Children's home 1230940

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Children and young people make excellent and sustained progress in all aspects of their lives. They are happy and extremely confident in the care they receive. One young person commented, ‘Coming here has completely changed my life around.’

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Educational attendance and attainment is outstanding, when compared to the position that individual children and young people were in at the time of their admission. They have each embraced the educational focus from within the home and proudly talk about the progress they have made.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Safeguarding is always central to care arrangements. Children and young people have a strong sense of feeling safe and being cared for. The potential for harm to children and young people reduces because of the prompt identification of safeguarding concerns.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 A particular strength is the highly effective and committed leadership and management team within the home. There is a tangible and aspirational passion to promote new opportunities and personal development for children and young people, and also for the staff.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Children and young people are very involved in community projects, and access community resources in a way which stands out as a real strength.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Staff fully understand their roles and responsilbities and really enjoy spending time with the children and young people.

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The service is operated by a large private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement This is the first inspection of this home since registration in May 2016

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Outstanding

Children and young people make exceptional and sustained progress in all aspects of their lives. This is because they receive consistent, well-planned care and benefit from having excellent relationships with staff who genuinely care about them. Family members and involved professionals consistently report that there has been excellent progress for individual children and young people. Comments include, ‘He is better in every way. He is happier, more mature and less angry.’ A social worker said that a young person was, ‘well supported and thriving’.

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Outstanding

Children and young people are happy and settled. One young person said, ‘I never thought this would become my home.’ Further comments include, ‘We are like one big happy family’, and, ‘I would not want to change anything’. Children and young people each value having very positive relationships with staff and know that staff are always there to help. This means that they are all confident in seeking advice and support. Every opportunity is taken to involve children and young people in decisions about their care. As a result they feel involved and know that their views are valued.

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Outstanding

Staff encourage and support children and young people to take part in interesting and stimulating opportunities and activities. Recent activities include visits to the cinema, regular use of a local gym and trips to a skateboard park. A particular strength is the way staff promote community involvement. For example, not only have several young people taken part in a charitable run, but they also visited a care setting that benefits from the charity that they completed the run for. This means that children and young people are developing empathy and understanding about disadvantaged groups.

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Outstanding

The promotion of children and young people’s independent living skills is done in a manner appropriate to their age and individual development. For younger children this may be help to tidy their bedroom; for others this is an evolving programme of development opportunities. One young person has a voluntary job and another has until recently maintained a part-time job. The self-confidence of one young person is improving as they are currently learning to drive. One resident has recently moved back into their family home, while still being supported by the staff team. The young person speaks very positively about the support he is receiving and says that, ‘staff are always there for me’. Imaginative arrangements such as a member of staff supporting this young person to cook a family meal at home each week is helping the transition period.

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Outstanding

Children and young people make notable progress in education, which is helped by personalised and well-supported education plans. Involved professionals note improved attainment and attendance. A social worker commented, ‘They have been amazing, xx (young person) has only been there for four weeks but they have engaged him in education after a long period of being out of school.’ An education professional commented, ‘This has been one of the best working collaborations I have experienced’, confirming that support provided by the home eased a child’s transition back into full-time education. Staff encourage and support homework and personal study. The development of an improved reading ability is seen as important by the home, and reading is incorporated into daily routines, where appropriate. A stand-out example of support offered by the staff is the way the team has structured speech development activities into the routine for one child. As

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Outstanding

a result of this focused way of working there have been notable improvements for this child.

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Outstanding

The physical and emotional health of children and young people is supported to a high standard. As a result, children and young people are in good health. Staff have worked creatively and successfully to expand the diet of children and young people who on admission were resistant to trying new foods. The inspector was impressed by seeing five children and young people sat together with staff enthusiastically eating vegetable and chickpea curry. Physical activity is promoted, whether it is outside play in the garden or planned activities. The staff team work closely with the local authority child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) team to ensure that individual needs are supported. This has included the provision of recent training for the team about attachment and loss, leading to an improved understanding of individual needs.

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Outstanding

Children and young people feel safe, and become safer after moving to this home. For some this is because they have developed improved coping strategies and are beginning to understand their own emotions, resulting in a reduction in both anger and aggression. For others this is because they are benefiting from personal support and guidance, leading to a strengthened awareness of how best to keep themselves safe. The nurturing care environment provided means that children and young people feel comfortable, and are able to take advantage of the services and support provided.

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Outstanding

High quality staff training and good ongoing learning opportunities ensure that staff fully understand their responsilbities in the protection of children and young people. As a result, safeguarding concerns are recognised quickly, and are dealt with in line with agreed multi-agency procedures. Learning points are identified through reflective practice and a willingness to improve safeguarding arrangements. The supervision of children and young people is prioritised. When required, very tight plans are drawn up and implemented to ensure the full supervision of specific interactions between some children and young people. As a result, potential risks are reduced.

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Outstanding

Staff manage behaviour effectively. Children and young people have a strong sense of safety, which is enhanced by the setting of clear, consistent boundaries. The use of positive reinforcement and good relationships in the management of behaviour has resulted in a reduction in the number of incidents of concern. Because children and young people feel safe and the management of risk is highly effective, there has been only one occurrence of a child being missing from the home since it opened. While physical holds are at times necessary in the management of behaviour, holds are used only for appropriate safeguarding reasons. The deputy manager takes a lead in this area of care, and demonstrates that she closely reviews each incident. Learning points are then used to reduce the potential for physical holds to be needed in the future. It is apparent that children and young people are becoming more self-aware and are beginning to self-regulate their

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Outstanding

behaviours, which is helped by staff recognising and praising improvements in their behaviour.

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Outstanding

The leadership and management of this home is highly effective and very focused on promoting positive outcomes for all the children and young people living at the home. A very experienced deputy manager ably supports the appropriately qualified registered manager. Together, this aspirational management team set the highest expectations for the care of each child and young person. Involved professionals hold the management team in high regard. Comments include, ‘You could not wish for a more enthusiastic home manager.’

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Outstanding

Good management monitoring systems ensure that weaknesses and areas for development are identified, and acted upon promptly. Recent developments include the sourcing and delivery of specific training to improve the care of one particular child. Staff have broadened their knowledge and have an improved understanding of this child’s behaviour in the context of his history and associated disabilities. Managers lead by example and work creatively to sustain the highest quality of care for each child and young person. For example, some staff have been trained to use sandbox play as a technique to support children and young people to explore very personal issues. Children and young people have embraced this opportunity, and talk confidently about how this has enabled them to talk more openly to staff. The management team do not hesitate to advocate on behalf of children and young people. For example, when it appeared that a child would not

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Outstanding

be offered a full-time education programme immediately, the manager advocated for the child. The manager suggested that a member of staff attended school with the child. This was agreed, and the child returned to full-time education.

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Outstanding

The management team and wider organisation are currently working with several placing authorities to improve the provision of support to young people leaving care. The team is working alongside one placing authority to support a young person who has recently moved back to the family home after several years as a child looked after. The plan, and work undertaken, is supporting a pilot study by the placing team, structured in line with the Department for Education’s ‘Staying Close’ agenda. This shows that the team are enthusiastic about research and new ways of working.

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Outstanding

The management team and staff work proactively and positively with external agencies and with families. For example, close working with mental health professionals has ensured that the specific mental health needs of children and young people are effectively monitored and supported. A professional commented, ‘The communication and joint working has been excellent.’ The staff team and children and young people have also developed excellent relationships with neighbours and the local community. A neighbour contributed to the inspection by saying, ‘The manager could not have done more than he has to promote positive relationships, they are very considerate.’

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Outstanding

Highly motivated staff are very happy in their work. Support for the staff is readily available and staff say that the team works extremely well together. A broad programme of training ensures that staff understand their roles and responsibilities. This means that care is delivered in line with the home’s statement of purpose. All staff are on target to complete the required professional qualification by the relevant date as stipulated in the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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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

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

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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