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:

 The registered manager and staff team provide a stable and nurturing environment, which allows young people to explore and understand their emotions.  Young people are making good progress and have positive experiences because of living at this home.  Staff spend time with young people and form good relationships with them.  Clear expectations and a consistent staff approach result in a reduction in high-risk behaviours and an increase in age-appropriate activities.  The registered manager and deputies provide effective leadership to a stable and consistent staff team.  There are a few minor shortfalls. − The home has undergone some refurbishment, but areas around the home are tired and institutional. Work is ongoing but slow. This means that young people are not yet benefiting from a comfortable, homely environment that enables them to relax and socialise. − The record of staff training is not up to date and therefore does not

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The children's home provision is good because:

provide an up-to-date record of training required. − Records of restraints are not detailed and do not protect staff or young people.

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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

12(1) The protection of children standard requires that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, this requires the registered person to ensure: (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. This is in relation to the home’s interior and exterior decor, furnishings, fixtures and fittings. 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes all the points listed in regulation 35(3)(a)(b)(c). 30/11/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered person should have a workforce plan, which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager.

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority immediate response children’s home. As well as planned placements, the service accepts emergency placements and out-of-hours requests. It provides care and accommodation for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home’s statement of purpose indicates that the age range of young people living at the home will be between 10 and 18 years of age. The home does not employ any specific therapeutic techniques, but does subscribe to attachment theory, and staff are trained to employ this approach.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

16/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

Young people gain confidence from living in a very stable and safe environment. High-risk behaviours reduce, and they establish healthy life patterns. They are able to move forward in their lives. A social worker stated: ‘A young person has made positive progress since being placed. Staff have managed to establish a good routine, which involves limiting his computer use, which was a real concern prior to his placement.’ Staff introduce and encourage alternative interests and activities. In this case, they have renewed the young person’s interest in bikes. He now regularly goes out with staff and peers. Staff promote healthy lifestyles, and young people stay in good health. Young people progress well in their education. For some, this is a significant improvement to their situation prior to their admission to the home. The staff team prioritises and promotes learning as being important to young people’s future success. This

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Good

improves their educational attendance and progress and the likelihood of their having better prospects as adults. Young people develop a strong sense of self-confidence as they learn new skills and experience success. They develop a better, more tolerant, understanding of others. This helps them to improve relationships with their family members and peers. Due to the support and guidance that they receive from the staff team, their ability and experience of living alongside others and reasoning with them significantly improve. Staff have a good understanding of the complexities and challenges that face young people. They value and listen to young people and their families. They promote family relationships and provide transport and supervision, when necessary, to enable regular contact. Young people develop appropriate independence. Staff are clear of their responsibilities as corporate parents. They encourage new experiences and

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Good

opportunities, while ensuring safety. For example, some young people learn to manage free time productively, all the time staying in contact with the staff team. Judgement grade

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Good

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 raising awareness in relation to child sexual exploitation. Incidents of violence, damage to the property or the need for staff to intervene physically are very low. However, when incidents do occur, staff work proactively in partnership with other agencies. They effectively support young people who display emotional and behavioural difficulties. A social worker stated: ‘The staff team [has] been good at implementing boundaries which has been crucial to manage the young person’s behaviours. The team [has] implemented an effective bedtime routine for the young person, which has previously been of concern.’ For some young people, the main initial focus of their placement is to immediately reduce specific high-risk behaviours and keep them safe. To achieve this, staff

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Good

work closely with families, education and other safeguarding and mental health professionals to identify strategies. The impact of this work is that young people significantly reduce their historical risk-taking behaviour. A social worker stated: ‘A young person’s behaviour in school has been unsettled, and in my view the staff team [has] communicated with the school well, working with them to resolve issues.’ The system for recording physical interventions has recently been reviewed and is now kept electronically. These records do not give detailed enough accounts of incidents. These shortfalls are not being identified by managers when they de-brief staff or review the records. This fails to safeguard young people and staff. 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

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Good

since the last inspection. The outside of the home and some of the home’s interior decor and furnishings are tired and in a worn condition. The large size, age and build of the building means that maintenance is a challenge and some areas do not feel homely or cosy. The registered manager has an ongoing plan of maintenance and upgrades, but support to complete this work is not in place. Some work has been undertaken and rooms like the sitting room now feel welcoming. Currently, young people’s comfort is not being fully promoted through the overall standard of the accommodation that is provided. This is a recurring theme in Ofsted’s reports for this home. At the last full inspection, it was a recommendation to ensure that the home maintains a domestic rather than an institutional impression. This has been set as a requirement in this report.

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Good

A new manager started in post in January 2016. He was judged fit to be the registered manager of the home as part of this inspection. He is suitably qualified and holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management and national vocational qualification (NVQ) 3 in caring for children and young people. Since taking up post, he has managed the home efficiently and successfully. There have been some changes to the staff team, but overall staffing has remained consistent. There was a period of time when the registered manager operated without a deputy, due to sickness and a vacancy. However, he now has two very experienced deputies in post and is looking forward to working as a team, to continue to develop the service. Since taking up post, he has successfully worked to achieve aims identified in the home’s development plan. For example, he has reviewed and overhauled placement plans and records of young people’s progress. He has met the

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Good

requirement from the previous Ofsted report, but work continues to meet the recommendation to improve the maintenance and decor of the service. Staff feel positive and are provided with good practical support and guidance. This helps them to structure daily routines and activities for young people. Staff are regularly supervised by the management team, and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They regularly discuss their work and the contribution that they are making to young people’s progress and placement aims. The new management team is in the process of completing staff appraisals and is introducing 360° reviews from young people and professionals. Most staff are qualified. Those who are unqualified are within regulatory timescales to obtain their qualifications within two years of starting work. Staff are supported to develop their practice through training and structured team meetings. All of this

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Good

enables them to reflect on their practice, discuss how well the young people are progressing and provide challenge. However, the home’s training matrix is not being maintained. Thus, the management team does not have an overview of gaps in staff training. The registered manager operates a quality assurance process. It takes into account the views of the independent visitor, staff, parents and young people. It identifies the strengths of the service and feeds into the home’s development plan. Partnership work is well established and benefits young people’s opportunities and outcomes. The staff team actively engages with families, professionals and a range of agencies to ensure that young people are provided with the support necessary to meet their individual needs. The staff team recognises that this work strengthens and enhances the effective work that it achieves. When necessary, the registered manager challenges other professionals to ensure the continuing safety

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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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