Children's home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

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 who have lived at the home for a long time enjoy improved outcomes. They make good progress from their starting points with regards to their health, education, behaviour and well-being.  Young people develop some positive and trusting relationships with staff over time. Keyworker relationships are seen as particularly important by young people.  Young people make good educational progress, with increased attendance at education and an improved attitude to learning.  Staff promote young people’s health by responding to their physical and emotional needs appropriately.  Young people enjoy leisure activities and new opportunities, which help them to develop confidence and have fun.  Young people learn good independence skills, and staff prepare them well for their next steps.  Staff promote positive behaviour and acknowledge young people’s achievements.  Managers and staff work collaboratively with partner agencies. This ensures

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The children’s home provision is good because:

that relevant people work together to keep young people safe and well.  Good training opportunities enable staff to keep up to date with the skills and knowledge they require to meet the individual needs of young people.  When young people go missing, staff make efforts to locate them and ensure their safe return. Staff request return-home interviews, and they convene meetings when young people’s behaviour is a cause for concern. A young person’s missing-from-home episodes are beginning to reduce, despite her only being at the home for a short time.  Managers and staff adopt a restorative approach to behaviour management, and even though police intervention is sometimes required, this does not lead to young people being criminalised. To continue to improve, the home needs to:  Include all known risks in young people’s risk assessments together with the strategies in place to minimise these. This includes safe use of the internet,

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The children’s home provision is good because:

self-harm, and contact arrangements where necessary.  Address health and safety shortfalls identified in this inspection. These include carrying out repairs in the kitchen, fitting window restrictors upstairs where necessary and ensuring that the fire alarm and emergency lighting system are serviced.  Ensure that the storage and recording of controlled medication is done in accordance with the home’s medication policy.  Act in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose with regards to admissions processes for young people.  Ensure that there is a clear audit trail of recruitment checks when using agency and casual staff.  Ensure that there is sufficient staffing in the home to meet the needs of individual young people. This includes providing the interim manager with the time, space and support to carry out his management responsibilities.  Produce an action plan when completing quality of care reviews. This should

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The children’s home provision is good because:

outline developmental priorities in order to promote the continual improvement of the home.  Submit external monitoring reports to Ofsted in a timely manner.

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that staff-

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of harm. Specifically, they must ensure that risk assessments include all known risks together with strategies to manage these risks.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, to meet this standard the registered person must ensure-

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Requirement Due date

(2)(d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. In particular, they must carry out repairs in the kitchen, fit window restrictors upstairs where required, and service the fire alarm and emergency lighting system. 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must-

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the statement of purpose. Specifically, with reference to admissions procedures, the registered person must: (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 31/10/2016 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording and safekeeping of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23(1)) 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that for staff working in the home 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)) 31/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the registered person maintains good employment practice, specifically that all staff receive supervision and an annual appraisal. (‘The guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the home’s care. In particular, that the report format enables the visitor to comment on all relevant matters on each visit, and that reports are received by Ofsted in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have experienced emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/01/2016 Full Outstanding 24/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/01/2015 Full Outstanding

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Good

Young people develop positive relationships with staff over time. Keyworkers are particularly important to young people. One young person told the inspector that she trusts her keyworker and that she listens to her. A social worker described the work undertaken by one keyworker as ‘fantastic’. Young people also recognise the valuable contribution made by waking night staff, who support them at what can be a difficult time. Developing positive relationships provides a platform from which young people begin to feel safe and make progress.

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Good

Young people confidently express their views. One young person, who is relatively new to the home, says that they do not get on with particular members of staff. The interim manager is currently looking at the reasons why this is and is in the process of considering how to support both the young person and staff.

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Good

Staff support young people with their education. As a result, they develop a more positive attitude towards school and make progress with their learning. Most young people achieve good attendance. When they struggle, staff liaise with education settings to look at how best to help them overcome their difficulties. For example, staff facilitated a visit to the home by a young person’s tutor in an effort to re- engage him. This proved to be a positive intervention, and the young person returned to college the next day. Another young person, who is new to the home, is currently on a reduced timetable. Managers and staff recognise that this needs to increase, and so they are liaising with the placing authority and education services to address this.

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Good

Staff promote young people’s physical and emotional well-being. For example, they promptly addressed a young person’s health needs when she moved into the home. They made sure that she had the correct medication and booked her a GP appointment so that a health condition could be reviewed without delay. Young people access specialist services when required, such as child and adolescent mental health services. Over time, young people become healthier. A health practitioner and social worker both commented on the considerable progress that one young person has made in respect of her health since living at the home.

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Good

Young people make progress from their starting points and benefit from the good- quality care provided to them by staff. A social worker said about one young person: ‘He completed his education with 100% attendance, his behaviour has really settled and he has calmed considerably. He is polite, and staff have brought out lots of good qualities in him that will carry him through.’ In the annual Ofsted survey, a grandparent commented: ‘I think my grandson was at a very low point in his life when he was transferred to this children’s home. I have seen him grow in confidence and become a happier person generally since living there.’ Other young people become more outgoing, learn to accept the word ‘no’ and to walk away from situations rather than to react. Such progress improves young people’s outlook and future life chances.

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Good

Staff recognise young people’s achievements, nominating them to receive awards from their placing authority. For example, one young person was nominated for their success at school, including becoming a prefect, and another young person was nominated for personal achievements in preparing for independence.

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Good

Staff encourage young people to develop and maintain friendships with their peers. Young people feel comfortable bringing their friends home for tea, and staff facilitate sleepovers. Some of the young people’s friends call for them on the way to school, and so they benefit from ordinary childhood experiences.

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Good

Most contact arrangements are well managed. A social worker reported that staff work positively with parents and families to ensure that young people maintain relationships with those people who are important to them. Some contact arrangements need further consideration due to identified vulnerabilities. This information is not included in young people’s risk management plans and, consequently, not all contact may be as safe and positive an experience for young people as it should be.

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Good

Preparing young people for independence is an area of strength. One young person described how staff have helped him to learn how to look after himself more, cook, clean and budget. A semi-independence provider who cares for a number of young people when they move on from the home said: ‘We regularly look after young people who have been at [name of home] and they are usually well prepared for their move, well socialised and have nice things to say about the staff and their stay there. The young people we have looked after talk about how much they were cared for, about the staff’s interest in them and how safe they felt there. All said that the staff there are lovely and that they listened to their needs when they wanted to move on to semi-independent living. The staff would bring their move up with their social worker and worked with them towards moving them when they felt ready.’

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Good

One young person is spending an extended period of time away from the home with a family member. The local authority agrees with this arrangement, staff perform regular checks on his welfare, and he is safe and well. He is due to move on to semi-independent living in the coming weeks, and his keyworker continues to carry out support work to prepare him for this transition.

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Good

Staff encourage young people to participate in leisure activities, such as baking and board games, as well as trips out, such as swimming, going to the cinema and theme parks. Some young people talk positively about the ‘Just Uz’ participation group that they attend. One young person recently enjoyed a school trip to Paris, and another young person, who has recently moved on from the home, achieved his silver Duke of Edinburgh award. Young people benefit from different opportunities that enable them to socialise, broaden their horizons, learn new skills, gain a sense of achievement and have fun.

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Good

Until recently, the home experienced a long period of stability. However, some young people have now moved on to independence, and other young people have moved in. Consequently, the dynamics of the group have changed in recent weeks, and this has led to the home being more unsettled of late. Staff work hard to implement boundaries and routines and to build relationships with young people. One young person is struggling to settle and is presenting some challenging behaviours. A meeting has been convened to review the situation and look at the best way forward. This demonstrates that staff act when young people’s behaviour gives cause for concern.

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Requires improvement

Young people say that they feel safe and that they are able to talk to staff, family members and their social workers about any worries that they have. Staff spoken to during the inspection demonstrated a clear understanding of child protection procedures and how to report concerns. This promotes young people’s safety and welfare.

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Requires improvement

Young people receive support and guidance to manage their behaviour. Staff implement a system of praise and reward as well as consequences. This enables young people to reflect on their behaviour and think about how this impacts on themselves and others. Furthermore, it means that staff encourage young people to make positive choices about their behaviour and acknowledge this when they do. For example, during the inspection a young person received a note from staff saying ‘well done’, together with some chocolates. The positive consequence was in recognition of how well she had done to stay out of some negative behaviours displayed by other young people in the home the night before. This was well received by the young person and reinforced clear messages about making good choices.

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Requires improvement

Some young people go missing or spend time away from the home without authorisation. Staff get to know young people’s friendship groups and the places they like to go. As a result, when young people do not return when they should, staff know where to look and who to contact. One member of staff said: ‘We actively go looking for children and do not solely rely on the police to find them. We go knocking on doors and trawl the town looking for them to find them and support them to return home.’ Staff make good efforts to locate young people, involving the police when necessary to ensure their safe return.

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Requires improvement

Return interviews take place and provide the opportunity for young people to speak to someone independent of the home about what happened during their absence. Furthermore, when the pattern of missing-from-home episodes becomes a cause for concern, multi-agency meetings take place to review the risks and strategies in place. Because staff follow missing-from-home procedures, this promotes young people’s safety and reduces risk. For example, one young person is going missing less often than she did when she first came to live in the home. A parent said: ‘At home she would go missing during the night. She doesn’t do that anymore here.’

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Requires improvement

Good partnership working helps to keep young people safe from harm. Effective links with the police mean that young people receive early intervention to minimise criminal behaviour. Furthermore, when a young person recently damaged the home’s car in temper, staff adopted a restorative approach. Staff demonstrate that they are able to work with purpose and prevent young people being unnecessarily criminalised.

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Requires improvement

The quality of risk assessments is variable. Some contain a good level of information, but those completed for young people who are new to the home do not. For example, some of the risks identified in young people’s pre-placement information are not included in their individual risk assessments. Although staff demonstrate an awareness of young people’s behaviours, a lack of robust risk assessments does not fully promote their safety. Furthermore, impact assessments have not been completed for all new residents. As a result, the possible impact on those already living in the home has not been fully considered, and this has the potential to compromise young people’s welfare.

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Requires improvement

This inspection identified shortfalls in the selection and recruitment of staff. For example, on one personnel file for a casual worker, the appropriate number of references have not been sourced. Furthermore, managers do not maintain a clear audit trail when using agency staff. Consequently, assurances cannot be given that temporary staff have undergone the correct recruitment procedures. This does not adequately safeguard young people, and a requirement is raised to improve practice in this area.

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Requires improvement

Overall, the home is well maintained and provides a homely and comfortable environment for young people to live in. However, this inspection highlighted some health and safety concerns. The fire alarm and emergency lighting system are both overdue their annual service, stronger window restrictors need to be fitted on some upstairs windows, and a worktop and cupboard in the kitchen need to be replaced to maintain safe standards throughout the home.

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Requires improvement

Controlled medication is not recorded or stored in accordance with the home’s medication policy. An audit of medication shows that it is administered to young people correctly. Consequently, this procedural shortfall has not directly impacted on their welfare to date.

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Requires improvement

Following the departure of the registered manager, an interim manager is in temporary charge of the home. Efforts to recruit a permanent manager are underway. The interim manager is suitably qualified, having recently completed a level 5 award in leadership and management for young people’s services. He is currently in the process of registering with Ofsted. Having been a senior residential worker at the home for many years, the interim manager provides a level of continuity for staff and young people.

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Requires improvement

Good training opportunities enable staff to maintain their skills and knowledge to meet the individual needs of young people. One member of staff is an ambassador for internet safety. Consequently, they have access to up-to-date training materials that can be disseminated to staff and young people. This helps to protect young people from harm. All full-time staff in post on 1 April 2014 have completed the level 3 qualification required, and two casual staff are currently undertaking this qualification.

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Requires improvement

Leaders and managers promote good working relationships with partner agencies. Social workers, schools, leaving care services and young people’s families report positively about levels of communication with staff and the care afforded to young people. For example, a school teacher said: ‘Staff communicate and keep me in the loop. Staff are eager to inform school of issues within the home to enable us to work together in a supportive manner.’ Monthly updates provided to social workers and family members, where appropriate, show that managers and staff review young people’s progress and keep relevant people informed.

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Requires improvement

Some aspects of external monitoring are good. The independent visitor consults with young people, staff, family members and social workers to get their views about the home. A written report evaluates the home’s performance, making recommendations where necessary. Managers address these recommendations, showing a commitment to improving care where necessary. The format of the report means that some aspects of the home’s function are only checked quarterly. Consequently, the visitor may not always comment on relevant issues in a timely way. This has the potential to compromise the quality of external oversight. Furthermore, reports are not routinely submitted to Ofsted in a timely way.

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Requires improvement

The interim manager understands the strengths and needs of the service but is yet to formulate a written development plan. Quality of care review reports provide an excellent overview of the home and the impact of care on young people. However, these reports do not include an action plan and so do not outline developmental priorities.

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Requires improvement

A recently concluded service review unsettled staff for a period of time. This resulted in a real test of leadership to maintain the focus on young people, which was largely successful. Changes to dynamics within the staff team have raised some tensions within it. To date, this has not compromised the safety of young people. Unresolved team issues have the potential to undermine the quality of care provided, and young people’s progress, if they are not suitably addressed.

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Requires improvement

A depleted casual pool of staff, and not temporarily filling the senior position previously held by the interim manager, has resulted in some staff shortages. This means the interim manager is covering shifts. Consequently, he does not have sufficient time to dedicate to his management responsibilities, and this impacts on his ability to drive improvements forward.

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Requires improvement

Not all staff receive regular supervision nor an annual appraisal. As a result, some staff do not have the opportunity to reflect on their performance and practice. The staff who do receive supervision say it is useful. One member of staff said: ‘I have very good supervisions. I have felt supported and challenged.’ Three changes of senior manager mean that the interim manager has also failed to receive consistent support and regular supervision. Given that he is new to post, this does not sufficiently meet his development needs.

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Requires improvement

The statement of purpose outlines clear processes to follow when young people are admitted to the home. Because young people new to the home needed to move in quickly to secure their welfare, these processes were not followed in full. Although staff worked hard to minimise the impact of this on young people, they are not experienced in accommodating young people at short notice. Furthermore, by not following the correct admissions procedures, the home is not acting in accordance with its statement of purpose. This does not fully promote and protect the welfare of young people. Furthermore, the statement of purpose still contains the details of the previous manager, and so is in need of review.

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Requires improvement

Five requirements and two recommendations are raised to secure improvement moving forward.

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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 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

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

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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