Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Unique reference number SC457183 Inspection date 02/10/2013 Inspector Michelle Bacon Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 14/02/2013 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 home is owned by a national provider. It provides care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is also registered as a school.

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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

This is an established home which has been taken over by a large private company. This is the home’s first full inspection since registration in February 2013. The staff effectively support young people to achieve good outcomes. As a result young people's engagement in their learning has improved as well as their behaviour. A placing social worker commented very positively about the progress a young person has made and put this down to the ‘dedication and hard work‛ of the staff.

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Overall effectiveness

The individual needs of young people are met through effective care planning. Care plans are kept under review and updated in line with young people's needs. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the individual needs of the young people. However, the absence of the minutes from one young person’s most recent statutory review means any actions identified have yet to be addressed.

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Overall effectiveness

Leadership and management arrangements are good. There is a core staff team that has remained largely stable. Furthermore, young people experience placement stability, helping them to feel safe and secure.

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Overall effectiveness

There are some areas for improvement identified at this inspection relating to Regulation 33 monitoring, improvements to the décor and staff training.

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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 the person carrying out the visit shall interview, with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the home.(Regulation 33(4)(a)) 28/10/2013

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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 children understand their health needs, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, in particular the importance of maintaining a healthy diet(NMS 6.2)  ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained. This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the home staff bedroom is decorated and the landing carpet is replaced(NMS 10.3)  ensure staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the young people and that their training is kept up-to-date(NMS 18.1)  ensure the results of statutory reviews are recorded on the child's file, and the individuals responsible for pursuing actions at the home arising from reviews are clearly identified.(NMS 25.8)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making good progress in terms of their education and emotional well-being. They are being supported to develop an understanding of their backgrounds, build emotional resilience and improve their self-esteem. One placing social worker commented that a young person's ‘social skills′ have improved as well as them developing ‘a sense of empathy‛ since living in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Strong links with specialist health professionals support young people's emotional and physical health. For some young people their health has improved because they are now accessing suitable medical services and receiving additional support from the in-house therapeutic service. However, some young people do not benefit from eating consistently healthy meals because they choose foods that are convenient rather than nutritious, which potentially compromises their good health.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Attendance and participation in education is encouraged and supported by the staff. Young people have access to tutors who attend the home and provide lessons. This is beneficial for those young people who have missed a substantial amount of education as it enables them to successfully re-engage in their learning. Young people over statutory school leaving age are developing their skills and improving their life chances by taking vocational courses.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to engage positively in a range of activities in the home and within the local community. This enables them to try new experiences, improve their social skills and grow in confidence. Furthermore, those young people with a history of offending behaviour prior to living in this home have managed to turn this behaviour around.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are effectively being prepared for adult life. Staff support them to develop their independence skills so that they will be better equipped in looking after themselves when moving on to more independent living.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are able to maintain contact with family and those people who play a significant role in their lives. Contact arrangements are fully supported by staff. Young people are encouraged to develop positive friendships and their friends are made welcome in the home. This gives them a sense of belonging.

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Quality of care

Overall young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. They are encouraged to behave appropriately; the staff team use incentives and regular direct working sessions to enable young people to take responsibility for their own behaviour. As a result, young people are learning to manage their own behaviour over the duration of their placement. This has led to the positive consequences outweighing the negatives.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from detailed placement plans. These clearly identify the needs of the young person, how these will be met and the progress they are making. However, one young person's file does not contain the minutes from their most recent statutory review, which means any actions identified have yet to be addressed. Young people's views and opinions are sought on their day-to-day care and action is taken to support their requests. Furthermore, the staff regularly seek feedback from key professionals and parents in the form of questionnaires about the quality of care. This helps to ensure that young people continue to receive good quality care.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to make a compliant because they are provided with good information through regular house meetings, key worker sessions and the children's guide. There have been no complaints from them.

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Quality of care

Staff are trained in order to meet the health needs of young people, for example, to ensure the safe administration of medication and first aid. The staff have developed effective working relationships with health professionals in order to meet young people's physical and emotional well-being. The home has robust and secure procedures for the safe administration and storage of medication. The good practice of staff ensures the health needs of all young people are fully addressed.

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Quality of care

Professionals who have regular contact with the home, such as a social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer(IRO) and a clinical psychologist are positive about this service. One professional rated the service as excellent and another reported that staff have young people's interests in mind. One young person who successfully moved on from the home wrote to the first line manager saying: ‘thank you… you have helped me a lot doing well in school, supporting me with my exams and getting into college… I couldn't have done it without you.’

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Quality of care

Young people live in a homely environment which provides good space to meet their needs. Some rooms have recently been re-decorated to improve the appearance of the home. Young people have their own bedrooms, which they are able to personalise to their own taste. However, one of the staff bedrooms is in need of decorating as the wall paper is badly torn in places and the landing carpet is in need of replacement as it is heavily stained. The home is well located with easy access to the local shops and amenities.

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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

Placing social workers feel that the home is a safe place to live. The home’s policies and procedures ensure the welfare and safety of young people is fully protected. This includes safeguarding training for all staff, which is regularly updated to ensure they know how to protect children and young people from harm and abuse. This is a solo placement and the young person currently at the home is not experiencing any bullying.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has agreed protocols with the local police to protect young people who go missing. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place to enable them to return to the home safe and well. The number of episodes of young people going missing from the home is low.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in behaviour management, including the appropriate use of restraint. The home’s records show this is only used as a last resort in order to keep young people safe. There has been minimal use of restraint in the home. Young people's behaviour management plans clearly identify how to manage behaviours in a consistent way. Young people are protected, as far as is possible, by the organisation’s use of safe recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure that they are only cared for by suitable people. The staff follow good health and safety procedures within the home. They undertake regular health and safety checks, including regular fire drills to ensure young people live in a safe environment.

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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 competent, suitably qualified and experienced Registered Manager in place. She also manages another two homes within the organisation so is not in full time day-to-day charge of the home. However, there is a qualified first line manager who deputises in her absence. The Statement of Purpose, which has recently been reviewed, outlines the aims and objectives of the home. This means young people, their parents and the placing authority are provided with clear information on the service provided.

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Leadership and management

Monthly monitoring visits are completed by an external manager of the organisation. However, the visitor does not consistently speak with young people, their parents or social worker in order to gauge their views and opinions on the standard of care provided in the home.

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Leadership and management

Staff are well supported within the home. Regular supervision sessions and monthly team meetings support the staff in their role, enabling them to reflect on their care practice. Staff have access to good training to ensure young people are cared for by a skilled and knowledgeable staff team. However, some staff require their training to be updated as well as records being updated to demonstrate any recent training completed. Young people are cared for by an adequate number of staff.

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Leadership and management

Records are generally well maintained with young people's files containing historical information prior to their placement and covering their time in the home. This will be useful to them in the future.

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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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