Children's Home run by MGM Care Services Ltd in Telford and Wrekin

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 make very good progress in all aspects of their development.  Young people have positive and nurturing relationships with staff and these underpin the progress that they make.  Young people enjoy their lives at the home and speak warmly about it.  Managers and staff work in partnership with placing authorities and other agencies to promote the progress and well-being of young people in their care.  Young people’s safety and well-being is the priority for all staff.  Young people enjoy a range of activities at home and in the community.  Staff treat young people they care for with dignity and respect.  Staff work well together, and receive good support and guidance from managers.  The registered manager strives to continually improve and develop the service for the benefit of young people.  There are a small number of shortfalls. Not all staff have achieved their diploma 3 qualification within the required timescale, young people’s files do

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The children’s home provision is good because:

not contain information about areas of responsibility delegated to staff at the home, and not all young people are helped to communicate their wishes and feelings to their looked after reviews.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

(1)The care planning standard is that children– (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; in particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are aware of the areas of responsibility delegated to them. 28/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in a care home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. This is if the individual has attained– (4)(a) the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’). (5) The relevant date is– (a) in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(5)(a)) 23/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that staff are familiar with the care planning process for looked after children and assist children to prepare for meetings in relation to this.

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Information about this children’s home

This service is a small private children’s home looking after up to two young people aged from 10 to 17 years, who may have learning disabilities or emotional and/or behavioural problems.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/07/2015 Full Good 24/03/2015 Interim Declined effectiveness 31/12/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people make significant progress because of the help and support that they receive from managers and staff at the home. One young person said, ‘It is fantastic here, I like it a lot’. Another said, ‘I am happy’. A family member spoke highly about the care her son received, saying, ‘I have nothing but praise and admiration for staff. He is doing so well, I could not ask for more.’

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Good

Young people all attend school full-time, and their attendance and punctuality are excellent. One young person struggles with the morning routine, and staff have strategies of support in place to make sure that he completes his morning routine on time so that he is ready for transport to school, avoiding escalation of behaviour which may prevent this. Managers and staff liaise daily with school staff and this sharing of information helps ensure that support for each young person is in place when they arrive at school, or when they return home. Consequently, young people maximise their opportunities to learn and enjoy their school day.

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Good

All young people are supported in looking after all aspects of their health. They attend routine appointments with the GP, dentist and optician. One young person has significantly improved his dental hygiene, and another has seen improved cholesterol readings, with associated health benefits. Young people are helped to make healthy choices with their diet and exercise. One young person has increased the type of food he will eat, whereas before he ate only a very limited range of food. Staff complete one-to-one sessions with young people to reinforce health messages and to enable young people to understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

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Good

Young people have a good-quality day-to-day life at the home. They enjoy a number of activities each week – including swimming, regular walks, club, visits to the park and local library, shopping trips and visits to local attractions and places of interest. They enjoyed a varied programme of summer activities, including a break at the seaside. One young person commented, ‘I loved going on holiday, we had a great time’. Varied experiences offer young people opportunities for community involvement, enriching their lifestyle and experiences.

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Good

Young people are involved in all aspects of running the home. They help with chores around the home and keep their rooms clean and tidy. They learn age- appropriate skills, preparing them for adulthood.

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Good

Young people’s communication needs are assessed and information adapted to help them understand what is written, making it more accessible for them. Some information includes picture symbols, and tick box options assisting young people to make sense of what is asked of them. One social care professional commented that one young person, ‘is involved in his planning and staff work at his pace. He takes part in his review meetings, and has a visual timetable to help him.’ Further work with another young person may help extend his understanding of the care planning process, and his ability to express his views for his reviews. Transitions are equally well planned and managed.

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Good

Young people maintain contact with their families. Staff accompany them to visits, providing support before and afterwards as necessary. One parent visited her son while he was on holiday with the home to maintain his routine and to ensure that his emotional needs were met. Staff at the home take good account of the particular needs of young people who live at a distance from their family.

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Good

Young people attend regular meetings with staff, including one-to-one sessions, and a weekly young people’s meeting. They are encouraged to express their views and opinions about the home, and contribute to menu and activity planning. One young person has developed improved skills in mixing with others and his anxiety in this respect has reduced. Young people told staff that they were interested in gardening and they now have an area of the garden which they have developed, growing vegetables and other plants which they call their ‘farm’. Their interests and skills increase, and young people know that adults caring for them are interested in their views and opinions and act on them.

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Good

Young people feel safe, nurtured and supported living at the home. They have positive, trusting relationships with staff and these underpin young people’s sense of self-confidence and security. Young people are reassured as staff have clear expectations and boundaries in place. When they test boundaries, staff respond in a consistent and proportionate way that helps young people to reflect and understand about how to behave appropriately. They learn how to manage their own emotions, and aggressive incidents have decreased. In addition, the number of physical interventions has also significantly decreased as staff are skilled in understanding young people’s triggers and signs of behavioural escalation. Staff use de-escalation techniques at an early stage and this helps young people to redirect their behaviour and avoid outbursts, leading to a calmer atmosphere for all.

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Good

Since the last inspection, there have not been any incidents of young people going missing from care or being absent without permission. Staff know what actions they must take if these incidents occur, reinforcing young people’s safety at the home. There is a good working relationship between managers and staff, the designated officer in the local authority and police in relation to managing safeguarding issues. A complaint was dealt with thoroughly by managers at the home who worked very effectively with the designated officer in the local authority, police and the social workers with a young person’s safety at the forefront of investigations. The young person was reassured as he knew that adults took his concerns seriously and responded to them comprehensively.

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Good

Staff work in partnership with young people, their families and professionals to evaluate and assess any potential risks. Risk assessments are regularly scrutinised by staff and managers to ensure that they remain relevant to young people’s changing needs. For example, managers and staff reviewed the use of a wrist restraint for one young person who found walking in the community challenging. Staff updated the risk assessment as the young person is maturing. This was reinforced by one-to-one sessions with the young person, to underline and promote his understanding of safety in the community.

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Good

Safe recruitment practice enhances young people’s security. This includes paying meticulous attention to obtaining references, ensuring that full employment histories are obtained so that the suitability of potential staff can be assessed alongside a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

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Good

Young people benefit from living in a home that has a safe and secure environment. Regular safety checks are undertaken by managers and staff, who ensure that all equipment works well and poses no risk to young people. Sharp implements are locked away for safekeeping and staff are scrupulous in ensuring that house keys are safely stored, as one young person has a fascination with them. Young people also participate in regular fire drills, maintaining safety and vigilance for all.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post since 2012. He has a diploma level 5 in leadership and management in residential care of children and young people. The registered manager provides strong and effective leadership in the home. He sets very high standards for the service expected from staff, with the focus being on the needs of young people in his care. Young people are cared for in line with the objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose, as they continue to make progress in line with their ages and abilities.

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Good

The registered manager has thorough systems in place to review young people’s progress, and discussions take place in team meetings, supervision sessions with staff and in day-to-day practice. For example, a semi-independence planning tool is in use, which monitors young people’s progress with learning household and community skills. Staff are able to monitor which areas need reinforcement, and which skills young people have learned, meaning that specific areas can be targeted to help young people to extend their skills.

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Good

The registered manager has strong professional relationships with other agencies, including health, education and social care. Managers and staff have worked closely with one school, for example, helping young people to learn about the value of money through a shopping game. This reinforced work undertaken by the school and helped young people to learn and progress.

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Good

The registered manager challenges other services effectively when necessary if responses have not been helpful for young people in his care. For example, the registered manager ensured that a young person was able to join a school trip after the school said that he could not go, as they were unable to administer medication for various reasons. The registered manager sorted out appropriate medication arrangements, and the young person was able to enjoy the trip away.

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Good

Staff say that they feel very well supported. The registered manager has a system in place to help staff become familiar with regulations and standards, improving their understanding of the roles and responsibilities of residential care workers. There is an induction programme for new staff, ensuring that they have the opportunity to learn about young people’s needs before taking responsibilities on shift. Regular supervision takes place with all staff, allowing them to reflect on the needs and progress of each young person and their own professional development. When staff have worked at the home for over 12 months, they have an annual appraisal identifying areas of progress, and areas for development. Overall, staff receive good-quality training, support and resources, to enable them to understand the developmental, emotional and psychological needs of the young people that they care for. For example, professionals are invited to talk to staff at team

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Good

meetings about the specific needs of young people, including their medication and how this affects them. However, not all staff have completed their level 3 diploma in caring for children and young people in residential care within the required timescales, meaning that some may have gaps in their knowledge of young people’s comprehensive needs.

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Good

The registered manager has a very good understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the home. Areas for development include an annual refresh of the environment, continuing to develop the garden area, including the provision of a playhouse, and preparing young people for the return to school and the associated change of routines. These plans mean that the service continues to develop and benefit all young people living at the home.

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Good

The registered manager regularly scrutinises young people’s documentation to ensure that all necessary information is available for staff. Files are very well maintained, and information is frequently updated. However, young people’s files do not include information about which responsibilities are delegated to staff at the home, and which remain with parents or social workers. This may lead to potential confusion or misunderstanding for managers and staff as these areas are not clarified.

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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

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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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