Children's home SC418700

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The Registered Manager and organisation took appropriate actions and addressed the two requirements relating to the previous inspection. The homes statement of purpose now clarifies the nature of the services offered. This defines the specialism of providing care and support for young people with problematic sexual behaviour and details the approach to intervention and therapy. Improvements to the outside areas of the house have enhanced the quality of facilities. The repaired garden wall and borders now provide a better environment for young people who themselves helped to choose and plant new shrubs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is developing a culture of working specifically with young people who display problematic sexual behaviours. The direction of the service is now very clear with staff receiving bespoke training from experts which is enabling them to gain greater insight regarding the needs of such young people. This includes appreciating the risks they pose to others and indeed their own vulnerabilities. Staff will continue to work through a detailed training programme that builds in complexity as they learn and practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The model of intervention undertaken with young people is comprehensive and includes regular direct therapy by highly qualified practitioners alongside a cohesive key-working programme. This ensures staff involvement throughout with the holistic plans matching the overall targets and risk reduction strategies. Keyworkers attend some therapy sessions which allows them valuable opportunities to comprehend the thoughts and attitudes of young people. This in turn provides a joined-up approach that places young people at the centre.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to make extremely good progress benefitting from adults who provide them with appropriate boundaries, routines and nurture. Most young people are stable in their placements, have completed their initial four week assessment and are engaging at various stages of the 72 week intervention programme. Young people who were ambivalent or in denial about their inappropriate behaviours now feel settled and safe enough to start to explore their issues through therapy and key-work sessions. This enables them to address their own concerning thoughts and actions and ultimately work toward living appropriate lives in the future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people speak positively of their experiences. Comments including, ‘staff understand me and why I am here…the adults are the best thing’ were indicative of their views. A family member noted, ‘I am thrilled with the home… (name of young person) is allowed to be a child again…he has made such progress in such a short time’. The atmosphere is one of a homely feel with young people and staff sharing meaningful relationships within an environment offering a suitable balance between structure, supervision and choice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people say they feel safe within an environment where their well-being is of paramount concern. Staff know young people well and are swift in recognising changes in their behaviour, attitudes or mood. There have been no episodes of running away from care and very few incidents where staff have needed to use physical restraint. The skills of the staff team ensures a sensitive and cohesive approach prevails where young people stay safe and make progress in recognising their own inappropriate behaviours and attitudes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home promotes an ethos of learning and with a strong emphasis on education. All young people maintain high levels of attendance in their schools with a number doing particularly well in their development. Daily routines revolve around supporting and engaging young people in their learning. Young people were excited about their first days back at school this year and clearly see education as important. Excellent links with local schools enable the appropriate sharing of risk reduction strategies in the community.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The Registered Manager runs the home with efficiency and a focus on placing young people first. She leads a small team of motivated and committed staff who ensure young people have their specific and complex needs met to high standards. Several new staff started working at the home in recent months but have chosen to leave after short periods of time. The Registered Manager acknowledges this is a poor level of retention, although both the recruitment and interview process incorporates highlighting the realities of working intensively with young people with problematic sexual behaviours; there has been little or no noticeable impact of this situation. The energy, focus and developing skills of staff allow young people continued opportunities to explore their difficult issues in a safe and supportive way. This results in a home where young people build meaningful relationships and use them effectively to become safer.

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Information about this children's home

This children's home can accommodate up to five young people. It is operated by a private company who own seven other children’s homes around the country. The home caters for young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and specialises in providing care and accommodation to those with problematic sexualised behaviour.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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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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