Children's home run by Quantum Care UK Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC417387 1 SC417387 Registered provider: Quantum Care UK Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to accommodate up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is one of a number of children’s homes owned by a private organisation.

p.1

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.1

young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

p.1

young people since the most recent full inspection

Only one young person has lived at this home for the last eight months. This inspection therefore focuses on his progress and experiences.

p.1

young people since the most recent full inspection

Experiences at this home are positive and clearly influence the young person’s progress. The staff have built strong relationships with the young person, which has helped him to make good progress in all areas of his development. He gave the staff ‘12 out of 10’ for their care and said, ‘This the best home I have been in. The staff are like family.’

p.1

young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has been instrumental in finding education services to meet his needs. This has resulted in his attending education services more regularly. The staff have a good understanding of the young person’s health needs and how to meet them. His health has improved since coming to live here and he is positive about how the staff support his Inspection report children’s home: SC417387 2 emotional needs. The staff team has been especially proactive in checking with other professionals that all of the young person’s health needs are accurately diagnosed.

p.1

young people since the most recent full inspection

Contact is promoted well. Staff have helped him to improve relationships with his family.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Progress that the young person makes is carefully monitored and his individual needs and preferences accounted for in decisions made. The staff reflect together on how best to support the young person, and change their approach when necessary. Positive teamwork results in good care that is influential in bringing about positive progress.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding is understood well by the staff, who see this as a fundamental aspect of their work. New staff are quickly inducted into various aspects of safeguarding and given appropriate support to understand how to manage safeguarding concerns.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff know how to manage difficult behaviour, and good behaviour is promoted. The staff’s determined efforts to reduce the number of restraints used has been successful. Careful monitoring has enabled the staff to understand potential triggers and identify suitable strategies.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments are well written and cover a variety of issues relating to the young person and the area where the home is located.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Leadership and management of the home has improved. Clear leadership from the recently registered manager has:  developed a more stable workforce; no agency staff have worked at the home for some time  improved the frequency and quality of supervision to ensure this meets the organisational goals  successfully increased monitoring and reviewing systems which identify issues and swiftly rectify them.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager encourages the staff to understand the home’s monitoring and reviewing systems so that necessary actions, such as health and safety checks, are undertaken at all times. Staff are positive about the registered manager’s support. New staff said that the training and support gave them a sound foundation from which to develop.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Records are of varying quality; some do not reflect the staff’s good work. A few records did not provide evidence of the actions taken or a conclusion. In addition, the organisation’s online system for recording does not have a spelling and grammar checking function. This lack of facility disadvantages any members of staff who have a learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, from making accurate records. No alternative systems for supporting the staff are made available by the organisation. This means that some errors in records go unidentified. The omission does not support the organisation’s equality and diversity statement regarding inclusion.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Sufficient numbers of staff are deployed well. There is a good system in place to monitor and Inspection report children’s home: SC417387 3 review any lone-working arrangements which includes an on-call system and back-up plan for additional staffing.

p.2

young people since the most recent full inspection

Partnerships with other agencies are effective. The registered manager has a good understanding of how to work with others and how to advocate for the young person. She has built strong relationships with all professionals who support the young person and calls for appropriate meetings when necessary.

p.3

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2017 Full Requires improvement 21/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/08/2015 Full Outstanding

p.3

Recommendation

 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) In particular, the registered person should ensure that the organisation has systems in place to support any member of staff who has a learning disability to make accurate records. The registered person should also ensure that, where appropriate, conclusions to any issues identified in records are available.

p.3

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, Inspection report children’s home: SC417387 4 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.

p.3

Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

p.4

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’.

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quantum Care UK Limited

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Manor House, Squires Hill, Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14 6BQ

p.4

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Wells

p.4

Inspector

Ruth Coler, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC417387 5 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.

p.4

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.5

Inspector

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

p.5