Children's home run by Life Change Care Limited in Burnley

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has met the two recommendations that were made at the previous full inspection. Staff have now completed training in the home’s preferred method for behaviour management and physical intervention. This ensures that there is a consistent full-team approach when managing young people’s behaviour. The registered manager and staff now receive regular supervision, and this helps to ensure that all staff working in the home have an opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify their training needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last full inspection, three young people have moved into the home and two young people have moved on from the home. Young people continue to arrive and move on in a well-assessed and thoroughly planned way. For example, young people confirmed that they had introductory visits to the home and received a children’s guide. This provides them with an opportunity to meet the staff and other young people and receive written information about the services that the home is set up to provide for them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Also, when young people have moved on, their transition has been well-planned and coordinated. The responsible individual and the registered manager work effectively with placing authorities in order to ensure that young people’s plan of care continues after they have moved on from the home. When this is not the case, professional challenges have been made to placing authorities to ensure that young people continue to receive appropriate support services.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has experienced a number of challenges since the last full inspection. In particular, there was a period of disruption as a result of problematic behaviour presented by a young person admitted to the home. The registered manager and staff took effective action to manage such challenges. They kept a focus on the needs of the young person to ensure that they were safeguarded and received the relevant health services to meet the young person’s specific needs. Through multidisciplinary meetings, the focus on the care planning arrangements for the young person has ensured that all professionals continue to be involved in her care following her discharge from the home. Young people who live at this home have previously experienced significant neglect, physical and emotional abuse, and, in some cases, sexual harm. Consequently, the impact of this abuse can affect their behaviour in a number of ways. Staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise the triggers which cause

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

young people to engage in self-harm. They are skilled and experienced in working directly with young people who self-harm, including those where their self-harming behaviours are potentially life-threatening. Effective support strategies, including weekly professional therapy sessions, are followed up by staff in regular key- working meetings. These arrangements enable professionals, staff and young people to identify the cause of these behaviours, resulting in incidents that are reducing in frequency and intensity.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff continue to support young people extremely well with improving their behaviour. Young people quickly develop positive relationships with staff, and these underpin effective working. One young person said, ‘It is very good here, they [staff] are all nice and help me.’ Another young person said, ‘It is really chilled and we have a lot to do, I feel the home has a nice atmosphere and they are very good on activities, and we get to plan for the week ahead what we like to do.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Clear, updated risk assessments and behaviour management plans identify young people’s trigger points. Imaginative rewards and incentives help them to maintain positive behaviour. Young people choose rewards they would like, or have an opportunity to take a surprise reward from the bonus box. It is evident that young people work hard to achieve their goal and self-regulate their behaviour. As a result, the home is settled and young people are making very good progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Respect for young people’s views is exceptional and central to decisions taken regarding their care. All young people’s views are sought at weekly house meetings. Young people have a ‘sparkle box’ in which they post suggestions and ideas that are listened to by staff. For example, having been creative in the production of the children’s guide, young people are making a DVD about the home and about the staff who provide their care. This will provide great benefits to any new young people coming to live in the home. This home is one in which the views of young people are fundamental to how the home is run.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people do well in education and training. They have very good attendance, enjoy school and fully understand their daily routines to make sure that they are ready to learn each day. One young person has successfully passed all of her exams, and the young people who are at an age, have clear aspirations for their futures. Two young people want to be social workers when they are older and are aware of the relevant college courses available to them; young people are supported well by staff to reach their educational and career development targets.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are safe in the home and there have been no episodes of missing from home, antisocial behaviour, or drug and alcohol misuse. Young people confirm that there are no bullying issues and that they respect each other’s differences and work together to build positive relationships. The staff team remains very stable and leadership and management in the home remain strong. There is a culture of reflective practice. The staff team learn from where things have been successful or have not gone so well. Staff, through regular training, continue to develop and refine their skills. This includes joint sessions with the professional therapists who support young people and training on attachment and child sexual exploitation. The whole team works efficiently and effectively. As a result, young people receive high-quality, consistent care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Attention to the environment has seen communal areas and young people’s bedrooms newly decorated and refurbished. These are much more personalised and homely. Refurbishment is a work in progress and additional improvements are planned. These include bespoke furniture which is on order. The home has separate facilities to enable young people to prepare for independence. This includes a separate lounge and a separate fully fitted kitchen that can be utilised to provide young people with an experience of living on their own, while being assessed and supported by the staff in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the previous full inspection, the registered manager has focused on building a core staff team that supports the young people. Established members of staff are qualified and experienced and they routinely undertake refresher training; for example, training in physical intervention and safeguarding. As a result, young people are supported by a confident and knowledgeable staff group. New staff are safely recruited and complete a robust induction period prior to working with the young people. A new member of staff confirmed this and, as part of his introduction into the home, he was shadowing an experienced staff member. These arrangements ensure that new staff are able to familiarise themselves with the home’s systems and the policies and procedures of the organisation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is suitably skilled, having recently completed her level 5 diploma. She has a strong and effective presence in the home and is supported by an experienced management team. The registered manager’s involvement in the direct care of young people benefits them. This hands-on approach informs her monitoring of the quality of care provided by staff to the young people. The registered manager makes good use of the high-quality independent person’s reports. She uses these positively to aid her monitoring of the functioning of the home and the effectiveness of changes to practice. The reports are constructively critical and provide a helpful evaluation of how the young people are safeguarded and the quality of care they receive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

No requirements or recommendations are made from this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to accommodate four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home may provide care and accommodation only for single-sex occupancy. The home is privately owned. The purpose of the home is to provide specialist therapeutic care for girls who have been subjected to child sexual exploitation, or others who require specialist therapeutic care to facilitate emotional and psychological healing, as written in the home’s statement of purpose. Individual therapeutic formulations are made by expert psychotherapists and psychologists offering a wide range of interventions, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/05/2016 Full Good 02/11/2015 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 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 at 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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