Children's home in Charnwood

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:

 Young people receive personalised care that promotes all aspects of their individual identities.

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

 Staff develop warm and nurturing relationships with young people by listening to young people’s views, wishes and feelings, and acting on them in the day-to-day running of the home.

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

 Staff encourage young people to pursue interests and hobbies.

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

 The staff team promotes the education and achievement of young people.

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

 Staff support young people to lead healthy lives.

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

 Staff ensure that relationships with family and friendships are risk assessed and supported well.

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

 Young people enjoy sound relationships, interact positively with others and behave appropriately because of the support from staff.

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

 The new manager is keen to learn and strives in every area to bring about positive and personal growth for everyone in the home.

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

 All staff receive regular supervision, enabling them to reflect on the welfare of young people and on their own professional development.

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

 Partnership working with parents is excellent.

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

 The manager is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and has a clear vision for improvement.

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

 A few shortfalls were identified during this inspection. Care plans do not identify the young people’s cultural and linguistic background. Six-monthly reviews do not incorporate the views of young people or the placing authorities. The manager does not validate any previous employment when an applicant has a history of working with children or vulnerable adults.

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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

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which: include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)) This is in direct reference to the child’s ethnicity, and the child’s cultural and linguistic background. 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating: the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)). 06/01/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. If children complain, or give a view on how the staffing structure could be improved to promote the best care for them, appropriate action should be taken. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15)

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is privately owned and provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/05/2015 Full Good 24/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/08/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people feel listened to. They know that their views, wishes and feelings are taken into account, especially when staff are planning activities and menus, and are furnishing the home. For example, young people have recently helped to choose the kitchen equipment for the newly fitted kitchen and have helped to select new furniture for the living room. Young people are also encouraged to personalise their own bedrooms. This has included being involved in the painting of walls. Young people’s meetings also help to ensure that young people talk about the home and the way that they live together. Young people have begun to take the notes and there are clear action plans concerning points raised. Consequently, young people are participating in meaningful decisions that affect them individually and as a group.

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Good

The staff team ensures that the home’s accommodation stays pleasant and comfortable. Staff encourage personalisation of the home by helping young people to have photos up throughout the house. Young people are also supported to have family and friends to the home to visit. This gives the young people a sense of belonging and identity.

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Good

Young people are able to enjoy their interests, develop confidence in their skills and are encouraged by staff to engage in social activities. These include going to the gym and the cinema, and taking part in outings such as going to the safari park. Young people also take part in activities together within the home, such as film nights, karaoke evenings and culturally themed nights. The young people speak fondly about these evenings, which help them to have a deeper insight into other cultures and the opportunity to try new foods.

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Good

Staff promote education by providing support that helps young people to achieve their educational potential. Despite this help, some young people continue to struggle with their school attendance. However, staff have a ‘never give up’ attitude in this respect, and look at different ways to help young people to overcome barriers that influence their learning. This includes setting up tailored educational packages that are individualised to the learning needs of the young people.

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Good

Young people are supported to understand their health needs, including how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For instance, staff actively help young people to reduce their nicotine intake. One young person told the inspector that she was smoking 30 cigarettes a day. However, with staff support she was now smoking around six cigarettes a day. Staff ensure that each young person is registered with primary healthcare and that each has early and ongoing access to child and adolescent mental health services. This ensures that young people can access services and receive treatment without undue delays. This in turn helps to enhance their physical, emotional and psychological well-being. For example, a young person in the home has diabetes. The young person has now managed, with staff and other professional guidance, to understand their health needs and to make informed decisions about their own health.

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Good

Where it is appropriate to do so, young people are encouraged to develop their levels of responsibility in preparation for the transition to adulthood. For example, young people are supported to complete their own washing and to develop skills, such as cooking and budgeting.

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Good

Young people maintain contact with their parents and carers in situations when it is safe to do so. Staff are available for parents to discuss the current and future needs of the young people. When contact restrictions are in place, staff clearly explain these. Young people receive practical and emotional support to attend contact visits. This means that young people are not isolated from their families.

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Good

Although placement plans provide staff with some awareness of the differing needs of the young people, they do not clearly identify the young people’s cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This hinders staff’s understanding and limits their opportunities to help the young people to fully embrace and understand their cultural needs and identities.

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Good

Staff develop warm and nurturing relationships with young people by listening to them and respecting their views and opinions. Consequently, young people build trusting relationships with key members of staff and use these relationships as a means of staying safe.

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Good

Young people say that they feel safe. They confirm that bullying does not take place in the home, and if any issues were to arise, they feel confident that the staff would appropriately address these concerns.

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Good

Young people know how to make a complaint. Young people are clear that their concerns are taken seriously. Staff make sure that complaints made directly to them are thoroughly investigated, and that young people receive a written response. This helps to give young people a strong voice and the reassurance that their concerns are taken seriously.

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Good

Staff manage risk well. Clear and detailed risk assessments help staff to identify what triggers young people’s behaviour, how to manage it and what to expect to see when young people display emotional outbursts. Plans are updated when change occurs and reflect the young people’s current needs and the support required.

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Good

Young people’s risk-taking behaviours have decreased since their admission. For example, incidents of young people going missing from the home and self-harming have decreased significantly. Young people have also moved from a high to a low risk of child sexual exploitation. Where young people are at risk of child sexual exploitation, staff know the signs and symptoms, and proactively monitor all young people at the home. Staff have engaged in training to support their understanding and heighten their awareness. This has enhanced staff’s individual skills and has kept them up to date on key practice.

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Good

Multi-agency working supports young people to have safe relationships with their boyfriends. This is risk-assessed and supported by staff following discussions with social workers, police, parents and the young people.

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Good

The home uses a system of financial rewards and incentives to promote positive behaviour. Consequently, the use of physical intervention is low. Sanctions are also infrequent. Instead, staff focus on encouraging positive behaviour. For example, two of the young people currently have a rabbit each, which they earned through positive behaviour. This further helps to gives the young people a sense of belonging and responsibility.

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Good

Staff undertake regular health and safety checks. This includes routine servicing of equipment and robust risk assessments to ensure that the home is safe for young people.

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Good

Safer recruitment processes are not fully implemented to safeguard the young people. For example, managers do not validate their previous employment when an applicant has a history of working with children or vulnerable adults. Although audits have taken place recently, these have not been vigorous, and gaps in recruitment practice remain. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager has the level 4 leadership and management qualification and has worked in the home for nearly a year. The manager is keen to learn and strives in every area to bring about positive and personal growth for everyone in the home. She provides strong leadership and continually appraises the overall functioning of the home to provide the best possible environment for young people to grow and develop.

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Good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager. They feel listened to and that their views are valued. Incentive schemes, which recognise positive performance, also aid staff members to feel well supported. Therefore, staff remain highly motivated in their care of young people. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘(The manager) has been very good. She is focused about a plan for improvement.’ Another worker commented, ‘I’ve had fantastic management. I think the home is run fantastically’

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Good

All staff receive regular supervision. This enables them to reflect on the welfare of young people and on their own professional development. When staff are in post for more than 12 months, they have an annual appraisal to identify progress and areas for development or improvement.

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Good

The manager understands young people’s individual needs, and ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet them. Effective team meetings and handovers ensure that good communication and consistency of practice are secured across the staff group The registered manager ensures that staff receive regular training and have the skills and competencies necessary to meet the diverse needs of the young people in their care. Training is refreshed and updated. Specialised training also takes place. For example, staff have been trained in understanding mental health and diabetes issues. Further training is planned around sexualised behaviours. Staff have obtained their level 3 award in residential childcare or above in the required timescale. Many staff are trained to degree level. This level of commitment to training helps to ensure that the staff team delivers high-quality care to young people.

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Good

Because of sickness, there has been a reliance on staff cover from other services within the company. This has meant that, on occasions, staff who are less familiar with young people’s needs have provided support. The manager has already reflected on this shortfall and more staff are due to commence at the home shortly.

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Good

The manager is comprehensively aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and has a clear vision for improvement. An independent visitor undertakes monthly visits and produces a report. The manager finds these useful. These visits, together with support from the experienced service manager and other monitoring tools, help her to monitor the quality of care. This in turn helps to ensure that young people are receiving quality care.

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Good

The manager ensures that the statement of purpose clearly demonstrates the aims and objectives of the home. This makes it possible for parents or placing authorities to have a clear understanding of the services available.

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Good

Partnership working with parents is excellent. One parent told the inspector that ‘Staff have been consistent with (her daughter). They are kind and understanding, but they are also firm with her. They are very much about working with the family for the best outcomes. They have done a fantastic job with her. She has made huge improvements in helping her to keep herself safe.’

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Good

The manager has not ensured that the six-monthly review focuses sufficiently on the voices of young people and placing authorities. She is aware of this and has plans in place to ensure that this shortfall is not repeated.

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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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