Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

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 positive experiences, they have fun and take part in a range of activities and enjoy staying at the home.  The staff promote their safety and well-being and keep young people free from harm.  The staff team is motivated to support young people to succeed. Staff work closely with parents, carers, social workers and other professionals to ensure young people’s care is carefully planned and meaningful.  Young people make good progress across different aspects of their development. They socialise more, learn new skills, make safer decisions and improve their behaviour.  Staff are caring. They know the young people well and know how to promote their potential. Parents and professionals like the service and the quality of care that young people receive.  The manager is a good leader and makes sure that staff receive the right levels of support, supervision and training so that young people get the

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The children’s home provision is good because:

most out of the service.  There are a small number of areas to improve. These mainly relate to monitoring and record-keeping. At the time of inspection, they did not have an impact on the overall experiences of 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

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 30/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(5)) 30/09/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. In particular, ensure that missing-from- home risk assessments and action plans accurately reflect a child's needs. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5).  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and

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Recommendations

understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, records should reflect the experiences and progress of children and the impact the care has on their outcomes and development. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 64, paragraph 15.2)  Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home's care. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality

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Information about this children’s home

The local authority has registered this home to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home provides a service for families with children on the verge of coming in to the care system. Children generally stay on a planned short break for one or two nights a week. One of the three places provides a dedicated crisis bed for emergency admissions.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Regular planned respite usually for one night a week is provided to young people as a preventative measure to keep families together and support foster placements. In addition, the frequently used emergency place supports different young people, usually for one night, to help them through a variety of different crises.

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Good

There is careful planning through a well-managed referral system for respite care. Staff visit young people at their own homes and spend time getting to know them, and young people can also have tea visits before their first short break. This helps young people build up relationships with staff and feel comfortable with what to expect before their first stay. Staff are adept at getting to know young people and spend time encouraging them to use the service, for example accompanying a young person out in the community playing his favourite location-based virtual reality game. A parent commented, ‘My son always looks forward to going and it makes me feel happy about leaving him there.’

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Good

This introduction to the service contributes to a good system of care planning that identifies clear aims and objectives for young people. Staff are considerate and thoughtful in developing appropriate interventions to support young people to succeed. The positive experiences young people have and the progress they achieve as a result helps keep them living at home or in their current foster placement. A parent commented, ‘She has made a great improvement in behaviour and attitude. Staff have worked so hard with her.’

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Good

Parents remain responsible for their children’s education, as this is a respite setting. Despite this, staff still take an active role in encouraging attendance and will go to meetings at schools to support young people and their families. In addition, young people gain skills-based qualifications based on their developing independence and acquired life skills while having respite care. This is an additional boost to their confidence and enhances their future life prospects.

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Good

Young people like coming to the home and commented, ‘Staff are friendly and helpful’, ‘They make me feel happy and safe’ and ‘They encourage me to go out and not play on the computer all the time’. Staff are sensitive and caring. They work hard to build strong positive relationships with young people. This empowers young people to feel valued and engage productively with the opportunities given to them. Young people acquire new skills and benefit from new experiences as a direct result of their respite care. They enjoy trips out, community activities and developing their independence skills. They socialise more and benefit from interacting with other young people they would not ordinarily have met. For example, one young person now appreciates going out more and spends less time isolating himself playing computer games. Staff have helped another young person develop his football talents and join a local team. Young people learn to cook, do

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Good

their laundry and take part in a bike project. One young person has developed his bike repair skills to buy and sell second-hand bikes for his own profit.

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Good

These and other experiences have a direct positive impact on young people’s emotional health and self-esteem. Individually tailored care plans and support prioritise aspects of young people’s development, including better socialisation, reducing risk-taking and improving behaviour. One young person, commenting on her progress, said, ’I stay away from people that make bad choices.’

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Good

Young people have a good say in their care and the running of the home. They benefit from a care service that responds well to their likes, dislikes, personal interests and well-being. Staff listen to their views and respect their wishes and feelings within firm and flexible boundaries. This makes it clear to young people what is expected, for example being allowed some time to play on the computer but also being required to help with cooking and chores and to engage in other activities. Staff take action when young people complain, but records of what was done in response to the last complaint and the outcome were not sufficiently completed.

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Good

Young people feel safe and protected by the secure, safe, nurturing environment afforded to them. One young person commented, ‘Staff always keep me safe.’

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Good

The staff team positively addresses any conflict that on occasion occurs between young people. Young people enjoy good relationships with each other and with staff in a respectful environment that promotes acceptance of individual differences. Thorough care planning and reviews of respite care assist staff to make careful arrangements about which of the young people have respite care together. This decision-making considers young people’s individual needs and potential risks. Use of the emergency bed only proceeds if this is safe for all young people. This contributes to young people’s enjoyment of the service and helps them make new friends. The frequency of young people missing from home is low, and since the last inspection these have mainly been young people admitted in an emergency. Young people attending for respite care rarely go missing, choosing to engage with staff instead. Staff are thorough in taking action to locate young people when their

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Good

whereabouts is unknown. This is despite individual missing-from-home risk assessments and strategies that do not accurately reflect their needs and vulnerabilities. These documents have not been thoroughly reviewed and agreed with the placing authority. This potentially could compromise current good practice in finding young people who are missing. The majority of return-home interviews with young people are carried out by staff. Young people are not routinely given the opportunity to speak to someone independent of the home, even though this is recommended good practice.

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Good

Staff receive training about safeguarding matters, including child sexual exploitation and risks of radicalisation. They understand the dangers to young people and the risk others and are effective in minimising these. Staff carry out individual work with young people in respite, whose safety increases over time as a result of using this service. This is underpinned by good-quality, individualised, written risk assessments (except in relation to missing from home) that cover specific vulnerabilities and include effective strategies that are kept under regular review. Risk management allows young people to enjoy new experiences, develop their independence and consider a wider range of better opportunities for their future.

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Good

Families and carers are always encouraged to contact the home and staff keep them informed of any concerns. The good quality of care eases their anxieties. They are positive about the service and commented: ‘It provides a much-needed respite and they meet his needs, which are so complex on a one-to-one level’ and ‘They listen and always help, work with me when needed’.

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Good

The staff team builds close, enjoyable relationships with the young people and reflects on different interpersonal styles. This reflection helps staff to adopt more effective ways of working that avoid confrontation and lead to improvements in young people’s behaviour. As a result, staff have only used physical intervention once since the last full inspection. This was a last resort to prevent a young person injuring themselves.

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Good

There is a permanent, experienced registered manager who has been in post since the home opened in 2009. She has several years of prior residential childcare experience in other homes and is suitably qualified. She manages this home successfully so that young people are supported to remain living in their family home or foster placement. A professional commented, ‘The manager leads by example and encourages a problem-solving team of care staff.’ The staff undertake a wide range of training and have all achieved or are working towards the recommended qualification. The manager ensures that they are supported and supervised effectively, so that individually and as a team they fulfil their responsibilities thoroughly. The good staffing levels and stability in the team provide consistent care and support to young people with complex and challenging needs.

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Good

Placement plans clearly and comprehensively identify young people’s needs and the aims of their respite care. Young people are actively involved in reviewing their records and contribute directly to regular progress reports. The current quality of and detail in in these reports makes it difficult to track progress and plan how to meet future needs. It is not clear what work has been completed with young people and the strength of the impact of this work is not fully assessed.

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Good

The impact of shortfalls in records is limited by very good partnership working with relatives, carers and professionals. The service is popular with families and professionals who all commented positively about the home. The way staff work together with significant others in young people’s lives adds to the benefits for young people from everyone trying to achieve the same aims. One professional commented: ‘The manager and her team consistently go the extra mile to not only support the young people they care for but also to assist social workers in supporting those young people.’

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Good

External monitoring by independent visitors does not have enough rigour to sufficiently challenge the service. This is a missed opportunity to promote a more robust approach to continuous improvement. The manager completes a six- monthly review of the service. This covers a range of practice areas, with some plans for improvement, but does not sufficiently assess the impact the setting has on young people’s lives. The last review did not consider the views of staff and the placing authority about the quality of the service, which is required by regulation. On a day-to-day basis, there is regular contact with families and professionals, and staff feel supported and listened to. One professional commented, ‘They are keen to listen to feedback and develop the provision.’

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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

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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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