Children's home run by Utopia Children’s Services Ltd in Stroud

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 good progress from their starting point, on moving to the home.  Young people are cared for by a stable, well-trained and committed staff team.  Staff have built excellent relationships with young people. This enables them to work successfully on young people’s risk-taking and negative behaviours, including enabling young people to develop self-management strategies.  Staff provide young people with a home where they are nurtured, valued and respected. This enables young people to be supported to increase their sense of self-esteem and self-worth.  Staff have high aspirations for the young people and support them to achieve these, even after young people have left the home.  Parents and fellow professionals praised the team for its work with young people and their families.  Young people’s safety and well-being are at the core of staff’s work. The team has a good understanding of safeguarding and its duty of care.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff act as advocates for young people, when required. This includes challenging placing authorities and other professions to ensure that young people’s needs are met.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Care must be taken to ensure prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly when any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

In particular, the effectiveness of the restraint and/or a sanction needs to be clearly recorded.

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

In particular, the record of staff interviews should include an explanation of the scoring system used to decide whether or not to appoint.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

In particular, records of complaints need to record consistently if the complainant if happy with the outcome of the complaint.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for a maximum of three young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/08/2015 Full Good 13/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/01/2015 Full Good

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Good

Young people make good progress from their starting point on moving to the home. They have built excellent relationships with the team of staff who care for them, built on mutual trust, respect and honesty. Staff display commitment toward the young people whom they are caring for and also those who have left the home. The staff have an in-depth knowledge of the young people whom they are caring for. They provide the young people with good role models. A young person who had left the home said, ‘I was not the easiest of kids, but staff stuck with me. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. This is what children’s homes should be like.’ During the inspection, excellent interactions between the staff and young people were observed. This was nurturing, supportive and fun.

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Good

Young people benefit from receiving individualised care from a warm, caring team that has their best interests at heart, as well as high aspirations for their future. Young people’s care plans are bespoke and they are involved in the formulation of these. These plans are kept under review to ensure that they meet the young people’s identified and emerging needs, as well as recognising their achievements.

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Good

Key-worker sessions are regularly held. These are linked to young people’s needs, recent events or issues. They give young people and the member of staff involved an opportunity to unpick events, and to try to work out how and why they happened, as well as how to prevent them happening again. The records of these sessions are of a good quality and help to demonstrate the progress made by young people.

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Good

Staff instil in young people the importance of education. For some, this currently means individualised education packages with the goal of reintegration into full- time education.

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Good

Young people are able to take part in a wide range of fun and purposeful activities. Young people are supported to maintain their own interests, as well as trying new things. One young person said that they are now doing more physical activity than they have ever done before, and enjoying it.

p.6

Good

Healthcare provision at the home is good. Young people are encouraged and supported to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Medication records are appropriate, but staff need to ensure that they consistently record if a young person refuses to take their medication. Young people are able to access additional support services such as therapists, as required. The standard of accommodation at the home is very high. There is ample internal and external space, and young people are encouraged to personalise their rooms and the communal spaces, too. Furnishings at the home are of a high quality. Since the last full inspection, a new kitchen has been fitted. The home that the staff have provided for the young people gives them a comfortable, well-maintained environment in which to thrive.

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Good

Staff are very skilled in working with young people’s families. They involve them whenever possible in all decisions and plans. One parent praised the staff, not only the work for that they have done with their child, but also the support that they have given him. This parent said: ‘The staff are fantastic. They have stuck with my child through all the ups and downs. They have helped us to improve our relationship.’ This view was supported by young people’s social workers. Staff have also arranged for parents to attend courses linked to the needs of their child, which parents really appreciate. The ethos behind this comes from the registered manager, who said, ‘Their family will always be their family, so we need to help all of them as much as we can’.

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Good

Young people become increasing safe during their time at the home. The staff team is skilled in developing young people’s awareness and understanding of their risk-taking behaviours. Staff then work with them to develop strategies to help young people to keep themselves safe. This work is based on the open and honest relationships that the staff have with the young people. One young person said: ‘I like the fact that staff say it like it is. This helps me to know where I stand.’

p.7

Good

The staff team has a clear understanding of safeguarding processes, procedures and their duty of care. Linked to this are the excellent risk assessments that the staff carry out for each young person. These contain detailed strategies as to how to reduce identified risks and are kept under review to ensure that they reflect the young person’s current situation.

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Good

Behaviour at the home is well managed. Staff have a good understanding of young people’s behavioural needs and triggers. From this, they have developed effective ways of reducing incidents of negative behaviours. In addition, they have increased young people’s awareness of how their behaviours affect themselves and those around them. The main driver is the reinforcement of positive behaviours and praise. One young person said that the ‘worst thing is when you’ve done something wrong and you can see that staff are disappointed’.

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Good

Physical intervention is rarely used, and then only as a last resort. Sanctions used are fair, and young people are provided with an opportunity for restorative work. Appropriate records are maintained of physical interventions and sanctions, but there is a lack of clarity in some records regarding the effectiveness of the actions taken.

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Good

Staff act promptly, should a young person go missing. This includes whenever possible following the young person, trying to contact them by phone and searching the local area. The staff team has developed effective working relationships with the police and child sexual exploitation professionals which benefit young people, as information is effectively shared and the work on these issues is collaborative.

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Good

Recruitment procedures are robust and adhered to in practice, which protects young people from those who may wish to harm them. When disclosures are made in Disclosure and Barring Service checks, comprehensive risk assessments are completed to safeguard young people. Interview notes are maintained on staff files, but currently there is no explanation of the scoring system used and how the decision to appoint was made.

p.8

Good

The registered manager has met the recommendation made at the previous inspection. The quality of the records maintained has improved, but the registered manager stated that this remains work in progress. To address this further, training on recording is scheduled. The monitoring of records has also improved, but there are minor gaps in records which have not been addressed. This has not impacted upon the young people and their care.

p.8

Good

There has been a change of management at the home, with the previous registered manager taking up this role again. They are experienced in childcare and well qualified for the role. Since returning to this role, the monitoring of the home’s records has improved. The registered manager provides staff with a good, effective role model. They are very passionate about their work and strive for the best for young people. The staff team welcomes the return of this manager.

p.8

Good

Young people benefit from being cared for by an experienced, well-trained and stable staff team. There is a good age, gender and ethnicity mix within the team. The staff are very knowledgeable about the young people whom they care for and have their well-being, development and safety at the heart of all their work. This view was supported by the fellow professionals and parents contacted during the inspection.

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Good

The staff team benefits from good-quality formal support from leaders and managers. Leaders and managers see this and informal support as vital to providing good-quality care for the young people. As well as supervision sessions, staff undergo an annual appraisal and a mid-year review. Information from these and supervision sessions is used to develop the training programme for both the individual and the team. The staff interviewed commented that they value the support that they have from the leaders, managers and their colleagues. The organisation’s service manager has developed guidance for those staff carrying out the supervision of other staff, to ensure consistency and quality.

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Good

Leaders and managers ensure that the staff are provided with good-quality training which is linked to the young people’s identified and emerging needs. Staff said that they are supported by leaders and managers to develop their skills and their careers.

p.9

Good

Consultation is one of the home’s strengths. Staff value feedback on the service that they provide and use this to improve their practice further.

p.9

Good

The home’s statement of purpose accurately reflects the ethos of the home. Young people’s needs are at the forefront of all work undertaken. Staff are skilled in acting as advocates for young people with placing authorities, fellow professionals and parents.

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Good

Complaints are appropriately managed, and young people are aware of how to make a complaint. Records of complaints do not consistently clearly evidence if the complainant is happy with the outcome.

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Good

An independent visitor regularly visits the home and this, with the manager’s monitoring, is used to improve future practices.

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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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