Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

Unique reference number SC456800 Inspection date 21/01/2014 Inspector Michelle Bacon Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/05/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is owned by a national provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is also registered as a school.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making satisfactory progress .

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Progress

At the full inspection in May 2013, the overall effectiveness of the home was judged to be good. The manager has taken action to address two of the three recommendations made. All young people are making very good progress with their education. They all have an educational placement that they regularly attend. Staff have strong links with the school as they support young people on a daily basis in school. This ensures young people's full participation and attendance in school.

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Progress

A recommendation made at the last inspection to ensure all staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of young people, in particular that they have the skills to undertake life story work with individual young people has been addressed. Records demonstrate that two staff have completed this training. One young person has undertaken some life story work to help them gain an understanding of their background; this work was done by the placing authority. However, a recommendation to provide evidence that staff have undertaken first aid, food hygiene, medication and physical intervention training has not been met. Records in the home do not demonstrate that all new staff have undertaken these to assist them in effectively caring for young people.

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Progress

Individual placement plans outline young people's needs and the support needed to meet these. However, some plans including risk management plans have not been reviewed or updated. In addition some plans lack detail in relation to the cultural background of young people, in particular how the home plans to address this in day-to-day living.

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Progress

Young people benefit from regular contact with their families and friends. Some young people have made positive friendships outside of the home and enjoy spending time with their friends. Where appropriate staff facilitate contact in line with a young person's individual care plan. However, the home is currently supervising telephone contact with family members which has not been agreed with the young person's placing authority.

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Progress

The staff team reflect on the progress of young people during the team meetings. However, records do not demonstrate that all staff have received regular supervision. Furthermore, the records do not demonstrate that all staff have had their performance annually appraised to ensure their performance continues to improve.

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Progress

There is a copy of the Statement of Purpose on file in the home. However, this has not been updated to include the new staff working at the home. The manager has not monitored the homes records effectively to ensure they remain current and up- to-date.

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Progress

The home is maintained and decorated to a good standard. However, despite staff attempts to discourage young people from smoking they still continue to do so. They do this by the front door, and as a result have discarded their cigarettes ends by the door. This impacts on the overall appearance of the home.

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Progress

Although, this inspection has identified some areas for further improvement, overall the home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for 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 the statement of purpose is kept under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose (Regulation 5) 28/02/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure all staff receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal (Regulation 27(4)(a)) 28/02/2014

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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 children receive personalised care that promotes all aspects of their individual identity (NMS 2.1)  ensure any restriction on communication is agreed by the child's responsible authority, takes the child's wishes and feelings into account and is regularly reviewed in collaboration with the respective authority (NMS 9.4)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment that is well maintained and decorated, in particular that the front of the home is in keeping with the rest of the home (NMS 10.3)  ensure the manager regularly monitors, in line with regulations, all records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the homes policies, to identify any concerns about specific and to identify patterns and trends (NMS 21.2)  ensure each child's placement plan is monitored and updated by a key worker within the home. (NMS 25.2)

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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