Children's home run by ABC Care and Education Ltd in Lancaster

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 home has made a concerted effort to raise standards in all areas since the previous full inspection which resulted in an inadequate judgement.  Young people are safe in the home, there have been no further incidents of bullying, going missing from home, drug or alcohol misuse or self-harm. Increased training for staff has allowed them to develop their ability to identify risks and have a better understanding of the home’s policies and procedures in respect of safeguarding young people.  Managers at the home have worked hard to raise standards of care and the competence of the staff team through additional support and training. There is now a high level of support to staff and opportunities for them to develop. This has improved staff morale and team cohesion.  Boundaries for young people are much clearer and are consistently applied, which gives young people a better understanding of behaviour expectations

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The children's home provision is good because:

and has resulted in far fewer incidents of damage and aggression.  Staff and young people have developed positive relationships and enjoy spending time together. This establishes assurance and openness which results in young people gaining increasing trust and independence.  Young people are engaged in their placement and have a clear idea of how they wish to progress. One young person has been supported to move on to independence and to have a positive placement ending.  Young people have increased participation in leisure activities and outings, which contributes to their health, personal and social development.  Participation in education is very high and young people are performing beyond expected levels. Young people and staff have high aspirations for educational success.  Monitoring activity is significantly improved. Internal monitoring is completed regularly and identifies any areas for improvements. Both internal and

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The children's home provision is good because:

external monitoring reports are now being sent to the regulator.  While the home works in close partnership with young people’s placing authorities to deliver their care plans, they need to ensure that they have the young person’s most recent review of placement within their records.

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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

36: Children's case records The registered person must maintain records for each child which include the information and documents listed in schedule 3 in relation to each child. Specifically, the most recent looked after child review should be on file. (1)(a) 14/10/2016

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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 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 that the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. This specifically relates to individual risk management plans clearly evidencing that risks current to the child are explicitly considered within the plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this children's home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to accommodate three young people aged nine to 17 years. The home offers care to young people who have emotional and behavioural problems. It offers emergency, medium- and long- term placements.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/01/2016 Full Good 20/10/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/02/2015 Full Good 31/07/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

At the previous inspection, this home was judged to be inadequate in all areas due to some serious safeguarding and staff competence issues. The implementation of a comprehensive action plan has led to significant improvements in all areas of the home’s performance. Young people have a much better level of engagement in their placement in all areas. For example, young people who were previously disengaged and spending most of their time in their room have now engaged in a wide variety of activities with staff, which has enabled their placement to have a positive ending. Other young people have increased their participation by joining a local gym and attending both independently and with staff. Relationships in the home have improved. There have been no incidents where young people have engaged in negative and disruptive behaviour together, their relationships have been generally positive. Staff and young people enjoy a greater

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Good

level of trust due to clearer boundaries and more consistent care. Young people report that they got on well with all staff. Young people are supported to have good health. One young person has been supported with smoking cessation efforts and has also completed their immunisation program. Emotional well-being is promoted through attendance at appointments with external agencies as well as spending time with the company’s counsellor. Planning for independence is underway for one young person to allow him the opportunity to evidence he will be ready to live independently after completing his statutory education. He is being supported to budget and complete independence tasks to prepare for this time. Another young person had improved engagement in her independence programme prior to having a positive and well planned transition into semi-independent living. Her final words on the home were extremely positive

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Good

and thankful for the support that she was offered. The young person currently in placement has high educational aspirations and is well supported by the home to achieve these. His achievements are beyond expected levels and he now has the opportunities to sit further exams and to participate in part-time college courses. Young people have a good level of participation in key worker sessions, community meetings and day-to-day conversations about their care and progress. They feel listened to and that staff and managers care about their experience of living in the home. Some thoughtful changes to the home’s decor have been made with the addition of a ‘compliments tree’ which is used to good effect and promotes positivity. Placement plans are detailed and used as live tools for planning young people’s care. To ensure that placement plans are fully in line with the plan from the placing authority, the home should have the most recent minutes from the young person’s

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Good

looked after child review within their records.

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Good

Managers at the home are working hard to improve the standards of safeguarding and to strengthen the staff team’s understanding and ability to implement the home’s safeguarding policies and procedures. All staff are revisiting basic safeguarding training as well as additional training being provided to staff via team meetings and supervision sessions. Staff have undertaken case studies and quizzes to refresh and enhance their knowledge of keeping young people safe. Specifically, training has been provided on the visitors to the home, whistleblowing and disclosure policies and procedures. Staff speak confidently of their knowledge of safeguarding policies and feel that they would be supported to implement any of the procedures. Young people report feeling safe. There have been no safeguarding notifications to the regulator since the previous inspection, nor have there been any going missing from home incidents, drug or alcohol misuse, physical aggression or self-harm. This

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Good

indicates a much more settled period with a dramatic reduction in safeguarding incidents. Bullying was one area of concern highlighted at the previous inspection. Extensive work has been undertaken regarding bullying and young people now generally show a good understanding of behaviour that could be considered as bullying. They have made efforts to amend their behaviours as a result. Staff challenge young people when they make hurtful comments and encourage them to reflect on the impact of their words. There have been comprehensive improvements in the implementation of boundaries for young people, resulting in them displaying fewer incidents of negative behaviour. Both young people and staff report higher levels of consistency among staff. This impacts positively on young people’s trust, security and behaviour. One young person reported that he no longer felt inclined to cause damage to the home because of the improved levels of trust and consistency. The

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Good

home consistently promotes positive behaviour with targets set, and rewards achieved for reaching targets. There have been no sanctions imposed since the last inspection, which further evidences the dramatic reduction of incidents of challenging behaviour, aggression and damage. There have been no allegations against staff since the last inspection and this is likely due to the improved relationships, communication and trust between young people and adults. Social media was previously identified as a high risk for some young people. One young person has made significant progress in this area and now has a smart phone and access to the internet. While this is unsupervised, there are clear controls in place to identify and act on concerns should they arise. Risk assessments cover all the key areas of risk for young people. One area identified for improvement is in ensuring that risks currently identified are fully and

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Good

clearly documented within the body of the individual risk management plan, although there is minimal impact on young people as their risks are appropriately addressed.

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Requires improvement

Managers in the company have reflected on the issues impacting on the home leading to the inadequate judgement at the previous inspection. Learning has taken place and the responsible individual is able to articulate what will be done in the future to prevent such a situation arising again. A good level of support and oversight is in place for the current acting manager to ensure that safe and positive practice is being developed and maintained in the home. The post holder is not yet registered with Ofsted, therefore leadership and management still requires improvement. However, there is evidence of strong management within the home. The acting manager is providing effective leadership and has provided organisation and structure to the home which has improved stability and consistency, both for staff and young people. The home has appointed a deputy manager to support the manager in her role and this further ensures good management practice.

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Requires improvement

The staff team has worked hard to develop and improve its practice, which has resulted in a higher level of care being delivered to young people and fewer incidents where staff are unfamiliar with policy and procedures. Staff report good levels of support through supervision, appraisal and team meetings. They are encouraged to a higher level of participation and take responsibility for disseminating information from external training courses. A result of this is improved motivation and staff morale. This makes the home a happier environment which positively impacts on young people. Staff are supported and encouraged to feedback to each other on strengths and weaknesses in performance on a day-to–day basis which gives staff more accountability and ownership for improving practice. The needs of young people are a clear priority and this is effectively communicated to staff. Young people’s progress is well understood and managers communicate

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Requires improvement

high aspirations for young people to the staff team. The current manager has well-developed systems in place to monitor the home and understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses. A recent report on the review of quality of care shows a good evaluation of the home’s performance and clearly identifies areas for development. The 2016–2017 development plan is being implemented with a number of areas already achieved. External monitoring continues to provide the manager with a helpful monthly review of the service and reports of these visits are now being sent to the regulator as required. The home’s statement of purpose has recently been revised and sent to the regulator. The home continues to provide care in line with its statement of purpose. The home maintains high-quality professional relationships with external agencies, which helps to ensure that young people’s needs are met holistically. When external agencies’ responses to young people are not effective or not in line with

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Requires improvement

young people’s wishes and feelings, the home acts as a strong advocate to challenge and change these responses.

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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

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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