Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC424851 Inspection date 11/07/2013 Inspector Dawn Bennett Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 23/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home's provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The service is operated and managed by a private organisation.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality 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

Young people are making good progress in various aspects of their lives. They benefit from good quality care which they receive from a stable, experienced and qualified staff team. Young people have positive attachments with staff and are confident and at ease within the home. Their views and feelings are consistently sought and they are involved in the operation of the home and their placement plans. They receive highly personalised, well-planned care which takes into account their individual needs. Staff place considerable importance on supporting young people to take proportionate risks while prioritising their safety and well-being. The home is well managed and the staff group are highly motivated and work well together.

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Overall effectiveness

Two recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection. For young people's participation in clubs and activities to be increased. For maintenance work to be undertaken to the outside of the property.

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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 the home is well maintained. This specifically relates to the repair of the external cladding of the building (NMS 10.3)  ensure children pursue individual interests and hobbies. This specifically relates to children developing interests in regular community based clubs or hobbies. (NMS 7.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are achieving their personal objectives in line with their placement plan. They have good insight into the reasons why they live at the home. They are clear of the aims of their placement and are making good progress. They are well supported by the staff team in key worker sessions and on a day-to- day basis to discuss a wide range of issues and topics. As a result they learn new coping strategies and experience new opportunities which enables them to develop emotional resilience and positive self-esteem and confidence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people play an active role in the life of the home. For example, they engage in weekly young people's meetings which are relaxed and informative. They enable young people to influence the home's menu, activities throughout the week and during holidays and express views on other aspects of the operation of the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making good educational progress. They are encouraged and supported by the staff team and education co-ordinator to value and enjoy school. As a result young people of school age have good attendance and are meeting or exceeding their educational targets. There are effective systems in place to support those young people who arrive at the home without a school placement, struggling with attendance or have been excluded from schooling.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people who have left school are making good progress developing their independence skills and accessing further education, voluntary work or employment. The staff team and education co-ordinator support them to write Curriculum Vitae, look at advertisements, attend interviews and get use to structuring their days. Young people learn to use facilities in the local community, such as the library, internet café and gym, to gather information and develop a healthy productive lifestyle.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy a wide range of activities within the home and local community. Positive family contact and relationships are supported and developed. For example, tea visits and birthday parties involving school friends. Some young people felt that it was unreasonable that the home only paid for one activity a week and that they had to pay for the rest out of their pocket money. The Registered Manager confirmed that any formal or regular membership to a club or group would also be paid for by the home. The young people currently living at the home were not, however, engaging in or pursuing such activities.

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Quality of care

Young people feel a strength of this service is the staff team. The young people describe them as 'fun', 'reasonable' and 'fair'. They provide consistent boundaries and have high expectations of young people. They support and celebrate achievements and progress by attending key events such as school productions and parent's evenings. They encourage young people to successfully experience new events and activities such as Ramadan fair and school trips.

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Quality of care

Young people have good and growing awareness of equality and diversity because it is effectively promoted by the staff team. There are positive images, words and information for everyone throughout the house. Young people choose weekly meals from the 'around the world' menu file. Staff organise and run mini workshops and group key worker sessions on key issues and topics on a regular basis, for example, Black history week and anti-bullying week. Staff actively encourage involvement in the local community and religious events. All young people could describe ways in which the staff promoted and met their individual specific needs. Where appropriate, young people also learn through discussions with their peers and staff members about others beliefs and experiences. The staff team are very encouraging of this and use every opportunity to widen young people's knowledge and experience by encouraging research, involving them in displays around the home and taking them

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Quality of care

Young people's personal needs are effectively met by a very knowledgeable staff team. There are a range of established processes that ensure, from the point of referral and throughout a placement, that information is effectively gathered and shared on each young person. This information is used to ensure young people's needs, wishes and aspirations are being effectively met. A social worker stated: 'The staff have been very supportive and flexible in order to meet the needs of the young person placed.' An education professional stated: 'In my opinion this is a good home and the staff genuinely care about the children there. Staff relationships with the young person are positive and supportive.'

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Quality of care

Young people live in a welcoming environment, which is brightly decorated. The walls display inspiring pictures and words. Young people have personalised their bedrooms and state they feel 'very relaxed and at home'. Overall the property is well maintained, however, the home's external cladding has not been maintained or repaired to a good standard which results in the outside of the building looking tired and uninviting.

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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 feel safe and can talk to an adult when they are concerned. Staff are well trained in safeguarding and the home has extensive policies and procedures in place, which underpin effective practice. There are a low number of high risk events in the home. When serious incidents occur they are appropriately managed and the safety and well-being of the young people is a priority. There are minimal incidents of young people going missing from the home. When this occurs staff comprehensively search for young people and actively encourage their quick return home. Through effective monitoring of the incidents, the manager and staff team develop a clear understanding of the reasons why young people do go missing. Young people are supported to understand the risks associated with going missing through regular key work sessions. The home has also developed links with local police to promote the safety of young people in the

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Safeguarding children and young people

On the whole young people's behaviour is good or improving. They learn to resolve issues through discussion and to modify and manage their emotions through a range of coping mechanisms. They describe positive, fair boundaries in the home, which support them to learn appropriate behaviours in different settings such as in their schools or family homes. There are no incidents of young people being physically restrained and consequences are rarely used.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people who harm themselves receive appropriate health assessments and professional support. As a result incidents decrease or reduce in severity. All staff have received appropriate training and are sensitive in their approach and support. Where incidents have reoccurred, due to a change or stress in a young person's life, risk assessments have been reviewed and support increased.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people participate in fire drills, which effectively prepare young people for fire related emergencies in the home. Staff pay good attention to health and safety management. They use comprehensive risk assessments around the home and in the local community.

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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 leadership and management arrangements for the home ensure that young people using the service have their needs appropriately met and enjoy positive progress. The Registered Manager can clearly demonstrate the impact and value that living at the home has had on young people’s lives and how their life chances have improved over time.

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Leadership and management

At the homes last full inspection in May 2012 it was judged to be adequate overall. After this inspection the Registered Manager and organisation reduced the number of young people able to be placed from 6 to 3. The statement of purpose and children's guide reflects this change. At the interim inspection in January 2013 the overall outcome judgement was good progress. All recommendations and requirements from previous inspections have been addressed, which has strengthened practice in the home. The Registered Manager has a good development plan in place which charts the progress of the home and identifies areas for improvement. The Registered Manager is highly knowledgeable and a strong leader, who demands high expectations from her staff. They are an experienced and well-trained team of professionals committed to improving the outcomes of young people. Their performance continually improves with well-planned team meetings, effective

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Leadership and management

handovers between shifts, annual appraisals and robust and supportive supervisions. The Registered Manager effectively challenges any identified shortfall in staff performance.

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Leadership and management

Young people’s records are clear, well organised and contribute to an understanding of their lives. Staff are competent and understand the home’s systems, policies and procedures. They ensure that any incidents are fully recorded and reported without delay; action taken is robust and always considers young people’s views.

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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 and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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