Children's home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council

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:

 Children and young people using this short-break service receive excellent care from the experienced and skilled staff team.  Staff are enthusiastic, creative and enjoy spending time with children and young people so they have a highly enjoyable experience.  Children and young people make progress in respect of their development and self-management skills.  The extremely detailed, individualised care plans are working documents and outline how children and young people’s needs can be holistically met.  Staff provide children and young people with additional learning experiences, educating them in healthy eating, the benefits of exercise and about different cultures.  Children and young people are extensively involved with decision making at the home assisted by visual aids. Staff are also trained in a variety of communication techniques.  High staffing levels ensure that children and young people are closely

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

observed, supervised and with high levels of support to keep them safe at all times.  Children and young people have an individualised behavioural management plan and risk assessment that are regularly reviewed.  The staff team members are highly dedicated professionals who are committed to constantly provide the best possible care and support.  There is a strong and long-standing staff team that provides stability for children and young people using the service.  There is excellent communication between parents and staff with good working relationships developed.

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Information about this children's home

This service is run by the local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation under short-break arrangements for up to nine children and young people at any one time. Children and young people are cared for, irrespective of gender, with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection, 36 children and young people were using the short-break service.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/11/2015 Full Outstanding 19/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/01/2015 Full Good

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Outstanding

At the time of the inspection, 36 children and young people use this exceptional residential short-breaks service. Some have been staying for many years. An excellent admissions process introduces children, young people and their families to the service through an informative and innovative DVD. This includes footage of children and young people using the facilities as well as feedback from parents. A DVD is also available with Makaton signing. This helps children and young people become familiar with the home and staff prior to their stay. They are carefully prepared for staying at the home, which helps them to feel relaxed and settled, making their experience more enjoyable. During the introductory period, staff build up a comprehensive picture of a child’s or young person’s complex needs. They also get to know family members over the introductory sessions to the home. Parents feel confident about leaving their

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Outstanding

children with the experienced and skilled staff team. One parent said, ‘If I didn’t trust staff from the first day, my son wouldn’t have been left.’ Children and young people receive high-quality care and support from the long- standing staff team that has extensive experience of caring for disabled children and young people. Staff are enthusiastic, creative and work hard, investing time and effort in making sure children and young people have a highly enjoyable experience. They provide exceptionally warm and nurturing care. Children and young people develop strong and trusting relationships with staff, which helps them to feel comfortable and promotes dignity when staff are assisting with their personal care needs. A professional reported, ‘Staff have a good understanding of the level of need of the young people who come to the centre.’ The extremely detailed care plans outline children’s and young people’s needs and

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Outstanding

how these can be holistically met. Staff set individualised targets with clear and inventive strategies for staff to use. For one child, to encourage choice through eye pointing or grasping, his favourite noisy sensory toys are hidden under a blanket to see if he has a preference.

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Outstanding

The documentation provides a coherent measure of the progress that children and young people make in respect of their development and self-management skills. Further evidence of their outstanding development is through the many photographs taken of children undertaking tasks at the home. Staff challenge young people by setting new and appropriately challenging targets helping them to achieve better outcomes. An annual achievements night attended by children, young people, their parents, staff and professionals provides an opportunity for children and young people to receive certificates and trophies in recognition of their achievements. They take pride in the progress that they have made, have fun with peers and parents and professionals have the opportunity to celebrate this. Children and young people have access to a whole range of stimulating facilities and activities at the exceptionally well-equipped home. This includes a sensory

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Outstanding

room, a riser bath with television, a ball pool pit, computers with the latest technology and a large garden with equipment and outdoor toys. Children and young people can also access activities together in the community and try new experiences and challenges. This promotes confidence and positive self-esteem and they develop improved social skills through spending time with peers. When talking about the service and staff, parents report that their children say that ‘they love it’, ‘it’s absolutely brilliant’ and ‘it’s really good’. As a short-break service, parents are responsible for their children’s education. However, staff develop highly effective and positive working relationships with education providers. Staff attend meetings and social activities at the school. They obtain important and relevant information about children’s and young people’s preferred communication methods, educational needs and targets. Young people’s

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Outstanding

learning outcomes improve while they are at the home through staff using a consistent approach to the school. Staff provide additional learning experiences through encouraging participation in specific topics. Currently, these include healthy eating and the Olympics, with young people taking part in their own Olympic games. This educates and promotes healthy eating and exercise. Children and young people learn about the history and culture of their home town and compare this with other countries. This provides them with information and understanding about other cultures. There are numerous pictorial aids around the home including a feelings board. Staff are also trained in a variety of communication techniques. Individual sessions and weekly meetings take place to ensure that children and young people are consulted in respect of all areas of their care and accommodation. They are extensively involved with decision making and children and young people with

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Outstanding

communication difficulties feel involved as they can freely express their wishes and feelings. The home has an extensive range of equipment to meet the physical needs of children and young people with the most complex conditions. This also promotes independence for physically disabled young people, which improves their confidence and self-esteem. There are brightly coloured bedrooms with murals as well as calmer neutrally decorated rooms. Children and young people choose which bedroom they want to sleep in and which bedding they want to use. They bring their own toys and possessions from home to personalise their rooms. This promotes their sense of belonging during their stays at the place they call their holiday home.

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Outstanding

Close observation, supervision and high levels of support mean that children and young people are safe and their whereabouts known at all times. Young people do not go missing from home and there is no one known to be at risk of child sexual exploitation. A high ratio of staff ensures that children and young people who are active and energetic are kept safe. The extremely detailed locality risk assessment provides good information to staff about potentially dangerous areas in the community to keep children and young people safe when they are enjoying external activities. Staff keep young people safe and protected through the consistent adherence of the excellent and robust safeguarding practices in place. These include detailed individualised risk assessments to identify specific vulnerabilities, which are regularly reviewed by staff and further audited by the manager. Staff provide a good service for the most complex and challenging children and young people. One

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Outstanding

parent said, ‘As a parent, I wouldn’t leave my son here unless I was 100% sure he was safe and looked after.’ Parents retain responsibility for their children’s health. They have confidence that well-trained and experienced staff can effectively manage their children’s complex health needs. This includes addressing eating difficulties and choking hazards. The development of excellent relationships between staff and parents promotes good communication and sharing of up-to-date vital medical information. Staff are able to check discrepancies with medication due to the good links developed with local GP practices. The stringent medication process offers further protection to ensure that children and young people receive the correct dosage of medication. Staff facilitate thorough handovers providing new staff with comprehensive, up-to-date information. This ensures the sharing of essential information about the children

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Outstanding

using the service. Comprehensive and individualised behavioural management plans identify clear strategies to minimise negative behaviours. Staff take a consistent approach and monitor the effectiveness of the plans. They know children’s and young people’s routines and develop successful distraction techniques. This avoids an escalation in angry or aggressive behaviour and young people remain calm. Staff use positive handling and reward good behaviour. As a result, there have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. Staff’s excellent working relationship with professionals provides an important multi-disciplinary approach. They are members of core groups providing information for child protection meetings. One professional reported that staff, ‘Will raise issues with good communication, providing reports if needed.’ Judgement grade

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Outstanding

The manager has extensive experience working within residential care including working with children and young people who have physical and learning disabilities, complex health and behavioural needs. She has been registered manager at the home since March 2007 and has the appropriate leadership qualifications to manage the home. A deputy manager deputises effectively and promotes the seamless running of the home in her absence. The manager leads by example and is highly child-focused and aspirational for children and young people to reach their full potential. She is keen to impart her knowledge and experience and provides mentoring and training to others. Families benefit from the manager’s creativity and resourcefulness through her developing tools and resources for them to use with their children when they return home. The manager’s commitment to children and young people involves her regularly coming

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Outstanding

to work early or staying late to spend time with them. This informs her planning when she works on the complicated rota of short breaks. She carefully matches children and young people with each other to provide them with the best possible short-break experience in line with the family’s need for respite. The significantly experienced staff, many of whom have worked at the home for many years are highly dedicated professionals, and are committed to providing the best possible care and support to children and young people. They are constantly looking at ways to improve their experiences. There are many examples of their inventiveness to provide educational opportunities while making it fun, alongside an enthusiasm to improve outcomes for children and young people. One staff member said, ‘Staff try to bring out the best in children to improve their outcomes and abilities. We look for the smallest improvements, which is big progress for

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Outstanding

young people.’ The manager considers staff development and training is essential to ensure that the home continues to deliver the exceptionally high standard of care to children and young people. Staff benefit from ongoing, good-quality training, which is tailored to their service and informs their practice. Individual development plans are regularly evaluated to ensure continuous learning and improvement. Staff have regular supervision and team meetings. Detailed reflective practice discussions take place and staff share ideas with each other. This contributes to the workplace being a learning environment, which meets the needs of both staff and the children. Parents feel able to make contact with the staff team at any time and are comfortable about visiting the home, calling it a ‘home from home’. Parents relax in the knowledge that their children are safe. One parent said, ‘The staff keep in contact. If anything happens they will ring and vice versa.’ Another parent reported

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Outstanding

that, ‘The staff are caring, attentive and friendly and the home itself is clean, tidy and decorated lovely for the children.’ Over the years, the manager has developed excellent partnership working and communication between the service and a variety of different professionals. These close working links enable her to support children, young people and their families in accessing other services at times of transition. To ensure the continued development of the short-breaks service, the forward thinking manager has a detailed development plan in place for further improvements planned in all areas of the service.

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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 looked after children 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 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 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

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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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