Children's home run by Fair Ways in Southampton

Inspection report children's home: SC385809 1 SC385809 Registered provider: Fairways Care (UK) 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

The home is registered to accommodate up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private company owns and operates the home. The company has its own educational facility nearby.

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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 outstanding

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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: 14 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people are making reasonable progress.  Admittance to the home only occurs following a comprehensive process Inspection report children's home: SC385809 2 involving the current residents and the staff.  Rewards and sanctions enable the young people to learn from their behaviours, while being fair and proportionate.  The young people are kept safe, specifically those at risk of child sexual exploitation.  The registered manager has greatly improved the service provided to the young people in a short period of time.

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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

 Concerns raised by staff in supervision should be recorded, including documenting how the matter will be resolved.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/06/2016 Full Good 21/12/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC385809 3

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Recommendation

 It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, and paragraph 13.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people make positive progress in their lives. They benefit from a safe, stable environment with a structured daily routine in place. The staff have developed nurturing relationships with the young people that enable them to feel listened to and valued. The young people are united in the view that the staff are supportive and caring. Records demonstrate that the last young person admitted to the home underwent a detailed referral process. The manager evaluated all historical and current information while meeting with the young person. The expectations of residing in the home were outlined and a children’s guide provided to the young person. Pre-arranged visits to the home enabled the young person to engage with staff and the other young people resident before a decision on admittance was made. The majority of the young people are fully engaged in education. There is good communication between school personnel and the staff, which has ensured greater

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

consistency across settings in responding to concerns and behaviours. When young people refuse to attend school, the manager has arranged for school personnel to attend the home to engage the young people. This practice has seen young people change their mind and attend class on the day. The health needs of the young people are met in accordance with their designated health plans and as needed. The young people present as healthy in appearance and have no outstanding health-related issues. When it comes to the medication that the young people are prescribed, the manager ensures that the staff understand the purpose of the medication, how to administer it, and monitor its impact on the young person. Rewards are provided to the young people in relation to their accomplishments, such as attending school on a regular basis, or completing specific assigned tasks. There has been a high number of sanctions given to the young people by the staff. The young people

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

believe the sanctions to be fair, necessary and purposeful in teaching them about their behaviour, for example repairing damage to walls caused when angry or upset. The young people receive an ample amount of support from the staff to learn age- appropriate independence skills. The young people are encouraged to budget and perform everyday tasks, such a laundry, cooking and travelling. The young people engage well Inspection report children's home: SC385809 4 with the staff, who encourage the young people to develop their skills. On inspection, a young person was observed spending time in the community at a local theatre as part of his earned free time. The young people are able to maintain their cultural and identity connections with family. They are able to build on these pre-existing relationships due to the support that they receive from the staff. The staff actively seek to involve and keep the parents of the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

young people informed about their care, as this prevents any misconceptions from arising. This practice was observed during the inspection, when a parent visited the home for the first time and met with the manager.

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

The young people feel safe and are well protected by the staff. The staff are confident and knowledgeable, and they respond appropriately to all potential safeguarding concerns. The one requirement and recommendation from the last inspection have been met. A new procedure has been implemented to monitor allegations of abuse and neglect. In addition, the staff have received external training for e-safety and the young people have completed a display board about this, which evidences their improved awareness. There has been a robust implementation of a protection plan by the staff to keep safe a young person at risk of child sexual exploitation. The manager has proactively engaged with the police and local authority to develop strategies of intervention to keep the young person safe. The young person is developing an improved awareness into the concern, despite initially being hesitant to engage on the matter. The trust between the young

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

person and the staff has allowed her to pass crucial information to them and, subsequently, on to police for further investigation. There are only three incidents of young people missing from care during this inspection period. The response to these incidents involved excellent communication by staff with police and other external professionals, resulting in the safe return of the young person. Return to care interviews enabled the young person to reflect on their actions and for the staff to learn from the incident. Risk assessments for the young people are of a good standard. The documents are well written and give clear guidance for the staff, while correctly identifying all risk associated with the young people. The staff routinely consult with social workers and reassess information based on the young people’s input and behaviour. Staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep all young people safe. Records

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

indicate that the staff often guide young people away from confrontation when their behaviour escalates rather than physically intervening. The positive relationships between the staff and the young people allow them to develop insight into the triggers of extreme behaviour. The organisation follows safe recruitment practices. The process consists of verifying references, and double-checking background information. The home is maintained to a good standard by the staff and the young people. The staff Inspection report children's home: SC385809 5 complete all health and safety checks at suitable intervals, including fire alarms, fire appliances and other household checks. The location risk assessment is up to date and reflects any risks the locality may pose for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been in post for less than a year and has improved the quality of care provided to the young people and the morale of the staff. The young people and staff speak highly about the improvements made by the manager and her ability to be open to any feedback they may have. In order to develop her practice and improve the service, the manager has undertaken visits to a children’s home in the local area that was judged as outstanding by Ofsted. This has provided her with valuable insight and realistic goals for the home. In addition, the manager is quick to research the latest trends and patterns of children’s homes across the country and provide new training to the staff. The manager has developed an effective system for monitoring the progress young people make and the care that they receive. The staff complete daily, weekly and monthly forms that enable the manager to identify the strengths and areas of improvement. The

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

information is compiled into a single report and shared with the head of care. This provides senior management with an accurate view of the home and a plan of development. The manager is quick to challenge any decisions the local authority may make on behalf of the young people that may not be in their best interests. When challenging such decisions, the manager has offered alternative solutions that may better suit the young people and provide the best opportunity for them to remain safe. The staff team is experienced and stable, and most staff members hold a relevant level 3 qualification. Staff work extremely well together and proactively mentor new starters. The staff receive regular supervision, appraisals and training to aid in their development. The supportive and committed atmosphere engendered by the manager has led to an improved awareness of the young people’s needs by the staff. A concern raised by a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

member of staff in supervision that could have affected their performance was not documented. The lack of a written record made it difficult to assess the support provided and how the matter was addressed. The effective implementation of the whistle-blowing policy ensures that the manager addresses all practice-related concerns swiftly. She was able to evidence a robust response to a recent incident that was under investigation at the time of this inspection. The matter was addressed with discretion, and had no impact on the young people. The independent visitor routinely visits the home and engages with the young people. The monthly reports that are produced provide valuable insight into the functioning of the home from an external perspective. The manager has shown that she welcomes the feedback and acts quickly to address any issue raised. The newly updated statement of purpose clearly lays out the services and support

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

available to young people, the underpinning polices, and information about the staff and Inspection report children's home: SC385809 6 their experience. The children’s guide is provided to all the young people and contains information about their rights and responsibilities. The manager addresses complaints promptly. Records evidence that complainants feel heard and agree with the actions taken to resolve the matters raised. The manager addresses each issue with a comprehensive response, and she maintains communication with complainants throughout the investigation period. There are a number of compliments from professionals kept on file, which reflect their positive views of the staff. The majority opinion is that staff are exceptional in their ability to meet the needs of the young people and that they communicate on their behalf.

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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: SC385809 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fairways Care (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fairways House, Mount Pleasant Road, Northam, Southampton SO14 0QB

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Inspector

James Harmon, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC385809 8 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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