Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Cheshire East

Unique reference number SC060590 Inspection date 05/10/2011 Inspector Paul Gillespie Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 07/03/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Brief description of the service

The home, run by a company, is registered to accommodate three young people, of either sex between the ages of eight and 17 years. The home is registered for young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

This home provides young people with a safe and supportive environment within which they are able to make considerable progress. They benefit from very well- planned and personalised care that takes full account of their views and opinions. The care plans are extremely well implemented by staff that have very positive relationships with young people. This means that care practice is highly individualised and focused on meeting the individual needs of each young person. Consequently, this allows each young person to make excellent progress socially and educationally.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are also very well supported to manage their feelings and emotions in a constructive way by skilled staff. This helps ensure that young people learn to understand the risks they can put themselves at as well as learning about how their life experiences will have impacted upon them. Young people express very positive views about how well they are cared for and say ‘staff are kind and care about you'. Young people are clear that they feel safe and protected.

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Overall effectiveness

There is very effective collaboration with key individuals especially with family and social workers. This is reflected in comments, such as, ‘they have done a really good job with my young person who has definitely made progress’ and ‘there is very good communication with staff and the manager’ This approach ensures that all involved are working towards the same objectives so young people continue to get the right help, guidance and advice they need.

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Overall effectiveness

This home is exceptionally well managed with robust systems in place for the monitoring and review of the standards of care provided. The manager actively promotes a culture of continuous improvement and development of staff. For example, the implementation of new appraisal systems for staff and regular supervision means staff are clear about their role. The staff confirm they are very well supported by the manager who provides strong leadership and they are 'more focussed' in their role. This helps to ensure high standards of child care practice are maintained.

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Overall effectiveness

Some minor improvements are needed to ensure all personal education plans are fully up to date. In addition, the Regulation 33 reports would benefit from including more comment from parents and others. However, these issues do not have a direct impact on the welfare of young people.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that up-to-date information about each child's educational progress is maintained, specifically ensure that the detail in every personal education plan is up to date and relevant records regarding young people's education are available at the home (NMS 8.7)  ensure that visits carried out under Regulation 33 include all relevant checks as set out in regulation, specifically secure the views of parents and others to help inform the standard of care provided at the home. (NMS 21.7)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

The health of young people is promoted positively with staff providing excellent guidance and support so that young people learn to understand the importance of healthy lifestyle choices. This extends across a range of issues including sexual health, relationships, and the dangers of smoking and alcohol and substance misuse. Young people spoke enthusiastically about how staff have helped them to 'learn about keeping healthy.' Young people are familiar with their health plans and are registered with a local doctor, dentist and optician. They are also regularly involved in planning and preparing meals to help build their awareness of good nutrition and balanced diet.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive sensitive and thoughtful care that allows them to make excellent progress in relation to their starting points. They feel they are able to talk openly to staff and state 'staff always listen to me and help me.' This allows them to talk about their life experiences and its impact upon them which greatly assists them to deal positively with their feelings and emotions in a constructive way. One social worker commented that their, 'young person has really engaged and staff work very well with them.’ This approach helps to build trusting relationships where young people feel confident that they are seen as an individual whose specific needs will be met. Young people feel they have strong and trusting relationships with staff and comment that, 'I have a good friendship with all the staff.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

The children’s home is also a registered school and provides very good facilities and resources at the home to support education, including a designated teacher and staff who are trained to support young people’s educational needs. There are also good links with a local college for vocational learning opportunities. The home has a very well-organised approach to reinforcing boundaries about the school day which are consistently applied. Consequently, attendance at school and engagement in educational activities has significantly improved. This has seen young people becoming more positive about the approach to education and their achievements. Overall, this has meant young people are making very good progress with their education in relation to their starting points at the time of placement and are closing the gap with young people of a similar age. However, one young person’s personal education plan was not up to date and not all education records were available at the

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Outcomes for children and young people

Clear contact arrangements are in place for each young person with staff providing sensitive, practical support when appropriate. This helps to maintain or re-establish important relationships between young people and their families that helps promote their sense of personal identity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Although young people are not yet at the stage to be formally engaged in the pathway planning process, there are thorough arrangements in place to support young people to begin to learn useful self-care skills. They are routinely encouraged to carry out tasks, such as laundry, assisting with cooking, preparing and clearing away meals appropriate to their age and level of understanding. This will assist them as they transition to adulthood.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Staff are skilled in working in a co-ordinated way to engage young people positively in planning their futures. Detailed plans set out their personal objectives and targets and they are subject to regular review through statutory procedures. Young people are central to this and inform this process well. A social worker stated, 'there is very good communication with the staff and manager'. This assists in ensuring there is clarity of purpose so young people make progress towards their identified goals. Young people inform this process well. In addition, regular key worker sessions also reflect the work undertaken and progress made to support young people with the challenges they face, for example, managing their anxiety.

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Quality of care

A high quality of care is being provided. This enables young people to have opportunities to develop self-knowledge, self-help skills and build self-esteem. Communication between staff, young people and their parents, social workers and other professionals is coordinated extremely well. There are highly-effective partnership arrangements, ensuring that each young person makes excellent progress.

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Quality of care

Developing educational potential forms a clear part of the home's philosophy of care. Staff work hard to promote learning in different ways that are suited to the individual learning styles of young people. For example, for one young person, activity albums demonstrated a range of more practical-based learning opportunities, such as making electronic models. Another spoke about attending college and how this was, 'providing me with opportunities to practise speaking with adults in a very different situations, and this was helping me to be more confident and grow up.’ This emphasis on the importance of gaining a good education and encouraging educational attainment assists in building their young people's esteem and future life chances.

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Quality of care

The young people are consulted with very well. Their views are well expressed and their feedback is welcomed. Young people also contribute articles for inclusion in the organisations 'Forum' magazine that is specifically designed to seek young people's views about the development of services. This approach is helpful in ensuring the opinions of young people are well represented and demonstrates a strong commitment to listening to young people.

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Quality of care

Overall, there is an excellent approach to promoting healthy lifestyles. There is good collaboration with other professionals and agencies. This means young people have access to appropriate guidance and advice covering matters, such as sexual relationships, smoking cessation, drug misuse and healthy living. Key worker sessions emphasise the importance of being aware of the risks they may put themselves at and making informed choices. The arrangements for the administration of medication are secure and all staff receive suitable training to support young people to look after their health.

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Quality of care

Young people have very good opportunities to engage in a range of activities and interests, such as playing pool or going to the cinema. There is a suitable budget provided to facilitate activities this. It is commendable that young people recently completed a charity ‘pool-a-thon’ event and it is positive to note that friends are welcomed into the home. Due to the progress being made, young people have increasingly been able to negotiate the amount of free time they have. This means overall there is a good balance between organised activities and young people’s preferred choices of how to use their free time. This encourages a responsible approach to how young people use their free time while allowing them the same opportunities as young people of a similar age to engage socially.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is outstanding at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home provides a safe, caring and nurturing environment where young people are able to develop and prosper. This is acknowledged by young people who all confirmed they 'feel safe at the home'. Staff very work hard to ensure that young people understand, and are aware of, how to keep themselves safe. Thorough individual risk assessments, that are regularly reviewed, complement individual key worker sessions. This means young people are exceptionally well supported to reflect on their behaviour in order to lead safe lives. Young people also confirm there is a proactive approach to dealing with bullying and that they have confidence that staff will respond to any bullying that could occur. There is an established culture whereby young people feel confident that they can raise concerns in the knowledge that they will be addressed. This is confirmed by young who say 'I know I can speak to staff if I am worried.' Young people are also

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Safeguarding children and young people

familiar with the complaints procedure and have regular access to external advocacy in addition to the contact details for the Children’s Rights Director.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing although there are clear procedures in place should this occur, so that relevant people are informed. This includes a helpful protocol with the local police. The use of physical restraint is also rare and this reflects the positive relationships built up with young people. All staff receive regular refresher training regarding positive handling techniques. This focuses on the diffusion of difficult situations and allows for the opportunity for young people to talk through incidents so that they can learn to reflect on potential triggers and adapt their behaviour accordingly. Staff are skilled at this and are equally adept at demonstrating a thorough knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures, all of which assist in keeping young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are very thorough processes in place to ensure that staff recruited to work with young people are suitable checked and vetted. This also extends to the vetting of visitors to the home who are required to provide appropriate identification.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety at the home is particularly well managed. Robust monitoring of a range of risk assessments helps reduce potential risks. Since the last inspection there had been one significant incident resulting in the need to evacuate the premises. However, the staffs prompt response in ensuring the safe evacuation of the premises was commended by the fire brigade. Overall, the highly effective management of risk ensures staff and young people live in a safe and secure environment.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

Young people live in a home that is exceptionally well managed. The manager provides highly effective leadership and management of the staff team which ensures it meets the aims and objectives set out in the home Statement of Purpose. The manager and staff are committed to delivering high standards of childcare practice tailored to the personal needs of the young people they look after. There is now a stable and consistent staff group who offer continuity of care which benefits young people as they build relationships. Consequently, young people are making excellent progress.

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Leadership and management

Although there were no requirements or recommendations made at the last inspection, the organisation makes very effective use of the internal and external monitoring arrangements to regularly review and evaluate the standards of care being provided. There is a thorough approach to the analysis and evaluation of the data that staff record and action is taken promptly by the manager on issues identified. However, obtaining the views of parents and others on a more consistent basis when undertaking the Regulation 33 visits would further inform the review of care.

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Leadership and management

The manager is realistic about the key strengths and areas for development. They have a clear vision about how they see the service developing. For example, the current appraisal system for staff is currently under review. This will further support staff in their role. There is also a development plan in place which sets out identified areas of improvement. This approach demonstrates a commitment to maintaining high standards of care.

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Leadership and management

Young people are ably supported and cared for by a staff group who report that they themselves are ‘very well supported’ in their role. For example, team meetings and supervision taking place regularly. Staff also confirm that there are clear lines of accountability and that working together as a team is a strength. There are very good opportunities for professional development and the majority of staff hold a relevant National Vocational Qualification. This means young people are cared for by staff that have the necessary skills to meet their needs. Overall, there is a strong commitment to providing young people with a homely environment where they can develop to their full potential and where they currently make significant progress.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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