Children's home run by M.J. Children’s Services Limited

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

At the last inspection, one requirement and two recommendations were set. Some of the staff have still to complete the required diploma level 3 qualification for which the requirement was set. Although the staff are receiving in-house induction and ongoing training, this shortfall means that some staff may not have the knowledge and skills required to meet the needs of the children. Consequently, this requirement is set again. The manager has made improvements to documentation within the home and is working with the staff group to further develop the case records to evidence the improvements that the children are making. The risk assessments have been updated to reflect changes in the children’s behaviour, and this is replicated within the care plans.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The manager and registered individual have overseen a notifiable incident when the police were called to the home. However, the notification sent to Ofsted failed to include relevant details regarding an allegation about a member of staff, which was made during this incident. This means that the regulator could not ensure that safeguarding arrangements were in place, or that the provider was working within the regulatory framework. The provider did not follow a suitable, robust process to ensure that the situation was managed appropriately. This could have left children at risk. Furthermore, the provider has not ensured that the manager or the staff took appropriate action following this incident. The manager has not recorded any discussions held with the staff regarding this incident or any agreement with the registered individual, to ensure that safeguarding practices have improved.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The children in the home say that they are safe. Observation of their interaction with the staff shows positive and open relationships. This provides the children with the opportunity to discuss the issues that are important to them with trusted adults. The children take part in a variety of activities, such as going to the cinema, meals out at restaurants and ice skating. This helps to broaden their choices and means that children are having a positive experience living in this home. The children can earn extra activity money from good behaviour. Recently, this reward has seen a period of good conduct and a reduction of negative sanctions. This means that the children have learned to manage themselves more appropriately. Social workers report that some children have made progress. Some children continue to make progress with their education. Attendance has been good, and course work completed. The staff maintain good levels of

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

communication with the school. As a result, these children are developing the skills and knowledge to help prepare them for further education and studies or within the world of employment. However, not all of the children are registered with local schools. As a result, their opportunity to learn is reduced. The manager has been proactive in liaising with local schools and with the placing local authority to support the admissions process. Further communication with the virtual head is in progress. The staff are working with the children to provide a learning environment through trips to places of interest to help maintain the children’s education.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The manager has worked with the independent visitor to ensure that the home is providing a service in line with the statement of purpose. There is a regular review of any incidents and restraints to identify the action to reduce the need to physically intervene. Since the last inspection, there has been one occasion where the staff separated children to prevent the escalation of a dispute. A review of the records at this inspection shows that the record of this incident was in line with the regulations. The staff have reflected on this event with the manager to look at lessons learned.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There are regular community meetings where the children have the opportunity to discuss their views. As a result, the staff are taking the time to hear the opinions of the children. It also gives the staff an opportunity to praise the progress that children are making. Placing social workers report that some children have made improvements in their behaviour, because of living in this home. The social workers report that the home provides appropriate communication with them, which helps them to see that children’s needs are being met.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Children do go missing from this home. When they do, the staff are keenly alert to the risks in the community of exploitation and act quickly. The staff will follow children if they go missing in the locality. If they lose sight of the children, they report them missing to the police and other agencies. They work closely with families and placing authorities to ensure a positive exchange of information. There is direct work with the children with an external agency, which has helped them to understand the risks and as a result, the number of incidents of going missing has decreased recently.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The children are supported by the staff to maintain contact with their families. The staff supervise contact with families to ensure that children are safe and that contact remains positive. There is a key work session following contact to check that the arrangements in place are suitable for the child. This helps to sustain these important relationships and to improve children’s self-esteem. The children are also supported to make and keep appointments with health professionals such as doctors, dentists and opticians. This helps to maintain their well-being. Nutritious, home-cooked meals also help to promote this aspect of their lives. Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left her position as manager but remains part of the bank staff adding her knowledge and experience to the team. The current manager has been appointed and is awaiting registration by the regulator. There have been no complaints since the previous inspection.

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private company owns the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 24/05/2016 Full Good 22/09/2015 Full Good 16/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/12/2014 Full Good

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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

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must: (2)(a)(vi) ensure that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. This is in particular reference to completing timely and comprehensive investigations into allegations. 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children's home if the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’) or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma. The relevant date is, in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls two years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home or, in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(3)(b)(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) In particular, the registered provider must ensure that supervision is recorded which includes any decisions made within the supervision. 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 06/01/2017

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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