Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC459168 Inspection date 01/11/2013 Inspector Deirdra Keating Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 20/02/2013 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 provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned 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

This home provides well-planned care that incorporates young people's unique needs and helps them to understand their backgrounds and develop as individuals. This has resulted in young people who have made measurable changes in their lives. Overall, the impact of the care provided to each young person is evident in the individual progress they have made.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are positive about the home, the staff and the opportunities made available to them. The views of young people are important to staff and are reflected in their care. The relationships between staff and young people are good Staff provide clear boundaries, which helps young people by making them feel safe and contained.

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Overall effectiveness

There is a strong commitment to improvement and developing the service to ensure the outcomes are good. Managerial and external monitoring of the home are good.

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Overall effectiveness

The shortfalls raised for improvement includes the recording of restraints; maintenance of furniture, structural repairs and choices for young people regarding their bedroom décor. These shortfalls they do not impact directly on young people or detract from the good quality of care that is provided.

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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

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of any measure of control restraint or discipline in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure (Regulation 17B (3)(b)) 22/11/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all parts of the children's home used by the children are kept in good structural repair externally and internally this is with specific regard to the windows and the bedroom furniture. (Regulation 31 (2)(d)) 20/12/2013

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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 children are able to promote all aspects of their individual identity this is in regard to personalising bedrooms (NMS 2.1)  ensure the home can adequately and consistently maintain provision which complies with regulations or national minimum standards in relation to the good maintenance of the property and provision of a suitable vehicle (NMS 15.3)  ensure that new staff undertake the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s induction standards, commencing within seven working days of starting their employment. (NMS 18.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are very settled at the home. In relation to young people's previous placements this is a radical change and demonstrates good progress for each individual. Young people enjoy taking part in activities with staff; they genuinely like the staff and talk about the home favourably. The relationships between young people and staff are supportive, benefiting young people. Staff advocate for young people well; they have a humorous rapport with them and implement firm boundaries. This helps young people feel secure and know what the expectations are. One young person said ‘I am happy in this home, I really like the staff, there is nothing I would change about the home.’ Young people feel confident in talking to staff about any issues they have and know that these will be investigated fairly and swiftly. This helps young people know the systems in the home are fair and staff value their views. Young people speak highly

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Outcomes for children and young people

of the manager and their individual key workers. They show genuine warmth and enthusiasm as they greet a member of staff back from holidays.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people attend school regularly, participate in varied activities and demonstrate an enthusiasm and commitment to the agreed expectations of the home. This has resulted in young people who benefit from clear routines enabling them to develop a focus and confidence in their own abilities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are able to see their families, as agreed. This is facilitated and arranged with help from staff. Staff are flexible and resourceful in facilitating contact arrangements some of which involve long journeys. This ensures that young people can keep in contact with families and friends. Young people have friendships outside the home and spend time with peers in the community. This helps young people build social networks outside the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people develop their independence in accordance with their age and abilities. This includes managing time away from the home safely. Young people clean their rooms and do their personal laundry. They buy food and cook meals as part of the independence programme. This helps them develop valuable life skills.

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Quality of care

The staff are consistent in their concern for young people's happiness and well- being. This provides emotional security for young people. Staff ensure that young people are aware of their rights and encourage them to share their views about the home. They actively encourage young people to express their opinions and make suggestions. Young people contribute to menu planning, activity planning and discussions about the running of the house. However, young people's bedrooms are not decorated in accordance with their individual tastes and furniture is standard. This does not promote personal choice for young people.

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Quality of care

Staff are adept in understanding young people and the dynamics between peers that can prevent positive relationships. Individual behaviour management plans guide staff clearly. They tailor strategies to individual traits and this helps young people learn better ways of resolving conflict. Staff help young people understand that they care about their safety. Social workers report that staff respond well to incidents and prioritise young people's safety using guidelines in relation to young people's individual vulnerabilities.

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Quality of care

Staff provide extremely healthy role models. This helps young people take an active and responsible approach to their own personal health. Staff attend the gym and take part in physical activities with young people. This supports them to develop their fitness, challenge aggression and take pride in their appearance. Staff ensure menus incorporate young people's preferences while promoting healthy, nutritious options. Overall, young people benefit from being active, fit and healthy.

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Quality of care

Staff have high aspirations for young people and expect them to attend their educational provision. This works well. Young people agree to cooperate in agreement with shared expectations. This provides a good structure and results in academic progress and achievement.

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Quality of care

The care plans detail individual needs including cultural, religious, ethnic and identity details. Staff implement care plans alongside individual risk assessments to ensure that young people’s needs are fully met and they are kept safe.

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Quality of care

The home is clean and décor is generally well presented. However, there are windows frames that are rotten in places and broken furniture in bedrooms has not been replaced. In addition beds and mattresses are of the lowest grade and show heavy wear and tear. This does not provide a comfortable environment or give young people value in their surroundings.

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Quality of care

Staff support peer interaction and support free time well. A wide range of activities that compliment young people's skills and interests are offered. These include Motor Cross, ball games, cinema and film hire.

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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 cooperative and amiable with one another. This contributes to a harmonious atmosphere helping young people feel safe and relaxed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are some minor disagreements between young people and occasional incidents of bullying. However, staff are quick to address these and resolve the underlying issues. Young people clearly say that staff act on their concerns and always advocate for them. They emphasise that staff are approachable and available. Feedback from professionals corroborates this, overall young people feel protected and cared for.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are a low number of missing from home incidents in relation to the ages of young people. Risk assessments for individuals identify triggers and the level of risk. Staff work resourcefully to monitor young people and determine their whereabouts. The staff work closely with the police to reduce missing from home incidents and ensure young people return safely.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff implement behaviour management plans for each young person. Consequences for behavioural incidents link well to incidents and help young people learn from their actions. Staff utilise outside professionals to educate and inform young people. This demonstrates a preventative approach and helps young people understand the consequences of their actions in relation to working restoratively and the law. Meaningful rewards are used regularly to reinforce desirable behaviour and willingness to change. These work well, young people have made significant improvements in their behaviours and involvement in unsafe behaviours. Young people are much safer since coming to the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are some incidents that have required planned physical intervention. While these have been appropriate, the records of the incidents lack information and are not held in a specific volume. This makes monitoring difficult and does not fully safeguard young people involved in a physical restraint.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff undergo all the required checks prior to employment to ensure they are safe and suitable to work with young people. The home is safe and secure, all appliances are checked annually and hazards are monitored. Fire equipment is checked and young people are fully aware of how to evacuate the house. This means that young people are protected from accidents and the dangers of fire.

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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

There is a permanent Registered Manager and the management and oversight of the home is good. Staff are stimulated and motivated by the enthusiasm of the manager. The staff team are diverse in age, gender and race. Collectively they provide a good range of positive role models which benefits young people.

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Leadership and management

Records are clear and stored securely; and provide a clear overview of the home, transparency of events and enhance the robust monitoring of the home. This includes consultation with young people, professionals and placing authorities providing an extra safeguard for young people.

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Leadership and management

Environmental issues raised at the registration visit have been addressed in the main. However, the home does not benefit from a good maintenance programme or enough investment in the environment. There are shortfalls raised regarding the windows, furniture and the appropriateness of the car. The manager is committed to improvements and strives to provide the best possible environment for young people within the budgets made available to her. Maintenance of the windows and conservatory has deteriorated over time. Additionally there is one small vehicle available for staff to transport young people in, despite the highly rural location of the service. This has resulted in the car being unavailable for long periods while staff drive young people to their contact arrangements. Staff avail to ensure that young people are not restricted by this with the provision and use of their own cars.

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Leadership and management

The complaint procedure works well, two complaints made by young people regarding members of staff have been processed clearly by the manager and unfounded. The record of the investigation demonstrates the investigation outcome. This clear process empowers young people by giving them a forum to share their views.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose is under review to ensure that the home offers the facilities and support outlined. This ensures that placing authorities, parents and young people are given a true reflection of the home.

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Leadership and management

Despite several staff changes, which may have been potentially unsettling for young people, staff provide good care. Also consideration has been given to matching young people with key staff members and this has been benefited young people. The established staff are qualified to the required level and given mandatory training. However, new staff have not started on the induction standards despite being employed for several weeks. This means some staff are not fully equipped for their roles which could impact on the quality of care they provide to young people.

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Leadership and management

Overall, the home demonstrates good working relationships with external professionals. Feedback from professionals is generally good. They outline the impact and value that being at the home has had on young people. They are kept well informed by staff who they find approachable and helpful. The home has strong working relationships with the community police who visit the home and support staff when required.

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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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