Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Derbyshire

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

At the last inspection, leadership and management were judged to require improvement. Since then, the leadership and management of the home are improved. A requirement was made about the information provided to staff when new young people are admitted. This has been fully met. All new admissions are risk assessed carefully against the needs of the other young people and the skills profile of the staff team. Staff always have substantial information available so that from the start of the placement, they know how to look after young people and protect them from harm. Young people are now able to make good progress from the start.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The other requirement made at the last inspection related to fire doors. These are now checked regularly, although a fault with one fire door was identified at this inspection. There was a proactive response from management regarding this. The requirement is therefore met but some further improvement is needed to ‘bed in’ the new changes. Therefore, a recommendation has been made.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The three recommendations set at the last inspection have also been met. Recent admissions have been managed well by all staff concerned. The previous recommendation about records is met and again this was made in particular relation to new admissions. There is now a clear audit trail of information coming to the home about new young people. Staff have a care plan and risk assessment to work from on the first day of each placement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The recommendation made about the building has been met and there have been improvements: a banister has been replaced and is now safer and the lounge has been redecorated. In general, the home provides pleasant and homely accommodation. However, there remain areas which appear dirty and in need of redecoration. These include the downstairs shower room, bedroom doors, and hall flooring which is cracked, marked and looks unsightly. Therefore, the recommendation will be repeated. This does not in any way detract from the very positive care young people receive in this home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people make excellent progress because of the settled, experienced staff team who know their needs well. The team is led very effectively by a strong manager, who always has the best interests of young people at heart. She ensures that all young people are suitably placed and she only admits young people when she knows they can be helped at the placement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people often arrive at the home with complex difficulties surrounding their behaviours, including some who are at significant risk of receiving custodial sentences. However, this home ‘turns them around’ swiftly. There are several examples of young people making excellent progress. Young people become more confident young adults, who have an optimistic vision for their life and a more positive future ahead of them. One young person said: ‘Staff are wonderful, they have given me better ways to manage my behaviour’. They spoke about previous ‘weekly arrests’ by the police and ‘kicking off all the time’. They felt proud that this had not happened since their admission, which was several weeks ago. This young person already has a brighter future, despite only living at the home for a few weeks. Another young person is getting ready to move out of care. Staff spoke about this young person saying ‘He wasn’t like this when he came’ and ‘he wouldn’t

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

engage with anything to start with’. This young person is getting ready to leave the home having developed into a happy, confident young adult. He has obtained the qualifications to peruse his chosen career and is very well prepared for independence.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people have stayed for shorter lengths of time due to decisions by their local authority, but they have all made some progress. One young person had started to engage in some positive work. Staff helped them to develop tools so that they could better regulate their behaviour, now and in the future. Another young person only lived at the home for two weeks, but staff reflected saying: ‘We started to build him up and he started to trust again, after having been through a difficult period in his life’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Care planning sets out very clearly the aims of the placement from the beginning. The manager ensures that care planning is carried out effectively, with regular monitoring to maximise progress. Good liaison with social workers and other professionals, such as youth offending teams, promotes further progress because all can work together on the aims of the care plan.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are keen for young people to be able to reflect positively on their experiences at the home. A new hardback book called ‘Berryfield Memories’ has been developed. This book is professionally published to provide the young person with memories of their happy times. The resource implications are high because of the professional way that this is produced, but this does not hinder the work, which is very positive. When young people read this in the future, they will know that they were cared about, respected and that their progress, however small, was celebrated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager ensures that the home does not stand still. She learns lessons from Ofsted inspections and responds positively to the home’s independent visitor when potential improvements are identified. She is proactive and looks for further improvement. A recent example of development is her imaginative work around radicalisation and extremism. She has thought about how she can more creatively encourage young people’s understanding of this very complex subject. This will promote their understanding and further protect them in the future.

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned and is registered to care for 3 young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/05/2016 Full Good 29/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 05/08/15 Full Inadequate 17/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home is a homely domestic environment that complies with relevant health and safety legislation, this is in relation to the checking of fire doors and the cleanliness and maintenance of the fabric of the building. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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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

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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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