Children's home in Rochdale

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 live in a caring and supportive home. The resilient support and persistent effort of staff has helped young people to stay safe and has contributed to a reduction in high-risk behaviour.  The manager demonstrates an aptitude for her role and provides good support for staff. This includes providing them with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills through a good range of training opportunities. This ensures that staff are suitably equipped to meet young people’s known and emerging needs.  A successful recruitment drive and good strategic decisions by senior managers in the organisation have provided a strong foundation to achieve a stable staff team and further reduce the need for external cover in the home.  Care practice is based on good assessment, planning and review and is underpinned by strong relationships that nurture a sense of belonging and increased self-worth.  The support offered by the organisation’s therapists is a major strength and has

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The children’s home provision is good because:

contributed significantly to the progress that young people make.  The registered manager makes good use of a range of monitoring processes and has a good understanding of what the home does well. Young people’s needs are integral to any improvements that need to be made and forward-thinking is good.  A small number of shortfalls were identified at this inspection. These relate to risk assessments and the cleanliness of the environment.

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, in particular the standard in paragraph (1), the registered person must ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

(d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that staff consistently implement risk management strategies designed to maintain fire safety and that a risk assessment is in place to inform young people about the risks associated with the garden pond. 25/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  For the children’s home to be a homely environment, the registered person should ensure that high standards of cleanliness are maintained throughout the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation also has a therapy department as well as a school, which young people can access if appropriate.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 16/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/06/2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Young people benefit from well-planned care, which is personalised to their individual and specific needs. Despite the relative newness of the team, relationships between them and the current young people are strong. Both young people identified staff as the best thing about the home. Comments included, ‘The manager and staff care and do their best’ and ‘I get on really well with my staff, this a good place to live.’

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Good

Young people’s views and opinions are integral to all aspect of their care. They are routinely involved in making choices about what they do each day and are frequently encouraged to offer their opinions about the quality of care they receive. Staff use focused key-work sessions and impromptu discussions to encourage young people to reflect on their past and current experiences. This helps them to develop a better understanding of their lives and the challenges they may face in the future. While young people are at different stages of understanding in terms of the complexities of their circumstances, age, maturity and time in placement, it is clear from discussion with them that they have confidence that staff will be there to support them whatever.

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Good

Young people’s care is well planned and based on thorough assessment of their needs. Admissions are carefully considered to ensure that young people are as well matched as possible. Staff are diligent in their efforts to meet young people’s individual needs and work hard to address the issues and complexities of their changing relationships with each other. Every effort is made to help them safely manage their behaviours and risks, and staff have shown determination and resilience at times when young people have not made this easy to do. Decisive action has been taken when the influence of one young person was impacting negatively on another. The manager was quick to raise concerns with the placing authorities and worked with the young person to make a well thought-out and planned transition to another home within the organisation. Two staff from the team moved with the young person as a means of providing some continuity of

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Good

care. Inherent issues have been considered when planning the most recent admission, and so far the current pair of young people appear to be well matched, despite their significant differences.

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Good

Young people’s physical and emotional health and well-being are promoted. Staff monitor young people’s health and provide the necessary support to ensure that routine appointments and checks are up to date. They provide good information about the importance of healthy lifestyles and promptly seek specialist interventions, such as substance misuse services, when necessary. Young people are mostly making good choices about their health, and on the whole refrain from behaviours which may pose a risk to them. A major benefit has been their engagement with the in-house therapy team, who work directly with each young person and provide guidance and support for staff. Professionals identify this as a major strength of the organisation and note the significant progress each young person is making, relative to their time living at the home. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The therapy has been a major success. [Name] sees his

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Good

therapist every week. His sessions are really tailored to his individual needs and [name] is very positive about these.’ His social worker said, ‘The fact that he is engaging so well with his therapist is a testament to how far he has come on. They are very creative and have found ways of using his interests to enable him to express himself through rapping. This is a major achievement and helps me know what he is thinking.’

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Good

Staff recognise and value the importance of education and do their best to promote this. Individualised arrangements are in place for each young person. One young person is currently receiving home tuition, which is provided by a teacher from the organisation’s school, and is supported by care staff. Staff have sourced a school placement and are in the process of finalising arrangements for him to attend. They have been good at providing support for the other young person, who has had to defer his college placement due to circumstances beyond his control. They have worked hard to help him engage with the local careers service and supported him to complete a curriculum vitae. Furthermore, they have provided him with a range of learning opportunities such as educational visits to museums and developing basic independence skills such as cooking and shopping.

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Good

Young people enjoy a wide range of purposeful activities which are based on their individual hobbies and interests. They spoke enthusiastically about the things they had done, such as climbing, bowling and trips to the seaside. Both young people said that they liked the location of the home and enjoyed going for walks around the nearby lake. Family contact takes place at the home and staff are fully aware of the impact this can have. Staff manage this effectively, ensuring that the agreed parameters are maintained, for example by providing direct supervision. This ensures that young people can have safe, purposeful contact with the people who are important to them.

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Good

Young people benefit from living in a pleasant home that is located in an idyllic semi-rural location. The house is suitably furnished and reasonably well maintained. When young people have caused damage, it is repaired as quickly as possible. Young people are encouraged to contribute to keeping the home clean. For example, receipt of their pocket money is dependent on them tidying their bedrooms. Staff are not being diligent in ensuring that this agreement is upheld and that good standards of tidiness and cleanliness are being maintained. For example, both bedrooms were very untidy on the day of the inspection and did not appear to have been thoroughly cleaned for some time, evident by the bowl of mould-covered food found in one bedroom. Furthermore, there was a lot of litter strewn about the garden and the receptacle for cigarette butts was very full. The manager took steps to address some of these issues during the inspection and

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Good

recognises the need to improve standards of cleanliness in the home.

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Good

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and keeping young people safe is given a high priority. Staff are trained in safeguarding and know what to do in the event of any emerging concerns. Young people come to the home with a range of high-risk behaviours and vulnerabilities, including going missing, self-harm, sexual exploitation and sexually harmful behaviour. These risks are detailed in comprehensive risk assessments, which are kept up to date and used to inform staff practice. Staff are effective in the application of identified risk management strategies. This, combined with the home’s semi-rural location, has contributed significantly to a vast reduction in these types of behaviours and risks.

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Good

One-to-one staffing ensures that young people receive the right supervision and support that they need to feel protected and keep them safe. Staff make every effort to maintain these levels of supervision at all times. This includes following them when they choose to leave the home without permission. When they cannot account for their whereabouts, they follow individualised protocols for reporting their absence to the police, and work effectively with them to secure a safe return home. They try to understand the reasons young people choose to go missing and make every effort to address these. One social worker said, ‘[Name] was always going missing before coming to this home. This has improved significantly, and although he still goes missing, it is only for short periods of time and is much less frequent. They always take the right action and have been good at using free time to reduce this behaviour. I am really happy with the way things are going.’

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Good

There have been six serious safeguarding concerns since the last full inspection. These have been managed effectively and in the best interests of the young people, including referral to and involvement of external safeguarding professionals and agencies. This means that matters have been fully investigated and that a coordinated multi-agency response was taken to promote young people’s welfare.

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Good

Staff work hard to manage young people’s behaviour in a non-confrontational and supportive manner. Positive behaviour is encouraged through a range of incentivised targets that lead to individually agreed rewards that they have chosen. Young people are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour and understand the consequences of their actions. Sanctions are rarely used, with staff preferring a restorative approach which goes some way towards making up for their misdemeanours. For example, young people have written letters of apology and helped repair the damage that they have done in the home. More importantly, this encourages young people to reflect and develop better ways of managing their frustrations and anger, and for some a notable improvement can be seen.

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Good

All staff are trained in behaviour management, including the use of physical restraint. There is an emphasis on de-escalation and staff use their learning and positive relationships with young people generally to good effect. Physical restraint is only used as a last resort and when absolutely necessary for the protection of young people and staff. There have been only seven restraints in a 14-month period. The majority of these have been low-level interventions and only lasted for a matter of seconds. Only one incident has been of significance and required police assistance due to the level of threat posed by one young person. It is clear from the home’s records that every effort was made to avoid the police being called and that this is not a standard response to managing challenging behaviour.

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Good

Safer recruitment practice is followed. All staff are subject to careful vetting prior to starting work in the home. Declared offences are fully explored and risk assessed. Referees are contacted to verify that they have no concerns about the applicant’s suitability to work with young people, which is proving increasingly important, given the reluctance of many employers to give detailed references. This ensures that only those suitable to work with vulnerable young people do so.

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Good

Young people are protected by a range of health and safety procedures, risk assessments and routine checks. However, there is no risk assessment in place to inform young people about the risks associated with the garden pond. Furthermore, staff are failing to follow procedures by not ensuring that the fire extinguisher, which is temporarily in the office following an incident involving a young person, is taken from the office and into the kitchen when cooking. The manager is aware of the need to find a permanent solution to this problem and will consult with the local authority fire safety officer as part of this process.

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Good

The registered manager has been in charge of this home since May 2015. During this time she has built on her experiences as a deputy manager and demonstrates a good aptitude for the role. Following the completion of her level 5 diploma in June 2016, she is now fully qualified. She also manages a second home within the company, dividing her time between the two, based on the need of each home.

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Good

The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and what needs to improve. This is because she makes good use of a range of internal and external quality assurance processes. She ensures that all aspects of care practice are monitored on a regular basis and demonstrates a commitment to improving young people’s care experiences. She makes good use of a range of development plans for the purpose of forward planning. This is important, given the current plans to close the home at some point next year. Although this is some time away, she has already started thinking about the needs of young people in terms of placement alternatives.

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Good

Suitable action has been taken to address the two requirements and one recommendation from the previous inspection. An isolation switch has been fitted to the bedroom door alarms. This means that these can now be turned off during the day, if it is safe to do so. Staff debriefs have taken place following any incident of physical restraint. Procedures are in place to ensure that young people are offered a return interview following any period of going missing from home. These have been agreed with placing authorities.

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Good

Achieving consistency in staffing has posed a significant challenge for both the home and the organisation as a whole. At times there has been a high use of staff from other homes within the organisation, as well as agency staff on occasions. A successful recruitment drive and good strategic decisions by senior managers in the organisation have provided a strong foundation to achieve a stable staff team and further reduce the need for external cover. This, combined with the manager’s intention to develop one team that works across her two homes, means that when shortfalls do occur, it is increasingly likely that they can be covered by staff who regularly work with young people in the home. One young person said, ‘There have been times when a lot of different people have been working here, but it is getting much better.’ Another young person said, ‘I get on with everyone, but I much prefer it when my staff are here.’

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Good

There is a good balance of experience and knowledge in this newly formed diverse team of staff. New staff follow a suitable induction and probation pathway which requires them to gather evidence and demonstrate their levels of competency before being signed out of their probationary period. This process is monitored by the manager, who ensures that targets are being met in a timely manner. All staff receive regular supervision and have their performance appraised annually. The majority of staff are either qualified or are in the process of completing the level 3 diploma. The remaining two staff will be enrolled after successfully completing their probationary period. A good range of purposeful training opportunities are available for staff. Mandatory training is regularly refreshed and needs-led training is provided when required. For example, all staff will be given training on self-harm and sexually harmful behaviour. For some this will be a refresher, but it will ensure

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Good

that all staff are competent in meeting the needs of the current group of young people.

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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 whom 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 0300 123 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 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

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

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