Children's home run by Pathfinders (childcare) Limited in Rochdale

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.2

The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make and sustain exceptional progress throughout their time living at the home. They are supported to maintain excellent levels of attendance in school and say that they enjoy learning in the school environment.  Young people are looked after by a consistent and dedicated team of staff who develop trusting and supportive relationships with each young person.  The home is managed by an inspirational and dedicated registered manager who is passionate about ensuring that young people are extremely well cared for and supported to reach their full potential.  Young people’s safety and welfare are prioritised in the home. Young people say that they feel safe in the home. This is because of the staff team and the care that they receive. One young person said, ‘All the staff are lovely. They really care about me.’  Young people develop very good relationships with each other. They enjoy spending time together and share numerous experiences, which

p.3

The children's home provision is outstanding because:

foster and maintain their positive relationships.  Young people recognise the progress that they have made since living in the home. Risk-taking behaviour continues to reduce.  The manager ensures that young people live in a nurturing and homely environment. Young people see the placement as their home.  Excellent relationships are developed with parents and professionals, which provide young people with a holistic support package.  Individual team members say that they are very well supported in their roles. They say that the manager is always available for support and leads by example. They benefit from regular supervisions and team meetings and participate in both internal and external training. This ensures that they are well equipped to meet the individual needs of the young people who are placed in the home.  The three shortfalls identified at the inspection have not impacted on the welfare and safety of young people.

p.3

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children. This system must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(2)(a)(5)) 30/12/2016

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the provider provides a homely environment. In particular, ensure that the home is well maintained and that aspects of wear and tear in the home are addressed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should seek to ensure that the local authority regularly consults the child and the home about the child's relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.11)

p.4

Information about this children's home

This children's home is operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

16/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

12/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Outstanding

Young people say that they live in an ‘outstanding home’. Young people and staff enjoy exceptional relationships. Relationships are built on trust and have been nurtured over the time that the young people have lived in the home. The manager has established a consistent staff team that knows the young people very well because of the shared experiences. The young people speak fondly of each other and have developed positive relationships. They say that they enjoy the time that they spend together. As a result of the settled and consistent placements, the young people have continued to make exceptional progress from their individual starting points. They are thriving in the home and enjoying living together, each working towards their individual goals. The manager promotes a homely and nurturing environment where young people are very well looked after. One professional commented: ‘It’s a really comfortable and homely home. You can see that the rapport between the

p.6

Outstanding

staff and young people is genuine.’ The young people live in or near to their own communities. Thus, they have been able to maintain links with their families and friends. The manager and staff team ensure that each young person is supported appropriately to maintain links with family members and people who are important to them. Family contacts are promoted and supported by staff, as required. Parents and young people confirm that the level of supervision is managed well by individual staff and supports positive interaction and engagement during these sessions. The young people enjoy spending time in the home with friends and people who are important to them. One young person commented: ‘My girlfriend comes round to the house for tea and sometimes comes on activities with me. I feel like they [the staff] all are here to support me. Everything is set up for me to make good choices.’ The young people enjoy a full and wide variety of activities and experiences in the

p.6

Outstanding

home and community, for example taking part in a midnight walk for charity, having friends over for tea at the home and being part of community groups such as girl guides and drama clubs. They are very well supported in their individual interests. Staff talk proudly of their individual achievements. These activities support the young people to enjoy structured and positive time in the community with their peers. The manager and staff team are committed to ensuring that young people living at the home experience as many different opportunities as possible, to support them to broaden their horizons and build their self-confidence. The manager places a high value on education. The young people have well- established daily routines, which prepare them for the school day. They enjoy excellent attendance at school and have made sustained improvement in their educational attainment. One young person has been well supported to transition

p.6

Outstanding

from primary to secondary education. This transition was well planned and well thought out, enabling the young person to access taster days over the summer. This ensured that the young person was well prepared and confident at the start of term in September. The placing social worker commented: ‘The transition process was very well managed. This was because we all worked together to a very clear plan.’ The manager and staff team develop and sustain excellent professional relationships with educational professionals to ensure that they are working in partnership to support young people to achieve their potential. One educational professional commented: ‘The staff are excellent, very supportive. They act as a parent and work with us to support [X] to achieve.’ The young people enjoy good health outcomes. They attend all of their health appointments and engage positively with health professionals. The manager

p.7

Outstanding

ensures that any appointments do not impact on the young people’s individual routines. Young people have access to professionals to support positive emotional well-being. The young people have engaged well with these professionals and continue to use some of the strategies identified during the sessions to maintain positive emotional health. One young person said that in addition to the professionals they can ‘speak to staff about anything, because I feel the staff really care about me.’ The young people live in a small and homely house. Photographs and certificates of achievements are proudly displayed around the home. The young people have taken an active part in choosing the decor and have each personalised their bedrooms. However, the kitchen is tired and worn. This is due to general wear and tear. The manager accepts that this is an area which needs some renovating and updating. Young people’s views are central to the home. They say that they are listened to as

p.7

Outstanding

part of day-to-day discussions and young people’s meetings. They are emotionally supported by key members of staff on an individual basis through one-to-one discussions. When extra advocacy is identified as being required to support young people, particularly in their care planning arrangements, the manager ensures that this service is accessed. Both young people have, after discussions with placing authorities, decided to move to the new home that the manager has recently been registered for. The young people say that they are excited about the move and have already begun choosing the colours to personalise their bedrooms. They will move across to the new home with the majority of the staff team members to ensure that consistency is maintained for the young people.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people say that they feel very safe living in the home because of the staff team and the care that they receive. This view is shared by a parent, who said during the inspection: ‘My daughter is doing really well. That [is] because of the consistent staff. I know she is really safe there.’ Young people have enjoyed placement stability since coming to live in the home. Their individual risk-taking behaviour has significantly reduced. Young people recognise the positive changes in their own behaviour and the positive coping strategies that they now use. One young person commented: ‘Before, I just used to run off when I was angry. Now I go for a run around the block to calm down. The staff trust me to do this now they know I’m not going to run off.’ Young people do not routinely go missing from the home. On the rare occasions when young people have not returned to the home, the manager and staff team

p.8

Outstanding

have worked tirelessly to locate the young person to ensure their safe return to the home. As a result of this proactive practice, the number of episodes of missing has continued to reduce. One young person commented: ‘I know the staff care about me. When I didn’t come home, they just kept looking for me. I think they must have phoned my friends at least 30 times.’ The manager ensures that young people are protected and supported through detailed missing from home risk management plans. These plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that staff have up-to-date strategies to effectively manage any episodes of young people going missing. The young people have each demonstrated a reduction in risk-taking behaviour. They are supported by a staff team that offers consistency and routines, which support them to manage their behaviour and to develop a sense of well-being and security. Individual behaviour management plans enable young people to take age-

p.8

Outstanding

appropriate risks and develop the skills to keep themselves safe in the home and wider community. For example, one young person is now independently walking part of the way to school. This reduction in staff supervision is supporting the young person to develop self-confidence and independence skills. Individual staff members have an excellent awareness of safeguarding. They have access to a number of training courses, which underpin their knowledge and understanding. Behaviour is managed exceptionally well by the manager and staff team. This is because the staff team is very well trained and has excellent relationships with the young people. The manager and staff team are able to identify any subtle changes in the behaviour of the young people, which ensures that the right level of support is quickly identified and put in place. This has resulted in a considerable reduction in the number of challenging incidents and there have been no incidents of physical

p.8

Outstanding

restraint since the last inspection. The manager is committed to providing a safe environment. She ensures that regular health and safety checks are completed in the home. She has recently submitted the completed portfolio for the Enabling Environments Award, an award achieved by those who can demonstrate that they are achieving an outstanding level of practice in creating and sustaining a positive and effective social environment. This is awarded by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Young people continue to be protected by robust staff recruitment and selection procedures, in which the manager takes an active role. Appropriate checks and monitoring of visitors to the home help to protect young people from unsuitable adults in the home.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager has a number of years’ experience in this role and is suitability qualified. She has been registered at this home since 2004. She has just completed the registration process for a new home. She will continue to manage this home alongside the new provision. The manager is an inspirational leader who acts as a role model for new and existing staff members. She is extremely passionate about supporting young people who are living in the home to achieve their full potential. She is particularly focused on fostering and promoting individual interests and supporting their future aspirations. The young people, since living at the home, have made exceptional progress. This is because of placement stability and the commitment of the manager and staff team to prioritise the individual needs of the young people. The manager leads by example. She provides a high level of support to individual

p.9

Outstanding

staff and she is committed to supporting staff members to develop and extend their knowledge. Individual staff members comment on the support that they receive from the manager. One membered of staff commented: ‘I feel very well supported in my role. The manager is very approachable and really focused about the young people.’ The manager has established a link with the training officer at the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board. This means that staff have the opportunity to undertake additional training to complement their learning alongside the comprehensive internal training programme. The staff team benefits from regular supervisions and team meetings to ensure that members are effectively supported and challenged in their roles to improve the quality of care in the home. The manager is adept at encouraging and supporting individual staff members to develop and to ensure succession planning for the home and organisation. As a

p.9

Outstanding

result, since the last inspection a number of staff have secured promotion within the team and are now employed as seniors. The home is very well managed and is achieving the aims and objective as set out in its statement of purpose. The manager has an excellent understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and is proactive in ensuring the continual development of the home and in providing high-quality care. She has a clear vision for the home. She remains committed to securing improvement. The manager monitors the home and completes regular monitoring reports. Despite the manager speaking with professionals, staff, young people and parents about the quality of care on a regular basis, these findings are not yet included in the quality of care reports. This shortfall has not impacted on young people because of the quality of the relationships between the manager, staff and young people in the home. The

p.10

Outstanding

young people during the inspection commented that they feel very much a part of the home and that their voice is clearly heard. The manager develops and maintains excellent relationships with professionals and parents. This means that young people benefit from the best possible support. The manager communicates effectively with all agencies to ensure that young people continue to make progress and their views are listened to. One professional commented: ‘The communication is excellent. We work well together to support [X].’ The young people benefit from regular contact with placing social workers and other key professionals. However, one young person’s care plan is currently out of date. The manager has raised this in a number of discussions with professionals, but is yet to formally challenge the local authority to ensure that the young person’s views are captured and that care planning is effective and up to date. The

p.10

Outstanding

manager has ensured that an excellent and detailed internal placement plan is in place to support the individual young person, who has expressed that she wishes to remain in placement at the home. No shortfalls were identified at the previous inspection.

p.10

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’.

p.11

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

p.11

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.

p.11

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

p.12

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 .

p.12

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 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,

p.13

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.13

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

p.13