Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Rochdale

Unique reference number SC456543 Inspection date 07/08/2013 Inspector Stella Lovie Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 15/02/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is privately run and is registered for up to one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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 adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides an adequate quality of care, with sound individual plans for the young people. It delivers personalised and well-planned support to young people so that they make good progress from their starting points across most areas of their development. This includes attaining real success in some aspects of their education. However, this would be further improved if young people were consistently supported in their participation in education.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people report positive views about the care they receive from staff and enjoy constructive and safe relationships with them. However, staff have not been sufficiently proactive in helping young people understand the diverse culture they live within.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people live in a comfortable home but there remain some areas internally and externally that need maintenance and decoration. However, this has not yet impacted negatively on young people’s welfare, and the manager has taken prompt action to ensure that this is put right.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people feel safe in the home and feel able to talk to staff about worries that they have. This does include seeking help in managing constructive relationships with peers in the local area. However staff have not always fully recognised all the risks associated with young people on the rare occasions they go missing in the community. In this respect, staff would benefit from training in working with sexually inappropriate behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people fully understand how to make a complaint and are confident that they will be followed up thoroughly. However, the Registered Manager must ensure the appropriate differentiation between complaints and allegations, and refer all alleged concerns about staff to the local authority for independent oversight. Young people also need access to a telephone without having to ask staff so that they are not inhibited in any way from making contact with external professionals or relatives.

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Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager has a sufficient understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has development plans in place. Other minor shortfalls that require attention include consistency in staff recording in line with the home’s policies, and obtaining feedback from young people to inform staff appraisals. Overall, there are no breaches in regulation or failures to meet minimum standards that impact negatively on the welfare or safety of young people.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that children accommodated in the home are provided at all reasonable times with access to a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private, and which they may use without reference to persons working in the home (Regulation 15 (4) (a)) 07/11/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all parts of the children's home used by the children are of sound construction and kept in good structural repair externally and internally, and are kept reasonably decorated and maintained; with particular regard to the decoration of children's bedrooms, the maintenance of the front and back amenity areas and the replacement of the cooker hob. (Regulation 31 (2) (d) (e)) 06/09/2013

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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 staff support children's social and emotional development, with particular regard to proactive education in daily living about racism and sexism (NMS 2.2)  ensure that where children placed out of authority go missing, the registered manager of the home follows the local RMFHC protocol, with particular regard to adhering to known assessed levels of risk (NMS 5.7)  ensure that children are helped by staff to achieve their education goals (NMS 8.4)  ensure that staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the children, with particular regard to training in relation to working with sexually inappropriate behaviour (NMS 18.1)  ensure that the children's home procedure and actions are in line with Government guidance, with particular regard to ensuring consultation with the LADO in respect of all allegations against staff (NMS 20.2)  ensure that all staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping, with

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Recommendations

particular regard to positive consequences, recording of all incidents of inappropriate behaviour and consistent use of 12 or 24 hour clock (Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations, Volume 5: Children's Homes 3.28)  ensure that staff appraisal takes into account any views of children the service is providing for. (NMS 19.6)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people engage well with life story work and counselling so that they gain a helpful understanding about their background. This aids the development of emotional resilience. One social worker commented: ‘the previous high levels of assaults and damage have reduced massively. He is also much more engaged and keen about his education. He is also able to take more responsibility for his behaviour and can talk about what he did in the past and his part in this.’ As a consequence, risk-taking behaviours are decreasing.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people demonstrate a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and take some responsibility for their own health. They are encouraged to think seriously about their health in a holistic way, paying attention to the quality of their diet, their habits (including smoking) and their general fitness. As a result, their physical and emotional health is promoted and they have an increased sense of self- esteem. This is further enhanced by young people’s opportunities to learn practical skills such as cooking and budgeting so that their independence is encouraged in line with their age and maturity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress with some aspects of their education from their starting points. As one educational professional confirmed: ‘(name) has made a fantastic start in year 10 practical physical education studies … he should attain the higher competence mark. Overall, great attainment, progress, effort and behaviour.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people play a significant role in the daily running of the home. They are consulted with in the choice of furnishings and décor and feel that the home is centred around their needs. They also feel listened to and involved in the decision- making about them. This promotes their well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff are imaginative in sourcing and training for off-site activities and young people are supported to undertake a wide range of activities and trips out. This includes achieving well in sports in the community such as rock climbing and skiing. These achievements are celebrated and recorded in photos. This helps young people to have positive memories of their childhood.

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Quality of care

The home supports young people’s education through appropriately registered in- house arrangements. However, young people occasionally show intermittent commitment in their participation, and tutors sometimes compound this by arriving late or not at all. This means that young people’s learning and achievement of personal targets is not as good as it could be. Also, young people’s broader education in matters of equality and diversity is not fully addressed in daily living. Consequently, opportunities to widen young people’s cultural and social awareness are missed.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from individualised placement plans that are subject to regular review and update. Staff work well with young people to ensure that their weekly plans are followed. Young people are involved in the development of their plans and are clear about their goals. Young people are aware of their wider care plans and are supported by staff to be involved in meetings held about them. They therefore feel part of their future planning and have confidence that their voice will be heard.

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Quality of care

Staff show insight and understanding of young people’s needs and family histories and, as a result, young people learn to appreciate and value the efforts staff make. As one young person commented: ‘staff understand me and I have my own space. I am allowed to just calm down in my room and staff don’t get in my face. Staff chill with me and have a laugh unlike staff in my previous homes.’ This demonstrates that young people receive effective support in managing their feelings which helps them to establish positive and professional relationships with the adults in the home.

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Quality of care

There are good collaborative links with health professionals and other agencies. This allows helpful guidance and support to be provided when young people are most in need. For example, the home has constructive links with the local police who visit and address matters with young people using a restorative justice approach. This helps to avoid criminalising young people unnecessarily, yet enables clear messages to be given about appropriate and safe behaviour and consequences.

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Quality of care

Young people contribute to the development of the home because staff provide good opportunities for them to present their views in young people’s meetings and individual key work sessions. Young people confirm that staff listen well to them, and respond promptly to any matters raised. Young people know how to make a complaint and feel able to do so. However, they do not have access to a telephone which they can use without reference to persons working in the home. This potentially inhibits their ability to communicate privately with external professionals or family.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are clear that physical intervention is very much a last resort and are more comfortable using the positive relationships built up with young people to diffuse difficult situations. Consequently, young people benefit from friendly but professional interactions with staff which are underpinned by effective behaviour management strategies based on praise, incentives and realistic individual targets. This results in no physical restraints and only minimal and appropriate use of sanctions.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in most aspects of safeguarding young people, are alert to their vulnerabilities, and are knowledgeable about how to implement safeguarding children procedures. Young people report a strong sense of safety within the home but still struggle to manage safe relationships with peers in the community. However, they engage well with staff and therapeutic support to learn better strategies about how to create more constructive friendships. As a result, young people are helped to think carefully about the choices they make now which will affect their future quality of life.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are aware of the factors that may trigger young people to go missing. Consequently, the incidences of young people missing from the home are minimised. However, staff have not always acknowledged all the risks associated with young people failing to return to the home in accordance with local police protocols. Although this has not led to a specific situation of concern, it does not fully promote young people’s safety. During inspection, appropriate action was taken in respect of risk assessments and liaison with the police to address this concern.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff recruitment processes are sufficiently robust to ensure that unsuitable people are deterred from having the opportunity to harm young people. However, the Registered Manager has not always ensured that all allegations against staff are referred to statutory bodies in line with Government guidance. Although such situations appear to have been thoroughly investigated, it is important that even apparently minor complaints by young people about alleged staff conduct are passed promptly to the relevant safeguarding officer in the local authority. This ensures that proper oversight is given to potential patterns of behaviour so that young people’s safety is paramount.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are adequate . The home benefits from being managed by an experienced Registered Manager who is in the process of completing her management qualification. She is supported by an appropriately experienced and qualified first line manager. This means that although the Registered Manager is responsible for three children’s homes, she is able to ensure sound and stable management of this home.

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Leadership and management

Although the requirement from the previous inspection about the physical environment has been acted upon, there remain concerns about some aspects of the maintenance and decoration of the home. However, these were fully discussed with the Registered Manager and the estates manager during the inspection, and they have arranged for the necessary work to be done. This work is important as it promotes young people’s sense of well-being.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She has a comprehensive development plan in place which is regularly reviewed. This helps to ensure that the home develops in line with monitoring and inspection feedback. The manager achieves a working consensus within the staff team where goals are shared and staff are equally motivated. This serves to promote better outcomes for the young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people are cared for in a consistent manner by a staff team that enjoys their work. As a result, vulnerable young people develop confidence in the response that they receive. This helps to reduce their anxieties. Staff feel they receive support and are valued in the role that they play. They have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually. However, young people are not invited to contribute their views to this process. This means that significant information is not taken into account in monitoring staff. Staff morale is positive and there is good ‘buy-in’ to the improvement agenda. However, staff are not fully trained to work with all the complex needs of the young people they care for. This inhibits their competency in managing some associated behaviours.

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Leadership and management

Records are clear, up-to-date and stored securely. They contribute to an adequate understanding of the young people’s lives. However they are not always completed in line with the home’s policies and this can obscure recognition of patterns and trends in young people’s behaviour.

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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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