Children's home run by North East Lincolnshire Council

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness . Young people’s experiences and progress are constantly getting better. They feel very safe and secure in the home, more so than at the last inspection. One young person commented, ‘I feel safe and can talk to all the staff about anything. I have a very positive relationship with my link worker.’ Young people build good attachments to staff that help them to overcome the barriers to their development. This is due to the increasing effectiveness of the staff, who have built on their strengths from the last inspection. The strong quality of care helps young people to consider their past relationships and put these into meaningful context. They become more resilient, develop their confidence and self-esteem and thrive in the nurturing environment of the home. Young people feel well cared for and consider that they get plenty of support. They

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

commented about how nice the home is and how positive they feel about living there. One said, ‘The staff do a lot for me and I want to stay here all the time.’ Staff promote young people’s interests and hobbies and ensure that their wishes and feelings are acted on, provided that there is not a good reason not to do so. For example, young people enjoy and benefit from ice skating, discos, cadets and joining in with staff when cooking and cleaning. The manager responded positively to one young person’s concerns about a relief member of staff. There is a robust ethos and culture focused towards making the home the best place possible for young people. Staff help young people to take significant steps in improving their education. For example, two young people are making the transition to new schools to further their education. Both are reluctant and anxious about this, but the support from staff is helping them with these positive steps forward. The manager has planned

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

these moves carefully and in partnership with local education services, keeping the needs of the young people at the forefront of decision-making. The manager and staff provide young people with high levels of support in moving out of the home. One young person who had strong desires to live with relatives has been able to do so. Staff are proactive in working with the local authority’s children’s services teams to facilitate such progression. Partnership arrangements included constructive work in supporting his relatives to make this a successful opportunity. The manager and staff use their skills and knowledge of social work to empower young people to make their choices a reality. In another case, staff were directly involved in assessing a potential foster care placement. This effectively contributed to the local authority’s plan for a young person to move into a family home. Young people’s behaviour is very good, and the number of incidents is declining.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This reflects the improvements in young people’s well-being. Staff’s response to any challenging behaviour is very effective, with prevention the aim rather than intervention. The safe, homely atmosphere and the quality of relationships between staff and young people are strong preventative measures. Staff respect young people and focus on promoting their wishes and feelings, which impacts strongly on resolving any disputes. Staff are skilled in de-escalating any incidents. Physical intervention is a last resort and rarely used. The frequency of young people being absent or missing from home has gone down and is minimal. Staff understand the risks to young people and their responses to such events are robust. Senior staff are developing the evidenced-based social work model of care planning that is used in the home. There is a stronger focus on quantifying risk and an increased use of safety plans to keep young people safer and show that risks are

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

reducing. The manager plans to develop this further. She understands the strengths of the service and her comprehensive monitoring arrangements promote continuous improvements.

p.3

Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. It is registered to accommodate up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.4

Recent inspection history

10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.4

Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.4

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’.

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors 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 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 whom 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. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the

p.5

Information about this inspection

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 .

p.5

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,

p.6

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.6