De Paul House Housing Support Service

Transcription

1 De Paul House Housing Support Service 27 Cruden Street Govan Glasgow G51 3RP Telephone: Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 6 July 2017 Service provided by: The Mungo Foundation Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS

2 About the service The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at This service registered with the Care Inspectorate on 17 July De Paul House provides housing support and care at home for 9 young adults, between the age of 16 years to 25 years, who are homeless and are assessed as being in need of a supported living environment. The service is situated in the south side of Glasgow within three linked tenement blocks each containing four flats sharing a communal back garden. Each of the nine service users have a single occupancy bed-sitting flat complete with kitchen and bathroom. The remaining three flats are used as a staff office, a flat used for the provision of meals and a communal flat for service users to meet with other service users. The service provider is the Mungo Foundation, a charitable organisation. The service is available for up to two years; however, this can be extended if suitable accommodation is not found and support is still required. The service works in partnership with other agencies, such as addictions services, the homelessness team, health services, careers and employment resources. Whilst living at De Paul House, service users are supported to establish a support network inclusive of these agencies as appropriate. Staff members are available over 24 hours. At the time of the inspection nine young people were living in the service. What people told us We spoke with five young people using the service. Young people were very positive about De Paul House and most attributed this to the staff and management whom they described in helpful and positive terms. Comments included; "When you need to learn how to keep a house of your own this is the very best place to do it". "Staff have went beyond what I expected. They really care about you and help you sort things out". "I've been in a few hostels, this is the best by far. Staff are really good they talk to you and want to help". "I like that we get to do things, sometimes they are not my thing but other things are". "Its safe in here, no carry on, no bullying or anything like that". "The meals are good and I like that we get a chance to cook". "Staff try and get you into a routine so you are not sleeping all day, sometimes I find that hard but I know it will be good for me in the future". "I know I can ask for company when I'm down and I will get it". page 2 of 6

3 "We all get on well here, no problems from anyone, aye its great". Self assessment This was not requested for this inspection year. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 6 - Excellent 6 - Excellent not assessed What the service does well We considered the young adults living in De Paul House received excellent levels of support from a highly skilled and committed staff and management team. There was a strong value base which underpinned the positive and caring ethos of De Paul House. The relationships between staff, management and young adults was based on respect, understanding and positive regard. Despite being a young adult's service the team still provided a nurturing environment regarding this key to helping young people cope with past difficulties and build confidence and skills. As a consequence, young people were empowered to make significant changes to their lifestyles and were taking steps toward a more positive future. The service had expanded the use of the outcomes star support planning tool. This was referred to as the housing support pack. It included wellbeing indicators and linked to a toolkit of resources to assist the young adults to work towards goals and aspirations. This strength based approach allowed for building resilience, confidence and self-esteem. The holistic approach was linked to the GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child) practice model in recognition of the continued needs of young people in transition to adulthood. While the housing support pack was initiated by management we found staff and service users were engaged from the initial stages and in the ongoing development. We could see the impact immediately in the use of tools, for example, the use of on-line drug assessment which led to a young person self-determining to reduce drug use and in young people exploring the barriers to attending to health needs. There were leadership opportunities for staff each of whom took responsibility for leading on one of the wellbeing themes. This was based on prior knowledge, skills and specific interests. We considered this development of the housing support pack and how it was being implemented and further developed to be outstanding and innovative practice which kept service user engagement at the heart of service development. Key time was part of the regular support provided and this gave the opportunity to reflect on progress made and identify where additional support was required. Staff used their training in motivational interviewing to excellent effect in care planning with service users. Positive outcomes were many and varied. Service users were making safer choices about drug and alcohol use and we could also see the continued benefit of the De Paul House Substance Misuse Policy in maintaining a safe environment for staff and young people. All young people told us they felt safe as did the staff we spoke with. We were told from a manager from the local authority leaving care provision that De Paul House was highly regarded for the quality work with young people. page 3 of 6

4 Staff members used appropriate intervention techniques learned from suicide awareness training with young people in emotional crisis. As a result, some young people had increased self-awareness, reduction in self-harm and had developed safer coping strategies. There were many examples of staff members being imaginative and using initiative to help young people, such as the use of online drugs use self-assessments, establishing a job club to help young people prepare curriculum vitae, and growing food in the garden reinforcing the importance of good nutrition. The service continued to link young people to the Barnardos Employability Service and most young people had employment, were attending further education or had plans to do so. The employability worker told us that De Paul House was a fantastic service for young people and that the team were highly committed and helpful in working alongside her in supporting young people into work or education. Three young people had benefited from a residential opportunity from the Venture Trust in which outdoors activities and group work were used to build confidence, social skills and self-awareness. This had proved extremely valuable to these young people who were able to see how they would take forward matters which were important to them. The service continued to build upon links with other agencies, such as, mental health services, Police Scotland, Sandyford Sexual Health and Leaving Care Services and this was to the benefit of the young people living in De Paul House. The exceptional activities programme was now embedded into the structured support provided at De Paul House. Based on best practice research we were told by a staff member that, "young adults had better outcomes if they took part in positive activities and developed hobbies and interests". Monthly and weekly planning meetings were held between service users and the staff member who oversaw the activities programme. This meant there was a range of opportunities for positive engagement, good use of free time and access to new experiences. A short break holiday was in the planning and was centred around outdoor activities and for many this would be their first experience of a holiday. Staff and management understood the value in participating in recreational activities were long lasting; helping young people develop self-esteem, social skills, create positive memories. We were also impressed that young people had an opportunity to lead specific activities and given a platform to showcase skills and talents. The service sought service user's views routinely both formally and informally, as a group and as individuals. The outcomes of surveys were routinely discussed at house meetings with young people and there was an open agenda to which young people contributed too. House meetings were purposeful and meaningful. The managers' presence at these meetings reinforced the value which was placed on gathering the views of service users. There was a direct link from ideas, suggestions, surveys findings and the collation of individual outcome evaluations to the service development plan. The effective communication systems between the management and team meant that a consistently high quality of service was provided and service users' needs were not overlooked. Staff meetings were comprehensive and all staff contributed views and ideas. Best practice, policies and procedures were all discussed routinely with the barriers and challenges openly discussed. Staff we spoke to told us team morale was high and attributed this to excellent management and being valued and respected as team members. Staff told us, "This is the best place I've ever worked, I love coming here, it doesn't feel like coming to work ", another staff member stated, "XXX (manager) is brilliant, really motivating and has made this a fantastic project for staff and young people". The induction process was described as being thorough and helpful by a new worker and the welcome and support by staff and management was appreciated. Staff received regular and very comprehensive supervision in which reflective learning was encouraged and where constructive criticism was well-balanced with recognition of skills and observations of good practice. page 4 of 6

5 What the service could do better We discussed the way in which initial admission risk assessment and management plans could be strengthened. This was taken forward immediately with potential risks addressed and changes made in the referral information recording sheet. The manager advised of how the housing support pack was to be further developed with links to best practice and research. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 7 Jul 2016 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment Not assessed Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 5 - Very good 2 Jul 2015 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment Not assessed Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership 3 - Adequate page 5 of 6

6 To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can take action when things aren't good enough. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service. You can also read more about our work online at Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com Find us on Facebook Other languages and formats This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 6 of 6