Children's home run by Northamptonshire County Council in West Northamptonshire

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:

 Children and young people in this home are receiving good care. They are making good and, in some cases, exceptional progress from their starting points.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Children and young people respond positively to trusting relationships with staff, the homely environment, and learning new skills in managing feelings and emotions.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The staff group develops effective working relationships and communicates very well with families.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Children’s and young people’s risky behaviours reduce as a result of clear structures, expectations and the effective individual and group work undertaken.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The management team and staff, in conjunction with therapists, are effectively developing and implementing the multisystemic therapy and family integrated transitions (MST-FIT) approach to working with children and families.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 There is a recommendation to provide additional guidance regarding relationships during the pre-admission stage and in the children’s guide in order to support the safety and welfare of children and young people.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Children should be supported to understand how to build friendships with other children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.7)

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Recommendations

This is with particular reference to ensuring that there is clear guidance in the children’s guide and in discussions with children and young people prior to their admission in respect of friendships and relationships within the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home is registered to provide care for up to seven children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Good 18/06/2014 Full Good 28/04/2014 Full Inadequate

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Good

Children and young people in this home are receiving good care. They are making good and, in some cases, exceptional progress from their starting points. Staff at this home have been trained and continue to develop skills in multisystemic therapy and family integrated transitions (MST-FIT). Staff provide interventions to support young people to change their behaviours. This is in conjunction with therapists and social workers working with families. This work is enabling children and young people to return to live at home or in foster care. Staff develop nurturing, trusting relationships. They begin relationship building prior to young people moving in, and continue to provide contact and support when young people have moved on. Since the last inspection, there have been improvements to the home environment, including the refurbishment of bedrooms. The home is comfortable, rooms are personalised, and there are an effective maintenance system and improvement

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Good

plan in place. The staff have successfully implemented an effective no smoking policy, which is made clear to children and young people as part of the admission process. This was a recommendation at the last inspection. Staff have also encouraged young people to help with the garden, growing a range of vegetables that are used in the home, providing balanced and nutritional meals. Young people are encouraged to take part in physical activities and develop a range of leisure interests. As a result, young people’s health is effectively promoted. Planning takes account of what activities can be maintained when young people return home. Young people are encouraged and supported to seek voluntary work experience and part-time employment. A number of the young people over the past year have been successful in securing employment, have helped in the community and have contributed to the children’s rights group. Consequently,

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Good

young people’s confidence has increased. Children and young people respond positively to the stable staff group, the structured environment, and learning new skills in managing feelings and emotions. Regular daily routines are maintained, along with thorough daily records and chronologies of significant events. There is good and timely information sharing with family members and professionals. As a result, there are effective tracking of progress and timely interventions to resolve difficulties. The staff in this home prioritise education attendance and are aspirational for children and young people. They encouraged and support children and young people to complete homework. Managers and staff view preparation for the admission of young people as a very important part of achieving effective change. They meet with professionals to share information, and support children and young people to visit the home prior to

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Good

moving in. Children and young people agree to engage in skills sessions, and families agree to work with therapists, social workers and residential staff to support a return home. There are very explicit timescales for this. The staff group develops effective working relationships and excellent communication with families. This begins prior to admission to ensure that staff and families share information in a timely way. Staff support and facilitate contact, and relationships are improved and repaired. Staff ensure that young people are learning independence skills, so that when they move from this home they have life skills and can contribute at home or in their next placement. Weekly planners show opportunities to cook with staff, and expectations about cleaning and tidying their rooms. Young people reported that the incentive scheme that is in place – referred to as ‘the token economy’ – helps them to value budgeting and saving.

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Good

A social worker said: ‘Initially, this young person did not want to engage in the skills sessions. I believe that she is doing really well. She has a good relationship with staff and she is reflecting on her behaviours. The work is about empowering her and enabling her to make good choices. She is already in a better place about her choices than before she came here.’ Children and young people contribute to decisions about their care. There are weekly young people’s meetings where they agree the agenda, and chair and record the meetings. There is a suggestions box for young people to contribute to at any time. They report that they are aware of the complaints process. At the time of the interim inspection, one young person was in the process of raising a complaint. This was thoroughly investigated and an appropriate referral was made to the local authority designated officer. Lessons have been learned about the

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Good

concerns raised. There have been no further complaints or concerns raised by young people. Professionals report that strength of this home is that staff encourage young people to contribute to their care planning. They advocate on behalf of children and young people if there are delays in progressing plans to secure appropriate school placements and education plans. A social worker said: ‘Staff in this home helped the young person whom I was working with to have a voice. This young person did not return to live at home, but this placement made a significant contribution to reaching decisions without more delay. For this young person to move to a foster placement with reduced risky behaviours and increased emotional resilience was a real success.’

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Good

Professionals report that children and young people are safer because of living in this home. Risks are identified as part of the referral process, there is continuous risk assessment, and there are detailed risk and behaviour management plans. These include advice to staff on how to intervene to manage risks and to reduce the risk of harm. All safety plans are up to date and are regularly reviewed. Managers request multi-agency strategy meetings or professionals meetings if there is new information about increased risk. A number of young people have made disclosures of new information while living at this home. These are responded to sensitively and appropriately, with procedures being followed. Staff proactively follow up any child protection concerns and information to ensure that up-to-date safeguarding plans are in place. There has been a reduction in missing behaviours by children and young people.

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Good

There is a low incidence of children and young people being reported missing or being absent without permission. Staff adhere to procedures, ensuring that return interviews are undertaken. There is less aggressive behaviours and substance abuse, and low numbers of physical interventions. This is because of clear structures and expectations, and the individual and group work completed by children and young people. Children and young people are aware of, and enter into a contract to attend, two skills sessions and a ‘recap’ session every week. They also have individual key-work sessions and conversations with staff. The recording of these has been improved since the last inspection to include an assessment of the session and whether any action is required. Children and young people benefit from safe, detailed contact arrangements. Contact with family is increased in a phased way during the stay. All contact with

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Good

family and friends is subject to detailed checks and planning to support safe contact arrangements. As part of the MST-FIT approach, there is a consistent, explicit rewards scheme. This is referred to as the ‘token economy’. As a result, children and young people are motivated to make changes to their behaviours and are learning techniques to manage their emotions and feelings constructively. Consequently, they have increased self-esteem and emotional resilience. Staff are proactively supporting children and young people to keep themselves safe as part of enhancing and influencing their decision making. This includes information about the risks inherent in the use of digital technology. Staff have had a range of safeguarding training, including bespoke training for residential staff. They are trained in defusing and de-escalating challenging behaviours, so physical interventions are rarely necessary and are used as a last

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Good

resort. The manager has listened to feedback and has evaluated that there is a need to develop practice further in respect of risk assessments and to build in measured risks, including further enhancing their free time, while children and young people are living at the home. This work was already in process at the time of the inspection. This inspection identified that there is a need to provide additional guidance during the pre-admission stage and in the children’s guide, distinguishing between relationships and friendships among young people in the home. This is in order to support the safety and welfare of children and young people.

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Outstanding

The registered manager and the management team provide outstanding leadership and management. There has been significant progress in the quality and effectiveness of the care provided since the last full inspection. Managers have effectively implemented the MST-FIT approach to working with children and families. Staff are committed to the approach, and have received training and regular case consultations to enhance their skills and knowledge base. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘I am very proud of the work that is achieved at Raven House. I think that it is an effective resource in working with children and young people. Staff have increased skills and knowledge. I have seen children and young people return home or move to foster placements as part of a positive plan, following significant changes to relationships and behaviours.’ There is excellent partnership working. The managers are very skilled in

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Outstanding

communicating effectively with families and professionals in a timely way to progress care plans. The manager recognises the importance of staff keeping families up to date and involved in health and education planning. Developments to improve the outcomes for children since the last inspection include implementing a ‘no smoking’ policy, providing a range of safeguarding training for staff, improved recording of key-work sessions/conversations, improved progress tracking, and implementation of meetings every three weeks with family therapists to discuss the progress made and solve problems. The staff and managers benefit from weekly case consultations with lead therapists. These are recorded, and advice and actions are tracked. Staff and managers at this home are aspirational for children. They have a track record of ensuring that children and young people have good, full-time education places. Children and young people have had good exam results and have gone on

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Outstanding

to further studies in colleges and sixth forms. The manager prioritises sharing good news about progress, and celebrates achievements with senior managers. A trainer said about the manager and the staff group, ’Their sheer passion shines through; they are so committed to their roles.’ The manager ensures that the management team is thorough and measured in the referral process and pre-admission preparation. He introduced and has reviewed an impact risk assessment which is used to assess the compatibility of each referral with the current residents and the fit with the MST approach. This means that staff are thoroughly prepared for each new admission. The work with the family therapists is also essential to the outcomes being achieved. The introduction of meetings every three weeks to track the progress of the MST input and review any other significant information is a positive development. This has helped children and young people with a range of complex

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Outstanding

needs to make progress and, in conjunction with work undertaken with families, has resulted in a return home, in some cases. The staff in this home maintain a residential chronology of significant events which helps to tell each young person’s story, and is an effective tool in tracking progress. There are also detailed placement plans, including information about their identities and histories, which clearly record each child’s and young person’s understanding of views about their plan. The quality of information about children and young people has improved since the last inspection. The manager is experienced and confident, and challenges professionals if there is evidence of delay in progressing plans for children and young people, including safeguarding plans. Examples are challenging professionals about delay in securing a school place during pre-admission discussions for a young person. Another was

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Outstanding

tenaciously sharing and following up emerging information about risks to a young person, to ensure that a professionals meeting was convened to consider the information. The manager ensures that there are systems in place to quality assure the work of the home, and is continuously evaluating the effectiveness of the MST approach and outcomes for young people. The information shows that, since this manager has been in post, there have been reduced staff sickness, ‘missing’ incidents and physical interventions. The implementation of the MST approach, in conjunction with work with families, has seen an increase in children and young people returning home, and young people with previously challenging and complex behaviours moving to foster placements and maintaining changed behaviours. Staff are supporting children and young people to make progress in relationships, stay safe and achieve in education. The skills sessions that children and young

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Outstanding

people are participating in have an impact on their progress, providing a range of tools and techniques to support them to change behaviours and to regulate emotions. The manager recognises that there remains work to do to embed the approach fully, and has plans in place to continue to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence of staff. For example, he is exploring training regarding presentation and influencing skills for all staff.

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 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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