Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project Housing Support Service Units 25 & 26 KCEDG Commercial Centre Ladyloan Place Drumchapel Glasgow G15 8LB

Transcription

1 Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project Housing Support Service Units 25 & 26 KCEDG Commercial Centre Ladyloan Place Drumchapel Glasgow G15 8LB Telephone: Inspected by: Julia Bowditch Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 27 June 2011

2 Contents Page No Summary 3 1 About the service we inspected 5 2 How we inspected this service 6 3 The inspection 10 4 Other information 21 5 Summary of grades 22 6 Inspection and grading history 22 Service provided by: Quarriers Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service: Julia Bowditch Telephone enquiries@scswis.com Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 2 of 23

3 Summary This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes about the service. We gave the service these grades Quality of Care and Support 5 Very Good Quality of Staffing 4 Good Quality of Management and Leadership 5 Very Good What the service does well The feedback we received from young people who use this service indicates to us that they continue to value highly the service they receive. Staff in this service continually look for ways in which they can improve the lives of the young people they support. What the service could do better The manager should make sure that refresher training is carried out regularly. We felt that the service could further involve staff and young people in the self assessment and grading for inspection. What the service has done since the last inspection This service is looking at ways in which they can encourage young people to come together locally to share their views and opinions on the project. All staff had attended training in the Protection of Vulnerable Adults as recommended at the last inspection. The service has developed joint working projects with other agencies which benefit service users in terms of confidence building and sustaining tenancies. Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 3 of 23

4 Conclusion Inspection report continued The young people who use this service are very happy with the way staff support them. The service continues to build on its good performance in helping to provide young people with opportunities to say what they want from their lives and to encourage them to achieve their goals. Who did this inspection Julia Bowditch Lay assessor: N/A Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 4 of 23

5 1 About the service we inspected Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project is provided by Quarriers and was registered with the Care Commission in December 2004 to provide a housing support service to young people from the Drumchapel area. It has now expanded to also provide support to young people in North West Glasgow. Registration was transferred to Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) on 1 April The service has three main aims:- * to actively engage with young people in the North and West area of Glasgow to prevent youth homelessness occurring * to support service users to live independently within their own homes, and * to access a range of employment, training and educational opportunities for service users. The Project has an office base in Drumchapel and offers support from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday to Friday, and 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on a Saturday. Outwith these times on call support is available to all young people. The support the Project offers varies with the needs of the service users and includes a range of supports including financial, social and emotional. The service is currently supporting 42 young people. Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support - Grade 5 - Very Good Quality of Staffing - Grade 4 - Good Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 5 - Very Good This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website or by calling us on or visiting one of our offices. Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 5 of 23

6 2 How we inspected this service The level of inspection we carried out In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide consistently high standards of care. What we did during the inspection We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection on 25 May 2011 between 9:30 am and 5:00 pm. We carried out telephone interviews with service users on 14 June 2011 and gave feedback to the Manager on 27 June The inspection was carried out by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) Inspector, Julia Bowditch. This report is a summary of the findings. As requested by us, the provider sent us an annual return. The provider also sent us a completed self assessment form. We issued 20 questionnaires to service users and/or friends, relatives or carers of people who used the service. Two were returned before the inspection. In this inspection we gathered evidence from various sources, including the relevant sections of policies, procedures, records and other documents, including: * the service's most recent self assessment * support plans of people who use the service * weekly updates * minutes from various service user groups * staff training records * minutes of team meetings * staff supervision records * accident/incident records * discussions with various people including the manager, deputy manager, two project workers and people who use the service. Grading the service against quality themes and statements We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example, one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality themes and statements. Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 6 of 23

7 Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs) In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement. Fire safety issues We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 7 of 23

8 What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at our last inspection One recommendation was made at the last inspection: The service should ensure that all staff have received, and refreshed where appropriate, mandatory training. National Care Standards Housing Support, Standard 3: Management and staffing arrangements This recommendation has been partially met. For progress see Quality Theme 3, Statement 3 of this report. The annual return Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will inspect the service. Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic Comments on Self Assessment Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. We received a fully completed self assessment document from the project manager. We were satisfied with the way they had completed this and with the relevant information they had given us for each of the headings that we grade them under. The service manager identified what they thought they did well, some areas for development and any changes they planned. Taking the views of people using the care service into account During the inspection we spoke by telephone to nine young people who are supported by this service and we received two completed questionnaires. All made very positive and complimentary comments about the service they were receiving, the manager and staff. These are some of the comments they made: "Staff have been brilliant. I don't know what I'd do without them - all of them. I know I can go to any of them." "I've been getting help with budgeting." "It's really good to know I've got support if I need it if there's any problems with my Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 8 of 23

9 tenancy." "It's good to have a variety of staff so that I can get different opinions." "The manager is very approachable - the best manager we've had." "They couldn't give any more support than they already do. They're there when you need them." "They work around the young person. They're flexible and don't force you to do anything." "They helped me get my flat and decorate it. I've also had help with getting housing benefits." "They've helped me emotionally, not just with my tenancy." "I don't think I'd be where I am today without them." "I'll stick with the project and just have less and less days until I can manage on my own." "I wasn't getting on very well but the project helped. I'm more comfortable in my own house now." "My keyworker gives help with anything. In fact all workers do. I've had help moving into my own flat - help with council tax and housing benefits and things like that." Some more comments and views from people who use this service are included under the relevant Quality Statements in this report. Taking carers' views into account N/A Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 9 of 23

10 3 The inspection We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and statements. Here are the details of what we found. Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Overall grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided by the service. Service strengths We found that performance by this service was very good in the areas covered by this statement. We concluded this after we: * spoke to the manager, deputy manager and project workers * reviewed individual support plans * received feedback from people who use the service The young people who use this service told us that they were fully involved in identifying their own support needs and agreeing their own support plans. We saw from records that support plans were reviewed with the young person every three months or more often if required. We saw evidence that issues that were raised were followed up by staff in keyworker meetings where the service user and their keyworker looked at progress on the goals that had been set at the review. Staff made daily telephone calls to service users to check whether there were any issues they needed support with. The feedback we got from young people was that they appreciated these calls as it reassured them that help was available if they needed it. Comments included: "I always get a phone call from staff at the office. The staff are brilliant." "They phone every day. It's like talking to family. I don't have my own family about." The project was currently developing a local Participation policy with the involvement of service users. This will give people using the service information on the different ways in which they can be involved in deciding not only their own support but also how the service should be run. The manager told us that young people were working on a new project leaflet which Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 10 of 23

11 would let new and prospective service users know what to expect from the service. This would help them to decide if the service was right for them. We spoke to one young person who was involved in the organisation's Voices in Progress (VIP) Group, a service user-led forum. They told us they had recently been involved in filming a DVD to support the "Condemned Campaign" which had led to the development of "The Charter" which sets out the aspirations and ideals that young people believe are needed to overcome the challenges they face when seeking appropriate advice and information from housing providers. Other young people we spoke to had been invited to attend the VIP group and had chosen not to. Young people had also been involved in developing a "How to vote" guide which gave clear information on how to register to vote. Some young people had attended an Evaluation focus group where they met with staff to discuss what they thought would be the most suitable method for evaluating the project, for example questionnaires or interviews. They also discussed what areas they thought should be covered by a project evaluation including the environment, activities, procedures and participation. We saw from minutes of the meeting that young people felt they were involved in the project but that it was important to them that any suggestions they made were followed up and that they were kept informed of the outcomes. This type of meeting was a good example of how the service considered the views of young people important in all areas of the way the service is run. Young people had been asked in a survey whether they would like to be part of a local Young Tenants Group which would be service user-led. Although the response was positive the attendance at the group so far had been poor. The manager and staff team along with the young people were currently looking at people's expectations of the group and how to develop it further to meet these expectations. Areas for improvement The service had a checklist in place to monitor whether individual reviews had taken place, what agreements were made and what action should be carried out as a result. In some of the care plans we looked at, this checklist had not been completed nor had care plans been updated. Although we saw that the progress being made was discussed in keyworker meetings we felt that the checklist was a good way of making it clear that reviews had been carried out and the decisions made had been followed through and so we would recommend that these are kept up to date. Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 11 of 23

12 Statement 2 We enable service users to make individual choices and ensure that every service user can be supported to achieve their potential. Service strengths We found that performance by this service was very good in the areas covered by this statement. We concluded this after we: * spoke to the manager, deputy manager and project workers * reviewed individual support plans * received feedback from people who use the service Inspection report continued We found that supporting people to achieve their potential was a major strength of this service. The young people we spoke to gave many examples of how their lives had been improved by this project, not just in the short term but for the future too. We were told: "A year ago I didn't have any plans for the future. Now I think I can help others in this situation because I know what it's like." "I want to go to college and maybe do some volunteering." "I'll stick with the project and just have less and less days until I can manage on my own." The attitude of the staff and manager in this was a major factor. Staff spoke about respecting the young people, identifying their strengths and working with them to achieve the best they can. They also spoke of the importance of helping them to identify realistic goals and celebrating successes. We saw that young people were supported in activities to encourage physical and mental wellbeing and positive interactions with peers. For example young people had raised funds so that they could attend a yoga course and staff helped two young people to take part in a regular sailing activity where they were part of a team which helped to build their confidence. Some were involved in a community garden project in conjunction with another local agency. Young people were supported in activities which would help them to maintain their tenancies, for example, budgeting, benefits, council tax, decorating. Some of those we contacted spoke proudly of their home and what they had achieved in making it a comfortable place to live. We saw that staff supported young people to sustain employment, training and education. Some of the ways they did this was by helping them to complete job applications or support them to attend college interviews. Staff also directed people Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 12 of 23

13 to appropriate information and advice from specialist services like mental health, counselling, addictions, money and law. Areas for improvement It would be good practice for young people to sign review minutes to say that they agree with any decisions made. This was an area for improvement identified by the manager in the service's self assessment and will be followed up at the next inspection. We saw that risk assessments had been carried out and were signed and dated but no date for review. We would expect to see a review date so that it was clear when the service would check that the information in the risk assessment was up to date. Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 13 of 23

14 Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service strengths We found that performance by this service was very good in the areas covered by this statement. We concluded this after we: * spoke to the manager, deputy manager and project workers * reviewed individual support plans * received feedback from people who use the service The strengths for service user shown under Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 in this report also apply to this statement. We received very positive feedback from service users about the manager and staff. Some comments can be seen in the section entitled "Taking the views of people using the service into account" in Section 2 of this report. We heard from some service users that they had been invited to take part in interviewing staff. Those who had agreed to do so were given training by the manager. We saw that they had written their own questions and were involved in interviewing candidates and giving feedback on the person they wished to select. The manager told us that the project paid the young people for this work which showed us that they were respected for their time and contribution. Quarriers had developed a recruitment training course for service users which was currently being piloted across the organisation. An Inclusive Recruitment Handbook had also been produced outlining a range of ways in which service users could be encouraged to become involved in recruitment. Areas for improvement The service could benefit from involving service users in staff appraisals. This would give them the opportunity to comment on all areas of practice. The areas for improvement detailed under Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 also apply here. Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 14 of 23

15 Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 15 of 23

16 Statement 3 We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice. Service strengths We found that performance by this service was good in the areas covered by this statement. We concluded this after we: * spoke to the manager, deputy manager and project workers * reviewed individual support plans * received feedback from people who use the service Inspection report continued The staff we spoke to felt that they had a good team and were well supported by the manager and each other. During the inspection we got the impression of a motivated staff team who were committed to improving the lives of the young people who use this project. Communication systems between staff were very good - keyworkers sent weekly updates by to all staff. In this way all were kept up to date with any issues affecting the young people. This ensured continuity of care at times when the keyworker was not available, for instance at holiday periods. Service users confirmed that they knew all staff well. In addition to this we saw that there was a consistent staff team which also ensured continuity of care. Staff told us that they received regular one to one supervision. We saw that a supervision log was used to record whether or not planned supervision had taken place so that the manager could monitor the frequency of supervision. We saw that team meetings were held regularly. Minutes showed us that meetings had a good balance of discussion about young people's priorities, staffing issues and organisational procedures, all of which suggested a team committed to achieving good outcomes for people using the service. We saw that staff were good at following up on issues raised by service users. For example, the discussion from the Evaluation focus group described in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 of this report, was discussed at the next team meeting and decisions made about how to proceed. All staff were either qualified or currently undergoing a qualification to the level required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). Staff had online access to Quarriers Standards and best practice guidance including Whistleblowing, Protection of Adults and Child Protection. Staff spoke respectfully about the young people and their needs and were aware of the National Care Standards and how to apply them. Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 16 of 23

17 We saw from training records that staff had now completed Adult Protection training to make them aware of what to do if they suspected abuse. This was the subject of a recommendation at the last inspection and has now been met. Areas for improvement Quarriers Standard on Health and Safety states that staff should receive refresher training in Fire Safety Awareness every six months but training records showed that this had not happened since The manager explained that the frequency of this training should be risk assessed for this type of service as it was not a residential service, but we did not see any evidence of any risk assessment of this type having been done since the last training. We were pleased to see that by the time we gave feedback for this inspection the manager had requested the training pack for Fire Awareness Training and planned to carry out refresher training for all staff at the project. We also saw that although all staff had received Child Protection training as part of Induction when they started at the service many had not received updated training since then; for some staff this was five to eight years ago. We have heard from the manager following the inspection that refresher Child Protection training has now been arranged for August this year. This will ensure that all staff are updated on current best practice in Child Protection. We felt that the issues above highlighted an area for development for the service and so have made a recommendation that a system should be developed to ensure that the manager can easily identify when there is a need for refresher training. (See Recommendation 1 under Quality Theme 3, Statement 3) This recommendation replaces the one made at the last inspection. Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 1 Recommendations Inspection report continued 1. The manager should ensure that there is a system in place to identify when refresher training is due so that staff receive it within a reasonable timescale. National Care Standards Housing Support Services, Standard 3: Management and staffing arrangements Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 17 of 23

18 Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the management and leadership of the service. Service strengths We found that performance by this service was very good in the areas covered by this statement. We concluded this after we: * spoke to the manager, deputy manager and project workers * reviewed individual support plans * received feedback from people who use the service The strengths for service user involvement shown under Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 in this report also apply to this statement. Areas for improvement We did not find evidence that the service had involved young people in the self assessment for this inspection and grading of the quality themes, including the theme on management and leadership. This limited the opportunities for them to have their say on the way the service is run. The manager may wish to consider involving them in this way in future self assessments and grading. The areas for improvement detailed under Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 also apply here. Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 18 of 23

19 Statement 3 To encourage good quality care, we promote leadership values throughout the workforce. Service strengths We found that performance by this service was very good in the areas covered by this statement. We concluded this after we: * spoke to the manager, deputy manager and project workers * reviewed individual support plans * received feedback from people who use the service Inspection report continued The staff we spoke to told us that they felt respected and well supported by the manager and each other. They felt that they could have their say about the service and were encouraged to bring their own ideas and to take them forward. They also spoke of how they were encouraged by the manager to take on individual responsibilities which helped with their professional development. Some of the responsibilities they told us about included: * link worker for Social Work students on placement at the project. We saw evidence of staff having put themselves forward for this role and receiving training to carry it out. * named worker to promote and publicise locally the VIP group meetings we spoke about in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 of this report, and to support service users to attend * joint working with another project to provide a monthly drop-in service to young people. All staff took turns to support this joint working. Staff we spoke to welcomed this as a development opportunity. * in their role as keyworker, Project Workers attended multi-disciplinary meetings to support the young person The organisation had a Learning and Development policy which stated its commitment to the continuous learning of its staff. We saw from records that training and development needs were identified at supervision and annual Development and Competency Reviews where staff were given the opportunity to reflect on their practice and discuss ways in which they could develop further. The impression we got from the staff we spoke to was that they were motivated to take on responsibilities that would benefit not only themselves but also the young people they supported. We saw from the minutes of a team meeting that there had been a discussion with staff about the self assessment for this inspection. Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 19 of 23

20 Areas for improvement While we saw that the self assessment for this inspection had been discussed at a team meeting we would like to see the manager encouraging more involvement of staff in the self evaluation of the project and grading for inspection. Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good Recommendations Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Inspection report continued Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 20 of 23

21 4 Other information Complaints No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection. Enforcements We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last inspection. Additional Information Action Plan Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made, will result in SCSWIS re-grading the Quality Statement within the Management and Leadership Theme as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme for Management and Leadership being re-graded as Unsatisfactory (1). Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 21 of 23

22 5 Summary of grades Quality of Care and Support Very Good Statement 1 Statement Very Good 5 - Very Good Quality of Staffing Good Statement 1 Statement Very Good 4 - Good Quality of Management and Leadership Very Good Statement 1 Statement Very Good 5 - Very Good 6 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 25 Aug 2008 Announced Care and support 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and Leadership 4 - Good All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former regulator of care services, the Care Commission. Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 22 of 23

23 To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning us on This inspection report is published by SCSWIS. You can get more copies of this report and others by downloading it from our website: or by telephoning Translations and alternative formats This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request. Telephone: enquiries@scswis.com Web: Drumchapel Supported Youth Housing Project, page 23 of 23