Children's home run by A J Residential Care Ltd

Inspection report children's home: SC042590 1 SC042590 Registered provider: A J 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 privately owned and family-run home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people. They may have 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 good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The trusting relationships children and young people develop with the consistent staff members empowers them to engage with their care plans.  Good care planning incorporates all aspects of children and young people’s Inspection report children's home: SC042590 2 individual needs.  Children and young people make good progress in developing social and life skills.  Children and young people are safeguarded as a result of the one-to-one care they receive from a well-trained staff team.  A strong management team is passionate about making a difference in children and young people’s lives.  Excellent collaborative working with partner agencies ensures consistency for children and 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

 External monitoring visits and reports under regulation 44 are not sufficiently robust.  Internal monitoring reports under regulation 45 do not provide parents, professionals or staff members with the opportunity to influence and contribute towards care planning.  Individual support plans are not developed together with the child.  There is inconsistency in recording following physical interventions.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/08/2016 Full Good 01/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/12/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC042590 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

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person- if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

In preparing or reviewing the placement plan the registered person must- so far as is reasonably practicable, having regard to the child’s age and understanding, seek and take account of the child’s views, wishes and feelings. (Regulation 18 (8) (a)) 30/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children's home: SC042590 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people live in a spacious, semi-detached home in a residential neighbourhood. Children and young people’s bedrooms are furnished and decorated to their taste. They are able to keep cherished pets in their rooms if they wish. The spacious bathroom has both a bath and free-standing shower offering children and young people choice, and encouraging them to develop personal hygiene skills. Children and young people sit and eat their evening meals together in the well-used dining room as they would in a family home. This enhances their sense of security and belonging together. One young person announced as he arrived back from school, ‘I’m home.’ The enthusiastic and nurturing management and staff know each of the children and young people in their care extremely well. They use this knowledge productively to ensure that each individual’s needs are met. As a result, children and young people feel safe, secure

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and cherished within the home. This empowers them to engage in education and social activities in the community that stretch their abilities and promote future life chances. Detailed and comprehensive care plans encompass every aspect of a child or young person’s individual and diverse needs. These plans are developed in collaboration with placing authorities and partner agencies. Regular updates demonstrate the progress that children and young people make in all aspects of their development. The plans enhance their lives now, and for their future adult experiences. However, although the individual support plans are excellent in terms of the quality, young people who are able to contribute are not involved in writing them. In addition, these plans contain information about staff members’ qualifications and status in the company that is not helpful to young people. The close collaborative working between staff in the home and partner agencies, as well as

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

parents and family members, is a major strength. The trusting bond that staff build with family members enables children and young people to have regular, and increased, contact, which they fully benefit from. Parents maintain regular contact with the home, including during times when their child is visiting them, to gain the confidence and skills they need to care for their child. As a result, children and young people are thriving, as they understand their place within their birth family and the community. Comprehensive health plans demonstrate the consistent partnership working the staff at the home employ with both generic and specialist health provisions. This includes working together with child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) practitioners. This fully benefits children and young people, particularly during times of crisis or heightened anxiety. Children and young people’s emotional health and feelings of well-being grow as they settle

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

into the home. For some young people, having access to good personal care facilities and a varied diet enables them to start to learn necessary life skills. Their resultant growth in confidence empowers them to engage in inclusive activities within the community, which broaden their horizons while they have fun. A headteacher said, ‘For him, the change from when he is with his family is significant. He is now a happy young man. He’s well turned out now and making real progress.’ Inspection report children's home: SC042590 5 All children and young people have appropriate education provision. The proactive management and staff maintain regular and positive communication with schools to ensure that children and young people receive consistent and targeted messages. As a result, children and young people gain the confidence to engage with learning and are able to make consistent progress from their starting points. There are occasions when a young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

person’s anxieties mean that they are unable to attend school. The staff are sensitive to these needs, and work well together with the education staff at school to engage the young person in stimulating alternative activities, and maintain their interest in returning to the classroom. A headteacher said, ‘With [Name] at the moment, the communication is excellent and we are working together to address his current anxieties.’ Children and young people have a range of opportunities to express their wishes and feelings. As well as their key-work sessions and access to independent advocates, the dedicated manager captures their views on a regular basis. For example, at one young person’s suggestion, each child and young person will have their own cupboard in the planned newly refurbished kitchen. This will allow them to store their special foods, and assist them in preparing for independence. Children and young people feel listened to and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

valued. This growth in confidence empowers those who are able to participate in other decisions relating to their futures, for example by attending their looked after children (LAC) reviews. An independent reviewing officer (IRO) said, ‘We had a LAC review a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised at what she is able to do. She has been to two reviews now. She is getting up and going in to college and going to friends on public transport by herself, something she wasn’t able to do in her previous placement.’ Children and young people enjoy interesting and stimulating activities within the local community. They attend local youth clubs, ice hockey games and premier league football matches, as well as participating in quieter pastimes such as art classes and fishing. These inclusive activities enhance children and young people’s lives. They are able to make friends within the community as well as building bonds with their peers in the home. A staff

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

member said, ‘It is the staff that made this a home for the young people. They give them [children and young people] the kind of life where they can go out and do things because they are teenagers and should have those chances.’ Staff develop appropriate pathway plans together with placing authorities, and work hard to implement these plans at the young people’s pace and in line with their ability. Some aspects of these written plans are very good, but they have not all been shared with the young people and so it is not clear how much they understand or agree with what is being proposed. Nevertheless, the imaginative and enthusiastic management team is in the process of introducing a specific method of timeline with one young person, using key events such as Christmas and birthdays, and emojis. This will enable the young person, who has difficulty understanding the concept of time, to understand that preparing for

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

moving on does not mean that this will happen tomorrow.

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

Children and young people are evidently comfortable and feel safe in their home. Their known routines provide them with a sense of security and belonging, allowing them to Inspection report children's home: SC042590 6 engage with care in the home and activities in the wider community. This improves their social and life skills, which in turn enhance their future life opportunities. A psychologist wrote, ‘Since [Name] has been in the care of [Home’s Name] and they have been able to form a close relationship with her and her family, [Name’s] behaviour has improved a great deal. Since she has been living at [Home’s Name] there have been far fewer incidents.’ Good behaviour management plans detail the home’s expectations of behaviour. The nature of the children and young people’s diverse needs and abilities mean that it is not felt appropriate to use sanctions. Instead, each child or young person has their own individual

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

goals and rewards system. This promotes positive behaviours, which not only enhance children and young people’s lives, but also teach them valuable social and life skills that they can transfer into their adult lives. An IRO said, ‘I think [Name] has made very significant progress and the placement has been very good for her. They are very much tuned in to her needs and can meet her behavioural difficulties.’ There are still occasions when physical intervention is necessary to protect young people from harm. One young person has been involved in a high number of aggressive incidents since his admission to the home. As his confidence and trust in the staff team has increased, there has been a significant reduction in the number of restraints necessary. A staff member said, ‘[Name] doesn’t need nearly as many physical interventions and settles by 11pm at night now rather than 4am. You can see how much happier he is now he feels

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

secure and settled.’ However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of recording following restraint, and the effectiveness of the intervention is not being monitored by the management team, as it should be. This does not allow all concerned to learn from the incident. An appropriate locality risk assessment encompasses a wide range of information about the area and community the home is located in. This ensures that all identified external hazards are known, providing good safeguards for children and young people. Detailed and comprehensive risk assessments within the home allow children and young people to engage safely in a range of activities. This promotes some independent activities as children and young people, within their abilities, develop self-protection skills. A headteacher said, ‘I can say that both boys are well cared for and safe.’ The high staffing levels and the consistent attention to their individual risk assessments and

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

safeguarding plans protect children and young people. The energetic and enthusiastic staff team is fully aware of the potential for bullying behaviours and conflict between two of the young people, and has clear plans in place to prevent any incidents. This not only allows those young people to express themselves safely and without causing each other injury, but also reassures other young people. Children and young people are sure in the knowledge that staff will protect them from harm, and so are able to relax in their home. The manager said of a young person, ‘There can be chaos going on around him and he is a sea of tranquillity sitting there.’ Detailed missing person procedures link with locally agreed protocols. There have not been any missing episodes due to the one-to-one staffing levels, and children and young people’s sense of security and belonging. Nevertheless, the proactive manager ensures that

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

the staff team are kept aware of steps they would have to take if a child or young person were to absent themselves. In addition, electronic safeguards on the technology used by young people in the home, and an understanding of the risks posed to young people of Inspection report children's home: SC042590 7 child sexual exploitation, are also in place. Children and young people are safeguarded as a result. The home’s detailed safeguarding plan incorporates all aspects of legislative and government requirements. Although no children and young people in this home are at risk of becoming involved in radicalisation, staff have undertaken appropriate training to recognise the risk. Children and young people are safeguarded by these measures. A staff member said, ‘The reason why children are so safe here is because of the support from management and the ethos of the responsible individual and managers.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The methodical and committed registered manager has been in post since May 2016. He has ten years’ experience of working in this home and holds the requisite qualifications to fulfil his role. He is committed to improving all outcomes for the children and young people in his care. His calm and measured approach provides staff with a good role model in consistently meeting the individual and diverse needs of children and young people. His knowledgeable introduction of appropriate technology has ensured that all necessary information is shared with staff members in a timely manner, further promoting consistency. The manager is well supported by an equally able management team who are passionate about their roles and making a difference in children and young people’s lives. A dedicated and professional family-run management team are ambitious for the children and young people in their care to achieve the best possible outcomes within their ability. A

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

detailed development plan outlines realistic and achievable goals to be completed over the next twelve months. Each of the plans identified, for example a kitchen upgrade, will enhance the care for children and young people. The one recommendation raised at the last inspection, relating to young people’s pathway plans, has been met. This demonstrates the home’s capacity to improve. External monitoring visits take place in a timely manner, and the independent visitor produces a report that goes some way to improving the emotional well-being of children and young people. However, these reports are not sufficiently robust and do not always demonstrate whether the visitor has had any contact with children, young people, staff or other interested parties. Therefore, they do not fully comply with legislation. The manager’s internal monitoring reports are detailed and informative. They provide good examples of all of the inclusive activities the children and young people are involved in, and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

demonstrate the collaborative work undertaken with partner agencies to promote outcomes. However, although the report describes how the views of parents and other interested parties are captured, it does not state what happens with them. In addition, it is not clear whether staff have the opportunity to make practice contributions. This does not provide all interested parties with the opportunity to influence or improve care in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager introduced new progress reports in February 2017. These innovative documents are still in the process of being embedded, but show the areas where children and young people are making progress and if there has been any deterioration in Inspection report children's home: SC042590 8 behaviours. The careful planning of appropriate interventions build on individual achievements and address any new areas of need. For example, one young person has shown increased anxiety levels at the prospect of moving on to adult provision when he reaches 18. Excellent communication with CAMHS professionals has meant that new interventions have been introduced with the young person to enable him to safely work on these concerns. Good and appropriate recruitment procedures are effectively applied. This ensures that people who are appointed to care for children and young people should not pose a risk to them. The motivated and well-trained staff team are committed to empowering children

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and young people to make the most of their life opportunities. This staff cohesion supports children and young people to achieve their goals safely and happily. Staff at all levels report extremely positively about the level of supervision and support they receive from the management team. A new deputy manager said, ‘I feel I am able to support the other staff as a direct result as to how I’m supported.’ This home is achieving its stated aims. The statement of purpose states that the organisation: ‘Creates a positive ethos within the home and is committed to providing a safe, stimulating, challenging, warm and homely environment which will enrich and enhance a child’s life experiences.’ Children and young people are continuing to thrive emotionally and physically. In some cases, they are also making significant progress in attending education and keeping themselves safe. Professionals report positively about the very good level of communication between the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

home and themselves. The proactive management team robustly advocates for children and young people, including challenging professional partners appropriately if they are not providing requisite paperwork. This collaborative practice promotes the sharing of consistent care and messages, which enriches children and young people’s lives and allows them to flourish. Each of the individual children and young people in this home have a unique and diverse need that could inhibit them from achieving success in their lives. The management’s dedication to celebrating diversity and promoting acceptance allows each child or young person to take pride in their achievements and take positive steps towards their futures, whatever their ability or understanding.

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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 differences 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 Inspection report children's home: SC042590 9 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 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: SC042590 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A J Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Wilrock Avenue, Marton, Middlesbrough, Teeside TS7 8LG

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Inspector(s)

Ann-Marie Born, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC042590 11 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

T: 0300 123 1231 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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