Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1231405 1 Registered provider: Lancashire County 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 home provides residential short-stay care for up to six young people who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The home is run by a local authority.

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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 good

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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

Date of last inspection: 12 September 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: 1231405 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2017 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1231405 3

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Recommendations

 Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people receive highly individualised care. The registered manager and staff have a clear understanding of young people’s needs and plan their care effectively. As a result, young people experience positive outcomes and enjoy their stays at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s parents and carers speak extremely highly of the service. They express high levels of confidence in staff to meet young people’s needs in a safe and effective way. Their comments include, ‘We couldn’t be more impressed and grateful for the outstanding service provided. Obviously, the building is beautiful, but more than that, the staff are just wonderful and [X] absolutely loves going there.’ And, ‘The staff have always been fantastic, and I have been able to leave my son in their care and enjoy my free time, knowing that he is safe, happy and well looked after.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people experience highly positive outcomes, some of which have significantly enhanced their health and well-being. For example, one young person had a history of extreme anxiety around foods, when he was introduced to the service. This resulted in him being undernourished and requiring hospital admission on several occasions. Staff at the home worked closely with him and introduced innovative methods, to help him overcome his anxieties and increase his food intake. This has been successful, and the young person is now able to eat a variety of foods, has gained weight and improved his general well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Some young people who use the service have complex healthcare needs. The registered manager and staff work closely with healthcare professionals to ensure that the young people receive safe and effective care. Staff receive additional training to help ensure that they have the skills required to meet young people’s complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The environment and facilities provided for young people are outstanding. The home is spacious, accessible and very well maintained. Facilities include a large, well-equipped Inspection report children’s home: 1231405 4 sensory room and a number of well-designed communal areas for young people to enjoy. A parent commented, ‘The modern, purpose-built facilities are excellent. The staff have gone out of their way to ensure that the house and grounds are full of creative touches. It feels more like a holiday home, with lots of fun things to do, than an institutional setting.’

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

A common theme throughout discussions with parents and carers was their high levels of confidence in staff. A parent said, ‘I am totally confident that [X] is settled, happy and in very safe hands when he is there.’

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

Staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and speak knowledgeably about safeguarding procedures. Staff have a clear understanding of whistle-blowing procedures and express confidence in the registered manager and wider management team to deal with any concerns appropriately.

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

Risks to young people’s safety and well-being are well managed. Since the last inspection, processes for assessing risks and developing plans to manage them have been reviewed. Guidance for staff in supporting young people’s safety and well-being is clear, well detailed and regularly updated.

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

Staff are skilled in understanding young people’s emotional responses and behaviours. Each young person has an individualised support plan in place, which describes their behavioural needs and outlines agreed strategies. This enables staff to support young people in a consistent and effective manner at times of anxiety or distress. This positive support assists young people to develop safer behaviours over time.

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

Young people are cared for in safe surroundings. There are effective processes in place to ensure that the environment and facilities are safely maintained and fit for purpose. Thorough recruitment procedures help to safeguard young people from being exposed to adults of unsuitable character during their stays at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from effective leadership. There is a manager in place who has been registered with Ofsted since March 2007. The registered manager demonstrates high aspirations for the young people in her care as well as a clear commitment to ensuring that young people receive a good standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals speak highly of the registered manager and are complimentary about the service. They report good levels of communication and positive joint working with the home. A social worker said, ‘They ensure that the child is the centre of all planning and I find that care plans are very detailed and reflective of the young person’s needs.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are highly motivated and express pride in the home. They are complimentary about Inspection report children’s home: 1231405 5 the home’s leadership and describe the management team as approachable and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive training programme in place, which is strongly aligned to the needs of young people who use the service. For example, training in relation to some young people’s healthcare needs is classed as mandatory. The registered manager monitors training to ensure that all staff benefit from the full development programme and receive regular updates.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager monitors quality and safety across the service effectively. This enables her to promptly identify and address required improvements or areas for development. Feedback from people who use the service and other stakeholders is continuously reviewed and considered. This helps to ensure that young people benefit from a constantly improving service.

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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: 1231405 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Marie Cordingley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1231405 7 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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