Children's Home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Cheshire East

Unique reference number SC460800 Inspection date 19/12/2013 Inspector Michelle Bacon Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 22/05/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is owned by a private company. It is a specialist service that provides care and accommodation for up to four young males.

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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 the home’s first inspection since it was registered with Ofsted. It continues to meet the requirements of registration. The manager and staff provide young people with a good quality of care in a supportive environment. However, outcomes for some young people have been limited from their starting point because their very complex behaviours have impacted on their engagement with the support services available. One young person has very recently moved into the home and is currently the only young person in placement. They did not want to talk to the inspector during the inspection.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff are very knowledgeable about the individual needs of young people. On one occasion the home placed a young person without full information from the placing authority. However, improvements in multi-agency work and decision making means placements can be appropriately risk assessed to ensure the home can meet the needs of all young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff develop positive relationships with young people. A key professional commented on the consistency of care that young people receive and despite some placements only being for a short period of time, outcomes for these young people have been successful in relation to their starting point. The staff are child-focused and well trained in working with young people with particular complex behaviours.

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Overall effectiveness

Effective monitoring systems are in place to monitor young people's progress and the development of the home. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Although the home demonstrates a capacity for continued improvement there are some areas for further development. The Registered Manager does not receive regular supervision. Young people do not consistently have their comments recorded in the homes disciplinary records. Also, the restraint records use formal language to describe the types of holds used. The conservatory does not have any heating and the roof also leaks.

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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 all person's employed receive appropriate supervision, specifically the registered manager.(Regulation 27(4)(a)) 27/01/2014

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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 where any sanctions, disciplinary measures or restraint are used, children are encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept by the home(NMS 3.18)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated, in particular that the conservatory is adequately heated and leaking roof is repaired(10.3)  ensure the home only provides admission to children whose assessed needs they can reasonably expect to meet(NMS 11.2)  ensure entries in records are legible, clearly expressed, non-stigmatising and distinguish as far as possible between fact, opinion and third party information, this specifically relates to the recording of physical interventions.(NMS 22.4)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Overall the emotional and psychological needs of young people are largely met in the short time that they have been in placement. The young people placed at this home have very complex behaviours that require specialist support and intervention. However, at the time of placement most young people are dealing with more pressing issues before any therapeutic work can begin, and as a result progress in this area is limited.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy adequate physical health. They are involved in the menu planning and learn the importance of healthy eating. Young people are offered the opportunity to engage in activities that will help to keep them fit but often decline to take part in these. Young people are encouraged to take more pride in their personal appearance and bedrooms and rewards are in place to support this. This improves young people's feelings of self worth.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Educational outcomes for most young people are limited. Most young people have engaged well initially but they have struggled to maintain this. However, staff have used activities like a trip to a transport museum as an educational opportunity. Staff work closely with educational professionals to try and improve young people's attendance and engagement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to engage in positive activities in the community, for example, trips to the cinema, spending time with friends, visiting an aquarium and a theme park. However, other young people have engaged in risk-taking behaviour which has impacted on their placement.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy mostly positive relationships with the staff. The staff provide young people with clear guidance and boundaries and they talk to them about their behaviour so that they know better what is acceptable. Staff respond appropriately to inappropriate behaviour with suitable sanctions. However, young people do not consistently have their views recorded in the home's disciplinary records to assist in the monitoring of the overall effectiveness with young people.

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Quality of care

Staff work closely with specialist support services to promote the welfare of young people. Staff are able to demonstrate a very good awareness of individual young people's needs. A key professional commented that staff have ‘a good understanding of how complex trauma impact on young people's lives ‛ and that young people experience ‘emotional safety’ in their placement. This depth of understanding means that young people receive a level of care which is centred on their particular needs. Young people are cared for in line with their care plans and placement plans. A social worker who has recently placed a young person in the home commented ‘ I have to say the work they have put in is outstanding… all agencies are involved to ensure the best support for him.′

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to express their views and opinions about the home and their care. This is done through consultations with the manager and one-to-one sessions with the staff. There is a clear complaints process in place which is available to all young people. In addition young people have access to independent advocacy outside of the home. There have been no complaints. Comprehensive planning and assessment ensures that the home is suitable to meet individual young people’s needs. However, on one occasion the home placed a young person without full information from the placing authority. This has the potential to impact on the care young people receive. In addition some young people's very complex and challenging behaviours has impacted on placement stability. A multi- agency approach is now taken so that decisions about future placements can be appropriately risk assessed.

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Quality of care

The home is furnished and decorated to a good standard. Recent damage to the home by young people has been repaired. The home has a very large conservatory where there is a pool table and weight's bench. However, there is no heating in there and when it rains the roof lets in water. There are plans to make the necessary repairs needed to the roof.

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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

Staff work hard to provide a safe and supportive home. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and are well trained in child protection. Discussion with a placing social worker confirmed that incidents of bullying behaviour have been dealt with appropriately by the staff.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The manager and key professionals regularly review young people's safety. Individual risk assessments clearly identify young people's vulnerabilities and the strategies for managing these risks. However, these had little impact on some young people's behaviour. Risk planning and review meetings have been implemented to ensure a multi- agency approach that promotes safe working practices to meet the needs of individual young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There have been a significant number of young people reported missing from the home. The home follows agreed local police protocols to ensure young people return safely. The home has positive links with the local police and Youth Offending Service. In addition a specialist service works with both the young people and staff by providing regular consultation in relation young people's high risk behaviours. Professionals confirm the home is willing to work with them to promote the welfare and safety of young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in behaviour management, including the appropriate use of physical intervention. Physical intervention is rarely used and only in the last resort to protect young people and others from harm. However, records of physical intervention do not use plain language to describe the techniques used by staff; staff use phrases such as ‘interim control position’ and ‘team control position.‛ This means that only those people who have undertaken this specific physical intervention training will be aware of these terms.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a physically safe and secure environment. Good health and safety procedures and annual safety checks, are implemented which protects young people well. Staff carry out regular fire drills, to ensure the premises are safe and young people know how to leave the building safely in case of an emergency.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The organisation follows a robust recruitment and selection process ensuring that staff working with young people are suitable. Staff files were not inspected on this visit as this was done as part of the registration process. There are suitable systems in place to ensure that visitors to the home are suitably checked and supervised to protect young people.

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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

Young people live in a home that is effectively managed by an experienced and qualified manager. The manager demonstrates a strong commitment to delivering good quality childcare that is tailored to the individual needs of the young people they care for. A clear Statement of Purpose outlines the aims and objectives of the home. This ensures families, placing social workers and other professionals are clear about the service and support provided.

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Leadership and management

Young people are cared for by staff who are well trained and supported in their role. The manager provides regular supervision that enables staff to reflect on their performance and development. However, the manager does not receive regular supervision to support her in her role. Regular team meetings take place where staff are able to reflect on young people's progress and the impact the home is having on this. The team are dedicated to improving outcomes for young people and take a multi-disciplinary approach to this.

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Leadership and management

The numbers of staff on duty are adequate to meet the needs of the young people. A number of the original staff team have left in recent months. However, one professional confirmed this has not had an impact on the standard of care to young people. They said ‘there have been changes to the main body of staff but the way they worked actually remained consistent and that’s what kept it ticking over.′ The manager has recruited new staff who are either completing their induction or are waiting for the appropriate checks to be completed. In addition she is consulting with her managers in relation to the rotas; she wants to make changes to the current shift pattern so that the staff work shorter shifts. This will be far more beneficial to the staff when working with young people who present with very complex and challenging behaviours.

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Leadership and management

There are effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care and the operation of the home. The provider visits the home each month and their report clearly reflects on the quality of care and identifies areas for development. This demonstrates a commitment to improving to the service and outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

The manager ensures the appropriate authorities are notified of any significant events relating to the welfare and safety of young people.

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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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