Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have successfully created a home environment for young people, which emulates a family home. Consequently, young people live in a very warm and nurturing home were they receive a high standard of care. A strength of the home continues to be the nurturing, positive relationships between young people and staff and these relationships form a secure base from which staff work with young people on individual areas of need. As a result, young people continue to make good progress from their individual starting points. One independent reviewing officer commented that, ‘I am extremely happy with the care afforded to X. He wants to remain living there on a long-term basis. The staff are motivated and ensure X is encouraged to reach his full potential. He is kept safe and he is nurtured. I am always made to feel very welcome when I visit. I really rate them as a placement.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been one new admission since the last inspection. The manager undertakes thorough impact assessments, which includes consultation with the in- house psychologist about whether a young person would be a suitable match for the existing group. The manager consults the existing group of young people prior to new young people arriving in the home and consequently they are well prepared for this change. Staff make young people feel welcome when they arrive and ensure that young people are promptly registered with health and specialist services to ensure that their needs are met. The manager is quick to source training for staff to ensure that they are equipped to meet any specific needs of young people who come to live in the home, such as sourcing epi-pen training for a young person who has food allergies.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff spend time getting to know young people’s unique interests and talents, and as result young people attend a wide range of activities, such as dancing, roller- skating or kickboxing. One young person has recently obtained a yellow belt in kickboxing, which as well as being a huge achievement will have a positive impact on his physical health and self-esteem.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff give education a high priority and have effective working relationships with schools in the local area. The majority of young people attend school or further education and have excellent attendance. When young people are not in school, staff are proactive in trying to obtain educational placements quickly. This ensures that young people are meaningfully engaged during the day and make progress in terms of their education.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people like living in the home and say that they feel safe. Young people in the home are mostly settled and there are few missing episodes. Staff encourage positive behaviour by using praise and rewards with young people and this was observed during the inspection. There has been a recent increase in the use of restraint due to a new admission to the home. However this is only ever used as a last resort to ensure the safety of the young person. Staff are trained in the use of restraint and the company psychologist has direct input with staff in team meetings to assist them with strategies in managing young people’s behaviour to ensure a consistent approach across this team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has updated the written individual risk management plans since the last inspection, which means that there is clear written guidance in place to identify how staff will support, manage, supervise and monitor areas of individual risk for young people, such as self-harming behaviour. The manager has ensured that all staff have had ligature training due to a recent admission and this ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills to keep the young people they are caring for safe.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is staffed by a stable and consistent staff team which feels well supported and enjoys working in the home. One staff member commented that, ‘I love it, it is warm and caring, staff are lovely; it is a lovely environment for kids, I have never been so happy working anywhere. We have warmth from management and that makes a huge difference.’ Consequently, young people are looked after by a motivated staff team which wants the best possible outcomes for the young people they care for.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is child-focused and very involved in the day-to-day running of the home and with the young people. She has developed positive relationships with young people, which means that she has an excellent understanding of their needs, and the progress they have made. The manager uses monitoring systems, such as the independent visits, productively to monitor and improve practice. For example, she has recently improved her evaluations of restraint following on from the observations of the independent visitor.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has ensured that the requirement and recommendations from the last inspection are met. There was one shortfall identified during the inspection about staff recording of significant events, which needs to be accurate and more detailed. The manager accepted this and plans to address this by ensuring that staff undertake training in respect of recording practice. This shortfall has not affected the well-being of the young people placed in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The children’s home forms part of a large social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/11/2016 Full Good 21/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/05/2015 Full Good 16/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered manager should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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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