Children's home run by Warrington Borough Council

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been no new admissions of young people, or of young people leaving the home. The home remains very settled. Young people continue to make progress. The positive relationships between staff and young people mean that young people feel safe and secure in their home. As a result there have been no recorded incidents of physical intervention or missing from care episodes since the last inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A strong emphasis on safeguarding young people runs through the home. Exceptional collaboration with young people, their families, police and social care agencies takes place frequently and protects young people from harm. Staff are highly skilled and are swift to recognise and report any potential risk, such as sexual exploitation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff understand young people and ensure that their views are central to the way the home operates. Staff empathise with young people and primarily view the service as the young people’s home and not a place of work. Staff conduct themselves as positive parenting role models, and the household functions in a non-institutional way. An example of this includes the excellent support young people received after the sudden and unexpected death of a long-standing staff member. Staff were alert to the impact of this on the young people and sensitively joined them in releasing balloons in memory of the late staff member.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to make notable progress in all aspects of their development. All young people have an identified educational provision. From their starting points, young people make very good progress in terms of their academic abilities, willingness to attend and personal achievements. For some young people, this means that they now travel independently to and from school, taking responsibility for their school attendance and safety. This increasing level of independence is age-appropriate and proportionate to young people’s cognitive skills and abilities. A deputy headteacher commented, ‘The staff from the home are excellent at working with us to make a difference and it certainly has had an impact on (young person’s) behaviour; she is now able to travel independently to school, they very much act as a good parent would.’ The staff have an incentive scheme where young people are rewarded for positive

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

behaviour. This works well, and young people are able to earn all sorts of extra treats and activities. One young person has used these incentives to go to Alton Towers and another enjoyed a day at Cadbury World. When consequences are used, they are fair and proportionate. The manager monitors the effectiveness of these and evidence suggests that they work well at discouraging further negative behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people benefit from the full support of the staff to maintain contact with important family members and friends. Their relatives and friends are welcome in the home. Staff work together with social workers to allow young people to have appropriate overnight stays. This allows young people to sustain their family and community links. A social worker commented, ‘Staff have worked very hard and contact is now very positive.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Strong and effective leadership and management of the home are evident. The registered manager sets very high expectations for both staff and young people and is clearly very highly regarded. Her highly effective management has strongly influenced the excellent outcomes and progress made by young people. All agencies and relatives contacted during this inspection commented on the very child-centred practice of staff and managers. A relative commented, ‘The staff are the heart of this service.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people live in a very comfortable and well-furnished home. They receive high levels of nurturing from the adults who care for them. This is clearly reflected in the decor and the welcoming atmosphere achieved within the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority provision provides care and accommodation for two young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/11/2016 Full Outstanding 17/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/01/2016 Full Outstanding 20/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 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 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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