Teen Challenge UK - Whitchester House Housing Support Service Whitchester House Duns TD11 3SF Telephone: 01361 890271 Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 18 October 2017 Service provided by: Teen Challenge UK Service provider number: SP2003003478 Care service number: CS2004062669
About the service This service has been registered since 2004. Teen Challenge, Whitchester House provides a service from a converted building near Duns in the Scottish Borders. The service is provided for people who have had a history with problematic substance abuse. The brochure for Whitchester House states that: "At Whitchester House we offer up to 18 months of support and accommodation for men. The comprehensive timetables of programmed activities are underpinned by Christian principles and are designed to help the resident acquire and practice the skills necessary to lead a successful drug free lifestyle. They are finely balanced between classroom/group work and practical vocational activities, personal development and general housekeeping skills." The range of activities available to the residents included classroom activities, group work, gardening, cookery, joinery, house decoration and general maintenance. Also, residents went on regular walks and trips, particularly at weekends. The day to day life was structured and contained religious observance times, including meetings and gatherings which all service users are expected to attend. Service users were mainly self-referred or referred through the Teen Challenge outreach work in the community. Many residents heard about the service through 'word of mouth' and came from across Scotland. Funding was made available through the Teen Challenge charity and residents' benefits entitlement. At the time of inspection 17 people were using the service. What people told us We received 13 questionnaires from residents prior to the inspection which indicated they were very happy with the service provided. We spoke with residents during the inspection and they were complimentary of the service they received. Comments included; "It helps me to deal with my emotions and gets to the root problem of why I act they way I do and take drugs". "The service learns me how to get the basics in life such as cooking, cleaning and general hygiene". "It is a peaceful environment and very safe". "The staff treat us with respect". "The staff help me have a better look at my personal development plan helping me to move on in my life". "We are all equal here". "It's safe here". "I have turned my life around, it is a wonderful place". "I have made friends". "Surprised how quickly my health and strength is coming back". page 2 of 7
Self assessment We are not requesting self-assessments from providers for this inspection year. Issues relating to quality assurance, acting on feedback from people using the service and the quality of the service's improvement plan are considered throughout the inspection. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 4 - Good not assessed 3 - Adequate What the service does well The phased structure of the support programme commenced with an induction period of four weeks followed by four phases with different levels of support. Residents were fully involved in the development of their support plan and this was consistently reviewed at each phase to monitor their progress. Residents completed their "individual personal development plan" in their own words to identify goals they wished to achieve and plan the support needed to meet these. A range of activities were available to support residents to meet their goals through classroom/group work, practical vocational skills, and personal development. The ultimate goal being to enable the resident to lead a successful addiction free lifestyle. Residents were empowered to evaluate their strengths, skills and qualities and to consider any challenges they may face to achieve their goals. This enabled them to plan the support needed to overcome these. Residents were complimentary of the support they received and of the difference the service had made to their lives. They told us; "We have a meeting once a month and review the support plan to change as needed". "Staff support us through meetings, one to one meetings and talking to them whenever we want". "I have seen a change in myself which has encouraged me to keep going". The structure of each day supported residents to maintain good physical and emotional health which also keep them busy, focussed and gave them a sense of purpose. The service also supported residents to attend healthcare appointments, such as the GP or dentist to promote positive healthcare outcomes. What the service could do better We made a recommendation at the last inspection that the provider should ensure that safer recruitment practice is followed at all times. Further improvement is needed to ensure recruitment is as robust and safe as possible. This should include obtaining two satisfactory references and a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check. The service's recruitment policy stated that candidates would not commence employment until these had been received, however this was not being followed. We have incorporated the recommendation into a requirement in this report. (Requirement 1) page 3 of 7
We also made a recommendation at the last inspection that the supervision policy was updated and followed by managers and senior staff. Although the policy and procedure had been updated we found that staff were not receiving supervision regularly. We have amended the recommendation to reflect our findings. (Recommendation 1) Improvements could be made in the way in which the service identify, record and monitor training. The service should identify each staff member's training needs and then incorporate this into an overall training plan. This will give greater oversight to when training has been attended and needs to be updated. (Recommendation 2) Requirements Number of requirements: 1 1. The provider must ensure that safe and robust systems are in place for the recruitment of new staff. The provider must ensure that: - Two written references are obtained for all new employees, one of which should be from the most recent employer. - Where any staff are working without an up to date PVG membership or adequate references that a comprehensive risk assessment is carried out and in place until such time these can be obtained. This must consider; 1) Roles and responsibilities including lone working. 2) Previous employment and any gaps. 3) Previous PVG membership. 4) Systems in place to regularly supervise and monitor staff practice. - Where convictions are highlighted on PVG applications, there is evidence of these being discussed with the employee, a risk assessment being undertaken and the information accurately recorded. This is in order to comply with The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI2011/210) Regulation 9 (1) Fitness of Employees: A provider must not employ any person in the provision of a care service unless that person is fit to be so employed and Scottish Regulators' Strategic Code of practice - made under section 5 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. Timescale for implementation: by 30 October 2017. In making this requirement we have also taken into account the National care standards - Housing support services Standard 3 Management and staffing arrangements. Recommendations Number of recommendations: 2 1. The provider should ensure that all staff receive regular and consistent formal 1-1 supervision sessions. Individual learning and development should be discussed and link into the service's training plan. National care standards - Housing support services Standard 3 Management and staffing arrangements. page 4 of 7
2. The provider should develop a staff training plan taking into account identified training needs. This should link in with individual staff supervision. National care standards - Housing support services Standard 3 Management and staffing arrangements. Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 4 Mar 2016 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good 4 - Good Management and leadership 4 - Good 5 Mar 2014 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate 3 - Adequate Management and leadership 3 - Adequate 13 Oct 2011 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good 5 - Very good Management and leadership 18 Jan 2011 Announced Care and support 5 - Very good Management and leadership 4 Aug 2009 Announced Care and support 4 - Good 4 - Good Management and leadership 4 - Good page 5 of 7
Date Type Gradings 26 Jun 2008 Announced Care and support 3 - Adequate 3 - Adequate Management and leadership 3 - Adequate page 6 of 7
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 www.careinspectorate.com Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 Find us on Facebook Twitter: @careinspect 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 7 of 7