Stepdown - Castlemilk and South Care Home Service
201 Ardencraig Road Castlemilk Glasgow G45 0JJ
Telephone: 0141 631 2194
Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 30 August 2017
Service provided by: Service provider number: Stepdown SP2008009794
Care service number: CS2011280879 Inspection report
About the service
The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com
This service registered with the Care Inspectorate on 14 April 2011.
Stepdown - Castlemilk and South service provides 24 hour residential care and support to young people with high level care and support needs. The provider is Stepdown. The service has four premises comprising of a four placement house in Nitshill, a three placement house in Castlemilk and two singleton placements in Paisley and Bridgeton, Glasgow. At the time of inspection seven young people were living in Castlemilk and Nitshill. Neither of the singleton houses were in use by young people from this service. All of the services are located close to local amenities and to public transport routes. We visited both the Nitshill and Castlemilk houses.
What people told us
We spoke with five young people from Nitshill and Castlemilk houses. Young people confirmed involvement in decision making about their care and about communal living. Young people told us they had good relationships with staff and liked living in Stepdown and could identify areas of progress they had made. Some of the statement made by young people are listed below.
"I like it here, I feel calmer and I think it's because this is a calmer place than the last place I lived. I am in a better state of mind and feel much happier."
"Staff are all different but good, a good variety of staff. I have always got someone to talk too."
"The staff here really listen to you and do their best to sort things out."
"I've liked living here and would like to stay on longer. It is the right place for me."
"I have learned a lot and can do much more, like going out on my own, cooking and learning to manage my money. I feel happy of what I have achieved."
We spoke to the social worker of one young person. This social worker considered that the staff had a good understanding of the young persons needs and reported good progress made and that the young person was happy. Communication from the staff at the service was described as very good and the social worker expressed this being a good placement.
Self assessment
A self-assessment was not requested for this inspection year by the Care Inspectorate.
From this inspection we graded this service as:
Quality of care and support 5 - Very Good Quality of environment 5 - Very Good
Inspection report for Stepdown - Castlemilk and South page 2 of 6 Inspection report
Quality of staffing not assessed Quality of management and leadership not assessed
What the service does well
Safety was prioritised by the service. We found robust risk management plans in place which were individualised to reflect the needs of young people. Staff had a good understanding of risk management and used their knowledge and skill to engage young people in considering the safety aspects of their lives and consequently most young people were making better lifestyle choices. Young people told us they felt safe living in Stepdown and were aware of how to seek help when needed, i.e. when feeling at risk in the community.
The staff team promoted healthy living. Young people were learning to cook and prepare healthy food options and had an increasing awareness of the importance of good nutrition. Young people were taking a responsible approach to health care and we found young people attending primary and specialist health services. Young people told us their mental health had improved since coming to live in Stepdown and attributed this to a calming environment and supportive staff.
A particular strength across both cottages was that young people were achieving in work and college placements. Staff members were very proactive in helping young people find suitable work and college placements and were quick to praise effort and attainment. For many of the young people this was a significant step. Positive impacts included growth in confidence, self-esteem and social skills development. For young people who were awaiting school placements arrangements were being put in place to have school work in the cottage.
The relationships between young people and staff were respective, warm and nurturing. Staff knew the young people very well, respected their preferences and listened to their views. Staff understood the vulnerabilities of individual young people, but could also recognise strengths and potential and this was reflected in the support plans. Young people were fully involved in planning their care. Humour was used to good effect and time was made available for all young people to have individual time and attention. Young people told us they had members of staff with whom they could share worries and anxieties and this was really important and helpful during difficult times. Young people trusted their staff and we considered that the positive ethos embedded within the organisation in which staff felt valued and supported was reflected in the quality of the elationshipsr between staff and young people.
Young people were helped to maintain and rebuild relationships with family members. This was important in helping young people establish support networks. We also found that many young people continued to benefit from ongoing support and contact with the service after moving on. This for many was a key part of their support network.
Hobbies and interests were promoted. Interests including powerlifting, attending the gym, cycling and football training would not have been possible without the support in both practical and financial terms from Stepdown. This had very positive outcomes for young people in regard to their health, esteem and in developing links to the community. Young people were given opportunities to try new activities, such as golf, fishing and other outdoor activities to give new experiences and outdoor sports. The recent holidays had been successful ventures and had further strengthened the relationships between staff and young people.
Stepdown staff members were extremely effective in helping young people gain skills in independence. We could see the tremendous progress made by young people who, up until this placement, had been given very little independence. We were told by young people that staff members were encouraging and supportive.
Inspection report for Stepdown - Castlemilk and South page 3 of 6 Inspection report
As a result, young people had overcome barriers and were acquiring valuable skills which would be needed for future independent living. Examples of this included; budgeting, making and attending appointments, employment or further education, developing social skills and managing their own accommodation within the cottage.
Young people took pride in the environment and we found considerable improvements to the Castlemilk cottage as a result of decoration, refurbishment and of the continued efforts of staff and young people. The Nitshill house continued to be a very good living environment and both houses were kept in very good and clean condition. Best use was made of the garden areas in both houses and young people enjoying the use of the outdoor space.
What the service could do better
We asked that a few improvements be made to the environment including a light at the bottom of the drive way in Castlemilk and a door bell. For the Nitshill cottage we considered the staff toilet could be improved and new locks fitted to young people's bedroom doors. We were told these suggestions would be forwarded as possible improvements. We made some minor improvement suggestions to the recording within initial support plans which we were told would be taken forward. We could see that the newly introduced outcomes diaries were charting the progress made by young people and identifying where additional support was required. We suggested that a collation of findings could also help inform priorities for cottage development plans. We noted that meetings were not held for night workers, however, we were told this was being addressed.
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 www.careinspectorate.com.
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Inspection and grading history
Date Type Gradings 1 Sep 2016 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment Not assessed Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership Not assessed
1 Mar 2016 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership 4 - Good
30 Jul 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good
23 May 2013 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership 4 - Good
15 Oct 2012 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good
7 Mar 2012 Unannounced Care and support Not assessed Environment 5 - Very good Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership 5 - Very good
14 Nov 2011 Announced (short notice) Care and support 4 - Good Environment Not assessed Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership Not assessed
Inspection report for Stepdown - Castlemilk and South page 5 of 6 Inspection report
To find out more
This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website.
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Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas.
Inspection report for Stepdown - Castlemilk and South page 6 of 6