Children's Home run by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in Rotherham

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds 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.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make excellent progress as a result of their visits to this short breaks service.  A real strength of this service is the development of young people’s skills and confidence, gained from positive interactions with others and access to a range of activities.  The involvement of young people is excellent and their voice is expressed through a variety of media.  Staff are thoroughly trained in all aspects of safeguarding and protecting young people with disabilities. Excellent management of risk enables young people to enjoy a raft of new experiences.  The management and staff team are a real strength of this home. Extensive work on core values and improving the culture of the staff has positively reflected on the service provided for young people.  Parents clearly value the service provided. One said: ‘The planning and foresight that goes into looking after the individual is outstanding.’

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Information about this children's home

This is a short breaks service run by the local authority, providing care and accommodation for up to eight young people with learning and physical disabilities. This service also has an emergency bed.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/01/2016 Full Good 11/12/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/09/2014 Full Good

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Outstanding

At the last full inspection this service received a judgement of good. It has since improved so significantly, it now offers an excellent service to young people helping them achieve outstanding outcomes.

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Outstanding

Young people clearly have an enormous amount of fun here and enjoy themselves, socialising with other young people and taking part in a wealth of activities. One said: ‘I want to come again, I enjoyed my visit.’ A real strength of this service is the development of young people’s skills and confidence through the provision of a range of challenging and new experiences. For example, previously it was thought that swimming may pose too great a risk but a ‘can do’ attitude ensures young people now enjoy this activity. The allocation of a member of staff to oversee activities has enabled a growth in the opportunities available for young people. For example, many now enjoy activities at the local college including archery. The skills and confidence young people gain because of staying here and undertaking such activities transfer to other areas of their lives, improving their educational outcomes and enabling families to experience activities together for the first time.

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Outstanding

For example, one young person who previously would not exit the minibus now has the confidence to attend archery with his family. This improves family relationships.

p.5

Outstanding

Excellent liaison with a range of medical professionals, provision of a healthy diet and numerous physical activities ensures young people’s holistic and complex health needs are met.

p.5

Outstanding

Support for young people’s education is excellent; staff attend education meetings, parent evenings and communicate very effectively with education providers. The home and school diary provides information on the young person’s progress and any issues arising during the school day. This helps staff continue the learning within the setting and likewise families can focus on these areas when their child is at home. Staff very effectively support parents and advocate for young people during school changes. One parent said: ‘Staff have helped us and supported his move to a new school by attending meetings with us.’

p.5

Outstanding

Activities such as basic food preparation, cleaning and personal hygiene routines enable young people to learn practical skills as they transition into adulthood.

p.5

Outstanding

The involvement of young people is superb and they are clearly at the centre of everything staff do. Their voice is evident throughout the provision with numerous photographs, artwork, comments, feedback forms and feelings boards used to express their views and feelings. These views afford change. For example, the introduction of an activities coordinator was because of young people’s comments about lack of activities. Creative use of video captures young people enjoying themselves and expressing their sheer joy as they participate in activities.

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Outstanding

The introduction of a monthly newsletter provides an opportunity for young people to write small articles about the home and each other and provides pictorial evidence of achievements and events. Staff and young people worked together producing an excellent piece of artwork using photographs and painting depicting the staff team. This is a fun piece of art and shows how young people view the staff, evidencing their excellent relationships. Such displays enhance the warm and welcoming environment the home provides.

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Outstanding

Staff carefully plan moves into and from the provision, ensuring transitions are as smooth as possible. Detailed placement information and excellent care planning means staff fully understand the complex needs of each individual young person. Constant review of care plans and risk assessments ensures this remains so and information is accurate. One parent commented on the care saying: ‘Staff are brilliant and my son loves going. I feel very confident he is looked after well there.’ Daily records provide evidence of young people’s progress in areas such as personal routines, increased confidence, and development of new skills.

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Outstanding

One parent summed up the experience of his son saying: ‘I have nothing but praise for this place, cannot fault it. He loves it here.’

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Outstanding

Excellent multi-agency working, highly effective communication, and sharing of information ensures young people remain safe in and outside of the home.

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Outstanding

A complete overhaul of the safeguarding protocols and procedures, with the input of the operations manager of the safeguarding unit, ensures reporting and recording of any concerns is highly effective. Staff and managers are tenacious in following through any concerns such as marks or bruises on a young person, refusing to accept these may be part of a behaviour, instead adopting an attitude of ‘interrogate and investigate.’ This means thorough investigation of any concerns and analysis of any patterns or trends, keeping young people safe.

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Outstanding

Staff attendance at safeguarding and strategy meetings enables more effective communication and shared understanding of young people’s complex and individual vulnerabilities. Staff receive training on a range of safeguarding matters such as sexual exploitation, radicalisation, and safeguarding young people with disabilities. They receive training in handling incidents of young people going missing, despite there being no such incidents from this home. This ensures staff remain alert to any possible incidents and have the skills to react appropriately.

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Outstanding

Assessment and management of risk is excellent, ensuring young people are safe whilst still enjoying a range of varied activities and experiences, giving them the freedom to develop as individuals. ‘Travel files’ in particular provide a wealth of important information on each young person attending an activity, and assist staff with a quick reference guide to each young person’s risks and needs. This has already proved invaluable for staff responding to a young person having a seizure whilst out. Swift and appropriate response by staff was highly praised by the parent.

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Outstanding

Medication practice is very robust with the introduction of a range of audits and overviews ensuring practice remains of the highest quality.

p.7

Outstanding

Bullying is not an issue. Staff understand young people’s behaviours and the possible impact on others. They effectively monitor all situations, plan activities carefully and remain vigilant to observe any potential issues between young people.

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Outstanding

The use of restraint is substantially decreasing. This is because staff develop approaches and strategies for interventions based on their growing knowledge and understanding of the individual’s needs. When it is used, it is to safeguard young people and/or staff, using the appropriate holds. Records provide a good level of detail and staff discuss the incident together and with seniors thereby identifying any learning from the incident. This is evident with one record showing a different response to an incident following discussion, resulting in a reduced length of hold and swifter calming of the situation.

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Outstanding

Regular fire and health and safety checks ensure the building is safe. Young people and staff regularly participate in fire drills learning how to evacuate safely in the event of a fire.

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Outstanding

In recent months, the development of the management team, including the appointment of two deputy managers, has bought about a real sea change in the culture and values of the staff team and achieved a number of substantial improvements, providing an excellent service for young people.

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Outstanding

The motivation, aspirations and enthusiasm of this management team is infectious, cascading through the staff team, boosting morale and providing a sense of energy and commitment from all staff.

p.8

Outstanding

Managers have researched ‘outstanding’ provisions, visiting services in other authorities and using this knowledge to inform their own improvement plan. This networking continues, affording continued learning opportunities and peer support for the management team. The registered manager has forged excellent relationships with other organisations, ensuring young people receive support from a range of professionals.

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Outstanding

A key element to the improvement of this provision is the full involvement of staff, especially in exploring the culture of the team and developing a shared understanding of underpinning values that make this service outstanding for young people.

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Outstanding

Staff receive regular and robust supervision. Improved supervision practice ensures that staff have time for reflection and learning. Excellent team meetings provide a forum for open discussion, team learning, and sharing of practice. Staff benefit from a range of training in varied safeguarding matters and in areas relevant to the needs of the young people. Managers also disseminate their learning from recent leadership courses, continually improving their own and the staff team’s knowledge.

p.8

Outstanding

All staff are either qualified to the required level, on the appropriate course or involved in the enrolment process. The registered manager has worked closely with colleges ensuring staff previous learning is appropriately accredited. Sufficient staffing levels ensure the varying needs of young people are met. There is reduced reliance on agency staff and those that are employed to work in the home undertake a range of recruitment checks and receive supervision from senior staff.

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Outstanding

Monitoring is excellent, ensuring managers have oversight of plans, progress and any incidents. Internal methods of monitoring have significantly improved with deputy managers taking a lead in weekly reviews of records. External monitoring is equally robust with an independent visitor attending monthly to report on the progress, safety, and wellbeing of young people. Complaints are rare but handled swiftly and respectfully, offering further avenues for parents to explore if they are not satisfied with the outcome. No complaints have required further exploration.

p.8

Outstanding

Recent investment in the management team and staffing of this home has been instrumental in the provision of an excellent service and the achievement of outstanding outcomes for children and young people.

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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 looked after children 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, 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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