Children's Home run by Choices 4 Children Limited in Lancashire

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

Young people are making good progress in all areas of their development. Staff have a detailed understanding of young people’s needs, and consequently they are able to respond effectively to them and improve their outcomes. An independent reviewing officer commented: ‘I feel the home provides an excellent level of care to my young person. It offers a wide range of activities and have really got to know him, what his needs are and he is demonstrating so much potential with his speech and understanding, for example.’ All young people have 100% attendance at school and are engaging and making progress. Staff work effectively in partnership with schools to promote young people’s education and to plan their transitions later this year to high school and college. Staff are in daily contact with school staff and attend regular meetings to ensure consistency of care. Staff are proactive in addressing any areas of concern and act in young people’s best interests. For

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

example, staff take a child to school, rather than him using school transport which increases his anxiety.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff encourage young people to maximise their independence skills according to their age and development. As a result, young people make excellent progress with their self-care, personal hygiene, cooking and completing their laundry. This provides young people with essential skills for adult life. Young people attend youth groups and scouts which improves their social skills and boosts their self-esteem and self-confidence. Young people benefit from engaging in a variety of activities, such as music lessons, swimming, going to the cinema and horse-riding. Staff make good use of their delegated authority to take young people on holiday, providing them with new experiences and lots of fun. Staff promote young people’s family contact. They take the initiative to ensure that contact takes place regularly and arrange venues, take young people and supervise the visits where necessary. This maintains young people’s sense of identity.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff ensure that young people are safe and make alterations to the home which, while maintaining its homely and welcoming feel, protects young people from harm. Young people are becoming increasingly safe as staff support them to develop strategies to manage their behaviour. For example, in taking themselves away from situations to calm down in their bedroom. Staff are skilled in de- escalation techniques and physical intervention is rarely used. When it is necessary, staff make detailed records and the registered manager ensures that staff and young people benefit from an opportunity to reflect on the incident. The registered provider does not have a system in place to de-brief the registered manager on the occasions when he is involved in a physical intervention. This presents lost opportunities to reflect on and improve practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people do not go missing. However, staff are aware of how to respond if they do. Staff work in partnership with the police so that they are aware of young people’s specific needs should they go missing. Staff also invite the police to the home to support young people’s understanding of the risks associated with going missing, and also the consequences of criminal behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has met all the requirements raised at the last inspection. He has improved the systems he uses to review and monitor the quality of care provided for young people. He regularly obtains feedback from young people, parents and stakeholders. He reviews young people’s progress against their targets and plans and can identify the impact of the care that staff provide for them. For example, he identifies how some young people make progress in using verbal communication and in learning how to use the toilet; this represents considerable progress from their starting points. The registered manager has appointed a new independent visitor for the home. She clearly identifies strengths and weaknesses of the home and whether staff promote and safeguard young people’s welfare. The registered manager acts on her recommendations to ensure that he makes continuous improvements to the quality of care provided.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. It is a single, privately owned and operated home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/05/2016 Full Good 09/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 08/07/2015 Full Good 05/02/2015 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:  Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. In particular, that the registered person has a system in place to review restraints which the registered manager is involved in. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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