Tundra House

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 enjoy a comfortable, well-maintained and welcoming home where they can personalise their rooms and relax.  Dedicated and child-focused staff work to enable young people to make progress in all areas of their development and to feel proud of their achievements.  Young people have warm and trusting relationships with nurturing staff who listen to them and encourage them to express their views, wishes and feelings.  Young people have fun with the staff, who make the home a relaxed place to be with banter and humour. Staff take young people on trips out, which they thoroughly enjoy.  Highly trained staff keep young people safe and undertake skilled key work to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe.  When young people leave the home, staff prepare them fully for the move and continue to support them with visits and telephone calls.  The child-focused and ‘hands-on’ registered manager leads a culture that is

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The children’s home provision is good because:

in keeping with the home’s statement of purpose and meets the needs of young people  The registered manager uses feedback from staff, young people, parents and childcare professionals to inform the future development of the service and to drive up standards.  The home has not always provided young people with consistent staffing and the registered manager has been reliant on agency staff to cover shifts. She has now remedied the situation: appointing new staff has ensured that core staff are covering most shifts. The registered person needs to ensure that this remains the case.  One staff member is currently completing his level 3 diploma, but will not achieve this within the required timescale.  Other areas for improvement are record keeping and the development of diversity and identity work with young people.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard: In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must ensure that: (2)(d) the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child (e) the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 30/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers: In order to meet the fitness of workers regulation, the registered person must ensure that: for the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained: (a) the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’), or (b) a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma. 31/01/2017

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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, with specific reference to the diversity and identity needs of young people, the home provides personalised care, which meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. 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’,

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

27/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

23/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people are happy here and consider it to be their home. They enjoy comfortable, welcoming surroundings with a large garden where they play badminton together and with staff. They have personalised their rooms and take pride in the house. One young person likes to help staff out by cleaning the living rooms. Young people have fun with staff, who actively engage them in days out and activities, such as going to football matches and walking. Young people clearly enjoy chatting to staff and exchanging banter and jokes in the kitchen, which forms a focal point in the home. They have warm and trusting relationships with staff and actively seek out hugs and affection.

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Good

Staff listen to young people and encourage them to engage in regular young people’s meetings, when they make requests and address any issues that concern them. These include requests for a new television, for favourite foods and for activities like going swimming or bowling. Young people say what has gone well that week and what has not gone so well and discuss these in the meeting. One young person complimented staff for cooking a delicious curry and playing badminton one week. They also openly talk about things that upset them, like the behaviour of the other young people, in the knowledge that staff will listen and help them to resolve issues.

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Good

Young people have a strong sense that the staff care about them and say that staff work hard to help them to achieve their goals. One young person has progressed in maturity and education and is now preparing for independence and a new college course. Another is aware that since he has been here, he has been able to manage his own behaviour better. Both young people talk with confidence about the progress they are making. They say that the staff strongly support them in this.

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Good

Staff have enabled one young person to continue to attend the school he has always attended, providing huge consistency for him. He has made progress in all areas of the curriculum this year, with 84% attendance, which is a significant improvement for him.

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Good

The young people get on well together and have enjoyed day trips to the sea and theme parks over the holidays without conflict. Staff have supported both young people to engage in a range of interesting and enriching activities. These include attending a number of short courses run by police cadets, which addressed drugs issues and taught first aid. One young person has been scuba diving and another has successfully completed work experience. She is looking for part-time work to complement her college studies.

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Good

Staff work with young people to support their identity needs by addressing family contact. This can be a difficult and challenging issue for the young people, who benefit from the sensitive and perceptive support provided by staff. Young people benefit from links with professionals who have expert knowledge and skills relating to cultural identity. Staff recognise that, to be even more effective, they could develop work that supports young people’s identities further.

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Good

Key work addresses difficult personal issues like feelings, behaviour, preparing for independence, personal hygiene and communication. One young person left the home recently to return to his family, and young people attended his leaving party and made him a fun scrapbook to take away. Plans are in place for the young people to visit him at his home. They know that they will receive the same level of support when they leave and are reassured that staff will keep in touch after their placement ends.

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Good

One young person says, ‘The staff work so hard. They all cover shifts now to prevent agency staff having to be used… the registered manager has made such a difference after we had some time with no manager.’ She loves living here and says, ‘Who wouldn't want to live here?’ The father of the young person who has returned home says, ‘100% they did a good job, they helped him loads and were dead supportive to me, they always brought him to contact. Since he left they have spoken to him and visited. They have done a wicked job with him.’

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Good

Since the last inspection, staff have kept young people safe. There have been no incidents of young people missing and staff have protected young people from child sexual exploitation. One young person says, ‘We are 110% safe!’ Staff have responded quickly and appropriately to some incidents of self-harm, understanding the triggers and ensuring that they meet the needs of the young people on all levels. Family members and childcare professionals consider that staff keep young people safe and respond well to self-harm incidents.

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Good

Unknown men recently contacted one young person on her mobile telephone and she immediately knew how to protect herself. She closed down Facebook and blocked their numbers herself. She then informed staff who contacted the police. The police were impressed with the young person’s ability to protect herself. This is evidence of the effectiveness of safeguarding work that the staff have undertaken with young people. Key work, both formally and informally, addresses child sexual exploitation, behaviour, stranger-danger, drugs, absconding and self-harm. One young person is aware of the improvement in his own behaviour and how this helps to keep him safe. He says, ‘I used to kick off all the time but don’t now.’

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Good

Staff are highly trained and their training is up to date. They work closely with a range of other professionals to safeguard young people, including the police, the youth offending team, schools and social workers. This ensures that staff effectively address issues that could lead to harm to young people. Staff regularly review and update risk assessments and behaviour management plans to ensure their relevance. They have access to the locality report, which highlights any local safeguarding issues. Careful planning for situations where young people might potentially be at risk is effective, and enables young people to participate safely in activities that support their development. The home is well-maintained and safety checks are up to date. All staff are first aid qualified and respond appropriately if young people have injuries.

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Good

While staff are confident in their abilities to safely use physical intervention, this is rarely required, due to their skills at de-escalation and their positive relationships with the young people. Staff successfully use distraction and humour to divert young people away from situations where they might exhibit challenging behaviour.

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Good

Staff successfully managed recent incidents when one young person caused damage at his school by close liaison with the school, the youth offending team and the police. These actions have prevented the young person being criminalised.

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Good

The registered manager holds a level 3 diploma in health and social care and is currently undertaking her level 5 diploma. While she is new to the management role, she has over ten years’ experience of working with children and young people in residential childcare. With one exception, her team members hold their level 3 diplomas. One staff member is due to complete his level 3 by the end of January 2016.

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Good

Since becoming the registered manager in January 2016, the manager has worked hard to develop her team and the service. The registered manager is ‘hands-on’ with young people and has an in-depth knowledge of their personal histories, care plans and care needs. She is very child focused, and young people recognise and comment on the time and effort she puts in. She provides staff with regular supervision that supports and challenges them, encouraging them to reflect on their work.

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Good

The registered manager has made efforts to maintain staff consistency, but has frequently been reliant on agency staff to cover shifts. The company has placed a number of staff here to undertake training in order to prepare them to move to other homes. This situation is now improving, with staff rotas increasingly being covered by the core staff group. The registered manager and staff are aware of the impact upon the young people, but the evidence is that they have successfully met young people’s needs despite this situation. Staff express confidence that the team is now ‘gelling’. The core staff demonstrate that they are child focused, highly skilled and enthusiastic.

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Good

Staff work closely with a range of professionals including the police, education, health and social workers. They regularly welcome the liaison worker for the Gypsy, Roma and travelling community to the home to meet one young person and support their identity. They also advocate on behalf of young people when they identify a need. They have requested that the placing authority provides an independent visitor for one young person who does not have family contact.

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Good

Staff training is relevant and up to date, enabling them to meet the needs of young people effectively. The registered manager uses the home’s monthly independent visitor reports to improve the service. She has, for example, followed a recommendation to use restorative justice more often for young people. This has been proved to have a positive impact on young people’s behaviour. Feedback from staff, young people, professionals and families have informed her review of the service in order to drive up standards.

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Good

The registered person now needs to ensure that the home retains staff, in order to maintain stability of the staff group and consistent care for young people.

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Good

Areas for improvement include staff recording. This needs to provide evidence of the work they undertake with young people more fully. This would be of benefit to the young people and to other staff who are working with them.

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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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