Children's Home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 1 SC033611 Registered provider: Blackpool Borough Council

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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 operated by a local authority. It provides services for up to 7 children or young adults under short-break arrangements.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 December 2017

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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 outstanding

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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 contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 2

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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

 Young people enjoy staying at the home. They look forward to visits and, while at the home, have opportunities to engage in fulfilling, stimulating and fun activities.  Young people receive care that is highly effective, supports their progress and enhances their lives.  Young people who are new to the service, or those who are moving on, receive sensitive and individualised support to make this a positive experience for all involved.  Safeguarding practice is strong. Managers and staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and demonstrate confidence in safeguarding practice at the home.  Staff are highly motivated and demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that young people have the best experiences and improved outcomes as a result of their stay  The leadership of the home, led by the registered manager, actively seeks ways to develop and improve the service in the best interests of the young people it

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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

 Ensure that all staff have training that meets the specific needs of young people using the service and that the strategy for training and refresher training is clear.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2017 Full Good 11/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 3

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Recommendations

 Specifically relating to autism training, the registered person should have a workforce plan. The plan should detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve any core training. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The care and support provided to young people who use this service is outstanding. It is described by one parent as a „home from home‟. Young people benefit from highly individualised, child-centred care that meets their individual needs. Young people‟s lives are enhanced by the care they receive, they make progress and they enjoy time spent at the home. There is overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents and carers. One parent said about the service, „It has changed mine and my family‟s lives,‟ calling it „brilliant‟. Another parent described the home as being „a life saver‟. Observations made during the inspection highlighted the kind, polite and respectful way in which young people and staff interacted with one another and with visitors to the home. This demonstrates high expectations and positive regard underpinning the good relationships in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Professional feedback is positive, with one social work assistant stating, „They offer a high level of support to young people. They offer a personalised approach by getting to know the young people‟s likes and dislikes and what they enjoy doing.‟ As a result, young people‟s time at the home is planned to enable them to spend time with other children they like and with those that they can enjoy activities. One parent said of their child, „She is with the same children, she gets to know them and they are her friends. She gets to have tea with friends, have a sleepover, go out and have fun. I am happy knowing she is having fun with her friends, and that is how we look at it as a family.‟ Despite the complex needs of the young people who access this service, the staff look for ways to ensure that each visit is special and that there is something to look forward to, with one professional commenting how, during visits, the staff „offer each child the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

opportunity of doing an exercise or activity they enjoy or have chosen‟.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people‟s care is carefully planned to meet their individual needs. One professional stated, „Staff appear to have an excellent knowledge of individuals‟ needs and they will try and support parents and children to overcome any difficulties.‟ The staff and leaders of the home seek to consult with families, schools and other services to find out what is working well with young people, to promote consistency and to share good practice. For example, following some recent observations in one young person‟s school it was recognised that a young person benefited from the use of a trampoline as part of his daily routine. As a result, a trampoline has been purchased so that staff can replicate this during the young person‟s visits. Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 4 The home carries out fundraising events under „Friends of Hornby‟ and uses any monies raised to improve the service for young people; for example, a parent whose child

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

recently left the service made a donation to buy some new sensory equipment. Additionally, the staff also volunteer and operate a „charity shop‟ twice a year and have recently been awarded a „big lottery award‟ to further support the good work they do. Research and consultation about how this money will best benefit the service is underway, and the young people will have choices about how this is spent. This means that young people have an active voice in decisions affecting their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Effective communication with young people and those involved in their care is a strength of the home. The home uses a range of communication aids to communicate with young people and to seek their feedback and input into their care. One member of staff said, „It is our job to understand young people and find a way for them to communicate – we try to find any way to let the young people “have a voice” so that they can do this.‟ The home also consults and seeks feedback from families of the young people it cares for, for example through telephone communication, a regular newsletter and coffee mornings. More recently, families have been invited into the home to meet with their child‟s key worker and assist in reviewing plans for their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are keen to celebrate the success of young people. Staff ensure that any progress or achievements are recognised and rewarded; for example, one young person was recently nominated for a „Pride of Britain‟ award by the home. Children are regularly given „WOW‟ awards which instantly recognise their achievement and are proudly displayed in the home. This helps to promote a sense of self-esteem in young people.

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

Young people receive care that supports their safety and well-being. Safeguarding practice is strong. Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and what action they need to take to keep young people safe. Where there are any concerns about young people‟s safety, the managers of the home take effective action to ensure any concerns are investigated, and shared with the relevant authorities.

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

Risk assessments and plans at the home clearly identify risks and actions to be taken by staff to keep young people safe. Any actions required to maintain young people‟s safety are clearly recorded and regularly reviewed. This means that incidents of physical intervention and consequences for young people are rare, and when incidents do take place, they are quickly de-escalated. One parent told the inspector, „You know the staff here can look after her, they can keep her safe and meet her needs.‟

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

One area of outstanding practice is the work undertaken with young people to support their learning to help keep themselves safe. This includes work around bullying and internet safety. Young people are provided with a range of information in accessible formats to help them understand risks and how to keep themselves safe. Further work has been undertaken in the form of group work, workshops and presentations to help Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 5 develop their understanding. On the topic of bullying, the staff and young people have developed „anti-bullying pledges‟, with one young person stating, „I will not use my hands for hitting or my words for hurting others. I will use them only for helping.‟ This further supports the safeguarding culture of the home and promotes expectations of behaviour for young people.

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

Young people benefit from accommodation that is decorated, furnished and maintained to a high standard. Although work to complete a new fire sprinkler system is not yet fully complete, the management of the home has reduced the number of young people registered for accommodation at the home who meet the requirements of current fire risk assessments. In addition, individual personal evacuation plans, regular fire evacuations for all young people and regular testing of fire safety equipment ensures that the environment is safe.

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

Excellent routines in the home including daily cleaning and disinfecting of any equipment by the staff to ensure that good hygiene, and that the potential for the spread of infections for vulnerable young people is kept to a minimum. Regular safety checks and audits of the home and equipment enable the registered manager to identify and address any safety issues quickly.

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

Arrangements to ensure the safe administration of medication for young people in the home are strong. The systems in place in the home are excellent and well understood by the staff team. Training, monitoring and auditing of medication practice and records are outstanding and robust. This means that medication errors are rare.

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

The current staff team has experienced very little movement, and staff retention is high. This means that young people are looked after by staff who they have built relationships with, who understand their needs and provide a high level of consistent care. Managers ensure that recruitment procedures for new employees are robust and there is a well- established induction programme for new staff. This further reduces risk for young people and helps to protect them from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home benefits from an experienced and qualified registered manager. She is supported by a highly committed and enthusiastic deputy. Together they demonstrate strong child-centred practice and high ambition for young people and the service, which is reflected in the practice of the staff team. This ensures that the ethos of the home is one of improving the lives of young people. The management team of this home is always looking to improve the service it offers and is developing the service to enable it to offer outreach and crisis intervention to young people who access the short-breaks service. This will ensure consistency and support for young people in times of crisis, from staff who know them, and will further enhance the lives of the young people and of their families. Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 6 Staff are highly motivated and proud of the home and the service they provide. They

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

show dedication and a shared passion for ensuring that young people have the best possible stay every time they visit the home. Staff are enthusiastic to discuss new ideas and initiatives which ensure that the home continues to develop. Staff express confidence in managers and in one another, with one member of staff saying, „I love working here.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Internal and external monitoring is good and provides clear areas of review, establishing areas for improvement and actions taken as a result. Managers are aware of the home‟s strengths and weaknesses and are open and transparent about its areas for development. They seek and keenly welcome feedback that may improve practice and are able to demonstrate where action has been taken in response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have highly effective relationships with external agencies involved in the care of young people. The managers seek opportunities to work creatively and collaboratively with other professionals to enable them to have the best understanding of young people‟s needs and to ensure that they are offering a high-quality service. One professional said, „They will liaise with schools or other settings to ensure that they are providing the best support for the young people. In particular, the home excels in promoting positive behaviour management, so that children have the same experiences in every setting.‟ This means that young people are provided with consistent and stable care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Another strength of the home is the transition for young people into the home. The managers and staff ensure that they work closely with those who are involved in the care of young people to ensure that they have all the information to plan a successful stay. One professional said, „[Name of home] are very prompt in acting upon the referrals sent to them and communicate with us very well. I have worked with a number of children who have attended [name of home], and in my professional opinion they offer a high level of support to young people.‟ Supported by a thorough and well-tested transition process, this means that young people and their families experience a well- planned admission to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Careful and considered matching, including a home visit whereby all the information about the setting and the planned stay is shared with parents and carers in an accessible way, is of further benefit for young people and ensures successful breaks without disruption. One parent told the inspector, „They don‟t mess her about. It is all planned, she knows the dates, they are always open, they never stop her coming, the staff are the same, the kids she is with are always the same, so she has built up good relationships.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular supervision and appraisals. All staff have a comprehensive induction programme that includes mandatory training. One member of staff said that, „Training is really good,‟ and, as well as mandatory training courses, some training is delivered by other members of staff to the rest of the team. Although this is good practice, this is not clearly recorded in the training matrix and is an area for development. Additionally, not all staff have yet had the training they need to meet the Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 7 needs of specific young people. A recommendation is raised to address this shortfall.

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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.

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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: SC033611 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Building, PO Box 50, Blackpool FY1 1NF

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Inspector

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC033611 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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