Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bradford

Unique reference number SC424141 Inspection date 22/05/2012 Inspector Valerie Shephard Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 14/12/2011 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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Brief description of the service

This service is a privately owned children's home which is part of a large organisation. The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural problems.

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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 Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Most young people are generally making good progress, particularly in relation to their education, health and behaviour. A member of staff commented that ‘one young person is now learning to calm down, by removing themselves from difficult situations.’

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Overall effectiveness

Staff consult young people about all aspects of their care and daily living and there is evidence that their wishes and feelings are acted upon. Young people enjoy positive and supportive relationships with the staff team and are able to tell staff when they are not happy about aspects of their lives.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from good quality, individualised care that meets their personal needs. Staff are knowledgeable and understand the best ways to care for young people effectively. The staff team consists of people of different ages, genders and a variety of backgrounds. As a result, they bring a breadth of experience and provide suitable role models for young people. One young person commented that he liked all the staff and felt that they cared for him.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe in the home. Staff have a good understanding of safe working practices and work hard to prevent bullying. Staff deal with incidents of name-calling in an appropriate and effective way, which encourages improved behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

There is strong, efficient and effective leadership in this home. The staff team feel well supported and have confidence in their new manager. A large majority of the staff team are qualified in caring for young people, and the remainder are expected to enrol on a suitable diploma course imminently. Staff have access to a good range of training, which is tailored to the particular needs of some of the young people. For example, training in autism awareness helps staff to provide appropriate care to young people who are on the autistic spectrum.

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Overall effectiveness

Areas identified for improvement relate to the regularity of staff supervision and tidiness in the home. These are minor shortfalls which do not in any way impact on young people’s welfare or safety.

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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 a comfortable and homely environment is provided, particularly in relation to keeping the home and grounds tidy (NMS 10.3)  ensure that staff are provided with regular supervision in accordance with the home's Statement of Purpose. (NMS 19.4)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Overall young people enjoy good physical health. Staff promote healthy eating and exercise within the home. A diet of freshly-prepared food is available which meets any cultural or religious needs young people may have. Staff encourage those who have had a limited diet prior to coming to the home, to try different dishes to enhance their enjoyment of food. Cultural nights take place on a regular basis, which present the opportunity for young people to prepare and sample different foods. Staff report that some young people now eat a wider range of foods, which will have a positive impact on their health, well-being and socialisation.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Despite efforts from staff, the large majority of young people continue to smoke. This is likely to have an impact on their general health over time. Staff provide information and literature to help young people address their smoking habits. They support young people to attend appointments with health professionals about smoking cessation, if this is what the young people wish to do.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The emotional and psychological health of some of the young people is of concern. Young people have access to psychological support where this is an identified need, but some do not choose to engage with these services. This has an impact on their ability to develop a positive self-view, sustain meaningful attachments and engage in education. A new development for the home is access to an ‘in house’ psychologist and support team for consultation to staff. Consequently staff will be better equipped to support young people with their emotional and behavioural problems. The outcomes relating to education are varied for young people. Most of the young people in the home attend school and staff support good attendance. Where young people are not in school, staff are proactive in obtaining suitable education for them. There are good links with schools; for example, regular communication takes place between home and school. This helps to ensure that school staff are aware of any

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Outcomes for children and young people

current difficulties in young people’s lives which may have an impact on their learning. Some young people are making steady progress in their education. However, others are struggling to engage with their education and their emotional and psychological needs can limit their achievements.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Most of the young people are involved in some type of physical activity, including swimming, ice skating and cycling. Occasionally, it has been a challenge to engage young people in an activity despite creative attempts by staff. Persistence works and with staff encouragement, it has been possible to motivate young people to become involved in activities which are taking place in the home. For example, one young person has just begun to take part in some of the group outings in the community.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All the young people have some level of contact with their families and staff work well with these plans to support contact arrangements. Parents are welcome and some parents take the opportunity to visit their children in the home. Continued contact with significant people helps young people to develop their identity and sense of well-being.

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Quality of care

Young people and staff enjoy good relationships and there is an observable rapport between them. Young people talked about liking the staff; one said ‘I like all the staff here.’ Staff provide good role models and give clear boundaries which assist young people to behave more appropriately. One member of staff said ‘the staff team work well together for the benefit of the young people.’ Staff support young people with their education. For example, they attend parents’ evenings and help with homework. Young people benefit from these links between home and school.

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Quality of care

Staff regularly consult young people about all aspects of their daily living; for example, about the refurbishment of the games room. Staff have encouraged young people to put forward ideas about how the room should be decorated, furnished and equipped. Staff say that they want the young people to feel it is ‘their room.’ If young people are not happy about something, the staff team will look at resolving the issue. This consultation helps to ensure that young people’s views, wishes and feelings are central to the running of the home.

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Quality of care

Young people have placement plans which clearly set out their individual needs. Young people benefit from sessions with their keyworker where they discuss their health, education and behaviour. Where young people have specific needs in relation to their religion, staff ensure that they have access to appropriate places of worship. All the young people are registered with doctors and dentists. Staff support them to keep appointments to promote their health. There are good links with the local child health team. A nurse who specialises in working with looked-after children visits the home to see some of the young people to ensure that they receive suitable medical advice. Not all the young people who would benefit from support from child and mental health services have availed themselves of this provision. The home has responded to this by employing a psychologist, who will offer advice to staff to help

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Quality of care

The home is large with ample space and sufficient living areas to enable young people to take part in different activities. Young people play an active part in choosing the colour schemes and decor of the home, including their own bedrooms. The home is generally well-maintained, but there are some untidy areas, both inside and outside. This does not provide a comfortable environment for young people to live in.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are safe and overall say they feel safe. All staff have had safeguarding and child protection training and understand how to respond to any incidents which could place a young person at risk of harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Bullying has been an issue in the home, predominantly name-calling. Staff are vigilant about bullying and look at different ways to address this issue through individual sessions and young people’s meetings. Rules in relation to bullying have been established and agreed with the young people. Posters displaying anti-bullying messages are displayed around the home. These strategies are proving to be effective in reducing the number of incidents of bullying.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are in place. These inform staff and enable them to support good behaviour, so that they can protect young people from being harmed. Staff work effectively with social workers to review and update these plans.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have received training in the use of physical intervention. Records indicate that when restraint is used, it is appropriate and safe. However, this is only used where young people are at risk to themselves or others and there has been a reduction in the use of restraint over time. All records in relation to the recording of these events are kept up to date and staff sign them appropriately.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff help young people to work towards achieving their goals. For example, reward charts have been successful in some instances in encouraging young people to increase desired behaviour. Young people are able to earn reward money for achieving targets in relation to improved behaviour. For example, one young person has saved their reward money to buy a new mobile telephone. There are established links with the local police, who come to the home to talk to the young people about the consequences of risk-taking behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Recruitment procedures are robust. There is a rigorous two-stage selection procedure so that only staff of the highest calibre are appointed. All necessary vetting checks are completed. This helps to ensure that any staff who come to work in the home do not pose a risk to young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home provides a safe environment and there are no physical hazards which could pose a risk to young people. All electrical and gas appliances have been checked for safety within acceptable timescales.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The home has a newly-appointed manager. There were no requirements or recommendations following the previous inspection.

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Leadership and management

The manager is providing strong leadership within the home. The staff team feel well supported to enable them to look after the young people in their care. Staff supervision is of good quality and records are up to date. However, there have been two occasions where staff have not had their supervision sessions at regular intervals, in accordance with the Statement of Purpose. This means that staff have not always had the opportunity to discuss their progress and practice in a formal setting. Consequently this could impact on their ability to fulfil their role in providing a high-quality service to young people.

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Leadership and management

There is good monitoring in the home and regular consultation with young people about all aspects of their lives. The manager deals with complaints appropriately and young people are given written feedback in relation to the outcome of their complaint. This helps to reassure young people that their views are valued and any comments or complaints that they make are taken seriously.

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Leadership and management

The home’s Statement of Purpose is up to date and reflects the appointment of a new manager and the current staff team. A new development in the home’s organisation is the provision of a psychologist and team of support workers. This provision will be available to the home for consultation, advice and direct work with young people. It is envisaged that this provision will enhance the options already available to young people in relation to their therapeutic needs.

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Leadership and management

The overall physical condition of the home is good. Maintenance is a high priority, with prompt repair to any damage caused. However, the home is untidy in parts, particularly in the kitchen and in the garden, where there is litter strewn around. This means that young people are not enjoying the full benefits of an optimal, comfortable and homely environment.

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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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