Children's home run by Altum Residential Care Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 1 Registered provider: Altum Residential Care 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

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a private company.

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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 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: This is the first inspection since registration.

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people flourish in a caring and nurturing environment. Most young people’s risk-taking behaviour decreases. They become more confident and take more responsibility for themselves.  In the short time since the home has been registered, the manager has created Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 2 a skilled staff team. The care that staff provide enables young people to make good progress. Young people have positive experiences due to the dedication and commitment of the staff team.  Young people receive good support in relation to their health needs. They have access to specialist mental health services to address issues such as self- injurious behaviour.  For most young people, moving into the home is managed well through a well- planned and supportive introduction. This helps to ensure that new placements get off to the right start.  Managers and leaders are realistic about the home’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Key findings from this inspection

They understand that they need to embed practice and focus on ensuring that young people receive consistently good-quality care from a skilled and well- qualified staff team. They are passionate about ensuring that young people have good experiences while living in care.

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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 staff team members are all female. There is no clear plan in place or description in the home’s statement of purpose to demonstrate how the home promotes role models of both genders.  There has been one complaint since the home’s registration. Although the complaint was treated seriously, the investigation was not thorough, and the young person did not receive any information about the outcome.  Staff members are trained in two different models of restraint. Although there has been no use of restraint since the home’s registration, there is the potential for staff to be inconsistent in their practice.  The home’s statement of purpose does not give important information about the company psychologist’s clinical supervision arrangements.  Safer recruitment practice is not always consistently followed. On occasion, interviews are only carried out by one person. This means that recruitment practice is not always robust.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Members of staff have a variety of skills, qualifications and experience, including social work degrees. Currently, the home’s workforce development plan does not demonstrate whether these qualifications are comparable to the level 3 diploma, as required by regulation. Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. This specifically relates to details of the professional supervision of the staff involved in providing any healthcare or therapy. In addition, if the staff are all of one gender, or mainly of one gender, the statement should include a description of how the home promotes appropriate role models of both genders. (Regulation 16(1)) 31/05/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 31/05/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children whom the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s statement of purpose and behaviour management policy. This specifically applies to ensuring that all staff and the manager are trained in the same method of restraint and physical intervention. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan details the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. This specifically relates to demonstrating how qualifications already held by staff are comparable to the level 3 diploma.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Whenever possible, staff in day-to-day contact with children should include staff from different gender groups. When the home uses staff of one gender only, clear guidance will need to be in place and followed as to how children are enabled to maintain relationships with people of a different gender. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 4 10.22)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. This specifically relates to ensuring that safe recruitment practice is adhered to. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from good-quality, individualised care. They are making progress in a variety of ways. Some have stopped using harmful substances and are taking more control over their lives. For others, it is early days living at the home. However, they have benefited from a lengthy transition process, which gives their placement every chance of success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The importance of good transitions between placements is understood by staff. The majority of young people have the opportunity to visit, meet staff and go on activities with the other young people before they make their final move to the home. This helps to ensure that transitions are as smooth as possible. Managers understand the importance of good placement matching. If a placement has not been as successful as anticipated, managers learn from this. When placements break down, or staff feel unable to keep the young person safe, staff attempt to make the ending as positive as possible. A parent stated, ‘The place was excellent. It felt like it was my child’s home. Staff were incredibly supportive.’ A young person stated, ‘I like it here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s comprehensive care plans. These are updated regularly to reflect changing needs. This ensures that young people receive consistent care and support. Education is seen as a priority, and staff work tirelessly with stakeholders to find an education package that suits young people’s needs. One young person is enrolled in college, and another has had the opportunity to try apprenticeships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are healthy and have access to basic health services, such as the local surgery. Staff quickly access specialist services, such as smoking cessation clinics, if they are needed. In addition, the company employs a psychologist, in partnership with statutory mental health services, to work directly with young people and staff. This is a valuable resource. Recently, the psychologist held a bespoke training session for staff about self-injurious behaviour. A parent and young person also attended the training session. The parent stated, ‘It was really useful. It helped me understand some things I didn’t understand before. Now I can talk to my child about it.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s views are taken into account and they are listened to. They talk to staff on a regular and informal basis and participate in young people’s meetings. They know Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 5 how to complain and there has been one complaint made by a young person since the home opened. The manager treated the complaint seriously. However, the investigation was not thorough, as key witnesses were not asked for their version of events. In addition, there is no record of the outcome of the complaint. The young person was not informed about how the manager came to her conclusion following her investigation. This means that the young person may not have a full understanding of how the complaint was concluded.

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

Risk is managed well. Risk management plans are updated regularly and provide staff with written guidance to enable them to identify possible warning signs and triggers and implement strategies to prevent or minimise risk. Any incidents of self-harm, for example, result in a review of the risk assessment, and further preventative actions are identified. These are immediately discussed with staff and documented. Young people receive the necessary support to promote their emotional well-being, and there is prompt liaison with relevant professionals to gain further advice about how best to support and manage these issues.

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

Young people rarely go missing from care. Staff are clear about what procedures they need to follow, should this occur. When young people return to the home, staff ensure that return interviews are carried out, and additional referrals are made when there are concerns about young people’s welfare, for example in relation to sexual exploitation. Consequently, young people are safer.

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

Behaviour is well managed. Positive behaviour is encouraged, and staff say that they focus on the positive and not the negative. There has been no use of restraint since the home’s registration. However, members of staff are currently trained in two different methods of restraint and physical intervention. Despite the similarities between the two models, this risks staff being inconsistent in their practice if use of restraint were needed. This also undermines the manager’s ability to monitor the effectiveness of physical intervention.

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

Staff have had appropriate training in safeguarding. They demonstrate a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding young people and they understand the home’s whistleblowing policy. Visitors to the home, such as maintenance staff, are supervised. Recruitment practice is generally robust, and the appropriate checks are in place for staff who provide direct care to young people. However, on occasion, the manager is the sole interviewer for prospective candidates. This is not best practice as it does not adhere to the principles of safer recruitment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about embedding a culture of high-quality, nurturing care. She wants young people to have a good experience of care and has high aspirations for Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 6 the young people living at the home. The manager holds the appropriate qualification to manage a children’s residential service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a newly appointed, permanent staff team. This ensures that young people are supported by a consistent group of staff whom they know and who know them. All the current staff team members are female, and there is no plan in place to show how young people’s care will include positive role models from different gender groups. This is an area for development to enable young people, some of whom may have had negative past experiences, to develop a balanced understanding of gender.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Members of staff have varying skills, experience and qualifications. Some are qualified social workers. Others are due to be enrolled on the appropriate childcare qualification. The home’s workforce development plan does not show whether previous qualifications held by staff are comparable to the level 3 diploma, as required by regulation. Staff take part in comprehensive online training during their probationary period. They have basic training, such as safeguarding and first aid, as well as more specialist training relevant to young people’s needs, such as sexual health, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) awareness and child development. As a result, staff offer effective support to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported. They said that the manager is always on hand to offer advice and support. Staff also benefit from regular supervision as a means of reflecting on their own development as well as the needs of the young people. Record-keeping is of a good quality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose reflects the child-focused ethos and nurturing care that the home currently provides, although it does not hold important information about the company psychologist’s clinical supervision arrangements. Leaders and managers are realistic about the home’s areas of strength and areas for development. The home has recently opened and, therefore, it is focusing on embedding good-quality care and training staff. Managers ensure that young people are at the centre of practice. This results in improved outcomes and life chances.

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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 whom 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 Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 7 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: 1241656 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Altum Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Altum Residential Care Ltd, 550 Valley Road, Nottingham NG5 1JJ

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1241656 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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