Children's home run by Northern Life Care Limited T/A UBU in North Yorkshire

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:

 Young people profit from effective partnership working between staff and professionals and agencies that support and assist them to keep safe.  Young people benefit from the trusting relationships built with staff.  Young people‟s engagement and attendance in education and training increase because of the continuous support that they receive from the staff, who work closely with education providers.  Staff receive continuous good support and guidance from a committed and experienced manager.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(1)(a) that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b)(iii) that arrangements are in place to plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is a detailed leaving care and transition plan for young people over the age of 16 years. 20/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

9. The enjoyment and achievement standard

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Requirement Due date

(1)The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

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Requirement Due date

(i) develop the child's interests and hobbies

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Requirement Due date

(ii) participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child's interests and preferences

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Requirement Due date

(iii) make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community 20/02/2017 (b) that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child's interests and hobbies. In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are sufficient funds available to extend and build young people's social, leisure and life experiences.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. In particular, complaints records must be available for inspection. (Regulation 39 (3)) 20/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. (Regulation 44 (4) (a)(b)) 20/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 20/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive and that meets children's basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities. („Guide to the children‟s home regulations quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.7) In particular, the bathroom should be refurbished and maintained to a good standard.  Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months; also see regulation 13 (2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). („Guide to the children‟s home regulations including the quality standards‟, page 64, paragraph 15.2) In particular, demonstrate in the monitoring report that young people have been consulted about the care that they receive.

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this registered children‟s home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 06/10/2015 Full Good 03/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/08/2014 Full Good 17/03/2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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Good

Young people enjoy and benefit from the positive relationships that staff build with them. Young people said: „I like it here, staff are good, it‟s a nice home,‟ and, „The best thing here is the staff, and I have the best key-worker.‟ These trusting connections enable young people to respond well to the care provided and listen to the guidance given by the staff.

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Good

Young people receive support and guidance on matters to improve their health, particularly when smoking and drug misuse is concerned. Consequently, they are well informed about these matters, and their reliance on such substances is reducing.

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Good

Young people‟s educational outcomes have improved since coming to live at the home. They are supported by staff, who work closely with education providers, to gain the relevant experience and qualifications that they need to secure employment or to go on to further training. This gives them a greater chance of job security in the future.

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Good

Young people have regular contact with their families. With the support of staff, they are enabled to rebuild and maintain positive relationships. This provides young people with a sense of belonging, identity and support.

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Good

Young people have a positive and homely environment to live in, with the furnishings and decoration maintained to a high standard. However, the first floor bathroom is showing signs of wear and tear compared with the rest of the home.

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Good

Young people do take part in some social activities. In most instances, young people enjoy spending time with friends. However, the opportunities to take part in a number of leisure pursuits, hobbies and interests are limited due to the restricted funds. This inhibits young people‟s chances to have a variety of new experiences, build further on their self-esteem, confidence and make new friendships.

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Good

Young people gain suitable independence skills. They learn practical tasks, such as laundry, cooking and cleaning. However, some young people have no pathway or transition plan to help underpin their preparation for independence. This means that young people may not always get the full range of services and support that they are entitled to. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people say that staff care for them, supporting them to keep increasingly safer. A young person said: „Since coming here I‟ve done really well; staff have helped me to come off illegal drugs. They talk to me about the dangers. I am going to education, doing catering and enjoying it, and thinking of becoming a chef.‟

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Good

Young people are safe at the home. This is achieved because staff liaise closely with supporting agencies in a coordinated way. Staff strongly demonstrate that they are aware of the individual risks for each young person and implement clear strategies to reduce and eliminate these risks. The incidents of young people going missing from the home have reduced and, in some cases, have stopped completely.

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Good

Young people respond well to clear boundaries and expectations about acceptable behaviour. The calm and measured approach of staff, and the promotion of fairness, provide young people with stability and consistency. Consequently, their behaviour is improving.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager has a vast amount of experience and she holds relevant qualifications in caring for young people, leadership and management. She has been in post since 2011. She implements the home‟s statement of purpose, recognises the home‟s strengths, and identifies and works to address areas as weakness. Staff receive suitable training and effective support and guidance from the manager. This assists them to work as a united team and provide young people with consistent care.

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leaders and managers

Positive working relationships with families and professionals afford young people the best support to improve their outcomes and progress. A professional said: „I am very pleased with the communication. Staff always attend meetings and give weekly updates to us on how X is doing. X has made progress in education and keeping safe. He has good relationships with the staff.‟ There has been a serious complaint alleging some poor practice within the home. A number of relevant professionals have been notified, including the designated officer for safeguarding. The provider has carried out an investigation into all matters. However, the full detail of the action taken and the outcome is not held on site, and was therefore unavailable at the time of the inspection. In addition, the registered provider did not report the matter to Ofsted, as required by regulation.

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leaders and managers

Various auditing systems are in place to check on the quality of the care provided and that the home is meeting the requirements of the regulations. However, these systems need further improvement. The manager‟s six-monthly monitoring exercise should reflect consultation with young people on the quality of care provided for them. In addition, the independent visitor does not specifically evaluate whether young people are adequately safeguarded. This prevents both the provider and the regulator from taking swift action should any safeguarding concerns arise.

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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 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 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 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 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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