Children's home run by What's Out There Limited

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Since this children’s home opened in March 2014, it has been subject to seven full inspections, of which four have resulted in inadequate judgements. Two inspections resulting in a judgement of requires improvement were undertaken when no young people were living at this home. Despite three different managers taking charge of the home since it opened, similar weaknesses continue and leaders and managers have failed to make and sustain significant improvements over time.  While the current registered manager demonstrates the determination to move this service forward, changes she has made are still in their infancy. A good infrastructure has been built that now needs to be transferred and embedded into practice. The real test for this service will come when further admissions are made.

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The children's home strengths

 The registered manager is determined to ensure that this service continues to improve. She is dedicated and approaches her work in a methodical and professional way. It is evident that significant work has been carried out to secure positive practice foundations since the last inspection. The registered manager recognises that this work needs to be built upon and transferred and embedded into practice.  The registered manager has instilled a culture of transparent and collaborative working that was once missing from this service. Where gaps in staff skills and knowledge are identified, the organisation addresses these and provides appropriate training. The use of consultancy and experts has brought a clear focus on what needs to happen to continue to improve this service. This approach is underpinned by a clear and focused action plan.  The young person currently living at this home is making progress in all

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The children's home strengths

aspects of his life. In particular, he is motivated and engages well in education. The registered manager is committed to ensuring that educationally this young person does as well as he possibly can.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

To meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person(s) must:

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Requirement Due date

(1) ensure that children receive care from staff who (a) understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children (b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) ensure that staff (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult (ix) make decisions about day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which gives the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. 30/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

To meet the leadership and management standard the registered person(s) must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children's home that:

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Requirement Due date

(1)(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person(s) must: (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 home's statement of purpose and ensures that good practice is sustained over time 30/12/2016 (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child, and in particular ensure that care planning documents are clear and explicit in order for staff to understand expectations of them in terms of consistency of care.

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to care for up to three children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a small company. This is its only children’s home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Requires improvement

The current young person continues to build trusting and positive relationships with staff. When relationship difficulties arise, the registered manager addresses them quickly so that the quality of care being received is not compromised unnecessarily. The young person is able to identify adults that he can talk to if he is unhappy about any aspect of his care, and he feels listened to.

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Requires improvement

Care plans have been improved to become more child-focused. However, some of the crucial information that staff require to ensure they provide the young person with consistency of care, is missing from these plans. This, at times, can result in staff being confused about expectations of themselves and the young person in terms of ensuring his basic day-to-day care arrangements.

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Requires improvement

There is a lack of short-, medium- and long-term written care planning for the young person, and as a result it is difficult to track his progress in all areas. It is evident that young person is making progress in terms of education. He holds aspirations about his future and staff support him in aiming to achieve his goals.

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Requires improvement

The current young person is supported by staff to undertake activities to reinforce his educational reintegration arrangement. However, there is a lack of clarity in respect of expectations for these activities. This results in the young person not receiving the amount of education he is entitled to.

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Requires improvement

The current young person undertakes a wide variety of extracurricular activities. This enables him to take part in new and exciting experiences that provides him with lasting and fond memories of his time in this home. The young person is provided with a memory book filled with photographs and other memorabilia to take with him as a reminder of these positive times.

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Requires improvement

There have been no incidents of physical intervention since the last inspection. Staff have received training on the appropriate use of physical intervention and application of sanctions. This training has supported staff to reflect on previous incidents of poor practice and fully understand what is expected of them.

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Requires improvement

Inspectors found no evidence of concerning or dangerous practice during this inspection. The registered manager has been able to identify any safeguarding concerns and appropriately refer them on to the correct agencies. The systems that have been put in place to safeguard young people need to be fully embedded into practice and sustained over time.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has put good quality risk assessments in place. These assessments address all areas of identified risks for the young person and offer staff guidance on how risks should be managed. Not all staff were able to reassure the inspectors that they fully understood all of the identified documented risks for the young person. This could leave the young person exposed to situations of risk.

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Requires improvement

Previous concerns in respect of poor practice and recommendations made by the local authority designated officer have been tackled. The member of staff whose practice was called into question has attended relevant training to improve their practice in understanding attachment and trauma, behaviour management and safeguarding. In addition, the registered manager has taken effective steps to reduce the risk of poor practice in this area from arising in the future. Risks for one young person in respect of going missing from the home have reduced. Previously, the young person went missing from home on a regular basis; they have not done so since being placed here a number of months ago. This is in part due to the consequences for them if they go missing outweighing the temptation to do so.

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Requires improvement

Despite planning in place to manage the risks for the young person accessing the internet, there is confusion about how and when he is able to access the internet using his mobile phone devices. The registered manager started to address this concern during the inspection.

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Requires improvement

There is evidence of increased transparency and collaborative working with external agencies. The employment of a new independent visitor and the use of external consultancy is helping to support safer and improved practice.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager demonstrates that she is committed to addressing the shortfalls that have been identified at this service. She is putting in foundations to improve the service effectively. The registered manager recognises that it is still early days, making it difficult to evaluate the impact of these improvements. Evidence of good practice being embedded and sustained over time is yet to be identified.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager ensures that team meetings take place on a regular basis. The meetings have a structured agenda that is relevant and required to move this service forward. Team members are fully involved in the team meeting process and there is a clear focus on practice improvement.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has fully involved the staff team and is holding them to account in terms of improving the service provided to young people. The registered manager is very clear in terms of her expectations, and demonstrates and promotes appropriate professional challenge.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager provides good quality supervision. It is regular and meaningful and outlines clearly her expectations for the staff. Staff show respect towards the registered manager and say that they feel supported by her and that she is available to them.

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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 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, 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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