Children's Home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home provides young people and their parents with a short-break respite service that is highly regarded, much appreciated and valued by those using it.  Staff create a warm, homely and nurturing environment where young people feel safe and secure, and parents are confident that their child is kept safe at all times.  Strong and trusting relationships form between staff, young people and parents. The process of building up trust and getting to know and understand the specific needs of young people provides them with happy experiences.  Young people have the experience of spending time in an inclusive, non- judgemental environment where consultation and making choices are part of everyday life.  Young people benefit from receiving a high quality, consistent standard of care where needs are identified and plans, strategies and risk assessments are put into place to address those needs.  Aspirations for young people are high, and disability is not used as an

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The children's home provision is good because:

excuse to stop young people living and enjoying a full and fulfilling lifestyle.  A stable, skilled and long-serving staff team knows and understands the needs of the young people and their families. Long-standing and supportive relationships form over a number of years.  Feedback about the home, from parents and professional staff, is positive.  The home is well organised and managed.  The manager has a clear vision of the future and the way the home should develop, and understands the implications of the changes ahead.  Monitoring and evaluation of practice is used effectively to improve outcomes for young people, and improve the working practices of the home.

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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

12: (1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure- (d) that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. In particular, the sprinkler system installed into the home, which is currently not working, should be brought back to full working order and then be maintained accordingly. 01/06/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Create a missing-from-home prevention plan for all young people, either separately or as part of the home’s own placement plan. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.24)

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is operated by a local authority. It provides a short-break care service for up to 10 children and young people who have disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good 25/02/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

Good

Since the previous inspection, the home has experienced a period of uncertainty and change. In the main this has been due to a review of children’s residential services by the local authority, and periods when staff have stepped into the manager’s role. The review has now been completed and there is a permanent manager in post whose registration with Ofsted is ongoing. Despite the uncertainty experienced by staff, the high standards of care noted at previous inspections have remained intact.

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Good

Young people enjoy their time spent in the home and receive a high standard of care. This allows them to settle easily into the routines during their stay. Their individual needs are recognised and met, with disability not being viewed as a barrier to achieving a full, meaningful lifestyle. For example, a parent described to the inspector a recent trip taken by their child with staff, which is one they could not replicate at home.

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Good

Any difficulties or challenges that may be presented by young people are worked through constructively and with patience, sensitivity and understanding. This creates strong bonds and excellent relationships between staff and young people, who look forward to coming to the home. This helps in the overall progress that young people make in all areas of their lives.

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Good

A parent supported this view by telling the inspector, `Her confidence has come on amazingly. She was so withdrawn before she started coming here. Her self-care skills are also improving. She would not be as far advanced as she is if she had not come here.’

p.6

Good

Feedback received from parents is exceptionally positive. One expressed their views by writing, `Without the ongoing support from Hornby Road through the difficult times we go through constantly, I do not think we would be together as a family. To be able to have the complete break knowing my daughter is safe is a huge relief.’ Another says, ‘Our family would not cope without the breaks he has at Hornby Road. He would be in full-time care.’

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Good

The progress made by young people is successfully captured in the planning documentation, coping strategies, assessments of individual risk and the records of individual work undertaken by staff. Plans, coping strategies and assessments of risk are individualised to meet specific needs which cover cultural, health, educational, emotional, social and family needs. Overall, plans are of good quality and are reviewed regularly, which keeps them current. Some young people have a missing-from-home prevention plan incorporated into their planning documentation, while others have not. This issue was discussed with the manager who agreed that providing such a plan would improve the consistency and strengthen the quality of the planning documentation in place for all young people.

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Good

Responses from external professionals add to the positive comments received from parents. For example, a member of the special needs team speaks highly of the cooperative work between the home and the team. They feel that young people are well looked after by staff who are fully committed and have the knowledge and skills to meet young people’s complex needs.

p.7

Good

The home provides respite care to some young people with complex and delicate health needs. Staff have a clear understanding about what they can and cannot do with regard to physical and health care. Detailed information regarding health needs and how they are to be addressed is gathered and agreed with parents and other health professionals before care packages commence. For example, detailed information is available regarding dealing with epilepsy. Staff have clear instructions on how to act regarding medical issues, and young people have individual hospital passports in place so they can gain quick access to medical care and oversight if required.

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Good

Families appreciate the support they receive from staff who are prepared to advocate strongly on young people’s behalf. For example, a parent spoke about how staff were supportive of her and challenged some of the initial decisions made as her son approaches transition into adult services. Another parent summed up the feelings of many others when saying, ‘He loves coming to Hornby Road. It’s a lifeline for us all. He is safe and we can relax knowing this.’

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Good

Consultation between young people and staff is part of everyday life in the home. This is based on the high levels of communication staff have with young people, including those with no verbal communication or low levels of understanding. A parent describes the communication systems in place for her child by saying, `As he has been there quite a while he is well established with his routine. He will follow instructions from staff plus symbols and he is happy to do so. Staff are well acquainted with the sounds he makes and understand what they mean.’

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Good

Parents also confirm that communication levels between the home and themselves are high, and they are kept well informed about how each stay has gone. One reflected, `We have a chat book. The staff tell me all about his visit, what he has eaten, who he has played with, how well he has slept and whether he has had a bowel movement.’ Another states, `He has a positive handling plan. I am told if he has been lashing out and action taken to control him.’

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Good

The home is welcoming and child-friendly. Young people are relaxed and at ease in their surroundings, which they say they like. Bedrooms are all single occupancy and are personalised each day to suite the taste and interest of the occupant. The overall state of repair, and the quality of décor, furnishings, fixtures and equipment, is high.

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Good

Service contracts, risk assessments and regular checks of safety equipment are in place. This keeps young people and staff safe. However, a problem with the home’s sprinkler system remains, and it is still out of action. Extra precautions have been built into working practices to maintain levels of safety, but this is a long- standing problem and priority should be given to getting the system back into full working order.

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Good

A well-trained and experienced staff team understands its roles and responsibilities in keeping young people safe. The manager maintains excellent relationships with those external agencies that are charged with keeping young people safe, and is prepared to challenge and advocate strongly on behalf of young people. The positive responses received from parents shows they are confident that their child is in a safe place.

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Good

Behaviour management, which includes sanctions, rewards, and restrictive practices, and which addresses self-harm and bullying, is well managed. Young people experience living in a non-punitive, safe environment where their needs are identified and met. High staffing levels ensure that young people do not go missing, and bullying in the home is not a live issue. Any physical intervention is monitored and evaluated effectively. Parents are kept well informed of any incidents that may occur.

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Good

Young people benefit from spending time in an environment where they feel safe, and they respond positively by developing strong and trusting relationships with staff and their peers. They operate within clearly defined boundaries and established routines that are individual to them, and which they are comfortable with. This all adds to their, and their parents’, feelings of security.

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Good

Staff retention is excellent. The staff group is stable and experienced, having worked together over a period of years. Young people benefit from this consistency. Recruitment practice and clearance procedures are thorough, and meet with regulatory requirement and current guidance. Longer serving staff are rechecked every three years, which ensures that young people are only looked after by staff who have been suitably recruited and cleared. Judgement grade

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Good

An experienced and suitably qualified manager has now taken on the role permanently, and registration with Ofsted is nearing conclusion. She has a clear vision on where she wants the service to go. Her ambition and child-centred approach is reflected by a supportive staff team who buy into the ethos, culture and working practices that are being shaped in the home.

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Good

There are high expectations of staff performance with high standards set. Supervision and appraisal systems provide support, and an active core staff training programme introduces, develops and refreshes the skills of staff. This ensures that skills remain current to meet the changing needs of the young people in their care.

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Good

Staffing levels are generous and communication levels among the staff are high, particularly during handover meetings. These meetings inform staff who are ready for their shift and allows them to prepare well. For example, preparation might involve planning the way they are deployed around the home and how they are identified to work specifically with a young person for all or part of the shift. This contributes significantly to the home being well organised.

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Good

The home has an excellent record of compliance. The two requirements and one recommendation made at the previous inspection have been addressed in full. This has led to improvements with the home’s recording systems, the way notifications to external agencies are being managed and the way staff are monitoring and assessing risks to young people.

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Good

The monitoring of the home, both internally and externally, is good. Both forms of monitoring challenge and evaluate, leading to self-assessment and ultimately improvements in practice. As a result, the manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths, and areas that require development. This enabled her to contribute positively during the local authority’s recent assessment of its children’s residential services, and helped to shape the future of the home.

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Good

The home is entering a new era following the reassessment of its services. The future of the home is much clearer, and staff are now in a position to plan for the future. Respite services will continue, which is a relief to parents who value the service highly. As one said, `The staff here are absolutely brilliant. I just wish he could spend more time here. We have help at home with him, but the staff here work with him so well.’

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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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