Children's home run by Lavender Group Homes

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:

 The highly complex and diverse needs of children and young people are consistently met to an excellent standard. They have each flourished and developed in a manner which has surprised parents and professionals.  Practice in the home is always child centred and creative. Very caring and knowledgeable staff are always mindful of children’s and young people’s personal wishes and preferences.  Children and young people have made exceptional progress in very unique ways. A young person, who when they first moved to the home struggled to attend school, is now attending and is achieving well. Others make more gradual progress, such as learning to use cutlery at meal times. The sustained level of progress for all children and young people stands out as particularly notable.  Children and young people are supported to access a marvellous range of exciting and stimulating activities. This has helped each child and young

p.3

The children's home provision is outstanding because:

person to grow in confidence and self-esteem.  Clear expectations that only the highest quality of care and support are provided are set by the registered manager.  A recommendation is set in this report in relation to staff training records.

p.3

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person should establish whether the units completed in a member of staff’s original qualification have content which corresponds with the units of the level 3 diploma for residential childcare. The registered person should keep a record of the information that they have considered to establish ‘equivalence’. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraphs 1.2 and 1.3)

p.4

Information about this children's home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care and accommodation for six children who have a diagnosed learning disability.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

28/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Outstanding

Children and young people are consistently settled, are very happy and are each making excellent progress. Most are in long-term placements and see this as ‘home’. A professional working alongside the home said, ‘They are very good. They are always looking out to promote the best interests of children.’ The inspector found staff to be very happy in their work and to want only the very best for the children and young people in their care. The happy, nurturing culture impacts positively on the children and young people. Light-hearted and jovial interactions between children and staff were consistent in observations made during the inspection. Comments from children include, ‘I really like all the staff. They are great.’ A strength of the service is the highly effective and nurturing way in which they manage the diverse needs of six very different children and young people. One parent spoke extremely positively about the way in which her daughter is able to

p.6

Outstanding

follow very personal interests and hobbies. The caring ethos in the home has also influenced children’s and young people’s responses to each other. They are often seen to act supportively towards each other. While on differing scales, each have developed notable levels of empathy and tolerance, which is helping them to develop improved social relationships. The progress for each child or young person is very different. While still being impressive, progress for some is just small steps, such as becoming more involved in their own personal care. Another example of progress is one young person who, when first admitted, was unable to manage the school day. This young person now has an excellent attendance record and is achieving well in school. A young person who is seen to have matured greatly is now able to reflect and said, ‘When I was admitted two years ago, I was so much more disabled than I am now.’ The

p.6

Outstanding

progress made by each child has impressed parents and involved professionals. Comments include:  ‘I am really pleased with her progress, particularly with education.’  ‘We continue to be really thrilled with the care.’  ‘It is like a family there, and they really care for him.’

p.6

Outstanding

Children and young people are healthy, due to the excellent way in which staff care for them. Staff work closely with a range of health professionals to meet individual needs. Each child and young person takes part in physical activities, which are planned and appropriate to their abilities and personal wishes. Healthy eating is promoted, and meals are always home cooked. On the day of the inspection, the group enjoyed sitting together for a very sociable meal of homemade fishcakes, or a second choice of pasta bake, which are typical examples of a daily menu. The team ensures that health appointments are attended, and staff work closely alongside involved health professionals and parents to promote children’s and young people’s good health. The team is currently working with a community nurse to implement a very creative ‘sensory diet’ for one child. This has resulted in a notable reduction in presenting anxieties and self-harming behaviours.

p.6

Outstanding

Staff practice is very child centred and ensures that issues such as the provision of personal care are managed sensitively to support children’s dignity and right to privacy. Children and young people are comfortable talking to staff about personal issues and are supported in relation to their evolving identities through adolescence. Staff know each child and young person well and understand their behaviours in the context of their disabilities. Children’s and young people’s differing communication needs are supported and promote every opportunity for engagement and personal choice. As a result, children and young people feel that their views are respected and valued. A particular service strength is the broad and diverse range of social and recreational opportunities arranged for children and young people. Examples include a group holiday during the summer school break, which children recall as a very happy time. Children and young people regularly enjoy a range of activities,

p.7

Outstanding

such as:  horse riding  attending a sports club  swimming  going to the local gym  going to a dance exercise class  and attending a local youth group.

p.7

Outstanding

One young person took great pride in showing the inspector her riding clothes, saying, ‘I love my horse-riding. I go every week.’ The planning of and support during transitions by the staff for children and young people moving into placement or moving on into adult services are very good. A young person, who at the time of the last inspection would not consider ever living anywhere other than here, has matured greatly and has begun to develop the skills required for more independent living. What will be an inevitable move is being well managed, and the young person is now looking forward to the transition to an identified adult service. The parent of a child who recently moved into the home shared a positive view about the management of the admission. ‘We are really impressed. The whole transition has been really, really good. He has gone in there and is already very happy.’ Judgement grade

p.7

Good

Children and young people said that they feel safe living here. Parents expressed great confidence in the home’s safeguarding arrangements. One parent spoke very positively about how staff support her child to take part in activities and to start taking risks as a maturing teenager, in a very protective manner. An involved professional reflected positively about the manner in which staff manage the behaviours of a child. ‘[X] would injure herself every day without the input of staff.’ This demonstrates that children have become safer since moving to this home. A range of well-implemented risk management procedures help to protect children and young people. High staffing levels ensure that children and young people are always fully supervised. Staff respond to events immediately in order to keep children and young people safe. As a result, there have been no recent incidents or accidents of concern. Staff set consistent boundaries and, when necessary, work closely with involved

p.8

Good

professionals to agree and implement behaviour management strategies. As a result, children have become more self-aware and understand expectations for behaviours. There have been no incidents of children going missing, and there has been no use of physical intervention or sanctions in the management of behaviours. Staff understand the vulnerabilities of the children and young people in their care and confidently take responsibility for their protection. Training has been provided for staff in relation to risk management, issues of environmental health and safety, safeguarding vulnerable children and behaviour management. This means that they recognise safeguarding issues and know how best to respond when potential hazards arise.

p.8

Good

The registered manager has worked at this home since the service was first registered in 2012. She is very experienced and is currently improving her current qualifications by undertaking a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare, which she expects to complete by March 2017. The manager is fully involved in each child’s care planning and is aware of the progress that each child is making. She advocates on behalf of children and young people, raising issues with placing teams or external agencies when necessary. The manager is very proud of the service and speaks passionately about the many strengths of the service, while also recognising areas for further improvement. For example, the manager recently identified that the service should improve evaluation and recording of individual progress made in relation to independent living skills. She has initiated improvements, which she feels will further improve individual

p.8

Good

outcomes. Staff see the manager as aspirational and as always driving forward very child- centred practice. Comments from staff describe service strengths as:  ‘A home from home’  ‘Calm and mellow, but hectic at times’  ‘We are a strong team’  ‘Everything is about the children, and we always put them first.’ Children and young people benefit from being cared for by well-trained staff who feel supported in their roles. Recent training includes a course on the care and needs of children who have a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder. As a result, staff have an improved understanding of how best to meet individual needs. The team is experienced and has qualifications from a range of previous roles in childcare. A weakness is identified in that the manager has not undertaken a structured evaluation of how previously gained qualifications meet current requirements for qualifications in residential childcare.

p.9

Good

The team works well with families and external professionals. Comments informing this inspection include, ‘I have always felt that they have communicated really well with me and [the] social worker.’ The service operates in line with its aims and objectives, as set out in the statement of purpose, and staff understand their roles and responsibilities in the delivery of the service.

p.9

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.10

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.10

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.10

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.11

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.11

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.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12

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.12

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.12