Children's home in Teignbridge

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home’s provision is good because:

 The young person is making good progress and is achieving well. He is very settled living at the home and has a good relationship with staff.  Staff understand the young person’s placement plan’s objectives, and work effectively as a team to meet these objectives and to support his needs.  The manager is efficient and well organised. She has a good understanding of the young person’s outcomes and comprehensively uses monitoring processes to ensure that he is on track to achieve his potential.  The manager works effectively with external agencies to ensure that all parties are contributing effectively to the young person’s life.  The manager ensures that the young person’s time living at the home is a valuable experience for him and he has a wealth of opportunities that benefit his personal development.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child or young person, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or have a learning disability.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 4 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 15 July 2015 Full Requires improvement 26 March 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 7 January 2015 Full Adequate

p.4

Good

Good quality placement planning and collaborative working takes place and has enabled the young person to make excellent progress in achieving his placement objectives. All people involved in the young person’s life are working well towards a clear pathway plan which contains appropriate targets and timescales. The young person is involved in writing the plan and setting the timescales. He can therefore see what he has achieved so far and discuss what he wants to do next. As a result, the young person has good aspirations for his future and has mapped out a five- year plan of how to reach his dreams.

p.5

Good

All responses from placing authority representatives are positive. His independent reviewing officer is very impressed by, ‘staff’s commitment to the young person,’ and comments that, ‘the relationship he has with them is real in terms of the emotional warmth and care that he receives.’ The team manager from the placing authority reports that the, ‘placement has been excellent for the young person,’ and that he is, ‘gaining in resilience and self-belief because of staff’s care.’

p.5

Good

The young person achieved the academic qualifications necessary at the end of year 11 to gain a place at college. He is now continuing his studies in English and mathematics, as well as studying for a vocational qualification in motor vehicle body work. His attendance at college is good and he uses public transport with a friend to travel there. The young person is inspired by attending college and is keen to learn the trade and to find employment in the future.

p.5

Good

The young person has greatly developed his social skills and ability to make friends. He manages his relationship with his long-term girlfriend well and sees his parents when he wishes. Importantly he can also now openly discuss any worries or concerns he has with staff. The young person has friends in the local area and regularly has unsupervised time. He organised a successful charity pool party and cake sale event in the summer, to raise money for the Red Cross.

p.5

Good

The young person is developing a range of useful independence skills in preparation for living by himself. He shops independently and cooks his own meals regularly. The young person independently applies for jobs and has created a curriculum vitae with support from staff. He attends health appointments by himself and collects the necessary prescriptions. The young person has a moped that he is learning to use safely.

p.5

Good

The young person is in good health. Staff continually advise him of the health implications of smoking, which has helped him to decrease his habit. They also took a strong, supportive response to his misuse of cannabis and explained the implications of being with people who may be using drugs. The young person engages well with the child and adolescent mental health service, which helps to more effectively manage changes in his mood. Staff provide good advice and support regarding sexual health, contraception and relationships. As a result, the young person has been confident to attend appointments with external sexual health professionals himself.

p.5

Good

Staff’s support to the young person is very good. They use clear, well planned targets and timelines to ensure that he is on course to achieve his potential. Staff involve the young person in regular discussions, house meetings and independence work. The young person engages well with staff and plans holidays and events with them. He comments that, ‘it is nice’ living at the home. His mum also reports that, ‘he is doing fine.’

p.6

Good

The help and protection staff give to the young person is good. He is very settled and does not display any consistent, significant behavioural issues. The manager uses behavioural analysis data to show the young person how much he has achieved since he moved in. There is clear evidence that over the last six months he is spending a great deal more time socialising with friends or his family and is less dependent on using his Xbox by himself.

p.6

Good

Since the previous inspection, the young person has not been reported as missing from care and there have been no restraints. Police involvement has been minimal, and this was in response to a member of the public’s concern about the safety of the young person’s driving, and not about a behavioural issue at the home. This is all evidence of the significant progress that the young person has made since he moved in 16 months ago.

p.6

Good

Staff use consequences sensibly to help the young person to learn about his actions. He has been enrolled on a driver’s safety awareness course in October in response to concerns raised about his driving. The manager is also pursuing driving lessons for when he turns 17.

p.6

Good

Staff educate and help the young person to use mobile phones and social media safely. He is allowed to use the home’s computer without parental controls on, as an exercise to help him learn how to access the internet responsibly. The manager refers significant events in the protection of young people to the appropriate parties, thus ensuring that important information is shared with the necessary agency to make an informed decision about the safety and well-being of the child.

p.6

Good

The manager ensures that new staff are recruited safely and are thoroughly vetted before they commence working alongside the young person. Medication is stored and recorded appropriately. All of the necessary health and safety and environmental checks of the premises are conducted at appropriate timescales, ensuring that the young person lives in a home which is as safe as is reasonably practicable.

p.7

Good

The impact and effectiveness of the manager’s work is good. She has been registered in post since May 2016. The manager demonstrates the necessary experience and skills for the role and is working towards the required leadership qualification. She can demonstrate the positive impact that living at the home has had for the young person. The manager has high aspirations for him. She appropriately challenges the young person to develop his skills and pursue his ambitions.

p.7

Good

The manager ensures that the young person’s care plan comprehensively deals with his needs, experiences and hopes for his future. The manager, staff and the young person participate in placement plan reviews and influence decisions about his care appropriately.

p.7

Good

The manager uses effective monitoring processes and development plans to ensure that the quality of the service provided is continually improving. She identifies areas for improvement and regularly reviews her actions to measure their success and impact. The manager leads the home in line with the statement of purpose, so the young person is valued, respected and involved in the decision-making affecting his life.

p.7

Good

The manager and staff ensure that the young person’s home is well kept and homely. Independence tasks are incorporated into the daily routines, as is fitting with a young person’s development in a family home.

p.7

Good

The manager has good, regular communication with the placing authority and will challenge their involvement for the best interests of the young person when she feels it is needed. The social worker reports that communication from the manager is good and that he is very sure that the staff are meeting the young person’s needs.

p.7

Good

Staff receive effective supervision and training. They are supported well in their role and have good opportunities to reflect on their work to improve their practice. The manager has successfully dealt with the two requirements made at the previous inspection, and consequently the young person now has an up-to-date pathway plan and a risk assessment for his use of the internet has been implemented.

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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 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, work- based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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