Children's Home run by Future In Mind Limited in Staffordshire

Outstanding

The children‟s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people maintain excellent school attendance.  Young people have excellent social experiences and opportunities.  Placements are sustained over time providing exceptional stability for young people.  Improved family contact enhances and strengthens family bonds.  Young people‟s progress from their starting points is outstanding in respect of their individual journeys.  Young people‟s care is exceptionally personalised.  The home‟s development plan is unique in providing a totally child-centred approach.  Staff‟s excellent understanding and management of young people‟s behaviour protects them and keeps them safe.  Partnership working with external partners and each other is effective.  Staff are committed and passionate. They provide a consistent and dedicated approach.  The manager is a dedicated and qualified leader. There is a strong sense of camaraderie within the team.  There is one identified area that requires improvement. This is in relation to

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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

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1 and must keep it under review and where appropriate revise it. The registered person must notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement of purpose within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(a)(b)) 16/09/2016

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned and the organisation operates other children‟s homes in the area.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

31/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people have excellent experiences and make exceptional progress in regard to their individual stating points. They are happy and enjoy living at the home. This is reflected in the sustained placements that have, for some, been maintained for a few years providing exceptional stability for young people. Staff know and understand how to support the individual needs of young people, particularly when they have suffered trauma. Staff‟s exceptional care practice enables them to quickly establish how to communicate with and support young people. A staff member commented on how important providing the right care is. Some of the qualities that she felt are important are to:

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Outstanding

 stay calm and protect the young people  be approachable  be a good listener  try to get the best out of the young people  be positive and always encourage them  have a good sense of humour  have fun.

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Outstanding

These qualities help to enrich the experiences of young people. As a result, they have fun, become more confident, independent and socially able to form healthy bonds with others.

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Outstanding

Staff quickly forge warm and trusting relationships with young people through hard work and effort. This helps young people to regain trust with adults and other peers. Young people love the staff. They are comfortable and happy in their company. A young person commented about his key worker and said, „Epic. She always listens to me and tells me when I have been good and how I can be good. I love her. She looks after me.‟ Young people new to the home quickly establish and form relationships. This is because young people are sensitive and welcoming to the diversity of others. Young people help others to settle in to the home easily by offering friendship. As a result, good healthy relationships between peers are formed.

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Outstanding

Young people access a wide and diverse range of activities tailored to meet their individual needs. For example, one young person attends a regular community dodgeball class. This has helped him to make friends. This was difficult to achieve in the past. He has also been working hard with staff to plan a summer holiday to Spain. The effort applied in saving up and improving his behaviour has shown staff how determined he is to achieve his goals. The holiday was planned a year ago. This means that young people make excellent progress in developing socially acceptable behaviour and achieving their goals. A young person said, „I am going to Spain on holiday. I have been saving up my money. I go next week.‟

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Outstanding

Another young person new to the home quickly became a member of a local drama group. The staff worked efficiently to gain knowledge from her care plan, previous history and consultation with her to find a suitable class. This helped the young person to feel part of the community and enabled her to settle in to the home. As a result, she is performing at the local theatre.

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Outstanding

Young people are consulted with across all aspects of their care. This takes place daily and forms part of everyday living. Staff capture the young people‟s thoughts, feelings and concerns in a formal and informal way. For example, during a trip out in the community, staff will engage in a topic that is relevant to the young person‟s care without making it feel as though it is a task. This helps young people to feel more relaxed. As a result, they engage more, open up and become more involved with shaping their care.

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Outstanding

Young people maintain excellent school attendance. Staff are highly skilled at motivating and encouraging young people to do well. This gives young people a sense of drive and purpose. For example, staff are quick to recognise areas where young people struggle. They help writing skills by encouraging young people to write their own menus. Reading improves because there is now a designated area in the home that has resources and provides a quiet space where young people can learn by reading books of their choice. Staff are dedicated in their approach to supporting learning. As a result, young people have aspirations for their futures, enjoy their education and achieve positive results. One young person‟s photograph takes pride of place in the lounge, a reminder of her „overall effort‟ at school. A young person said, „I had an awards evening at school and won an award for my overall effort at school. Staff attended. I was taken for a meal out to celebrate.‟ A

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Outstanding

midterm report from education staff commented about the progress of a young person and said, „Fantastic report, I‟m delighted to see that effort is outstanding in every subject area‟.

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Outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress across all aspects of their health and well-being. They are keen to explore the outdoors and recognise the importance of healthy eating and maintaining a balanced diet. For example, during a meal time, staff worked hard with a young person who finds it difficult to try a variety of foods. They offered a variety of options while being sensitive to the needs of the young person‟s diverse tastes. As a result, the young person managed a full meal, including her own choices balanced with alternative healthy options. The progress for this young person in relation to making better food choices is significant from her starting point. A staff member commented about a young person‟s changed experiences in relation to his starting point and said, „He is a very active, healthy little boy. There has been lots of change this summer. He usually would want to spend time on the Xbox. Now he wants to go to the park and uses the trampoline.‟

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Outstanding

The improvement the young people make comes from their improved confidence and staff‟s dedication and commitment to keeping them fit and healthy.

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Outstanding

The therapy young people receive is consistent and shows that young people progress emotionally. Staff work incredibly hard with the therapist to make sure young people are provided with the right support to improve their emotional and psychological well-being. A staff member said, „Every day the activities we do make a difference. We know they are making a difference through his engagement and his behaviour. This includes his mind set. You can see the stages of attachment coming through. For example: Nurture stage  He is more caring, generous, more interested, gives you a hug.  More compassionate towards others.

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Outstanding

Challenge stage  You can set him a chore and a timescale.  He can now do tasks without prompt.  He has set targets like sit ups.

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Outstanding

Staff and young people know and understand what is expected of them to achieve progress from the therapy provided. The staff work in close partnership with the therapist to implement, monitor and track the progress young people make. This helps to gain valuable data and insight into how young people are recovering from trauma.

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Outstanding

Young people make remarkable steps towards independence in relation to their age and ability. One young person is working towards moving to a foster home. Although this is a future plan, he has already worked hard to improve his social behaviour and self-reliance, and displays a keen interest in completing chores, which has now been added to his reward chart. This demonstrates his improved confidence, maturity and awareness of his responsibilities and provides him with a high chance of success in his new home.

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Outstanding

Young people have enjoyable experiences while on contact with their friends or family. Contact improves and strengthens family bonds. A foster parent of a sibling to a young person said, „Contact is brilliant! The staff facilitate the contact at the home. There is always plenty of staff around. The boys spend time together. They can now go to the park which was unheard of before. This is a very positive step forward. It all seems to be going in the right direction. All the children are treated equally.‟

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Outstanding

The home environment radiates warmth that gives it a welcoming and calm atmosphere. The carefully chosen décor in the communal areas, along with the matching soft furnishings, provides a soothing, relaxed feel. Staff have worked extremely hard with young people to enable them to contribute to the redecoration of the home. Young people have chosen wallpaper, curtains and pictures. As a result, they no longer cause damage to the property and are respectful of their surroundings.

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Outstanding

Staff‟s excellent understanding and management of young people‟s behaviour protects them and keeps them safe. Risks to the young person are thoroughly assessed prior to and during their placement. For example, staff implemented the use of an electronic monitoring device at night following the admission of a young person. This was done in consultation with all parties, including the young person. This intervention ensured the young person‟s safety during the night without being too intrusive. A young person said, „It is very safe here‟.

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Outstanding

Staff are innovative in helping young people to understand what they need to do to stay safe. Staff work closely with the local police and local fire service to raise awareness of the dangers that young people can face. For example, when behaviour has become heightened, staff have dealt with it accordingly. Following some incidents, they have invited the police to the home to talk to young people about the consequences of their behaviour, how if it continues it may result in criminalisation. This has helped young people to quickly understand how they must behave and has reduced unsafe behaviours.

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Outstanding

Staff provide young people with the opportunity to become independent while considering the dangers the community may present in relation to their age and ability. Staff are extremely proactive in helping to highlight „stranger danger‟ and the risks of perpetrators when out of the home and online. This has helped young people to become more aware of the dangers and helped them to access the community alone more frequently with confidence.

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Outstanding

On occasion, room searches are undertaken. They are carried out in strict accordance with the home‟s policy and procedures. Young people are always consulted and their welfare is placed as a high priority. This helps to protect young people and others from harm.

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Outstanding

The use of physical intervention is rare. Since the last full inspection in January 2016, there have been two incidents of physical intervention. The use of the measure has significantly reduced and demonstrates the exceptional progress that young people make in managing, understanding and taking responsibility for their own actions. Staff are suitably trained to manage behaviour and use their expert skill and knowledge to de-escalate behaviour before needing to physically intervene. Positive reward is always promoted. This helps young people to make the right choices. When they are given consequences, the option to earn back what they have lost is also offered. This helps young people to self-regulate and manage their behaviour more appropriately. The manager regularly monitors the records and makes amendments where she feels the sanctions are not fair. This ensures equality in issuing sanctions.

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Outstanding

There have been no complaints or allegations made since the last full inspection. Staff are consistent in their sensitive approach when dealing with daily disputes between young people. They help them to compromise before situations become out of hand. They promote the complaints procedure rigorously in house meetings and daily discussions. Young people know how to complain and how to access forms. Advocates are available should they need them. This ensures young people are safe and protected.

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Outstanding

The excellent continuity of staff provides an exceptional workforce that young people are comfortable, safe and familiar with. Staff are recruited safely, ensuring that no unsuitable candidates have access to them. The safe recruitment procedure that the home adopts is above the requirements. For example, the manager and director request three references from all potential candidates prior to interview instead of the expected two references. This exceeds best practice and keeps young people safe. Visitors to the home are suitably vetted and chaperoned when necessary.

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Outstanding

The home is very well maintained to a high standard. There are no defects or hazards that may cause harm or injury. The robust fire and health and safety monitoring ensures that any issues are picked up and reported immediately. This helps to prevent accidents and keeps all those that live and work at or visit the home safe.

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Good

Young people live in a home that is managed by a dedicated and qualified leader. The registered manager has an NVQ level 4 in leadership and management and is undertaking the leadership and management level 5 diploma in social care. The deputy manager and the staff team support the manager in providing exceptional quality of care to young people. They know how to prioritise their needs and work remarkably well as a team. There is an overwhelming sense of camaraderie within the team. The manager said, „We listen to the young people and use the development plan, handovers and supervisions to see what the priorities are. We focus on the children. You have to genuinely want to do your job.‟ The home development plan is unique. It is marvellously presented and child- centred. Young people make an active contribution to the plan and say how they want the home to operate. They are consulted on a three-monthly basis. Some of

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Good

their requests include: a paddling pool, horse riding, new furniture and a fairy garden. The plan is overseen by the manager and objectives set are met within the timescales. A young person said, „I love my new drawers and bed‟. During my visit to the home, a young person took me to see the fairy garden. Notes to the fairies had been written and left for them by the young people. Staff met the request for this addition to the home development plan exceptionally well.

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Good

The statement of purpose is not met as it does not provide sufficient information about the use of mechanical or electronic monitoring devices used for surveillance. This makes it difficult to establish how young people‟s needs will be met should they require such a measure.

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Good

All of the requirements made at the last full inspection have been met. All windows are now protected and have window restrictors on them. This keeps young people safe. There have only been two shifts covered by agency staff. They do not require supervision until they have completed eight shifts. All records required to be held in line with schedule 4 are now kept in full. The home rosters are now clear as to where the manager is situated each day as she works across two residential homes. This makes it easier for staff, young people and others to know where the manager is. All medication is labelled clearly. All medication kept is cross- referenced to the medication administration record log. The manager has also updated the medication policy. This makes auditing more robust.

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Good

Staff, including the manager, receive good supervision, appraisal and training. This ensures that staff‟s practice is maintained in line with legislation and company policy. Staff are provided with opportunities to develop their own personal skills and knowledge that enhance the care they provide to young people. As a result, staff benefit from promotions within the company.

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Good

The home is monitored well by an independent visitor on a monthly basis. This provides the manager with valuable insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the service. Equally, a biannual quality of care review is undertaken by the manager. This helps the home to continue to provide a high standard of care.

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Good

Partnership working with external partners is effective. The staff and other professionals speak highly of the manager and the team. A staff member said, „The compliments book and feedback we receive show us that we work well together. We have built up lots of good professional relationships, particularly with schools. We are in touch with them on a daily basis and share information transparently. Social workers are spoken to and emailed on a regular basis. We have good relationships with the community police officer.‟ As a result, young people continue to receive a holistic joint approach from all services involved in their care.

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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

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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