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

Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 1 SC065072 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Ltd

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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 one of several children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

If required, children and young people can access the organisation’s school and therapy department.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 December 2018

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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 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: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2017 Full Outstanding 30/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/08/2016 Full Good 08/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23(1))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that medication is only administered by staff who are trained in the management of medication, and that a receipt for the disposal of medication that is no longer required is obtained from the pharmacy that it is returned to. 16/01/2019

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Recommendations

 The workforce training plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) Specifically, ensure that priority is given to ensuring that staff complete training in working with young people who display sexualised behaviours and self-harm.  Staff appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  Staff should understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Specifically, ensure that key-work records include evidence of how set targets have been achieved and what future work is required. Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The experience of living at this home continues to have a significant and positive impact on the lives of both young people living there. Underpinned by strong reciprocal attachments, the staff provide a high standard of care and support which consistently prioritises each young person’s unique and individual needs. This care is delivered in a nurturing and parent-like manner and has provided each young person with a strong sense of belonging and stability. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the significant progress that young people make in many aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are exceptionally positive about their experiences of living at this home. They are settled, regard this as their home and the staff as their family. When writing about a recent meal out with the staff team, a young person wrote, ‘I didn’t realise how much of a family I had until I saw all of the staff together. When I look back I realise how lucky I am. This home is better than the best’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The importance of education is recognised and consistently promoted by staff. Good working partnerships with education providers have been used effectively to overcome potential barriers to participation, for example enabling a particularly vulnerable young person to transition successfully into a mainstream school. Continued support has enabled her to maintain 100% attendance and exceed expectations. An education support worker wrote, ‘[Name of young person] is one of the most well-mannered and caring students that I have ever worked with. She comes to school every morning happy. Every single carer that picks her up or drops her off treats her like their own daughter and she loves that.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have a strong voice in this home. Staff are interested in what young people have to say and take every opportunity to engage them in meaningful conversations about their current and past life experiences. Key-work sessions are held each month and focus on age-appropriate topics that are linked to the young person’s individual needs. However, unlike the records of key-conversations, key-work records do not capture how the agreed aims and goals from each conversation have been achieved and what future work is required. In some cases, this makes it difficult to see how these focused sessions link into the young person’s overarching care plan and creates the potential for identified work not to be followed up.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Both young people have busy social lives and engage in purposeful activities such as Guides, dog-walking, raising money for charity and spending time with friends, who are welcomed into their home if appropriate to do so. Staff enjoy spending time with young people doing new fun and exciting things, for example holidays abroad. Both young people were keen to share their experiences of Disneyland Paris and Tenerife, which were first-time experiences of travelling abroad. Staff also encourage young people to pursue their talents and interests, for example supporting one young person to get up and sing on stage at their placing authority’s X Factor competition. A social worker said, ‘Staff accompanied [name of young person] to our local authority X Factor competition Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 5 where [she] sang. Staff gave her the confidence to get up and sing and were so proud of her for doing this.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are supported well to maintain a healthy lifestyle through good diet and exercise. They engage in, and benefit from, regular therapy sessions that are designed to address past experiences and presenting behaviours. Information is carefully shared between the therapist and the staff team. Staff use this information and the positive relationships they have with the young people to support them to successfully manage their emotions and feelings. As a result, young people’s mental and emotional well-being is consistently promoted, and their holistic health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There are some shortfalls relating to medication management. On three occasions medication has been administered by an untrained team member, which is contrary to the organisation’s policy. Given the type of medication, this did not pose a risk to the young person. Furthermore, staff do not always ensure that a receipt from the pharmacy is acquired when disposing of medication that is no longer required. This means that there is no audit trail for medication going out of the home.

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

Young people confirmed that they feel safe. They express a confidence in staff who they said they can talk to about anything. The manager and staff fully understand and implement effectively their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Child protection concerns and allegations, of which there has been one of each, are promptly referred and thoroughly investigated. This ensures that matters of concern are resolved in the best interests of the young person.

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

Staff are positive role models for young people, who are very respectful of the rules of the home, staff and each other. Young people enjoy the praise they receive from staff when they have done something well. They are keen to tell staff about what they have done, for example achievements in school, and staff are quick to offer positive affirmation and reward.

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

Incidents of negative behaviour are extremely rare. On the occasions that young people have made the wrong choices, they quickly recognise the error of their ways and make every effort to put things right. Consequently, the use of sanctions is infrequent and physical restraint has not been used for a significant period.

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

Keeping young people safe is a priority for staff and is integral to daily practice. Staff know young people well and take a ‘good-parent’ approach to helping them to understand and manage their behaviour, risks and vulnerabilities. They recognise the importance of young people enjoying the same social experiences as their peers and taking age-appropriate risks and are creative in their efforts to promote this safely, even for the most vulnerable young people. For example, staff have been highly effective at building links with activity providers, which has enabled one particularly vulnerable young person to spend unsupervised time at the youth club and at Girl Guides. As a result, she is becoming more socially aware, is better at managing her own risks and is Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 6 developing friendships with peers her own age.

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

Staff take an educational approach to helping young people to keep themselves safe. They talk to young people about their individual needs and provide learning opportunities in relation to wider issues such as child sexual exploitation and e-safety. They encourage young people to safely explore their identity, which has been particularly useful in helping one young person understand her sexuality in the context of safe relationships.

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

Levels of supervision are proportionate to each young person’s level of need. For those needing high levels of supervision, this is done in a negotiated, considerate and non- intrusive manner. Good use is made of the expertise of the therapy team and current research to inform risk assessments, which are detailed and consistently followed by staff. This means that risks such as self-harm and sexually harmful behaviour are managed effectively, despite staff not being trained formally in these areas. Furthermore, behaviour of this type has reduced significantly over time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change of manager since the last inspection. The transition between the two managers was managed effectively, with a clear focus on minimising the disruption for the young people. This has ensured that young people have continued their positive journey and that the high standards of care noted at the previous inspection have continued to be maintained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current manager has been in post since October 2017 and is registered with Ofsted. She is experienced and is working towards her level 5 qualification in leadership and management. She is registered for another home in the organisation and successfully splits her management time between the two.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides effective leadership for a competent team of staff who are equally as committed as she is to ensuring that each young person is given every opportunity to fulfil their potential. Staff are very positive about their work and talked with pride and affection about the young people and their achievements. They said that they are supported well by the manager and that they benefit from regular supervision, performance reviews and annual appraisals. It is not yet custom and practice to acquire the views of professionals as part of the appraisal process, although there is a strong representation of what young people think about individual staff members.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation provides good training opportunities for staff. However, the manager does not maintain sufficient oversight of the workforce training plan. At the time of the inspection, the plan did not reflect accurately the training that staff had completed. Neither had she recognised that one member of staff had not completed the mandatory medication training. Furthermore, she has failed to prioritise training in working with young people who display sexualised behaviours and self-harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains good oversight through the effective use of a range of quality Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 7 assurance processes. Monthly scrutiny by the independent visitor further strengthens monitoring activity and ensures that shortfalls are identified and addressed promptly.

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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: SC065072 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

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Inspector(s)

Paul Scott, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065072 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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