Children's Home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report children's home: 1244881 1 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

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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 children’s home is run by a private organisation and is registered for up to two children who may 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home staff contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Key findings from this inspection

This Children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff provide a warm, nurturing and homely environment, which supports young Inspection report children's home: 1244881 2 people to feel safe and relaxed. Consequently, young people thrive and make excellent progress in relation to their starting points.  Young people benefit from receiving exceptional care and support from a dedicated and committed staff team. This encourages and supports young people to build, develop and sustain positive, nurturing and trusting relationships with staff whom they value, respect and feel safe with.  Young people benefit from engaging in a range of stimulating and exciting activities and opportunities, which greatly enhance their childhood experiences.  Staff have high aspirations for young people and are passionate and committed to ensure that they succeed.  Parents and professionals are extremely complimentary about the care and support that young people receive from the staff team.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager, who is child-focused and passionate about her role, strives to ensure that young people reach their full potential in a safe and managed way.

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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 manager must ensure that all young people’s case file records are kept up to date and include records of all the medications which are available in the home. The manager must also monitor and ensure that suitable arrangements are in place to dispose of any medications that have expired.  The manager must ensure that staff are provided with regular training updates on the safe administration of medication, first aid and physical intervention, to enable staff to continue to deliver a high level of care and support to young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/03/2017 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 1244881 3

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Recommendations

 The registered manager must ensure that records are kept of all medications which are available in the home and ensure that they make suitable arrangements to dispose of any medications which have expired. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role that they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) This is in particular regard to providing staff with regular training updates on safe administration of medication, first aid and physical intervention.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people who live in this home are settled and see the house as their home. They benefit from the stability and consistency that staff provide, which supports them in making significant progress in many areas of their lives. Young people’s progression is further enhanced, as staff are committed and provide a range of wonderful and exciting opportunities. During the inspection, young people were pleased to talk about their experiences of recent events, such as end-of-school proms, and experiences of their recent holidays for which they have been encouraged and supported to go away with community-based groups. Young people were also excited to discuss their forthcoming planned holidays to Wales and Tenerife and have great plans and ideas for these trips. These positive and enjoyable opportunities enrich their lives and contribute to their childhood memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are happy, safe and flourish in this home because they are supported well by the staff. Staff fully understand the individual needs and complexities that young people may have. They provide young people with an exceptional level of care and support and genuinely care about young people’s progression. Staff work hard in building positive and effective relationships with young people, their parents and partner agencies such as school, health professionals and in-house clinicians. As such, young people make excellent progress with their education, emotional and psychological health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from full-time education and maintain excellent attendance rates, which enables them to make good progress. Staff recognise young people’s anxieties and responses around specific trigger points, such as attending examinations, and offer appropriate advice and guidance during these times. Staff work hard with education Inspection report children's home: 1244881 4 colleagues and young people and offer additional support and guidance during these times. This additional level of support and encouragement, and the proactive responses from staff, has enabled one young person to overcome their fears and enabled them to complete a full schedule of examinations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people mature and flourish in a stable, nurturing and supportive environment. Staff work closely with the in-house professional therapists to ensure that young people gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their personal circumstances, which helps them to move forward. Young people are supported to engage in regular in-house therapeutic sessions, and young people’s care planning is underpinned by this approach. Regular review and monitoring of this approach by the manager highlights the significant improvements that young people make with their emotional well-being. For example, young people are now able to regulate their emotional responses in a more appropriate way and the number of aggressive outbursts has reduced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work hard to create a healthy and homely environment with the provision of nutritious food and regular occasions to experience physical and leisure opportunities. Staff and young people plan, prepare and eat their meals together, which creates an opportunity for learning, socialisation and discussion about the daily events. Regular engagement in individual and group activities enables young people to gain a better understanding of the wider world and assists in developing positive social relationships. Activities include attending community groups, youth clubs, horse riding, as well as one- off events such as raising money for local charities and trips out to the park and cinema.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people enjoy positive, warm, respectful and trusting relationships with staff, and they feel confident and at ease to share any worries or concerns with them as they arise. Staff provide young people with many opportunities to share their wishes and views. These are gained regularly through informal and more structured discussions, which staff listen to and act on. These sound and effective relationships enable young people to engage in open and honest discussions and allow young people to express their ideas, thoughts and worries about their experiences in a safe and supported way. This practice increases young people’s confidence and self-esteem, and empowers them to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide a warm, nurturing, homely environment, which supports young people to feel safe and relaxed. Young people maintain safe contact with family members and friendship groups, which enables them to maintain emotional bonds and develop a positive sense of self. Staff value the importance of peer relationships. They support and nurture these. For example, young people visit their friends’ homes for tea visits and sleepovers, and these arrangements are reciprocated with young people’s friends, who are welcomed warmly into the home. This practice enables young people to share similar experiences to their peers in a homely environment and maintain significant relationships with those who are important to them, in a safe and supportive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work hard to ensure that young people can capture and preserve their positive experiences so that they can share these with their friends and family and revisit this later on in adulthood. The staff work meticulously hard to maintain young people’s Inspection report children's home: 1244881 5 experiences through photographs and diaries and, along with the young people, have presented these in beautiful bound books. These captured experiences enable young people and their families to recall these times and memories both now and in the future. Young people are growing in confidence and gaining some useful independent living skills, which equip them well in their preparation and transition into adulthood. Staff support each young person thoughtfully and sensitively, in line with their age and level of understanding, to increase their knowledge and skills by demonstrating, promoting and educating. Staff are clear about young people’s capabilities and can identify when

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

young people need further help and guidance. Staff support young people to increase their independent skills, for example independent travel, including gaining a provisional driving licence, skills in cooking, cleaning and budgeting. They support young people to work through the independent living skills booklets to develop skills in these areas. As a result, young people are equipped with the knowledge and skills that they require to support them successfully in adulthood.

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

A clear, robust and proactive response from the manager and staff reduces the risk of harm to young people. Clear and effective multi-agency working ensures that any changes in young people’s behaviours are identified quickly, shared widely and managed well. On the rare occasion when young people have experienced a period of emotional crisis and have responded by engaging in self-harming behaviours, staff respond immediately, they share information with all agencies and identify alternative strategies for young people. Staff spend time with young people to gain further insight into these emotional responses, to identify triggers and trends and offer safer alternatives. This, and input from the home’s clinician, ensure that these well-thought-out and evidence- based responses reduce further incidents.

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

Young people benefit from positive and warm, nurturing relationships with staff, which ensure that young people do not engage in behaviours which compromise their health, safety and well-being. There have been no reported incidents of going missing from care, or incidents of bullying, since the last full inspection. The staff are acutely aware of the risks that are present to young people and are proactive in educating young people on areas of risk. This enhances and promotes young people’s ability to keep themselves safe and protected.

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

Constructive staff and child relationships built on trust and respect are used well in this home to de-escalate any heightened behaviours or anxieties and, consequently, physical interventions are not used. Young people are encouraged to manage their emotional responses in a safe and managed way. Staff role model calm and positive behaviour and support and encourage young people to behave in this way. When young people engage in inappropriate behaviour, age-appropriate sanctions are used. Loss of privileges and meaningful discussions with staff support young people to consider and modify their behaviour. This ensures that young people understand the consequences of their behaviour so that they can change and adapt it. Inspection report children's home: 1244881 6 Staff ensure that young people’s physical safety is given the highest priority. On the one occasion that a young person sustained an injury through an accident, the staff

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

The home provides a safe living environment for young people. Robust recruitment and vetting of new staff promote young people’s welfare. Thorough and sufficient training and monitoring processes for new staff are effective in keeping young people safe. Furthermore, all necessary risk assessments are in place, reviewed and updated regularly, to inform practice. Electrical and gas appliances in the home are routinely checked for safety. This, and a good understanding of the home’s fire evacuation procedures, ensures that young people’s safety is promoted and that the home is free from hazards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from a committed, experienced and appropriately qualified manager who divides her time between this and another children’s home. She was registered by Ofsted to manage this home in September 2016. The manager is dedicated to meeting the needs of the young people, and is fully committed to ensuring that she and her staff team consistently deliver the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Consequently, young people benefit from improved outcomes and enjoy a range of interesting and enjoyable experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has addressed the one requirement and three recommendations from the previous inspection. The manager now ensures that young people receive a high level of safe care, as staff receive regular support, supervision and have their fitness to perform their roles appraised annually. The manager is clear and transparent about the areas of strength and development for the home and is committed to improving the home further. The manager uses a range of tools to monitor how the home is operating and to review the progress that young people make. Regular internal and external monitoring systems, and consultation with young people, their parents and professionals ensure that relevant views are taken into account to support ongoing developments within the home. Together with the manager’s development plan, this ensures that young people continue to receive a high level of care and support from the dedicated and motivated

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

staff team. This ensures that young people are effectively safeguarded and make significant progress in many aspects of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and professionals confirm that young people are making significant progress with many areas of their lives because of the cohesive and well-thought-out care practice which is provided by the manager and staff. One parent described their child’s progress as brilliant, and said that their behaviour is much better since coming to the home. A professional echoed this and said, ‘The staff have been consistent and have been brilliant.’ The professional went on to say, ‘[Name of child] has improved relationships with her peers as staff facilitate overnight stays. They support her to do whatever activities she wants to do – singing, roller-skating, trampolining – which increases social skills. They are taking [name of child] abroad. I have never known a Inspection report children's home: 1244881 7 children’s home do that before. They have been absolutely fantastic.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is maintained to a very high standard, and prompt attention is paid to completing any repairs. Young people’s inclusion in decisions about the decor and furnishing of their home creates a fresh and modern, homely environment. Staff speak passionately about the young people, they value the home and promote and preserve the homely environment. The lounge/dining area provides the central hub of the home, and the separate lounge enables young people to enjoy their privacy, or enjoy time alone with their family and friends.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care planning is inclusive and cohesive, and is informed and supported by the home’s in- house therapy team. A multi-agency approach to care planning ensures that young people’s needs are known, understood and addressed well by the staff. This, and meaningful engagement between young people and staff, helps to ascertain the wishes and views of individuals and enables young people to make progress. This is because young people are involved in identifying their own targets and goals and are committed to achieving these with the help and support that they receive from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the majority of young people’s case notes are up to date and accurate, the medication records for one young person are not accurate, and some non-prescribed medications are being held despite being out of date. The manager took immediate action to address these shortfalls during the inspection to maintain the safety and welfare of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a variety of therapeutic training opportunities to ensure that they can provide a high level of care and support to vulnerable young people, to good effect. Bespoke therapeutic training supports staff to gain an understanding of young people’s background and the impact on presenting behaviours, which enables the staff to support young people sensitively and effectively. Although the manager ensures that there is a range of suitable training opportunities available to the staff, some staff are out of date with their refresher training for physical intervention, first aid and safe handling of medication. However, arrangements have already been made for the first aid training to be completed.

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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 young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. Inspection report children's home: 1244881 8 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

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Information about this inspection

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: 1244881 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge HX6 4DH

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Inspector

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children's home: 1244881 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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