Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales Care Standards Act 2000 Inspection Report Aran Hall School Aran Hall School Rhydymain Dolgellau LL40 2AR Type of Inspection Baseline Date(s) of inspection 3 December 2015 Date of publication 19 February 2016 Welsh Government Crown copyright 2015. You may use and re-use the information featured in this publication (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License. You can view the Open Government License, on the National Archives website or you can write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk You must reproduce our material accurately and not use it in a misleading context.
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Summary About the service Aran Hall is registered with Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) as a children's home and is part of the SENAD Group of companies. The home is a large building with adjacent office accommodation within extensive grounds situated between Bala and Dolgellau. The home is registered to provide care for a maximum of 20 children and young people between the ages of 11 and 19 years, with an inclusion for younger adults aged 18 and 19 years. The extension to 19 years is for those young people, already resident at Aran Hall, to complete their education. There are 5 separate living areas called independent living units (ILUs) currently in use, these are all named after birds. Education is provided in classrooms on the school site, older young people may attend a local college if appropriate for them. There were 12 young people living at the home and one on home leave at the time of this inspection. We were able to interact with all of the young people in their living areas at different times of the day. The responsible individual for this service is Brian Jones, chief executive of the SENAD Group. The registered manager is Andy Pryer-Smith. What type of inspection was carried out? This was an unannounced inspection, which assessed the quality of life theme. Certain areas of the young people s accommodation were also assessed. We (CSSIW) spoke to all the young people individually or in groups, with and without a member of staff being present. We observed interactions between the young people and members of staff and between each other. We spoke to members of staff on duty, the school s principal, registered manager and deputy manager. We read the Statement of Purpose plus a less formal version aimed to be read by parents or carers. What does the service do well? The reward system that is understood and enthusiastically engaged with by all young people. The support given to the young people in engaging with the local community. The support given to the young people in engaging in their reviews and planning meetings What has improved since the last inspection? Many of the communal areas have been redecorated and artwork displayed to give these areas a bright and cheery feel. This was an area identified in the previous report that needed improvement. What needs to be done to improve the service? We did not identify any areas where the service was not compliant with the Children s Homes (Wales) Regulations 2002 and the children s Homes (Wales) (Miscellaneous Amendments) 2007. Page 3
The service must continue to work on achieving the 80% requirement of qualified staff. Page 4
Quality Of Leadership and Management This theme was fully assessed with satisfactory findings at a previous inspection. CSSIW did not consider it necessary to look in detail at the quality of leadership and management on this occasion. Page 5
Quality Of Life The young people who are resident at Aran Hall can be confident that they will be encouraged to fully participate in their placement and to express their views on all aspects of their care and education whilst in this home. This is achieved by the young people having regular individual key worker sessions as well as community meetings. These are facilitated to help each young person express their views and help them understand those whom they share accommodation with. There is a process where the young people email items they wish to be included on the agenda of the next community meeting. The young people told us that during these meetings they are able to say what food they would like for the week and the activities they would like to do and anything that 'was getting on my nerves'. Most of the responses we received from the young people, through discussion suggested young people are encouraged to express what they are feeling. The young people indicated that they use a variety of people to talk to and will seek out particular staffs that were named. The young people appear to have built very good and trusting relationships with certain staff, and spoke of the 'supportive staff, that 'always help you'. The young people are able to experience a sense of achievement. This was highlighted in one conversation with a young person who hopes to have achieved the next level in the reward scheme which will be celebrated at the next community meeting. Another young person has his achievement certificates displayed in his bedroom, he also pointed out the space on the wall where he will put his next achievement certificate. The young people are encouraged to use the extensive grounds in which to develop their skills, where structures have been built and chickens and rabbits are cared for. It was not possible to view any of the outside of the school due to the inclement weather. The units were busy at lunch time with young people involved in preparing and eating meals. We were told by the young people who had prepared the meal that the menu for the week is written up with the help of a staff member. We also learnt that the young people shop with a member of staff. This happens a twice a week so that all the young people have the regular opportunities to practice the skills of shopping for ingredients and preparing a meal for the house. We observed one young person prepare a meal from scratch and was able to use a sharp implement safely. Those who were eating were clearly enjoying the food that was on offer, and thanked the cook for a nice meal. Young people spoke of and recorded the activities they are involved in, which were cooking meals, attending college, doing laundry, walks, visit to the internet café, the library, leisure centre, feeding ducks and quite a lot more including those over eighteen going to the local pub. Those young people, who have contact with their family, spoke of visits that are made to their home areas, visits by parents to the home and of telephone and skype contact with family members. Staff said that when the young people arrive at the home they can be quite distressed, staff aim to support the young person to make them feel 'safe and special '. We did see very positive interactions between the staff and the young people. Page 6
We observed a high level of respect being shown by everybody, all were addressed by their first names. Some of the young people asked how we would like to be addressed at the start of the conversation. At the meal table there was a lively discussion about who was the best cook in the group and what was their favourite meal to cook. Page 7
Quality Of Staffing This theme was fully assessed at a previous inspection. Although the service did not achieve the require percentage of qualified staff it is acknowledged that the setting is working hard to achieve this standard. CSSIW did not consider it necessary to look in detail at the quality of staffing on the occasion Page 8
Quality Of The Environment A full assessment of the living accommodation was undertaken during the 2013/14 inspection, and further areas of development were highlight at the last inspection therefore during this inspection we sought to assess improvements that have been made to the living units. We visited the 5 units that were currently being used and overall assessed that the young people have reasonable to good accommodation in which to live at this home, with plenty of room in which to move around and also to be on their own. We did notice that there remains some variability between the standards of the accommodation available. This variability is due to some units being in the older part of the building. We were invited by many young people into their bedroom, and each was of a good size. Each bedroom reflected the personality of the young person, whether they supported a particular football team or have an interest in music. Again there is some variability in whether their room has en-suite facilities or not, again this is down in which part of the building the room is located. This issue was not raised as a concern by the young people. Page 9
How we inspect and report on services We conduct two types of inspection; baseline and focused. Both consider the experience of people using services. Baseline inspections assess whether the registration of a service is justified and whether the conditions of registration are appropriate. For most services, we carry out these inspections every three years. Exceptions are registered child minders, out of school care, sessional care, crèches and open access provision, which are every four years. At these inspections we check whether the service has a clear, effective Statement of Purpose and whether the service delivers on the commitments set out in its Statement of Purpose. In assessing whether registration is justified inspectors check that the service can demonstrate a history of compliance with regulations. Focused inspections consider the experience of people using services and we will look at compliance with regulations when poor outcomes for people using services are identified. We carry out these inspections in between baseline inspections. Focused inspections will always consider the quality of life of people using services and may look at other areas. Baseline and focused inspections may be scheduled or carried out in response to concerns. Inspectors use a variety of methods to gather information during inspections. These may include; Talking with people who use services and their representatives Talking to staff and the manager Looking at documentation Observation of staff interactions with people and of the environment Comments made within questionnaires returned from people who use services, staff and health and social care professionals We inspect and report our findings under Quality Themes. Those relevant to each type of service are referred to within our inspection reports. Further information about what we do can be found in our leaflet Improving Care and Social Services in Wales. You can download this from our website, Improving Care and Social Services in Wales or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning your local CSSIW regional office. Page 10