Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

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 judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is welcoming, spacious and well maintained. Young people personalise their rooms and enjoy the large garden where they can play ball games and have quiet time. The dining room is the hub of the house where young people sit with staff to eat, chat, and enjoy banter and laughter with the staff. Young people say that they are happy, they feel supported and have positive trusting and warm relationships with staff. Enthusiastic staff engage them in a wide range of activities, including playing pool in the games room, which staff are refurbishing with bright graffiti wallpaper. Young people go out for bike rides and to the cinema and enjoy playing on the Xbox and cooking to relax at home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people make progress in their physical and emotional development, independence and education. One young person attends cadets and is pleased that supportive staff have helped him to develop the confidence to travel there alone on the train. Young people make progress in being able to return to their families, or in moving on to foster placements. Highly skilled and creative staff help young people who do not speak English to learn the language with the use of pictures, demonstrating actions and internet language apps. Two young unaccompanied asylum seekers demonstrated their enthusiasm for learning to tell the time in English and for developing their mathematics and English skills with staff. The young people were keen to say that they are very happy here and that staff support their cultural needs with foods that they like and access to language interpreters. The home is supporting a plan for them to be fostered together in

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

order to support their emotional well-being and cultural needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Feedback from other professionals is very positive. The child and adolescent mental health service nurse observed that, ‘Staff work hard to communicate with young people and show a lot of patience.’ She said that staff provide excellent boundaries and, ‘The way they interact with the children is fantastic.’ One social worker said that, ‘The young people have had positive experiences while staying here.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people say that staff keep them safe and that they feel safe. Highly trained staff help them to understand how to keep themselves safe, including addressing the risks of child sexual exploitation, discussing grooming behaviour and internet safety.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff respond appropriately to any incidents that occur, ensuring that they record physical interventions correctly and accurately. The registered manager reviews and updates risk assessments and behaviour management plans and there are no concerning patterns of incidents or staff practice within the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The child-focused and dedicated registered manager has introduced a new system of four-week placements for young people effectively, which aims to return them home or help them move into long-term placements. This significant change has required the staff to be flexible and to learn new ways of working together. Staff say that they feel that they are adjusting well to the changes, which include being paired for key worker roles and a much faster turnover of young people though the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager responded positively to the previous requirements and recommendations. This has resulted in more effective gathering of feedback from other professionals and families to inform her review of the service, and clearer recording of actions taken by staff to challenge the local authority when it is not meeting the needs of young people.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority-owned children’s home. It is registered to care for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home provides care for up to five young people aged between 12 and 17 years on a short-term basis. Young people normally stay no longer than four weeks, during which time staff support them to return home or to move on to appropriate long- term placements. 

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/06/2016 Full Good 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/08/2015 Full Outstanding 17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/12/2014 Full Good

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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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