Children's home run by Aurora Care Young People’s Services in Ribble Valley

Requires improvement

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 There is currently no registered manager in day-to-day control of the home.  Staff are still building relationships with two young people who were recently admitted and helping them to adapt to the rules and boundaries in place, so sustained progress cannot yet be demonstrated.  Some young people are not benefiting from healthy, nutritious meals at regular intervals.  Staff are not consistently supporting young people in their independent studies to reach their full educational potential.  There are ineffective escalation arrangements in place to ensure that any relevant intelligence from independent return interviews is always shared to try to prevent young people from going missing.  Some minor repairs within the home and redecoration have not been addressed in a timely manner.  The internal and external monitoring systems in place are not sufficiently robust.  Not all of the staff team are benefiting from regular supervision to guide,

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

support and develop them.  Records are not all maintained at a consistently good standard.  There are five requirements and five recommendations arising from this inspection.

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The children’s home strengths

 Admission to this home is sensitively managed. It is a gradual process, at the young person‟s pace. This means that they settle quickly and start to build trusting relationships. For one young person, previous significant self- injurious behaviours have ceased.  Young people benefit from being cared for by a staff team with a diverse range of relevant skills and experiences to meet their individual needs and personal preferences.  Good staffing ratios ensure that young people benefit from highly individualised care. Staff show a genuine interest in their daily lives, and young people enjoy spending individual quality time with them.  Young people take part in a wide range of age-appropriate, stimulating and constructive activities, both at the home and in the local community. Individual interests and talents are encouraged and supported, which demonstrably increases their confidence and self-esteem.

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The children’s home strengths

 The staff are strong and effective advocates for the young people. This has, for example, re-established constructive contact with family and friends, thereby retaining their unique identities. Also, the home ensures that they receive the most appropriate education and work placements that best meet their individual emotional, behavioural and learning needs so that they can reach their full potential. Attendance has significantly improved for all the young people from their individual starting points.  Staff manage most challenging behaviours without resorting to police assistance. The use of reparation avoids unnecessarily criminalising young people effectively. Restraints are rare.

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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 ensure that within five days of the use of a measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(c)) 31/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

Reports following independent monitoring visits to the home should demonstrate consultations with parents and relatives which inform their opinion as to whether: children are effectively safeguarded, and; the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b) 31/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish and maintain an effective system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided in the home. In particular, this is the quality of records including, but not exclusive to, sanctions, self-harm and missing from home. Any quality of care review must include the opinions of young people, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(2)(a)(5)) 31/03/2017

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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 at the frequency prescribed in the home‟s own policy. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 31/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. This includes, in particular, training in self-injurious and sexually harmful behaviours. (Regulation 13(2)(c)) 31/03/2017

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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

 Demonstrate that the staff understand and give support to reach each young person‟s educational targets. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 27, paragraph 5.11)  Demonstrate the provision of nutritious meals at regular intervals suitable for each young person‟s needs. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.8)  Ensure that information from independent return interviews is used to reassess risks and the arrangements in place to try to prevent young people from going missing. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Address all minor repairs and redecoration necessary to ensure a homely, domestic and safe environment throughout. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Ensure consistent adherence to the company‟s recruitment and selection

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Recommendations

procedures to safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company that is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people, who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 31/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/02/2016 Full Good

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Requires improvement

All the young people currently living at this home are relatively happy and settled. Two young people feel particularly secure in the knowledge that this is a long-term placement until they can move back to family or independence. They all benefit from highly personalised care and enjoy very good relationships with the staff, who spend quality, individual time with them. A particular strength is encouraging and supporting young people‟s chosen styles and identities. This makes them feel loved and valued. Young people say that they get on well with most of their peers, although some admit to „tolerating each other‟.

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Requires improvement

The gradual and sensitive admission processes in place and clear routines mean that two young people who were recently admitted have settled quickly. This, for one young person, is despite never having been in care before. Initially, he would spend long periods in his bedroom, but he now happily engages in group activities, both inside and outside the home.

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Requires improvement

Young people have left this home since the last inspection on 31 March 2016. One moved closer to home, in line with his care plan, and another two went to live with family members, so the young people were very pleased with these outcomes. A fourth had a planned placement disruption.

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Requires improvement

Constructive contact with family and friends is actively encouraged and supported, in line with any legal restrictions and personal preferences. This helps young people to understand their backgrounds better and retain their unique identities. At the last inspection, friends were regularly staying overnight at the children‟s home. As the home is now at full capacity, this practice has ceased as the safety implications have increased. One parent said, „We enjoy contact as and when my daughter wants to see me. It has always been unsupervised, from day one, at this home, which is great.‟

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Requires improvement

A key strength of this home is providing a wide range of constructive, challenging and physical activities. Recent examples include archery, mountain biking, zip wires and self-balancing boards. They also enjoyed plenty of trips and separate holidays over the summer period. Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported, including art and making a kit-car. All these opportunities demonstrably improve young people‟s social skills, confidence and self-esteem. One young person attends a local youth club three times a week and a trampolining club, where he has made friends with young people outside of the care system. This has significantly strengthened his sense of belonging. The staff are particularly good at securing education and work placements for young people that best meet their individual behavioural, emotional and learning needs and that actively promote their specific talents, so that they can reach their

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Requires improvement

full potential. For example, one young person worked at a football stadium. Another is really looking forward to starting a mechanics course imminently, and another is applying for apprenticeships that will further develop her cooking and baking skills.

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Requires improvement

Staff ensure good attendance. One young person said: „I go to school every day since I came here and I like to go early to meet up with my friends at the breakfast club.‟ On admission, one young person had not been in school for two years. On discharge, 16 months later, his attendance was 98% attendance and he was engaging in extra-curricular activities. He also made and sustained four positive friendships and enjoyed overnight stays at their families‟ homes. These are all outstanding outcomes from his starting point, and will provide additional support to help him to continue to live at home happily and safely.

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Requires improvement

One young person still maintains only 60% school attendance and the staff do effectively challenge some exclusions. That said, she had no primary school education, so this is still an improvement from her starting point. However, there is limited evidence of staff actively ensuring that young people who are not in school engage in formal studies during school hours. Also, one young person is currently struggling with some lessons as, prior to being admitted to this home recently, he had missed a whole school term. He would benefit, therefore, from additional support at the home to help him to reach again the same level as his peers.

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Requires improvement

One young person sat 12 GCSE exams, which was a great achievement, but she was disappointed with her overall results. On reflection, staff accept that she did not do the required revision at home. She turned this around and gained a part- time job for a short period of time, and was really pleased with the smartphone that she was able to buy with her wages. She then successfully completed a 12- week community action programme. This included overcoming a personality clash with another young person. She was thrilled that the staff made it possible for her parents to attend the award ceremony, when she made a speech. This highlights the confidence gained at this home over the past nine months.

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Requires improvement

Young people‟s opinions and feelings are central to the day-to-day running of the home, which makes them feel valued and increases their self-esteem. The staff also ensure that their wishes are positively acted upon, if these are in their best interests. To this end, young people have two key workers and positively engage in frequent individual key-worker sessions at which highly relevant issues are fully explored.

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Requires improvement

Young people‟s mental health and emotional well-being are actively promoted. This includes ensuring that specialist services are provided in a timely manner to meet more complex needs. As a result, one young person is now better able to self- regulate her emotions. Consequently, significant and frequent self-injurious behaviours have ceased at this home. The staff are now actively supporting her to obtain treatment to camouflage the deep scars. As there is now only one young person living at the home who smokes, her nicotine intake has reduced, which will benefit her physical health in the long term. However, the home does not demonstrate the provision of homemade healthy and nutritious meals at regular intervals. Records show that one young person often skips meals and then fills up on high-fat convenience foods.

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Requires improvement

There are good opportunities for all the young people to gain the age- and ability- appropriate life skills needed to prepare them for future independent living. Consequently, they are already competent at cooking, banking and using public transport. This home offers the provision of a one-bedroom flat attached to the main building. This enables young people to experience independence with the added reassurance of ongoing staff support. Currently, it is used in the evenings, but not overnight. Better security systems would be required if that were the case. There is also a broken socket, which is a potential health and safety hazard, and the decor is outdated. One young person said, „I‟m loving having more independence, but I‟m not impressed by the way the flat is decorated. It‟s quite depressing.‟ A parent described it as „a bit sparse‟.

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Requires improvement

All the young people say that they feel safe at this home and can identify at least one member of staff whom they completely trust and therefore feel comfortable sharing any worries with. This means that they are becoming increasingly comfortable to share past traumatic events and the intense feelings that these evoke.

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Requires improvement

The two most recent impact risk assessments produced demonstrate a robust matching process to try to avoid disruptions. They provide relevant background information and details of current risks of the individuals referred, and the known risks and vulnerabilities of the young people already in placement. Consequently, the impact of two new admissions has been minimal. In fact, one young person‟s excellent school attendance has been a positive influence on his peers.

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Requires improvement

One young person has gained the skills and confidence at this home to avoid engaging in her previous anti-social behaviours yet still keep face with her friends. Prior to discharge, another young person had a positive and respectful regard for women. Initially, he would try to control and intimidate them. Court orders have been completed, and there has been no reoffending in the past seven months. One parent said, „It is still early days, but my child is slowly getting more respectful. She also completed her education, which has given her lots of encouragement, and the staff are now helping her to find an apprenticeship.‟ These are all examples of significant progress since moving to this home, especially given their complex histories.

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Requires improvement

Overall, challenging behaviours are well managed. Consequently, there have only been three occasions on which staff have required police assistance. Reparation is used appropriately to avoid criminalising young people unnecessarily. The use of restraint is rare. In fact, there has only been one incident in the past 11 months. Moreover, records clearly demonstrate that the least restrictive hold was appropriately used for the shortest possible time to guide a young person effectively away from a potentially unsafe situation.

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Requires improvement

This home demonstrates an appropriate balance between positive reinforcement of good behaviour and effort, and sanctions for negative behaviours. Comments from young people include: „I get a pound a day for handing my phone in at night before going to bed and having a shower every morning before school‟ and, „I have just been treated to some nice toiletries because I won “Star of the Month”.‟

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Requires improvement

Records suggest fair, proportionate and relevant sanctions that are relevant to the particular misdemeanour, and the new interim manager is clearly reviewing them stringently in regard to their effectiveness. However, there is limited evidence of discussion with young people to ascertain their views. This is a legal requirement and is particularly pertinent as one young person feels that her current week‟s car ban was „excessive‟, given the circumstances. She said, „They never ask our views. They just tell us what the sanction is and I have to put up with it.‟

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Requires improvement

Young people also feel that changes in staff have led to inconsistent practices, „which winds me up‟. One young person said, „The staff are inconsistent. We can get away with things with some, but not others. I would rather all the staff stick to the same rules, because otherwise I get mad and then I kick off.‟

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Requires improvement

Records show appropriate room searches following, for example, known or suspected cannabis use, self-injurious behaviours and when young people go missing. Any relevant information is forwarded to the police to try to aid their search. However, these room search records do not consistently cross-reference to other relevant documentation, for example self-harm records. This demonstrates a lack of robust monitoring.

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Requires improvement

Overall, missing from care incidents have been reduced at this placement, and effective working relationships with the police secure their safe and quick return. Shared intelligence has also resulted in harbouring notices being served, which safeguards other young people from predators. As a result, one young person is no longer deemed to be at high risk of child sexual exploitation and is enjoying more independence in the community.

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Requires improvement

Parents are generally highly satisfied with the quality of care provided at this home and the consequent positive outcomes. Comments include, „My daughter gets on better with the staff here and so she has gone missing much less. At her last placement, she was going missing every night. Now it‟s only a handful of times‟, and „I have no worries about this home. The staff are really good at keeping me up to date. I‟ve been to the home a few times, and it is always clean and the staff are friendly. I have only praise for the support that they have given my daughter and me. They keep her safe.‟

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Requires improvement

The home ensures that independent return interviews are completed in a timely manner. However, any information that is gained is not shared with the home to enable them to re-evaluate individual risks and vulnerabilities or to try to prevent a recurrence. Neither does all of the required „missing from home‟ paperwork correlate with other relevant documentation. This is further evidence of a lack of stringent monitoring.

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Requires improvement

Young people are well prepared and empowered to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development into adulthood. There are ample examples of constantly reinforcing the need to stay in contact with staff and helping young people better to understand, for example: personal safety issues, and the difference between safe and unsafe relationships, and being liked and being exploited.

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Requires improvement

Internal and independent health and safety checks are undertaken at the required frequencies, which ensures a safe environment. Overall, the home is well maintained, but there are a number of minor repairs and redecoration jobs needed to ensure a homely environment throughout. One member of staff said: „The house needs some tender loving care to make it more homely.‟ In particular, there has been a delay in satisfactorily addressing some criminal damage and graffiti by a young person who left in April, and some young people‟s rooms are not yet personalised. One young person said, „It‟s just white. Nobody has asked me what colour I would like.‟

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Requires improvement

Most bedrooms are particularly spacious, with double beds that the young people really like. However, a slat on one young person‟s bed is broken. The temperature also fluctuates throughout the home, so one young person‟s room is particularly cold. One bedroom has en-suite facilities, so this room is well liked. One young person said, „You get the chance to move to this one when you have been here the longest.‟

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Requires improvement

Although there are robust recruitment and selection procedures in place, staff files show that these are not consistently applied. For example, details of telephone discussions with referees are not always recorded. This information is especially helpful if referees have provided only scant information. Also, some files do not confirm that original documentation has been seen, including proof of identity and qualifications. This shortfall again demonstrates the need for much more stringent monitoring processes. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last interim inspection on 31 March 2016. However, the home has faced a number of significant changes since then. In particular, following a recent resignation, there is currently no registered manager at this home. There was a delay in recruiting to the deputy position, then this individual left within six weeks. His replacement is very new and realistically is not yet familiar with the systems and documentation in place. Consequently, the operational manager is covering the manager‟s role in the short term. He is suitably qualified and highly experienced, and is already making the necessary positive changes to the systems and documentation previously used. He has also reviewed and revised the home‟s statement of purpose to ensure that it accurately reflects the current aims, policies, practices and staffing of the home. He realistically reflected, „We know the shortfalls, but it will take time to put them

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Requires improvement

Another significant challenge has been to create a stable and consistent staff team. This is because, since the last inspection, some staff have failed probation and others have chosen to leave. The staff are also contracted to work across both of this company‟s children‟s homes, and young people do struggle with this fact. One parent said, „I‟ve no worries currently, but I did have earlier this year, due to lots of changes in staff. It seemed like every other week there was someone different. Some came and went really quickly.‟ One young person said, „There has been a lot of staff changes, which really upsets me. We have to keep getting used to people. I had a good relationship with the manager, but she has gone, too, so we‟ll have to get used to someone else. There‟s only two members of staff who have been here for a long while.‟

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Requires improvement

After a significant turnover, staff are now enjoying a relatively sustained period of stability. Staff also say that this home is a particularly good employer in respect of accommodating flexible working arrangements to ensure an appropriate home–life balance. Comments included: „We‟ve got a really good team at the minute and it‟s more settled‟ and „It‟s got better here, because there are more staff now so we are getting breaks between shifts. It‟s a good supportive team now, so morale is improving.‟

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Requires improvement

The majority of the current staff have the required qualifications for their respective roles. They also have a particularly diverse range of relevant backgrounds and skills to meet young people‟s unique needs and personal preferences. Examples include youth work, sports coach, fostering, criminology, psychology, drugs and alcohol, and working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transvestite groups. However, not all the staff have received specific training to meet some of the current young people‟s more complex needs, including self- injurious and sexually harmful behaviours.

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Requires improvement

The staff are not consistently benefiting from formal supervision at the frequency prescribed in the company‟s own policy to help them to develop in their roles.

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Requires improvement

Monthly independent visits to the home are firmly established and reports are forwarded to Ofsted in a timely manner. They clearly evaluate the strengths of the home and identify the actions to improve, informed by young people‟s and staff‟s views. However, parents‟ and relatives‟ opinions on the quality of care provided in the home are rarely ascertained. Moreover, some shortfalls raised are not addressed efficiently, including sanctions and missing from home records.

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Requires improvement

Similarly, the last six-monthly report produced by the previous manager is evaluative and informative. However, the process did not include consultations with young people, their parents, placing authorities and staff, as is legally required. The interim manager had already identified this shortfall and immediately emailed all placing authorities for their feedback to inform the next review. Also, some of the information contained in the last review report does not accurately cross-reference to the relevant documents. This includes significant events that must be notified to Ofsted. Moreover, there is no evidence of the use of an internal monitoring system to inform this review and thereby to ensure that records are always maintained to a satisfactory standard.

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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. 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 looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 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, work- based 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

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

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