Children's home run by Worcestershire County Council in Worcester

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 are making good progress. They feel safe and secure with the stable staff team.  The staff team carefully helps young people to reflect on their circumstances and to work through their difficulties constructively.  There are good plans in place to support the service, staff team and young people to move into a new house.  Young people who have historically struggled to engage with education are attending school and college.  Young people have stopped some high-risk behaviours.  Young people feel listened to and they know that their views and wishes really matter.  The registered manager continues to develop the service in line with needs identified by the local authority.  There was one shortfall identified: - Missing from care incidents are not being clearly recorded.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which: (a) Include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; (b) are kept up to date; and (c) are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to Regulation 36(1) Schedule 3(14). 31/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Records must be kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3(14)). This information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate, the child's parents. Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care (quality standard 9.31)

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Information about this children's home

This home is run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

09/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Since the last inspection, one young person has been supported to successfully return home. One young person was supported to stay for a short period of time while an alternative placement could be identified. Since then, only three young people have been living at the home. All three are settled and making good progress in most areas of their lives. They are being supported by a stable, resilient staff team that works with them to address complex and changing needs. The whole service, staff and young people are currently planning a move to a new home. This house is more domestic in style and will result in the service providing care and accommodation for three young people instead of six young people. Young people are being actively involved in planning for the move. They were visiting their new house and choosing bedrooms and furnishings during the inspection. One young person was planning how to safely move his fish tank and

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Good

fish. Another young person was talking to staff about how to introduce her kitten to the new house and community safely. Young people have positive relationships with staff. They are reassured and feel safe with them. Staff are able to influence young people to change historical behaviours and to learn a wide range of new skills. Staff are helping young people to have a positive experience of change by supporting them to move house. This will present a range of new challenges for both staff and young people, which they are planning to face together. A social work stated, ‘The young person has lived at the home for two years. Despite her often-challenging behaviour, the staff have built a good relationship with her. I find that the registered manager has an extremely good understanding of what is going on in the young person's life and is available, should I need to discuss anything with him directly. The young person’s key workers have also

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Good

shown an excellent understanding of her and, although she struggles with attachment, she appears to have formed strong bonds with them both.’ Young people are in good health. Staff ensure that young people are well informed about a wide range of health issues. This supports them to make informed decisions, which affect their long-term health. Staff promote healthy lifestyles, which include a nutritious diet, exercise and regular attendance at health appointments. Staff work proactively in partnership with health professionals and, as a result, young people benefit from engaging with health professionals such as child and adolescent mental health services, the sexual health nurse and substance misuse teams. Some young people use this knowledge positively to change their historical patterns of behaviours and make well-informed decisions. For example, incidents of self-harm have significantly decreased.

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Good

Compared with their past experiences, young people have good attendance at school and college. This has been an area of significant success for the registered manager who has been frustrated by the slow progress with access to education for some young people. He is now working closely with the virtual head. Staff support school and college attendance. They are particularly proud of some young people who have a long history of school non-attendance and who are now engaging in college courses. Young people and their families are valued and listened to. The staff team promotes positive family relationships. Staff provide transport and supervision when necessary. They are good at ensuring that contacts take place and are successful. In particular, they have good insight into the challenges faced by young people not living at home but remaining in their neighbourhood. They promote existing and new positive friendships at school, college and in the local community.

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Good

Young people have formed positive relationships and, when appropriate, increased contact with their families.

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Good

Young people's safety and protection are effectively promoted by the staff team. Young people confirmed that they feel safe in their accommodation and with the adults that look after them. The registered manager provides good day-to-day direction and support to the staff team to ensure that care practice and routines are matched to the changing risks and needs of each individual. Staff are well informed, follow clear management strategies and work effectively in partnership with external agencies. Incidents involving police and episodes of young people going missing from care are low. This is because the registered manager and staff team promote young people’s well-being and safety at all times. Young people learn coping strategies and ways in which to communicate their emotions more effectively. They learn to keep themselves safe, accept responsibility for themselves and understand the effects of their actions on others. There have only been five missing from home

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Good

incidents since the last inspection. The last one was in June 2016. On all occasions, staff acted quickly and worked effectively in partnership with external agencies. As a result, the young people were found safe and well. The records of these missing from care incidents are not detailed. They do not reflect the positive actions taken by the staff team in partnership with other agencies. They also do not include a review of the incident by the registered manager. This does not ensure a culture of reflective practice, which would allow lessons to be learnt and would inform future practice and staff training needs. Staff take their educational roles seriously. They give young people information, encouragement and access to resources and skills that allow them to develop and lead safe and healthy lifestyles, for example information on healthy relationships, the criminal justice system and drug awareness. Young people also have contact

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Good

with other agencies, which provide specialist guidance. Staff have a clear understanding of how to manage any safeguarding allegations. They receive regular safeguarding training, which includes a range of topics, including children missing from home and awareness raising in relation to child sexual exploitation. Young people know how to raise issues and how to complain. They said that they feel safe and well supported. They have access to a range of staff and individuals whom they can go to if they have any worries. There have been no complaints since the last inspection. Young people are encouraged and motivated to behave in ways that are socially acceptable. Staff are trained in appropriate behaviour management practices and young people feel that the rules are fair. There have been no physical interventions since May 2016. Staff talk to young people and negotiate adjustments and improvements in behaviour. Young people are given support to communicate and

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Good

modify behaviours. Staff focus on the positives and successes achieved by each young person, however small these may be. The home provides young people with appropriate levels of physical safety and security. This is achieved through established risk assessment processes that are overseen by the registered manager. In addition, regular health and safety inspections are made of the accommodation. Fire drills and evacuations are practised regularly and fire equipment is checked and serviced at required intervals. The home is undergoing a process of refurbishment and redecoration to ensure that it is maintained to a good standard. It is a large institutional building and staff work hard to make it feel homely and welcoming. Young people are able to decorate and personalise their bedrooms.

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Good

Young people benefit from living in a home that is organised and managed well. The registered manager provides the staff team with a clear focus on necessary practices and tasks needed to successfully help young people to move forward in their lives. The registered manager has been in post since 2010. He has extensive experience in residential care and other social care settings and holds the registered manager award and national vocational qualification (NVQ) level 4 in health and social care with children and young people. Managers provide an ongoing programme of formal supervision and annual appraisal. This is used effectively to promote the professional development of the team and to set out expected standards of work practice. Staff are appropriately qualified or in the process of undertaking training. They have a wide range of experience. They develop their practice through good-quality induction, established training and structured team meetings. This enables staff to

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Good

build their knowledge and skills and develop ways of working with different young people. Staff are positive about the support that they receive from the management team. They continue to develop their practice. For example, staff are completing nurturing and attachment training. This is allowing the staff to develop their understanding of attachment, and the impact that this can have for the young people in terms of the way they relate to others and the wider world. All the staff are working towards becoming attachment minded in their parenting approach with the young people in their care. There are some effective monitoring systems in place that ensure that the service is critically scrutinised. The registered manager uses these systems to guide improvement and to take action to address the shortfalls identified. The registered manager has a clear understanding of the service’s shortfalls, where improvements need to be made and how these are going to be achieved.

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Good

Partnership working is good. There is regular contact with community police who visit the home informally to talk to staff. There are regular meetings and discussions with education and therapeutic staff about young people’s needs. In addition, frequent contact with family members and social workers is maintained in support of young people’s day-to-day care as well as planning for their futures. Young people have access to a range of information about how the home operates, which helps them to become familiar with what to expect from the service. In addition, the home’s operation, philosophy and ethos are set out in a statement of purpose, which is available to partner agencies and families. The registered manager has a clear plan for the future of this service. There is a plan in place to support the move to the new home and a vision of the future development of the service.

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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 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, 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,

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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

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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

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