Children's home in Inverclyde

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home provides an environment which is welcoming for young people. It is well furnished and maintained to a high standard.  Leaders and managers are providing care that is nurturing and centred upon young people’s individual needs.  Young people’s needs, wishes and feelings are explicit within care planning. Young people’s views are consistently sought through communication styles which meet their needs.  The registered manager has developed robust structures to ensure that young people are safeguarded.  The registered manager is dedicated to improving the standard of care provided for young people.  Staff are providing consistently good support to enable young people to develop positive behaviours and relationships.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Staff supervision must enable staff to reflect and act upon how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 39, paragraph 8.15). Specifically, supervision needs to be reflective and to provide a mechanism for issues to be robustly addressed.

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is registered to accommodate five young people who have a learning disability. The service is delivered and managed by a charitable organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/10/2015 Full Good 14/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/08/2014 Full Good

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Good

All of the young people who live at the home were seen during the inspection, and they all presented as happy and relaxed in the care of staff. Clear routines are provided for young people in order to meet their specific needs and to reduce their anxieties. One parent spoken to commented how much progress their son had made due to him being provided with a much needed routine. The importance of reducing anxieties for young people is a consistent theme throughout the home. For example, a notice board in the entrance hall lets young people know which staff are working, and if they are not working the reason for this is displayed in symbols to represent that staff are on holiday or poorly. Leaders and managers have developed many creative ways to promote communication between young people and staff. Young people’s needs, wishes and feelings are consistently sought by staff and acted upon. For example, a young

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Good

person wanted to speak to a relative via Skype and to have a bath. These activities were promptly arranged by a staff member. Young people are all attending education and making good progress in this respect. One young person has recently moved back into mainstream education due to the considerable progress which he has made while living at the home. Young people were observed to have good relationships with staff. Young people are provided with appropriate affection and praise. Staff are also fully aware of the importance of wider relationships for young people. Family members are regularly communicated with by staff and welcomed to visit the home if appropriate to the needs of young people. The young people’s guide is a beautifully designed booklet which has been developed specifically to meet the communication needs of young people. It is full of photographs which demonstrate positive experiences for young people.

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Good

There is a strong safeguarding ethos at this home. The registered manager has provided clear structures to ensure that staff respond effectively to any safeguarding concerns. There has been one significant safeguarding incident since the last inspection. The investigation into the poor conduct of a staff member was handled robustly and safely by the registered manager. The recommendation from the last inspection was for leaders and managers to ensure that there is a process whereby serious incidents are reported immediately. This recommendation is fully met. Leaders, managers and staff have developed creative ways to enable young people to share their needs, wishes and feelings. One young person has developed their own form of sign language and staff confidently communicate with them using this preferred method. Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Staff provide clear boundaries for young people. The registered manager has also provided a mechanism for

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Good

behavioural patterns to be monitored to ensure that the needs of young people with limited verbal communication skills are fully understood and met by staff. Care planning is specific to the needs of young people. Young people are fully supported to positively progress. For example, one young person has been supported to lose weight. This has been well managed and the weight loss has been supported by staff providing healthy food choices and encouraging active play. Young people are supported to learn how to keep themselves safe and to share their feelings. Furthermore, risk management is proportionate and does not prevent young people engaging in activities such as internet use. Supporting young people to learn from negative behaviours is intrinsic to the care provided to young people. However, this is not clearly recorded, which fails to demonstrate that learning opportunities for young people are always taken.

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Good

The registered manager is committed to raising standards for young people. This was seen by the numerous ways she has ensured that young people’s needs, wishes and feelings are sought and acted upon within care planning. Leaders and managers ensure that regular team meetings are held. If staff are unable to attend, good-quality recordings are provided to absent staff members, and there is a robust mechanism in place to ensure that staff review them. During these meetings, young people’s needs are expressly explored and actions are agreed to meet these needs. Leaders and managers have developed creative ways to gain feedback from young people, family members and professionals. For example, questionnaires are provided twice annually in order to gain feedback for the home. The feedback received further informs care planning. Such as the current fundraising which is taking place for an additional climbing frame upon the request of one young

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Good

person. Leaders and managers are providing effective risk assessments and care planning which comprehensively explore risks for young people. However, some of these documents are cumbersome and difficult to read. Staff need to be able to access and understand this information quickly in order to effectively meet the needs of young people. The independent visitor reports, which are completed on a monthly basis, are very positive. The registered manager is not actively seeking constructive feedback from this process in order to continue improving upon the care provided to young people. Leaders and managers provide supervision for staff on a regular basis. However, supervision recordings do not demonstrate that staff reflection is effectively supported and therefore good practice is not robustly promoted. For example, a matter of concern which had been raised in supervision with a staff member was not reviewed on the next occasion. Therefore, it is unclear whether effective

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Good

learning from this concern had taken place.

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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 looked after children 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 that 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, 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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