6

Good

Young people have access to a good range of social and recreational opportunities, and staff actively promote their engagement with these. Consideration is given to the social needs of the young people and has resulted in their involvement with scouts and one young person having weekly guitar lessons. The staff have good links with other bodies that develop young people’s self-esteem through the use of activities, including pamper sessions and bike repairs.

p.6

Good

Staff promote contact well. They take young people to their families, often a substantial distance, to ensure that positive links continue. These positive links help young people to feel ready to leave the home when appropriate. Contact helps with the sharing of information at the point of admission. This information is updated through the review process.

p.6

Good

Young people’s health needs are identified and met by a range of local health services. Specialist therapeutic help from a psychologist linked to the service is made available to young people and the staff team. Staff encourage young people to look after their health – promoting attendance at appointments for the dentist, even when they are reluctant. Good consideration is given to responding to young people’s sexualised behaviours, enhancing their safety. Young people demonstrate a commitment to their learning. They are educated in different educational placements. Their attendance levels are good and their progress is evident. Staff support young people with their studies and encourage them to achieve more.

p.6

Good

The home is well looked after, comfortable and includes areas where staff can meet with young people on their own or in groups. Young people enjoy the personalisation of their rooms; one room, for example, includes some stunning wallpaper. Young people have differing opinions of the rural location; comments made include, ‘it’s too quiet and you can’t get anywhere’, to ‘it’s nice to feel as though you are out in the middle of nowhere’. Young people are aware of how to raise concerns, although no complaints have been made since the last inspection. They are offered independent advocates from the point of admission, with some making use of this service. Staff are mindful of the effects of new admissions to the home. Decision-making regarding new placements is informed by a pre-admission risk and matching assessment, which is completed by the management team and examines the risks relating to all others in the

p.6

Good

home. In preparation for leaving the home, some young people demonstrate basic practical independence skills, such as the ability to cook, do their own laundry and keep their environment tidy. An excellent independence flat allows staff both to support young people and to allow them to experience what it is like to be on their own.

p.7

Good

Good systems are in place to ensure that health and safety checks are completed on a regular basis, including fire safety checks. An up-to-date fire risk assessment helps to keep young people and staff safe. Young people state that they feel safe within the home and think that the staff look after them well. Staff have a good awareness of safeguarding procedures through regularly updated training. Although no safeguarding concerns have arisen since the last inspection, the home has improved on the evidencing of its actions with regard to an incident, which was ongoing at the last inspection. ‘Trigger Plans’ and risk assessments are in place with regard to young people that go missing. Only one very short missing episode has occurred since the last inspection, with staff able to show that they are aware of what to do in such instances. No young people display self-harming behaviours, although general individual risk assessments include this

p.7

Good

area in case a concern should arise. Staff use effective behaviour management systems to promote positive behaviours. A successful reward system is in place where monetary rewards are used to encourage young people to develop skills such as tidying rooms and also for doing well in school, although one young person admitted ‘[I] don’t really do well with it, I’m really quite lazy sometimes’. No restraints have been recorded since the last inspection. This is a significant reduction for one young person since their move from another placement and highlights staff’s ability to respond to challenging behaviours. Sanctions are appropriate and in line with restorative justice, allowing young people to become aware of the actions of their behaviours. No young people raised concerns about bullying Staff meetings include discussions regarding the interactions between the young people, and no concerns have been

p.7

Good

identified. No new staff have started at the home since the last inspection, and recruitment systems were assessed as good at the last inspection. Records were not, therefore, examined at this inspection.

p.8

Good

The management situation of the home has recently changed. The responsible individual offers a strong level of support to the management team. The deputy manager is in the process of applying for registration, as well as completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. This needs to be completed. The current deputy has a wealth of experience in residential care and are supported by a strong and stable staff team.

p.8

Good

Monitoring systems allow the management team to have a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the care provision. Six-monthly reviews are held. These reviews are detailed and highlight the way that young people have been worked with. However, plans for the development of the home are weak, and do not give a clear direction of the way that the home may work in the future. Reports from monthly visits from an external party show that they talk with young people regularly and gain information from social workers and others associated with care within the home.

p.8

Good

Three requirements and two recommendations were made at the last inspection. These have all been fully responded to including: improvements in school and college attendance, improvements in staff awareness of safeguarding practice, greater awareness of risk assessment, six-monthly reports being sent to Ofsted and improvements in working with young people to develop their independence skills. This highlights the staff’s enthusiasm for responding to issues raised.

p.8

Good

Relationships between staff and other professionals linked to the home are positive. Social workers state that communication from the home is strong and they are kept up to date with issues.

p.8

Good

The home’s statement of purpose is kept up to date and gives a clear view of the way that the home works with young people and professionals. Admissions to the home are in line with the objectives set out within the statement. A young people’s guide provides a simplified view of the statement, including relevant information regarding issues such as pocket money. Staff are well supported within the home. Regular staff meetings are held and include discussions regarding the issues relating to young people as well as developing good practice. All staff are supervised on a monthly basis and receive annual appraisals to develop their skills and awareness of their roles within the home.

p.8

Good

Training systems are strong and staff receive a range of training opportunities, which are updated to help support the needs of the young people. However, these are not consistently clear within the training matrix, and do not show the full scale of staff’s awareness of different areas.

p.9

Good

The home is well staffed and the stability of the staff team helps young people to feel that they are living with a settled group of adults.

p.9

Good

Staff are aware of the need to inform different professionals following a significant event. This ensures that those involved with the young people are kept up to date with concerns that staff have.

p.9

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’.

p.10

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

p.10

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.

p.10

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

p.11

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 .

p.11

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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

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

p.12