Children's home run by Aurora Care Young People’s Services in Ribble Valley

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 Not all young people are making progress across all aspects of their development.  The setting does not always exhibit a culture of high aspiration for all young people.  Young people are not routinely consulted about the quality of the service they receive and their day-to-day care arrangements.  Not all young people are committed to education, employment or training.  Plans for one young person to prepare for independence were insufficiently coordinated, detailed or communicated.  Leaders were unable to demonstrate sufficient proactive oversight and management of care planning review processes.  Behaviour-management methodologies are insufficiently scrutinised or evaluated and consequently the impact is unknown.  In the absence of any significant consultation with young people about their care, and deficiencies in oversight and scrutiny, the home’s plans for development and improvement are not informed by young people or

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

stakeholders.  Record-keeping practices are ineffective. Some records are not signed or dated.  The relevant information in some young people’s files is inaccessible due to the storage systems for documentation.

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The children’s home strengths

 Young people benefit from nurturing care delivered by an experienced and stable staff team.  Leaders offer regular structured supervision and team meetings, and staff feel well supported in their roles.  Safeguarding arrangements are robust, and staff are trained effectively and understand the procedures to follow in the event of a concern.  Young people feel safe and well cared for at this setting.  Placing authorities are happy with the service provided.

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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 standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (2)(iv)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (2)(ix)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children to aspire to fulfil their potential. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The standard requires the registered person to demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking account and acting on feedback on the experiences of children including complaints and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (g)(ii)(h)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The standard requires the registered person to ensure that arrangements are in place to plan for and help each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (b)(iii)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home the registered person or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so has spoken to the user about the measure and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure the registered person or authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the 31/03/2017 measure. (Regulation 35 (b)(i)(ii)); (c)) The registered person must maintain records for each child (see schedule 3) which are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author. (Regulation 36 (1)(b); (c)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s case records (Regulation 36) are kept in an accessible manner. (Regulation 38 (i)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents and relatives, and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 31/03/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (Regulation 21 (c)(i)). Any decision to limit a child’s access to any area of the home, and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made when this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The design of the home should provide those staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph

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Recommendations

3.26)  Children should have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access a computer and the internet safely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or a learning disability. The home is part of a privately owned organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/10/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/10/2015 Full Good

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Requires improvement

This home is staffed by an experienced and stable team that is warm and nurturing, and staff have successfully built good trusted relationships with young people. Staff have worked well together to ensure that one young person has a consistent bedtime routine, which has significantly reduced his anxiety level. He has settled into the home’s routines particularly well and is thriving across all aspects of his development. The home offers structured mealtimes, and promotes appropriate self-care routines.

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Requires improvement

Unfortunately, the progress of other young people since the last inspection has not been as positive. Staff at the home have made attempts to engage some young people in education, employment or training but those efforts at times have not been sufficiently coordinated and reviewed. There is no evidence of proactive or innovative planning and practice to attempt to overcome barriers that are presented by young people who refuse to participate in day-to-day routines. One young person has received positive praise from school for attainment across all core subjects. One teacher stated, ‘Staff at the home are brilliant in supporting the young person to get to school on time and complete homework.’

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Requires improvement

Staff have been unsuccessful in engaging young people in sufficiently developing their skills, experience and knowledge to assist them in preparing for early adulthood and living independently. While one young person can cook basic meals and has been encouraged to go shopping and learn about budgeting and completing household tasks, engagement is very sporadic and insufficient progress has been made. One young person had become confused about an outing planned with a key worker to seek employment, and was told by staff that this could only take place the following week. The same young person then spent most of the day in bed, which was a missed opportunity as, despite being unable to accommodate the original request, staff could have been creative in ensuring that alternative plans were made. The weekly planner does not contain sufficient information for young people to understand what the planned activities are, and does not

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Requires improvement

sufficiently motivate them to engage. This aspect of the care provided at the home could also benefit from clearer planning and evaluation of outcomes.

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Requires improvement

Consultation with young people has not taken place recently or is not evident within care planning processes or day-to-day arrangements. The house meeting processes were cancelled when relationships between young people were fractious, and have not been resumed since the environment became more settled. Staff state that young people are asked for their views on a one-to-one basis but records do not sufficiently demonstrate that this is occurring and that feedback is acted upon. The home is visited by an independent visitor who also struggles to consult young people privately to ascertain their views.

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Requires improvement

Health needs are prioritised and well managed. Young people are registered with local services, and specialist healthcare has been sought on a number of occasions when required. One young person was supported appropriately to ensure their sexual health needs were met. The home seeks specialist help when required, and has consulted with local psychological health services in relation to emotional and behavioural difficulties exhibited by young people and to ascertain how best to support them.

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Requires improvement

One young person accesses social and recreational opportunities outside the home, such as the Scouts and cadets, which assist in building confidence and promoting social development. Staff and young people enjoy eating out together, which promotes positive relationships in the home. The setting has age-appropriate toys and games, and one young person enjoys playing the guitar and singing. Young people have also taken responsibility for caring for pets, which include goldfish and gerbils. One young person has a laptop, but the other only has access to the staff computer, in the office. A recommendation is made to consider providing a computer solely for the use of young people in the home.

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Requires improvement

The home promotes contact arrangements in line with agreed plans. Young people are encouraged to have positive, appropriate friendships and relationships outside the home, which increases self-esteem and enhances their social development. Young people report that they are happy at the home.

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Good

Safeguarding arrangements at this setting are robust. There are appropriate procedures in place, and staff have received training to equip them to deal with any concerns effectively. There have been no incidents of a serious or significant nature that have required reporting to any outside agencies as young people are not exhibiting risk-taking behaviours.

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Good

The home has a good relationship with local police, although the police have had no formal input with any young people in the home. Safe recruitment procedures ensure that staff are suitably vetted prior to working with young people. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place, and the physical environment at the home is well maintained and free from any obvious hazards. Young people report that they feel safe at this setting. One young person confirmed that she has trusted relationships with staff, and when asked about her well-being she said, ‘The staff would definitely know if there was anything wrong with me.’ Another young person said that he could talk to any of the staff, if needed. One young person had been away from the home for some time without authorisation, following family contact. The home acted appropriately in informing the local authority immediately. They conducted welfare checks regularly and

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Good

worked collaboratively with the local authority to find resolution.

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Good

An incident of bullying that was reported was suitably addressed. Positive behaviour is encouraged through the use of an incentive chart, and young people can earn points for helping around the home or for achieving individualised targets that relate to their behaviour. The points they receive can be traded for activities and luxuries. Staff state that the system is working, but there is no evidence of evaluation or scrutiny by the manager, and there is no consultation with young people about how they feel when points are awarded or not.

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Good

There have been some formal sanctions recorded. One in particular included a sanction of losing an activity as a consequence of giving a member of staff verbal abuse, and then a further sanction of removal of the points awarded within the incentive scheme for reacting to the original consequence. This was not appropriate and was not evaluated and signed by the manager, or discussed with the staff member or young person. Consideration and focus should be given to the monitoring and evaluation of behaviour management methods and how the incentive scheme should work as part of wider behaviour-management practice within the home.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. The home is well resourced with a stable staff team. Staff state that they are well supported. They benefit from having undertaken a comprehensive training programme which is designed to meet the needs of children in their care. The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision, appraisals and team meetings.

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Requires improvement

The statement of purpose for the home has been revised recently, but not submitted to Ofsted as required in regulation and therefore a requirement is made to address this matter. There are aspects of the aims and objectives that are not sufficiently met, but these have been addressed within other requirements already made. Leaders and staff have a good relationship with other agencies. One social worker reported that, ‘Staff have been brilliant.’ She explained that they had made referrals to agencies and tried a number of ways to negotiate with college for a young person to stay there, and when that failed they made a referral for her to attend elsewhere. Another social worker said, ‘Staff are trying to engage the young person, some more than others.’ She felt that the placement had been good for the young person overall.

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Requires improvement

On occasions during the inspection, it was evident that the prevailing culture in the home is not always one of high aspiration for young people. Comments were made that suggested that young people could not be fully expected to attend regularly and/or engage in activities, education or employment due to their presenting or historical emotional and behavioural difficulties. This lack of aspiration could result in young people not reaching their full potential in terms of social, educational and economic well-being outcomes.

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Requires improvement

Record-keeping practices have some deficiencies. Staff are updating care-planning documents and behaviour-management plans as and when changes occur but the updates are simply additions to plans. They are not dated and do not include review of previous information which may no longer be relevant. For example, for one young person staff added information to a plan ‘no longer at college’ without creating a new aim or objective. Another young person’s behaviour-management plan had been reviewed and was dated recently, yet it contained information that was no longer relevant to the young person’s care. There is insufficient evidence of management oversight of those updates and appropriate revision, which means that leaders are not always actively driving the achievement of important milestones for young people, and their progress is not routinely monitored. The storage of records should also be given consideration, as relevant information was

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Requires improvement

not easily accessible. Requirements are made to address these shortfalls.

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Requires improvement

The setting is homely, well maintained and comfortable, although aspects of the décor are dated. Staff do not always benefit from appropriate facilities when staying overnight. One member of staff stays in a bedroom, while another must sleep in a communal area of the home. The doors to both the kitchen and lounge are locked in order to ensure sufficient privacy, but this means that young people are unable to access those areas of the house without waking staff. Furthermore, locked communal areas are not conducive to providing a homely environment. The organisation is currently giving consideration to making alterations to the ground floor of the house, in order to create a new bedroom. Recommendations are made to address these matters.

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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 children looked after 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.

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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 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’. 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, 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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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

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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