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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A monitoring visit was conducted on 19 October 2016, following a serious incident that occurred at the home on 2 October 2016. During that visit, the social care regulatory inspector identified shortfalls relating to insufficient communication between the staff team, poor risk management, and safeguarding practice. These factors undermined young people’s safety and well-being.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last visit, robust action has been taken, improving safeguarding practice and strengthening the effectiveness of the home’s safeguarding procedures. The registered manager has implemented robust arrangements to ensure that the staff are well supported and guided to fulfil their roles. These include increased handovers and debriefing sessions that are scheduled in throughout the day. This means that staff have increased opportunities to share pertinent information and be guided on what is expected on a day-to-day basis. These measures successfully promote young people’s safety and well-being.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team treat young people with dignity and respect. Every effort is made to encourage young people to keep themselves safe. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and monitored. The quality of these documents has improved, as they now fully capture changing circumstances and provide very clear guidance for staff to follow. Young people continue to benefit from targeted key-work sessions. This allows them to develop skills to manage their own anxieties and to express their concerns to staff. Staff at this home understand the young people well and can recognise how they communicate their anxieties through behaviour, and take steps to de-escalate situations quickly. This ensures that the challenges of group living are managed effectively, which helps young people to build and sustain respectful relationships with each other.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Most young people do not go missing from the home, misuse substances or become involved in child sexual exploitation. However, when young people do go missing there is a prompt response from staff and managers. Staff search for the young people, continuously attempt to stay in contact, and maintain regular liaison with other agencies. Staff express genuine concern and empathy regarding to young people’s safety and welfare. Professionals comment that the staff and management response is timely and thorough. One social worker said: ‘Staff at this home work well as part of a multi-agency team. They participate in risk management meetings and fully understand the risks associated with young people’s behaviour. They are more than able to work in line with agreed strategies.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The majority of young people have made good progress relative to their starting points, particularly in relation to their emotional well-being and education. Three of the young people are attending school regularly, and have made very good progress. However, this is not the case for some young people. Unfortunately, some are not attending and do not receive at least 25 hours of good-quality education a week. Clear targets and plans are not in place, which further impedes the manager’s ability to measure and promote young people’s academic progress. In these instances, young people do not fully reach their potential in education. This inhibits their ambition and future prospects.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to enjoy recreational activities inside and outside the home. They like to go out with staff and also enjoy structured activities such as horse riding and going to the gym. Young people are part of the local community and often play out with their peers. This promotes a sense of belonging. Staff ensure that young people develop independence skills that are appropriate to their age and development. Some older children are developing practical skills in budgeting and cooking as they prepare for adult life.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff recognise the importance of family relationships and do their best to support these when it’s safe to do so. They work closely with social workers to ensure that the parameters and arrangements for contact are safe, purposeful and in the best interest of the young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager continues to provide good leadership and has an inclusive, open style which staff value. She makes excellent provision for staff welfare and ensures that staff have access to the right guidance and advice. Staff speak highly of this approach. The staff team are also very supportive of each other and genuinely want to provide the best possible care. Supervision and appraisal remain effective, and all staff are provided with mandatory training. In response to a requirement raised at the last inspection, the manager has arranged specific training on substance misuse; knowledge in this area will further assist the professional development of the staff team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager ensures that the monitoring of the home is rigorous. She ensures that the independent visitor has all the necessary information to evaluate the provision. These reports are detailed and evaluative. The registered manager welcomes professional challenge and carries out any recommendations in a timely manner. This ensures that the home continues to provide good quality care to young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

To conclude, young people benefit from being cared for by a stable and consistent staff team. Shortfalls from the last inspection have been met, which demonstrates the registered manager’s ability to learn and use inspection to develop practice. Moving forward, the registered manager accepts the shortfall identified in this inspection and verbalised her commitment to ensuring that prompt action is taken.

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority run home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/09/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/06/2015 Full Requires improvement 19/02/2015 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

(1) The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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) help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

(vi) maintain regular contact with each child's education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child's education and training to maximise the child's achievement.

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Requirement Due date

(viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 28/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): N/A

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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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