Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

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.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people are very positive about the care and support they receive and feel safe and comfortable in the home.  Young people’s vulnerabilities are comprehensively risk assessed.  Staff are highly skilled to ensure that they can deliver the very best childcare practice possible.  Staff implement comprehensive risk management strategies that provide young people with an individual approach to their care that means they are kept safe.  The manager ensures that young people's views are integral to the running of the home and they are involved in making important decisions about their lives.  Staff ensure that young people’s learning needs are systematically identified and barriers to learning are clearly addressed.  The manager ensures that young people learn independence skills that take into account their age and understanding.  The manager ensures that there is effective communication and working

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

relationships between staff, social workers, parents and other professionals to support the development of young people.  Staff promote contact for young people so that they sustain their close relationships with the people who are important to them.

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is part of a large organisation. The home provides care for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Education is available on site as the home is also a registered school. Therapy services are also provided.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/12/2015 Full Outstanding 05/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/11/2014 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

Young people make excellent progress following their admission to the home. One social worker said, ‘Overall it is my opinion that the staff are supportive, are caring and want what is best for the children. They take the time to talk to the boys and try to find ways of supporting them and their individual needs.’ Previous harmful behaviours, such as criminalised behaviour and exposure to negative peer groups, have reduced and in some circumstances ceased. This is because of the highly stable and positive environment the home provides.

p.5

Outstanding

Staff build meaningful relationships with young people by providing them with structured activities and good levels of supervision. They are also nurturing, consistent and persistent in their approach. A young person told the inspector that, ‘The staff are great; they will always help you out and do the best for you. I get an extra night at my mum’s because of them.’

p.5

Outstanding

Young people benefit from effective, high-quality support from well-qualified, trained and experienced staff. Individual needs are clearly identified to form the basis of the comprehensive care planning systems that are in place. This includes identity, religious and cultural needs. Consistent monitoring and the updating of plans and strategies take place regularly, to reflect young people's changing needs and progress.

p.5

Outstanding

The manager ensures that the health of young people is promoted positively. Young people have clear health plans and are registered with the relevant primary healthcare services. Young people have access to the organisation’s therapists. This tailored support contributes to young people receiving support and guidance in relation to their emotional, social and psychological well-being.

p.5

Outstanding

Medication is stored safely, and arrangements for the administration and recording of prescribed and non-prescribed medication are effective.

p.5

Outstanding

All young people attend the organisation’s school and their attendance and engagement with education is excellent. This represents enormous progress because many young people were not accessing education prior to living at the setting. Handovers between education and care staff ensure that there is consistency in promoting young people’s achievements, which develops confidence and self-esteem in addition to helping them achieve their educational potential.

p.5

Outstanding

Young people make a positive contribution to the home. They are actively engaged and are encouraged to express their views and opinions to staff and the registered manager. Young people share their views through keyworker sessions and house meetings. These opportunities enable the young people to have a strong voice regarding their care and to develop the thinking skills needed to make safe decisions.

p.5

Outstanding

Young people benefit significantly from the support they receive from staff to maintain positive contact with their parents and families. Staff work closely with young people and their families to ensure that contact is well organised and safe. For some young people, contact with family members has increased because the existing contact arrangements have gone so well. This means that young people continue to build relationships and attachments with those significant to them.

p.6

Outstanding

Young people are supported to develop independence and life skills that are relevant to their age and level of understanding. They are provided with opportunities to develop new skills, with good support and encouragement from staff, including money management, cooking and taking responsibility for their healthcare. This helps young people develop practical skills and enables them to complete daily tasks safely and independently.

p.6

Outstanding

A range of diverse activities are available to young people inside and outside of the home. Young people can use the all-weather football pitch or the recently constructed climbing wall, as well as board games and consoles. Young people also engage in activities in the local community, such as trampolining and fishing. A placing social worker reported, ‘He gets on well with staff and he likes the activities they take him on, which include a wide variety of outdoor pursuits.’ This gives young people opportunities to explore their talents and skills and thereby build confidence and self-esteem.

p.6

Outstanding

The whole staff team has a clear understanding of the importance of safeguarding and the need for vigilance. Specific initiatives, such as the involvement of the community police, have a positive impact on young people’s understanding of how to stay safe.

p.6

Outstanding

Young people say they are safe and feel safe. One young person told the inspector, ‘It’s a good place to be. Staff are sound. I don’t feel scared living here.’ Similarly, stakeholders express confidence that young people are safely cared for. One professional said, ‘I never have any safety concerns around the young people here. The staff are open to new ideas; I have just given them some further information on harm-reduction techniques.’ Young people become increasingly safe while living at the home. Previous negative behaviours that posed a risk to their emotional and physical health reduce and for some young people no longer feature as a part of their lives. This is because staff have a very good knowledge of individual young people's vulnerabilities and develop detailed risk assessment and management plans for each young person. Review and development of the plans is ongoing in response to any change in risk.

p.6

Outstanding

Staff use well thought out behaviour management strategies, reward systems and their positive relationships with the young people to defuse and manage challenging situations and to support young people to behave appropriately. Due to this approach, there has been a reduced use of physical restraints. When there has been a need for a restraint, there is good management oversight of restraint practice that contributes to a wider piece of reflective work with the whole team. This helps identify patterns and trends to inform future practice, and to reduce incidents further.

p.7

Outstanding

Staff know how to implement and follow the local authority’s joint protocol and procedures for reporting young people missing from care. They take appropriate action to locate young people quickly, promote their safe return and try to understand the triggers for their behaviour. Young people are provided with an independent person to speak to on their return to the home. This helps to capture any information that may help to protect them from going missing again and any risks they may have been exposed to while missing.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager ensures that young people know how to complain if they wish to do so. The staff will support young people in making complaints if necessary and they understand their role as advocate. Young people confirm that staff make it clear to them that they can tell people outside of the home if they are unhappy, and that staff provide information and contact details of independent advocate services. All complaints are clearly recorded to reflect the action taken by the staff and the outcomes.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager ensures that young people live in a home that provides physical safety and security. Health and safety checks are regularly undertaken. Records show that young people and staff regularly practise evacuation of the building so that they know how to respond in an emergency. The home has established systems and structures in place to maintain safe practices and fulfil health and safety obligations. The manager ensures that the home has efficient safer recruitment procedures. These procedures promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people live in a detached farmhouse set in a rural location. It is well furnished and decorated. There is ample comfortable living space and all young people can personalise their bedrooms to their own taste. Judgement grade

p.7

Outstanding

The home has an appropriately qualified registered manager in place who, in partnership with senior staff, provides strong leadership for the home. The manager has been in post since January 2009 and holds a Level 4 national vocational qualification in leadership, health and social care.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff model professional standards in all of their work and demonstrate high levels of courtesy and respect towards young people in their care. As a result, the home is a caring and cohesive environment where everyone is able to thrive.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff retention is excellent and morale is high, with staff reporting that they feel well supported. They receive regular supervision and confirm that their supervision supports and challenges their performance to improve. Weekly team meetings and daily handovers keep staff informed about young people's daily activities and progress.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff have access to a comprehensive range of in-house training and staff feel that their learning and development needs are well met. All staff are qualified for their role. Excellent support systems and development opportunities enable staff to learn new skills and refresh existing ones to ensure they continue to provide high-quality care to young people

p.8

Outstanding

The manager ensures that the statement of purpose sets out the aims and functions of the service. The statement of purpose is available for placing authorities and parents and fully complies with regulations. The children’s guide to the home provides clear written and pictorial information enabling young people to know what it is like to live at the home.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager ensures that all self-evaluation is thorough and well established and is used to help inform the home’s development plan.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies, including the police, placing authorities, the youth offending service and the missing-from- home coordinator. A placing social worker reported, ‘They regularly send an email with an update on how [name] is doing. They are quick to respond via email and are equally quick in informing social care of any worries or concerns that they may have.’ Good working relationships with partner agencies promote collaborative working, which helps to ensure that young people receive a strong, focused multi- agency response to meet their specific needs. There were no requirements or recommendations raised at the last inspection.

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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 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

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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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