Children's Home run by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in Blackburn with Darwen

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make excellent progress as a result of their short breaks at this home. They look forward to coming and thoroughly enjoy their stays.  Without a doubt, the interventions of this service have been successful in enabling young people to continue to live with their parents and have prevented a vast majority of them from becoming looked after.  The overall aim of this service is to strengthen family relationships. Parents and carers clearly value the service. They said, ‘This is an outstanding home’ and ‘Staff go above and beyond for young people and their families.’  Young people confirm that they benefit from staying in this supportive, friendly and welcoming environment. One young person said, ‘It’s really good here. I used to be really shy and not confident. Now I don’t feel like this. They’ve helped me out such a lot.’  Young people receive a high quality of care and the personalised support

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

and guidance that they need to help them to tackle their problems and to improve their relationships with their families. They make excellent progress and are flourishing as a result of the support that they receive.  Staff have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of young people’s risks and vulnerabilities and ensure that the right action is taken to keep young people safe from harm. The excellent support that young people receive contributes to their becoming increasingly safe.  The manager ensures that young people stay in a nurturing and homely environment. Young people see the provision as a ‘home from home’.  Relationships between staff, families, social workers and support workers are excellent. Parents commend the service, and social workers would like more services like this for young people and their families.  The manager is enthusiastic and highly child-focused and has excellent

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

oversight of the home. She is passionate about delivering high-quality care and helping young people to achieve positive outcomes.  No shortfalls have been identified as a result of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned and run by a local authority. The home provides short- break accommodation for young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The service has two main functions. This first is to provide short-term intensive outreach work within the community. The second is to provide short-break care. The home can accommodate up to five young people on a short break.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

The home offers weekend short breaks for young people who are experiencing difficulty within their families. Placements are agreed only when young people want to spend time within the service and both the families and the young people want to work with staff to make positive change. The support provided to young people and their families is of exceptional quality and makes a significant difference to their lives. Placement plans are highly effective. Plans are agreed between young people and their families and identify the key problems that each young person faces. Staff work closely with the family support service to ensure that issues and concerns are addressed consistently. Evidence gathered at this inspection highlights that young people get the personalised support and guidance that they need to help them to tackle their problems. The support that young people receive has undoubtedly had a positive and lasting effect on their lives.

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Outstanding

The underpinning culture and ethos of the home help young people to build and maintain positive relationships with their families, staff, other children and other important people in their lives. Staff are extremely consistent, knowledgeable and organised in their work. They provide a warm and positive atmosphere that gives young people time out and space to understand their feelings and behaviour and to develop their skills to resolve the challenges that they face in their daily lives. Young people say that this service is ‘outstanding’ and that they truly enjoy staying because it is a safe, nurturing and caring place to be. They enjoy strong relationships with staff and each other and look forward to their stays. One young person said, ‘I really like [the] staff and I enjoy coming here. I feel safe and [the] staff have helped me to be more positive about myself. I’d give this place ten out of ten, and I wouldn’t change a thing.’

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Outstanding

The excellent support that young people receive contributes to their becoming more confident and safer and enjoying feelings of emotional well-being. This, in turn, has a significant impact on improving their participation and helping them to make progress in many aspects of their lives. For example, young people are making good progress in school, taking opportunities to join in fun activities that enrich their lives and developing confidence in life skills such as cooking, baking, shopping and managing money. This was confirmed by a parent who said, ‘My child has come on leaps and bounds since coming to this home.’ Another parent said, ‘This is an amazing service. My child has blossomed and grown in confidence.’ This clearly demonstrates the positive impact that the service has had on the lives of young people. Young people have excellent opportunities to engage in activities that they enjoy and that support their overall development. These community-based activities

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Outstanding

enrich their understanding of the wider community and help to prepare them for adult life. Recent examples of activities include hill walking, swimming lessons and trips to places of interest. Staff ensure that the smallest achievements are celebrated, and this gives young people a strong sense of personal development and accomplishment. Similarly, birthdays and seasonal activities are all celebrated. This ensures that important events are never forgotten. The responsibility for young people’s health remains with their parents or carers. In the event that a young person becomes unwell while accessing the service, parents are contacted and the appropriate action is taken to address the illness. Staff provide young people with excellent information and advice on a range of health issues. Staff also undertake direct sessions on addressing physical, sexual and mental health needs. Young people contribute well to these sessions and provide

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Outstanding

positive written feedback to staff. Young people confirm that these interventions have helped them to make more informed choices about their physical and emotional health needs. Young people say that they feel a strong sense of belonging to this service. It is a place where they feel accepted, nurtured and treated as individuals. Frequent dialogue between young people and staff by formal and informal means allows young people to shape the culture and care that they receive in the home. No complaints have been made. However, young people know how to complain and feel confident that solutions will be found to any issues that arise. Young people are active participants in the formal decision-making processes about their care plans and have confidence that their voices will be heard. Staff and young people work hard to ensure that the house feels like a home. Photographs of shared experiences are proudly displayed. The environment is

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Outstanding

welcoming and pleasantly decorated. This is a comfortable home where young people feel relaxed and safe.

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Outstanding

Young people’s safety and welfare are promoted at this home. Safeguarding training provides staff with good understanding of safeguarding policies and related procedures. Staff are also highly alert to the signs and symptoms of harm, including abuse, child sexual exploitation and bullying. One professional said, ‘Staff work well with other agencies to safeguard and support young people. Staff consistently prioritise young people’s safety and consistently go above and beyond what is expected.’ Staff are very alert to any potential safeguarding issues. For example, they have been proactive in addressing concerns in respect of sexting, e-safety and child sexual exploitation. They source and provide research-based advice, which helps young people to make good decisions. Staff challenge young people appropriately and help them to understand that making mistakes is not disastrous and that they can learn from these situations. Consequently, young people’s risk-taking behaviour

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Outstanding

has decreased significantly. Young people’s weekend short-break placements are consistently supported by detailed risk assessments. Risk assessments are individualised and reflect the diverse needs and personalities of each young person. They provide a good overview of identified behaviours, triggers, warning signs and control measures. The registered manager ensures that risk assessments are developed, reviewed and updated in consultation with placing social workers, other professionals, young people and parents. This ensures a combined approach to risk management, which helps to promote young people’s safety and well-being. Behaviour is managed very well, not only by staff, but also by young people themselves. Young people are steadily becoming more able to regulate their emotions. Young people are fully involved in discussion about prevention of incidents and are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions. Staff fully

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Outstanding

understand young people’s needs and have developed strategies to manage young people’s individual behaviours successfully. Regular consultation with young people’s families offers complete transparency in the behaviour management process. As a result, there are no incidents of physical intervention. This demonstrates that young people are able to exercise self-control, have respect for others and have a good sense of personal responsibility. Missing-from-home incidents are extremely rare, and there have been only two episodes since the last inspection. Records demonstrate that, in the event that young people go missing from the home, staff take proactive measures, such as contacting young people’s mobile phones and going out searching for them. There is clear evidence that missing-from-home episodes are well managed. Furthermore, professionals confirm that there exists very effective inter-agency communication,

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Outstanding

which helps to ensure young people’s safety. The registered manager acts on safeguarding issues in a timely manner and ensures that robust action is taken to safeguard young people. This includes ensuring that notifications are made to relevant agencies. As a result, safeguarding services, placing social workers and Ofsted are able to review the home’s response to incidents. This level of transparency enables appropriate safeguarding action to be taken across a multidisciplinary team. This ensures that young people’s safety and protection are given optimum priority. The manager adheres to robust recruitment and selection procedures. All pre- employment checks and references are completed before new staff start their roles. Young people are also involved in the selection process and are able to ask their own interview questions. They are a key part of the decision-making process and their views are taken seriously by the manager. Health and safety

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Outstanding

arrangements are thorough. The home has a continual programme of maintenance, which ensures that repairs are completed in a timely manner. Fire drill equipment checks and environmental risk assessments are also in place. These ensure that the home continues to be a safe place for young people, staff and visitors.

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Outstanding

This home is well managed by a very experienced and qualified individual who has been in the role for nine years. The registered manager is an inspirational leader who acts as a role model for new and existing staff members. She is extremely passionate about supporting young people and is committed to helping them to achieve their full potential. She is particularly focused on fostering and promoting individual interests, supporting resilience and helping young people to develop aspirations. The manager leads by example. She has successfully created a culture where staff unequivocally place the needs of young people at the heart of their practice. She is genuinely proud of young people’s achievements and demonstrates real care and ambition for them and interest in them. The quality of relationships between staff, partner agencies and young people’s families is excellent. All those spoken with reported very high levels of satisfaction with the care and progress of the young

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Outstanding

people and the professionalism of staff. They commented, ‘This is an excellent provision. Staff are very welcoming, nurturing, positive and enthusiastic. I can’t speak highly enough of the flexible and child-centred approach that this service has to helping young people and their families.’ The home is achieving its aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. Professional relationships between the home and partner agencies ensure the best possible care, experiences and futures for all young people. Partner agencies confirm that there is excellent communication between them and the staff and that they receive regular updates. One placing social worker said that the service is ‘utterly invaluable’ and that they would highly recommend the service to others. Staff receive regular supervision and six-monthly appraisals. This provides them with opportunities to discuss their work, to learn new skills and to reflect upon

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Outstanding

practice issues. Staff spoken to enjoy their work and are proud of what they do. Staff confirmed high levels of satisfaction with the frequency and range of training opportunities on offer for their own personal development. They also feel genuinely listened to and involved in the continual development of the service. There is a strong sense of shared responsibility and accountability, and, as a result, staff morale is excellent. There are a range of very effective monitoring measures in place. These not only look at the operation of the home, but also provide a detailed and evaluative measure of the progress that the young people make. They enable the manager to track the effectiveness of interventions and to analyse the difference that the home is making to the lives of young people. Information is shared with all stakeholders and this ensures that they are kept up to date and are clear about the impact that

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Outstanding

the home is having. Regulation 44 visits are regularly carried out. The views of stakeholders, parents, young people and staff provide a holistic overview of the performance of the home. When matters are raised as areas for development, these are invariably addressed on the day of the visit. The manager completes an annual development plan that clearly identifies goals, targets and aspirations for the young people accessing the service. The plan is realistic, yet challenging, and serves as a positive indicator of the manager’s commitment to driving the service forward.

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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 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, 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 ensure that their welfare is 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 that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors 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 that 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 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 whom 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

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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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