Children's Home run by Green View Young People Limited in Barnsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC386057 1 SC386057

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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 is a privately run children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural 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

Date of last inspection: 15 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 One young person has been living at the home for over two years and has benefited from the stability and good-quality care from a committed staff team.  Positive and secure attachments have developed as young people who live, and who have lived, at the home have ‘grown up’ in the care of the same staff Inspection report children’s home: SC386057 2 group.  Transitions from the home are highly individualised; effective planning ensures that the young person is fully supported with this important change in their life.  Family relationships have been promoted and nurtured. For one young person, a shared care arrangement is in place.  The young person currently in placement has engaged well in further education. Staff have encouraged the young person to make positive choices that help extend their skills and learning opportunities.  The manager promotes and facilitates staff development through a range of

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Key findings from this inspection

additional responsibilities and training opportunities.

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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

 Collating memorabilia of young people’s progress and experiences of their time spent at the home would contribute to their life story, and act as an aide- memoire well into adulthood.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/07/2016 Full Good 09/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 10/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC386057 3

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Recommendations

 The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep, and encourage children to keep, appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5).

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection there has only been one young person resident at the home, who is currently being supported towards independence. Staff have provided stability and continuity of care, and the young person has experienced individualised planning, advice and guidance in preparation for independent living. Staff are proactive in their communication, and the close working relationships with the leaving care service have ensured that the young person’s views are clearly represented and acted on. The young person has grown up in the care of the same staff team, relationships have grown and strong attachments have developed with key members of staff. This positive role modelling and focused work on regulating behaviours has gone a long way in repairing family relationships. This has been validated by a comment made by a parent: ‘Staff have done a brilliant job and (name of young person) has matured and is more

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

settled. We are having lots of contact and overnights, things are good.’ Staff are ambitious for young people, and really encourage and promote the importance of education in order to achieve and do well. The young person has been provided with the foundation to further her learning through vocational studies tailored to her specific learning needs. A college tutor commented: ‘(Name of young person) has progressed well and completed all the courses. Staff have been in touch on a regular basis. She has not hit the radar for any concerns.’ Consultation and positive engagement with young people, alongside the manager’s hands-on approach, has improved the quality of care and outcomes for young people. The young person is having driving lessons and is currently planning with her key worker a holiday abroad. In conversation, the young person said: ‘I am determined to pass my theory test, third time lucky. I am going to prove to (name of the manager) that I can

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

do it.’ The home has a cheerful and homely atmosphere. It would benefit from having a more personal touch with photographs of the young people. The completion of life story work Inspection report children’s home: SC386057 4 with the young person, on time spent at the home, would greatly assist the young person in their journey into adulthood.

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

The young person has made measurable improvements and matured in her understanding around keeping herself safe. Key-work sessions on issues such as sexual health and relationships has equipped one young person to make better choices. The young person’s relationship with her key-worker is based on trust, where any worries and concerns are shared and responded to. Staff clearly understand the triggers to negative behaviours and have successfully engaged the young person in creating alternative strategies that have seen improved relationships with family members. Balancing the young person’s need for increasing independence with appropriate levels of supervision is managed well. There are no concerns around sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol misuse. Appropriate safeguarding procedures, tailored to the plan in place for the young person, underpin all aspects of staff practice. The manager undertakes robust risk assessments to ensure that any new admissions to

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

the home are appropriately matched. Each introduction to the home is individualised and arranged flexibly to ensure that young people’s needs are met with minimal disruption. The manager has made a decision not to admit any additional young people so as not to disrupt the focused work being done to transition one young person to independence. Although the home has not experienced concerns regarding young people missing from care, radicalisation and/or child sexual exploitation, the manager has ensured that staff receive relevant training in these areas. A member of staff has additional responsibilities in identifying and accessing training for staff, so that staff are skilled to manage behaviours associated with risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced in his role and has been the manager for a number of years. The home is adequately staff by a skilled and experienced staff team. Retention of staff is good, affording the young people continuity and stability of care. The manager and staff actively and regularly monitor the quality of care provided. External monitoring and regulatory requirements have improved and problems associated with Ofsted receiving monitoring reports has been resolved. Behaviour management plans and risk assessments evidence the involvement of the young person; documents have been revised to include the views and opinions of the young person, parents, carers and professionals. This approach demonstrates the level of consultation that takes place in improving outcomes for young people. The manager knows the neighbourhood well and has developed good relationships with the local community, neighbours and other key individuals and services. This has a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

promoted a sense of belonging for the young people who are living, and who have lived, at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC386057 5 The manager actively promotes staff development and their individual career pathways. Staff have additional responsibilities. One member of staff said: ‘I am responsible for training and development and have liaised with the other organisations in accessing specialist training to enhance our skills and experience.’ The manager further stated: ‘I always recruit locally, staff retention is good, some staff have been at the home since it opened.’ There is an openness in the staff team that facilitates effective communication and a shared ownerships around practice. Team meetings and supervision is focused on young people’s needs, progress and experiences. Practice is reflective, and the manager is mindful of the emotional impact on staff. As a member of staff commented: ‘We are a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

cohesive staff team. The manager is really supportive and likes to keep his feet on the ground, and is very approachable.’

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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: SC386057 6

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Inspector

Cath Sikakana, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC386057 7 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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