Children's Home run by Woodside House Care Ltd in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 1 SC357455 Registered provider: Woodside House Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and managed and run by a family partnership.

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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: 27 November 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: SC357455 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/11/2017 Full Good 23/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/11/2016 Full Outstanding 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 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 the cabinet used for storing controlled drugs is compliant with ‘British Standard Specification for Thief Resistant Locks for Hinged Doors B.S. 3621.’ 07/03/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Specifically, ensure that the children’s written risk assessments are updated regularly and provide an accurate reflection of their current risks and the agreed strategies for the safe management of these risks.  Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.8) Specifically, make better use of key-work sessions to help children to understand and change their risk-taking behaviour.  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)

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Recommendations

Specifically, source and provide staff with training that will help them to better understand how to support children with learning difficulties.  All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The registered manager and the responsible individual play a significant role in the day- to-day care of the young people at this home. Supported by a small team of long-serving staff, they have been successful in creating an ethos of care that is based on family living. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the stability and permanence young people have found and the sustained progress that they have made in many aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The strong and meaningful attachments that exist between young people and managers and staff are a major strength. Young people are exceptionally positive about their experiences of living at this home. They speak affectionately about managers and staff and say how committed they are to ensuring that they give the best care and support possible. One young person said, ‘It is great living here. They treat you like their own and it feels like one big family. They care dearly about us and do their best to help us to have a brighter future. Nothing could be better.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person has left the home recently, after living there for nearly six years. Managers and staff provided a bespoke package of support that was highly effective in helping the young person to develop basic life-skills and increased independence. They worked closely with the placing authority to promote good pathway planning. The dedication of managers and staff is such that their supportive commitment to the young person has continued since he left the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care planning and care practice are highly individualised. The home’s records are of a good quality and provide a detailed insight into each young person’s individual needs, progress and areas for development. Information is shared routinely with parents and professionals. This ensures that everybody is working to a plan that is tailored to the individual needs of each young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff routinely engage young people in meaningful discussions and activities that enable them to influence the day-to-day running of the home and, more pertinently, the decisions about their care. Young people are helped to prepare for and be involved in key meetings. When necessary, staff will advocate on behalf of the individual and they are willing to challenge to ensure that decisions made are in the young person’s best interest.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people recognise the importance of education and are supported well to attend school and college. Levels of attendance are consistently high, with all young people either meeting or exceeding expectations. Strong links with education professionals and organisations have been used effectively to overcome barriers to participation and supporting successful transitions between school and college. An education professional wrote, ‘Managers and staff are very proactive with regards to education and fully support the young people to achieve their best levels. They work well with school and will Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 5 challenge any decisions that they feel need to be challenged in support of the young person.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are respected as individuals and are fully supported in the pursuit of their individual identity. Staff provide young people with reassurance and support that enables them to become socially aware and confident about themselves. They nurture an inclusive approach that has been effective in empowering some young people to safely explore and become comfortable with their sexual identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have very busy social lives and enjoy an extensive range of activities and social experiences. Managers and staff enjoy spending time with young people and are keen to provide them with as many memorable experiences as possible. Young people identify this as one of the best things about living at this home. They were keen to tell the inspector about their trips to music concerts, theatre productions and Premier League football matches, as well as their holidays abroad and in the United Kingdom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff recognise the importance of young people having age-appropriate friendships with their peers. They have established good links with the young people’s peer groups and their parents. This has enabled some young people to build positive friendships and enjoy the same social experiences as their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff promote and support opportunities for positive contact. They help young people to rebuild relationships and improve the quality of contact with the key people in their lives. Managers and staff work closely with parents and family members and support them effectively to understand their child’s needs. One parent wrote, ‘The team has done amazing things for our family. We would not be where we are now if it were not for them. They have helped me, and my family. They have made [name] into a fine, respectable young man. I cannot thank them enough.’

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

Young people say that they feel safe. They demonstrate an age-appropriate awareness of risk and the majority make the right choices about keeping themselves safe.

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

There have been no safeguarding concerns or allegations since the last inspection. Managers and staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and keeping young people safe is integral to care practice. Links with external safeguarding agencies have been strengthened and have been used effectively when sharing information regarding potential concerns.

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

Managers and staff act as any responsible parent would do and they are good role models for the young people in their care. They have high expectations of the young people and incidents of negative behaviour are extremely rare. This is because young people are respectful of each other and the managers and staff, who set parent-like boundaries. When young people do make the wrong choices, they are quick to recognise this and make every effort to put things right. Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 6 Managers and staff are aware of each young person’s risks and vulnerabilities. These are highlighted in risk assessments that are understood and consistently implemented by managers and staff. However, these documents are not always changed when young people’s risk-taking behaviours increase, which is the case for one young person in terms of his online activity and potentially sexually harmful behaviour. This means that there is

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

potential for disproportionate responses to the management of this behaviour. However, it is acknowledged that staff are very much aware of the current risk and are making every effort to involve specialist agencies and professionals.

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

Managers and staff understand that young people take risks as part of their social development, so they take a proportionate and parent-like approach when managing risk. They educate young people about how to keep themselves safe through everyday reflective conversations and targeted key-work sessions. However, in some cases key work lacks structure and focus, for example setting non-specific and unmeasurable targets and not reviewing progress regularly. This makes it difficult to see how these sessions link into the young person’s overarching care plan and creates a potential for important work not being done.

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

The storage arrangements for controlled medicines require improvement. The secure cabinets that are used currently are insufficiently robust and do not meet the required British standard specification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. During the week he is supported by the responsible individual and together they provide 24-hour support for the young people. Weekend cover is provided by two full-time staff with the option to call on a small pool of bank staff if required. This arrangement has been effective in promoting a highly personalised programme of care that is delivered by a minimum number of adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the responsible individual act as positive conduits between the home and external agencies and professionals. This is confirmed by a range of individuals who express confidence in the family-like ethos of care that is delivered by managers and staff. One social worker said, ‘The placement has been extremely positive for [name]. He feels like he has a family and his overall behaviours have improved due to the efforts of managers and staff. It is one of the best placements I have seen.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers demonstrate a good understanding of the home’s strengths and show a keen enthusiasm to learn, develop and improve. This was evident during the inspection as well as in the positive action that has been taken to address the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported well in their work. All staff are receiving regular supervision and have had their performance formally appraised in the last 12 months. This is done for the manager and responsible individual by a person independent of the home, which ensures that they are kept up to date with current thinking, research and practice. It is Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 7 not yet custom and practice to gather and consider the views of young people or professionals as part of this review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have good access to a range of training opportunities. Mandatory training is kept up to date and managers have sourced and provided a range of needs-led training, including supporting young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and working with young people who display sexually harmful behaviour. However, staff have yet to be trained in how to support young people with learning difficulties, an identified need of one young person living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring activity is generally good. Managers maintain good oversight of care planning, and can articulate the progress young people have made and how the team’s efforts have contributed to this. Monthly monitoring from a person independent of the home offers independent scrutiny and is used effectively for improvement.

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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: SC357455 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Woodside House Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Hayton-Gregg

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Inspector

Paul Scott, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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