Children's home run by SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd in Sutton

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:

 The young people enjoy living in the home at all times.  There are very constructive relationships formed between the young people and the staff. Young people trust staff.  Young people receive support and guidance constantly in all areas of their lives.  Educational and health needs of the young people are a priority, with effective action taken to improve their physical and emotional health.  Quality therapeutic engagement ensures that young people overcome difficulty.  A wide range of social activities provides excellent opportunities and builds the confidence of young people.  Opportunities to obtain a reduction in staff supervision encourages young people to develop appropriate independence skills.  The young people are protected from all safeguarding concerns by the staff team. All young people feel safe.  The management has a good relationship with the designated officer, resulting in prompt consultation on any safeguarding matter referred.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 There is a robust response to young people going missing.  Rules and boundaries are adhered to most of the time, allowing young people to remain safe without physical intervention.  The physical environment is well maintained, risk assessed and appropriate for the young people.  The home has a conscientious and able registered manager and is fully staffed by a committed, qualified staff team.  The management effectively tracks the progress of young people through its monitoring.  The atmosphere in the home has been unsettled by recent admissions and some aspects of integration in the community have been less well managed.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationship standard, with particular reference to staff assisting young people to develop appropriate relationships, the registered person [is] to ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(vi) Help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful.

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Requirement Due date

(vii) Help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise and withdraw from a damaging, exploitive or harmful relationship. 28/11/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Staff should understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour with positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 39, paragraph 8.13)

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation that specialises in the assessment and treatment of male adolescents who have experienced some form of abuse and have subsequently been involved in perpetrating abusive behaviour themselves.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

The atmosphere within the home is currently unsettled for the young people. A young person newly admitted to the home is having trouble adjusting while not being able to form positive relationships with the other young people. The group dynamics between the young people are currently difficult but they are being managed effectively by the staff. This has not affected the positive views of the young people regarding their experiences in the home.

p.6

Good

The majority of the young people have meaningful relationships with each other and with the staff. These relationships assist the young people to make progress whilst knowing they have adults who they can trust or speak with openly. A young person spoke positively about his experience with the staff team, saying ‘The staff are always there for the young people. They have helped me calm down when I am upset and angry.’

p.6

Good

The young people are achieving positive educational outcomes. They are in full- time education and have excellent attendance records at the school. The educational progress of all young people is tracked during review meetings. A young person was observed discussing their GSCE scores while being assisted to understand the results by a staff member.

p.6

Good

Young people have made significant progress in terms of their health, and specifically their emotional well-being. The young people have consistent access to health services for both their physical and emotional needs. All young people attend routine health appointments. Therapeutic support is provided individually and in group settings, weekly. The young people actively engage in therapy and this makes real progress in their personal development.

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Good

A wide range of age-appropriate activities are assisting in the development of the young people’s confidence and social skills. Activities are individualised and enjoyed by the young people. Some of the activities currently undertaken by young people are weekly football clubs and youth clubs. The young people were very excited to talk about an organisation-wide football tournament they participated in jointly with staff, coming in second place.

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Good

Obtaining a certain level of independence is an aspiration of all the young people, based on the high level of supervision provided by the staff. The young people are provided with opportunities that allow them to reduce the level of staff supervision based on their progress. A young person spoke proudly about being trusted to enjoy free time in the local community. Young people are not always well enough prepared for all eventualities of free time. Better preparation may prevent them from developing relationships which are not in their interests. When young people have formed inappropriate relationships in the community, the level of intervention by the staff has not always been sufficiently robust.

p.6

Good

There has been an inconsistent response by the staff team in relation to the concerning behaviours of a young person. Despite a suitable behaviour management plan being in place offering guidance to the staff, an incident occurred where the response to young person’s behaviour was poorly managed, resulting in the police intervention and the arrest of the young person. Better initial handling may have prevented this.

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Good

The young people live in a safe environment, as evidenced by the majority noting that they ‘feel safe and have trust in the staff’. They feel protected while living in the home despite concerning behaviours exhibited by other young people. The staff are competent in their ability to safeguard the young people in all instances, particularly incidents of missing from care, child sexual exploitation and radicalisation.

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Good

All safeguarding concerns are promptly referred to the local authority designated officer for consultation. Ongoing safeguarding incidents are thoroughly managed by the staff, working extremely closely with the police and other professionals. Safeguarding policies and procedures provide guidance to the staff on keeping the young people safe.

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Good

Historically there have been few incidents of young people going missing from the home. Since the last inspection, the staff have evidenced a well-organised response to combat a small number of missing from care episodes, resulting in young people safely returning to placement.

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Good

All of the risks associated with the young people are considered, with detailed risk assessments in place to manage and aid in the reduction of the risk. Swift action is taken by the staff to update the assessments when the risk becomes concerning.

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Good

Physical intervention is never used and only ‘positive touch’, agreed in the management plan, occur between the staff and young people. Staff members’ highly constructive relationships with the young people, along with their behaviour management training, often prevents the young people’s behaviour from escalating. The young people adhere to the rules and boundaries of the home, such as respecting the space boundary rule. Any conflict is resolved using restorative justice. The young people felt that all sanctions imposed are fair and just.

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Good

The physical environment is safe and well maintained, meeting the recommendation from the last inspection. All health and safety checks have been undertaken and recorded. The home’s interior is being decorated with fresh paint and a new carpet. The location risk assessment provides adequate information on the risks for the young people in the local area.

p.8

Good

The young people benefit from the home having a consistent, qualified registered manager in place. The young people and the staff describe the manager as patient and supportive. A member of staff stated that ‘The staff team is really supportive and the home has a great manager; he generally cares about the young people and the staff team.’

p.8

Good

The management prioritises the needs of the young people. They carefully consider whether the service is the appropriate setting for young people when they are not settling or making progress. Decisions to end placements of young people are seldom made, and only when in the best interests of the young person concerned.

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Good

The management team is actively involved with the care planning for all young people; care plans are purposeful. Three-weekly reviews consistently take place and achievable goals are set for young people, with their views taken into account.

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Good

The management team has established good-quality professional links. Professionals believe that the staff are well organised at communicating on behalf of young people. A placing social worker said, ‘The staff kept me informed with any information I should know regarding X’.

p.8

Good

The management team use inventive methods to handle complaints made by young people. They encourage young people to express their views openly, while offering a solution-focused response. For example, a policy affecting the young people is being reviewed and adjusted by management because a young person said they believed it was unfair.

p.8

Good

Management is in the process of upgrading its electronic recording system to improve on the manner in which young people’s records are maintained. This is part of an organisation-wide plan. The statement of purpose for the home is current and clearly outlines the aims and objectives of the home. Management has a great understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within the home that are being addressed in the detailed development plan. Monthly monitoring is consistent and purposeful.

p.8

Good

The home has achieved a full complement of staff that understand the needs of the young people. Some of the staff are appropriately qualified while others are due to complete this by the end of the year. They believe that they are being supported extremely well through supervision and training, and have the opportunities to develop their practice There is an active agreement in place with Youth Offending Outreach, ensuring that the young people receive prompt support if required. This is a prime example of management working proactively with professionals from the surrounding community.

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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 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 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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