Children's home run by Keswick Care Limited in Wakefield

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 due to the consistent, individualised care provided by the staff team.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 There is a strong team culture of focusing on positive outcomes, with staff delighting in young people’s achievements.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people fully contribute to, and monitor, their individualised placement plans.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 There are numerous opportunities for young people to participate in decision making at the home.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people have increased school attendance and improved educational progress.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Staff provide effective support and young people fully engage with therapeutic services to have their mental health and emotional issues addressed.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 There is a strong safeguarding culture within the team. Young people are kept safe and protected from harm.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people self-regulate their behaviours because of staff’s effective use of de-escalation techniques and restorative practice.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The manager provides excellent leadership with support from an equally qualified and skilled deputy manager.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The manager and staff are enthusiastic and have high aspirations for young people.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. In particular, do not make requests of children and young people to sign numerous documents especially when young people object to doing so. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or two children where one is the parent of the other.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/06/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/08/2015 Full Outstanding 12/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Outstanding

The dedicated and motivated staff team provides consistent, individualised care, resulting in significantly high levels of progress for young people. Staff enjoy spending time with young people. Staff know the young people exceptionally well and are highly motivated to ensure that they reach their full potential. Enthusiastic staff delight in young people’s achievements, with a strong team culture of focusing on positive outcomes. Young people fully participate in agreeing their incentive plans and goal charts. Through young people monitoring their care plans and outcomes using ‘Colour Your Success’ charts, this visually offers them instant recognition of progress and provides motivation.

p.6

Outstanding

Young people respond well to the high level of nurturing care provided to them. Warm relationships develop between staff and young people, with strong attachments formed. Young people develop a sense of permanence and belonging and call it their ‘home’. One young person said, ‘The adults are really good. They understand me.’

p.6

Outstanding

Young people’s excellent attendance and engagement in full-time education reinforces their exceptional progress. This is further enhanced through extra tuition and their participation in extra-curricular activities. A young person volunteers at an animal hotel. This provides experience of working with others, and the discipline that this brings is helping the young person develop good skills for adulthood. An educational professional wrote, ‘(Young person) has been ace this week. A really positive attitude, mature and sensible.’

p.6

Outstanding

Young people fully engage with therapeutic services provided by the company’s psychologist. Close working with clinical professionals and their attendance at good-quality training sessions have led to staff becoming extremely knowledgeable about attachment and mental health issues. Information sharing with education and health professionals leads to an improved understanding of young people’s patterns of behaviour and the development of a consistent approach. Close, trusting relationships with staff lead to young people feeling safe to deal with their difficult emotions. There has been a significant improvement with young people’s emotional well-being. A professional said, ‘I am thrilled with the support of the staff and how (name of young person), with terribly complex needs, has made amazing improvements.’

p.6

Outstanding

The use of a monitored dosage system provides a safe method for staff to administer medication for young people. The successful use of goal charts has resulted in improved personal hygiene, dental care and diet. Young people’s attendance at sports clubs promotes their levels of physical activity, improves self- esteem, social interaction and their physical health and well-being.

p.6

Outstanding

Young people benefit from contact with family members taking place at the home. Staff develop relationships with family members and provide them with support, and contact is more meaningful, informal and relaxed. A family member said, ‘It has put my mind at rest to know the environment (name of young person) is in. You can tell she has a rapport with the staff and it is a proper family home.’

p.7

Outstanding

The home has devised its own independence living programmes. Staff provide young people with photographs and a DVD when they leave. This provides them with fond memories of the time that they lived there. Young people remain in contact with staff after they leave because of the positive relationships made. This offers ongoing emotional support.

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Outstanding

The redecoration and extension of the home has resulted in a colourful and well- decorated larger home with a homely and comfortable feel, as well as a calm retreat in the garden. Young people are fully involved in the choice of decoration and take ownership of their home.

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Outstanding

There are numerous opportunities for young people to participate in decision- making. They are involved in the recruitment of any new staff. This gives them the clear message that it is their home and their views are valued and respected. They know how to complain and the manager deals with any complaints in a timely fashion. Young people feel listened to. However, the insistence for young people to sign unnecessary paperwork gives an institutional impression especially when young people object to this.

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Outstanding

The high ratio of staff to young people provides supervision and security. Staff’s knowledge and understanding of young people’s vulnerability also offers safety and protection at home and in the community. Individualised risk and behaviour management plans provide clear guidance and the response needed by staff. Ongoing regular training and staff discussions take place, creating a strong safeguarding culture within the home. Other safeguarding professionals such as the police and social workers attend team meetings, helping to create strong links. Staff are committed to keeping young people safe.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people do not go missing from the home but staff are clear about the procedures to follow in the event that they are absent. Young people do not engage in self-harming or offending behaviours nor do they have any drug or alcohol misuse problems. Staff fully recognise the risks of child sexual exploitation therefore follow the home’s clear procedures. They closely supervise and educate young people about the dangers of social media and work closely with schools to ensure consistency of approach.

p.7

Outstanding

Staff have received training in radicalisation and extremism. This is following comments made by a young person who had also read some literature about it. They openly share their knowledge with young people, helping them to recognise the dangers involved and how keep themselves safe.

p.8

Outstanding

The use of a staff debrief book allows staff to reflect and record the day’s events. This identifies patterns of staff working together and any issues relating to staff practice. The manager deals with this in supervision to ensure that young people receive a consistent approach from staff.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff’s effective use of de-escalation techniques and restorative practice has resulted in an improvement in young people’s negative behaviours. Restorative key work sessions create opportunities for young people to reflect on the incidents and their own responses. Young people become adept at vocalising the reason for their negative behaviour, leading to them learning how to self-regulate. Staff use positive consequences to reward appropriate behaviour, trying to link every negative action to a positive one. There is no physical damage of the home as young people respect their home environment.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager has joined the Neighbourhood Watch group to ensure that staff are fully up to date with safeguarding issues in the local community. This intelligence is included within the home’s locality risk assessment and provides additional awareness to staff who use this information to educate young people about risks in the area.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager was registered in December 2015 and has a suitable qualification to perform her role. She is currently waiting verification of her level 5 diploma. Her skills, experience and vast knowledge of working within residential care offers excellent leadership and guidance to staff with one member of staff reporting, ‘The manager is great. She is helping me to develop and has that interest in you.’ An equally experienced and qualified deputy manager supports her and they make a strong management team, ‘bouncing ideas off each other’. They are inspirational and creative. Staff benefit from their expert guidance.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager inspires staff to provide the best care and opportunities for young people. Her consistent presence in the home for the staff and young people allows her to lead by example. She has developed a good relationship with young people and they feel comfortable raising issues and complaints with her. Staff become enthusiastic and have high aspirations, driving positive change in the lives of young people.

p.8

Outstanding

The stable and experienced staff team feels listened to and supported by each other and by the management team. There is an eclectic mix of staff. High-quality reflective supervision and timely appraisals identify their development and training needs. When talking about supervision, one staff member said, ‘I get encouragement from management and I feel that it gives me a boost of energy again to get stuck back in and give it my all.’

p.9

Outstanding

Regular team meetings provide opportunities for reflective practice and research- based discussions involving the company’s psychologist. Planned key working sessions use therapeutic tools and exercises that facilitate well children’s engagement. Established relationships with professionals including social workers, schools, police and mental health services result in highly effective multi-agency working. This offers better information sharing, timely responses and a consistent and collaborative approach.

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Outstanding

Documentation is organised and meticulous, providing transparency and ease of monitoring and review. Independent monthly visits provide rigorous scrutiny of practice and procedures. The manager has a clear plan for the development of the service and obtains extensive feedback from stakeholders. She uses this information within her robust review of the quality of care provided for children to improve the service. Her attendance at private providers’ meetings also assists with her own personal and the home’s development, with information and ideas shared about good practice.

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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’.

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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. 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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What the inspection judgements mean

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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What the inspection judgements mean

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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What the inspection judgements mean

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What the inspection judgements mean

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