Children's home run by Silverlining Childcare Limited

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three young people have lived here in the six months since the last inspection. All of them are making generally good progress towards independence. One of them said, ‘The manager is sound – I really like it here.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide young people with calm and consistent role models of acceptable behaviour. They understand young people’s emotional and behavioural difficulties and engage sensitively with them. The staff act like good parents. This enables staff to create positive, helpful relationships with young people. For example, some staff use the medium of cooking to demonstrate care and commitment to young people. As well as teaching young people valuable practical skills, the staff help young people to learn how providing for others and spending time preparing and eating food develops and cements friendships and relationships. All young people are receiving good help from staff to develop essential practical living skills. Young people receive regular praise and recognition for sensible, mature behaviour and cooperation with staff. This encourages them to regulate their emotions and behave acceptably. For example, staff write a positive thing about each young

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

person in their diary every day. They display certificates of their achievements and photos of them taking part in activities. Staff also take young people out on trips and occasional meals out as rewards and celebrations. Staff work hard to engage young people in their plans to make sure that young people understand what they have to do. However, some records are still too general for young people to use them to best effect. Staff are missing an opportunity to develop young people’s literacy through good use of individualised records. In addition, staff have overlooked the importance of helping young people learn to manage their own medication safely. Young people enjoy spending time in the home and going out on activities with staff. They do not go missing and are happy to bring their friends and relatives to the home. For example, young people and staff hosted a firework party in November for friends, relatives and professionals. Young people spend their free

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

time with friends and relatives too. Staff make good links with young people’s friends and family to ensure that everyone knows where young people are and that they are behaving safely. A parent said, ‘My son is enjoying being trusted to have some time out in the community. The staff communicate well with me and I am kept up to date with everything that is going on in my son’s life.’ One young person has moved in since the last inspection. His admission was well planned by the manager and social worker. He visited before he moved in and was made welcome by the other two young people. He has settled well because he wanted to come here and he appreciates the opportunities and trust that he gets. For example, he is booking his own counselling sessions. A young person who left just before the last inspection is keeping in touch with staff too. Staff welcome him here on planned occasions and continue to provide him with advice and

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

appropriate support. Not all young people are well engaged in alternative post-16 education arrangements. Staff and the manager work hard to set up suitable education placements, but do not fully understand the barriers to learning that each young person faces. They are not always successful in helping each young person to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment. There has been minimal staff turnover since the last inspection and staff tell the monthly visitor that this is a good place to work. Staff are undertaking training and having regular staff meetings so that young people receive consistency of care. The manager is creating and maintaining good links with social workers, youth offending workers and the local police. They communicate and work together to support young people well. Young people appreciate staff and thank them for the time, care, warmth, advice and rewards that staff give to them. However, the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

manager still does not review all incidents, including physical interventions, promptly enough or effectively enough to ensure that the whole staff team learn from things that go wrong and improve their practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is benefiting from good support overall. Her support comes from the new registered individual and from a manager colleague based in the home until the organisation is ready to make an application to Ofsted for a second children’s home. The registered individual ensures that essential maintenance is conducted quickly and this is an improvement. The manager has a professional development plan in place. She is also attending training to help her extend her skills. However, she has not developed her skills in reviewing the work that the home does with young people. She does not always focus enough on identifying weaknesses in practice and finding ways to improve. She has not been including young people’s previous addresses in the home’s register. The manager’s skills and knowledge of children’s homes regulations are held back because she is not currently receiving supervision from a suitably qualified professional.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a three-bed home for children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is run by a small private partnership company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 07/07/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 17/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

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

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Requirement Due date

The education standard In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure— 2(a) that staff— (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment. 18/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the home’s register of children contains the child’s address immediately before being accommodated in the home and the correct statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated. (Regulation 37, schedule 4, 1(c) and (f)) 18/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. This is specifically about ensuring that young people’s plans are understood and helpful to young people and staff alike. (’Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person takes responsibility for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed.

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Recommendations

The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff encourage young people to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. This is with particular reference to preparing for independent life and being able to use ‘over the counter’ medication appropriately. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the manager receives supervision of her practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows her to reflect on practice and the needs of the children assigned to her care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that records of restraint 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 that it meets the needs of each child. (‘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 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 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 0300 123 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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