Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Coventry

Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 1 SC064117 Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who have physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 All young people are making good progress from their starting points in all aspects of their development. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 2  Young people enjoy positive and supportive relationships with staff, and these underpin the progress that young people make.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy their lives at the home and speak warmly about it.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy a range of activities both at home and in the community. Staff are committed and, in the words of one social worker, ‘go the extra mile’ to make sure that young people have access to exciting and stimulating activities.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff treat young people with dignity and respect. The staff team understands the importance of well-planned support for both new young people coming to the service and those leaving for adult care services.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager and staff work in partnership with placing authorities and other agencies to promote the progress and well-being of young people in their care.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff work well together, and receive good support and guidance from managers.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager strives to continually improve and develop the service for the benefit of young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager needs to ensure that there are consistently sufficient staff working in the home to meet the individual needs of the young people living there.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff need to support young people to understand the physical and emotional changes they experience during teenagehood.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff must ensure that young people are informed of the outcome of any consultation with them.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Requires improvement 09/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to preparing young people for the physical and emotional changes in puberty, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(iv) understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. 05/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(d) the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. 05/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that young people are able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon, particularly following key-working sessions and children’s meetings. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress because of the help and support that they receive from managers and staff at the home. One young person said, ‘I am happy. Staff have really helped me.’ A family member spoke about the care her son is receiving, saying, ‘I Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 4 have nothing but praise for staff. He is doing so well, I could not ask for more.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between young people and staff are strong. Staff know the young people well and adapt their approach and style to reflect young people’s individual needs. Staff use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication methods, such as picture exchange systems, to facilitate communication with young people. Staff take time to build their relationships with young people, getting to know each young person’s individual needs. This means that staff are able to interpret body language and facial expressions to help identify young people’s likes and dislikes or when they might be upset or distressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people all attend school full time. Their attendance and punctuality are excellent. One young person who was on a reduced timetable when he was first placed has returned to school full time and is now making significant progress. His teacher commented, ‘This has been a really good year. From being at a real crisis point, not only in education but also in his behaviour and his emotional health, he has come such a long way and is now making significant progress.’ Managers and staff liaise daily with school staff and this sharing of information helps to ensure that support for each young person is in place when they arrive at school, or when they return home. Consequently, young people maximise their opportunities to learn and enjoy their school day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively review young people’s health needs. All young people attend routine and specialist appointments as necessary. Staff work in partnership with the local child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) for young people who have learning disabilities to ensure that young people’s emotional and behavioural needs are prioritised. For some young people, the onset of puberty presents additional challenges, and staff have not consistently supported young people to understand the changes in their bodies and their emotions. This impacts on young people’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that young people enjoy a varied and freshly prepared diet in which healthy eating is carefully considered. One young person has significantly expanded the range of food that he will now eat. Another young person has been supported by staff to prepare nutritionally balanced meals for themselves by ensuring that he understood the three main food types that are needed on his plate. Mealtimes are sociable occasions when young people are encouraged to enjoy each other’s company. Young people develop a sense of belonging and value in the home as their social skills and emotional well-being improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people to understand their feelings and how to manage their strong emotions. Staff use visual prompts and social stories to remind young people of agreed expectations. Staff have developed strategies to help one young person express his anger safely. He said, ‘When I get angry staff talk to me. They have really helped me. My behaviour is much better now.’ As a result, young people learn to manage and change their own behaviour, leading to a calmer and more relaxed atmosphere in the home for all.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy stimulating and interesting activities, including short breaks to the seaside, bowling alley, theatre and cinema. Staff support young people to continue to Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 5 attend community groups such as scouts in their home areas. One young person has recently taken part in a local gang show. As a family member wrote in a thank you note to staff, ‘12 months ago he would not have coped with something like this. Thank you all.’ Young people also have opportunities to try new activities, thereby extending their experiences and enjoyment of their lives. Managers have recently started a new youth group for young people living in the local community. This enables young people to expand their social interaction, which promotes their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s self-confidence improves as staff sensitively support young people with their personal care. Parents and professionals have commended staff about their attention to detail in ensuring that their young person is clean, tidy and well-dressed at all times. For one young person who was initially reluctant to use a shower, staff have successfully deployed a number of strategies to encourage him to shower regularly. Young people are supported to develop appropriate skills and work towards increased independence. Each young person has responsibilities in the home, including helping laying the table, clearing away and washing up. By taking part in these responsibilities and activities, young people improve their skills and enjoy contributing to their home life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager makes sure that transitions are well managed. This means that staff have all the information that they need to understand and meet young people’s individual needs. All transitions are well planned. Staff at the home take good account of the particular needs of young people who live at a distance from their family, keeping family members well informed of progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend regular meetings with staff including one-to-one sessions and a weekly young people’s meeting. They are encouraged to express their views and opinions about the home, and contribute to menu and activity planning. Young people’s communication needs are assessed and information adapted to help them understand what is written, making it more accessible for them. Although young people’s views are actively sought, it is not consistently clear how their views and opinions are actioned by staff. Young people are supported to access advocacy services and have regular contact with social workers and other professionals who are independent of the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families welcome the support that they receive from staff with contact arrangements. One parent said, ‘I always feel very welcome when I visit. All the staff are really friendly and helpful.’ Young people feel secure as they see all adults working well together to support their needs. Staff strive to ensure that young people get a consistent approach from all adults in their lives.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people feel safe, nurtured and supported living at the home. They have positive, trusting relationships with staff, and these underpin young people’s sense of self- confidence and security. Young people are reassured as staff have clear expectations and boundaries in place. When they test boundaries, staff respond in a consistent and proportionate way that helps young people to reflect and understand about how to Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 6 behave appropriately. They learn how to manage their own emotions and aggressive incidents have decreased. In addition, the number of physical interventions has also decreased, as staff are skilled in understanding young people’s triggers and signs of behavioural escalation. Staff use de-escalation techniques at an early stage and this helps young people to redirect their behaviour and avoid outbursts, leading to a calmer atmosphere for all.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff take time to understand individual young people’s needs, including their communication needs. Managers and staff develop individualised risk assessments to address identified vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are robust and detailed. They reflect consultation with others, including young people when appropriate. Staff and managers ensure that they remain relevant to young people’s changing needs by regularly reviewing risk assessments.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staffing ratios minimise the risks to young people associated with child sexual exploitation, radicalisation or missing-from-home incidents. Staff are vigilant and alert to these issues, and knowledgeable about the action to take, should there be any indication of such risks or events happening. The registered manager understands what constitutes significant incidents of concern, and responds robustly. The registered manager has a good understanding of local safeguarding procedures.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff receive regular training around safeguarding. This includes discussions relating to bullying and internet safety. Some young people complete sessions with staff regarding how to keep themselves safe online, and their computer activity is effectively monitored by staff. This ‘good parenting’ approach further promotes young people’s safety. Incidents of bullying have decreased, as staff have effectively worked with young people both individually and in groups to address the impact of their behaviour.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager promotes the safety of young people through the safe recruitment of staff. He pays meticulous attention to obtaining references, ensuring that full employment histories are obtained so that the suitability of potential staff can be assessed alongside a disclosure and barring service check. New staff benefit from a thorough induction, which includes mentoring and support from experienced colleagues. As a result, well-vetted and inducted staff members care for young people in a safe manner.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Medication administration systems are robust and effective. Managers and senior staff complete regular medication audits, and administration records are checked each day. Staff complete medication administration training and additional competency assessments, observed by registered nurses, when young people require specialist interventions. These procedures significantly reduce the potential for medication errors to occur.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people benefit from living in a home that has a safe and secure environment. Managers and staff ensure that all equipment works well and poses no risk to young people. Sharp implements are locked away for safekeeping. Young people participate in regular fire drills, to help maintain safety and vigilance for all. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 7

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has been in post since 2016. An experienced deputy manager supports him. Both hold a level 5 diploma in leadership and management in residential care of children and young people. They provide strong and effective leadership in the home. They set high standards for the service expected from staff, with the focus being on the needs of young people in their care. Young people are cared for in line with the objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose, as they continue to make progress in line with their ages and abilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the home. The monthly independent visitor provides rigorous external scrutiny of the service. He values the suggestions made by the independent visitor and sees these as an opportunity to improve the service to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager effectively monitors the quality of care provided by his service, identifying patterns and trends. His quality of care reviews incorporates consultation with young people, family members and other agencies to drive forward continual improvements to the quality of care provided. This robust review ensures that young people’s individual progress and development are evaluated. This ensures that the home continues to improve to meet young people’s changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager regularly scrutinises young people’s documentation to ensure that all necessary information is available for staff. Files are generally well maintained, and information is frequently updated. He is currently revising young people’s care planning documentation to streamline them and to make them more accessible and understandable for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team is enthusiastic and demonstrates high levels of commitment to ensuring that young people progress. The staff are mainly experienced and most are qualified. Those who are unqualified are in the regulatory timescale for obtaining their qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, a number of experienced staff have left. During this period, the registered manager has ensured that young people receive support from a consistent group of staff familiar to them, and no agency staff have been employed. However, this strategy has placed a significant burden on existing staff and at times has meant that there are insufficient staff to meet the individual needs of young people. The registered manager has recently recruited additional staff who are due to start soon. He has acknowledged that this has compromised the quality of care offered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say that they feel well supported by managers. Staff receive good quality monthly supervision and annual appraisals. Staff have regular opportunities to reflect on young people’s welfare and progress, which means that they are better able to offer the individualised care that young people need. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 8 Staff training opportunities are wide-ranging and extensive. The registered manager has extended training offered to staff. He prioritises staff development, recognising that this significantly improves the service available to young people. Staff undertake courses specific to young people’s needs, for example in understanding autism spectrum disorder. Staff diligently apply the learning from courses to their day-to-day practice and the registered manager encourages them to share learning in team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff have developed positive working relationships with a number of key stakeholders, including health and education professionals and placing social workers. All are positive about the level and quality of communication received from the home, and this promotes effective partnership working. Staff use partnership relationships to advocate and challenge on behalf of young people to ensure that they receive appropriate support to meet their needs. For some young people, this has been very effective, for example in progressing transition plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The one recommendation made at the last inspection is repeated as insufficient progress has been made to address the shortfall.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV4 6JG

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Inspector

Anne Daly, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC064117 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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