Children's home run by Mangrove Care Limited in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home’s provision is good because:

 Young people are positive about the care they receive and feel safe in the home.  Young people’s views and opinions are central to the running of the home.  Staff ensure that care planning is individualised and this enables them to focus on each young person’s area of need.  The manager ensures that effective partnership working with schools is supporting young people to maintain their school placements and to make meaningful progress in their learning.  Young people are supported to manage their behaviours well, and physical interventions have not been required.  The manager and staff ensure that contact with family members is encouraged and supported.  The manager ensures that young people receive the necessary support to prepare them for their transition to adulthood and independence.

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The children’s home’s provision is good because:

 The manager ensures that staff work well with other professionals to enable young people to receive the best support and guidance.

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The children’s home’s provision is good because:

 Shortfalls identified within this inspection include: the manager not notifying HMCI of serious incidents, the statement of purpose requiring updating, the lack of thorough supervision with staff and the home’s quality assurance process requiring greater depth and detail.

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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

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 31/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious, or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 31/1122016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered manager must ensure that there is independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under Regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24).  The registered person must ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to

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Recommendations

reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people aged between 10 and 17 years on admission. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/07/2015 Full Good 04/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/10/2014 Full Adequate

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Good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s individual needs and are all committed to making sure that young people thrive emotionally, physically and socially as a direct result of their time at the home. Staff have a very positive view of young people and work hard to engage them in all aspects of their care. This helps young people to feel confident about their relationships with staff and supports their progress. Professionals also make positive comments about the way young people are looked after. For example, a social worker said, '[Young person] seems very settled at this home compared to his previous placements and all credit goes to [young person] for being proactive in changing his lifestyle. However, I believe the support workers at the home have facilitated this change by supporting [young person] to make the necessary changes in his life.’

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Good

The manager ensures that all young people have individualised and detailed care plans that reflect their needs and provides detail about how they should be supported by staff. Staff implement these plans effectively, including regularly updating them to capture young people's changing needs and levels of progress.

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Good

Young people have detailed health plans and are registered with the relevant primary healthcare services, such as doctors, dentists and opticians. Young people also have access to services that oversee their emotional and psychological well- being. All these services help to ensure that young people’s overall health is promoted.

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Good

Staff make sure that medication is stored safely, and records on the administration of medication are appropriately maintained.

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Good

Staff work positively and proactively with education providers to promote young people’s learning and educational achievement. For example, one education professional told the inspector that, ‘I have found the staff to be proactive where matters of education are concerned.’

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Good

Staff consult with young people through regular residents’ meetings. Each young person has a key worker, and meetings between key workers and young people take place at regular intervals. These allow young people to have their views heard and to have an input on their own care.

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Good

Young people are encouraged to maintain contact with their families and carers in accordance with their care plans. Staff clearly understand the importance of contact for the young people and, if required, support contact arrangements. Young people take part in a range of activities inside the home and in the local community. This provides them with opportunities to have fun and enjoyment and to build confidence and self-esteem. Examples of activities include rock-climbing, trips to the cinema and days out.

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Good

Young people report feeling safe in this home and say that they have good relationships with the staff. One young person told the inspector, ‘Of course we are safe, there is nothing to be worried about here. Staff make sure of that.’

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Good

The manager ensures that staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice and the ways that they can protect the welfare of young people. There is effective working with partner agencies, such as placing authorities, the local authority and police to ensure that a strong multiagency approach to safeguarding young people is achieved. This includes individual risk-management strategies that staff fully implement in their everyday practice.

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Good

The manager ensures that staff are trained to manage young people's behaviour safely and effectively. This includes using physical restraint as a last resort, and instead preferring to use de-escalation techniques.

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Good

Staff know how to implement and follow the local authority’s joint protocol and procedures for reporting young people missing from care. This includes keeping in touch with the young person and liaising closely with the police and other agencies. There is also a robust process in place for young people to be seen by an independent person on their return. This gives assurance that any issues within the home, which have led to the young person going missing, will be identified and acted upon.

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Good

Young people live in a safe and secure environment. There are effective health and safety systems in place. Regular fire drills ensure that young people know how to exit the building safely and quickly, in case of an emergency.

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Good

When appointing staff, the manager follows safe recruitment practice guidelines. This means that only those deemed suitable to work with vulnerable individuals look after young people. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

The home has an appropriately qualified registered manager in place. The manager has been in post since March 2007 and holds a level 4 national vocational qualification in leadership, health and social care.

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Requires improvement

The manager ensures that staff receive regular training to help ensure that they have the skills and competencies necessary to meet the diverse needs of the young people whom they look after. There are systems in place to ensure that important training is regularly updated or refreshed. Most staff are qualified. Those who are unqualified are within regulatory timescales at present to obtain their level 3 residential childcare qualification. Staff receive monthly supervision and annual appraisal. However, the quality of the supervision recording does not provide sufficient detail to demonstrate how performance is monitored and assessed.

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Requires improvement

The statement of purpose does not indicate what services are not available to young people in the home. For example, the document does not state that young people are unable to access wi-fi in the home. This means that stakeholders and parents are not receiving an accurate picture of the home’s facilities.

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Requires improvement

The manager ensures that there is regular monitoring through regulation 44 visits to the home. Despite these regular visits, the actual reports that follow lack scrutiny and analysis and therefore fail to provide an accurate account on the quality of care provided and the way the home is managed.

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Requires improvement

The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies, including the police, the youth offending service and placing authorities. This multi-agency working helps to keep young people safe.

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Requires improvement

The manager has not always ensured that notifications are sent into HMCI, which enables the regulator to carry out its safeguarding responsibilities effectively to ensure that young people are protected from harm.

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Requires improvement

The manager has ensured that action has been taken to address the requirement and recommendation made at the previous inspection. There is now consultation with key stakeholders that helps to support the home’s quality of care review. In addition, risk assessments are now reviewed and updated in response to young people’s changing needs.

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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 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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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