Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Devon

Unique reference number SC467704 Inspection date 26/02/2014 Inspector Janice Hawtin Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/08/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children’s home is a large and spacious detached house which offers care and accommodation for up to two young people. These young people may have emotional and/or 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 good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides an effective quality of care, where detailed planning and work in partnership with other stakeholders contributes to the progress and safety of children and young people. A social worker commented ‘the staff have done a great job, I’m impressed with the manager, they stick with young people through very difficult times and when presented with complex needs. This is a strong experienced staff group and they will advocate on behalf of young people’.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager is a reflective practitioner who has the confidence and support of the care staff. Development plans are in place alongside live ‘to do’ plans. Consequently the home can demonstrate a commitment to continuous practice improvements which benefit children and young people. Alongside other changes staff are implementing a garden development plan, and in the process of publishing an additional booklet for young people, with useful information including detail of activities.

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Overall effectiveness

The implementation of clear boundaries and expectations contributes to children and young people developing acceptable behaviour and keeping them safe. Young people feel safe and staff are constantly reviewing the fine line between risk avoidance and risk management. This allows young people to become gradually independent of staff supervision, take suitable age-appropriate risks and remain safe.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff are providing and trying to engage children and young people in learning opportunities during the school day. Despite these efforts some young people refuse to engage in full time education or learning. This puts them at a disadvantage compared with peers when seeking employment or higher education opportunities and it is not possible to demonstrate academic progress.

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Overall effectiveness

Access to the homes computer is restrictive and does not allow for young people to learn how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and social media.

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Overall effectiveness

The statement of purpose has been updated to provide the information required. There are still some anomalies in the detail; the manager took some action towards addressing this during the inspection.

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Overall effectiveness

Pre-employment checks are undertaken within the wider organisation. The references provided for some staff during the recruitment process lack sufficient detail of suitability to work with young people. This undermines what is otherwise a robust process to ensure the safety and suitability of staff.

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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 make use of educational facilities appropriate to their age, aptitude, needs, interests and potential (Regulation 18(1)(a)) 30/04/2014

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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 that the home has a clear Statement of Purpose which is available to and understood by staff and children (NMS 13.1)  ensure that recruitment and vetting checks include at least two references which include a statement from the referee as to their opinion of the person's suitability to work with children (NMS 16.3 (d))  provide children with the resources which allow them to take age appropriate risks and help them to understand how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and social media. (NMS 4.4)

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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

Young people are helped to develop confidence and a positive self-view in this home, where they are valued and treated with respect and understanding. The environment is welcoming and personalised, with records of achievement and photographs of children and young people. Memory boxes contain photos and other memorabilia so that they have a history of their time in the home. This is compiled alongside a log book which contains positive comments from the staff about activities and time spent together. This practice contributes to them developing self-esteem, confidence and feeling valued.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Contact with families is encouraged and supported by staff where appropriate. This helps young people to improve their understanding of their backgrounds and maintain important relationships. Where increased contact is not possible, young people are helped to understand why.

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Outcomes for children and young people

It is clear from the interaction between staff and young people that they have formed and sustain attachments to the staff. One young person said 'the staff are great, I get on with all of them'. These relationships improve their emotional resilience and instil feelings of security, which in turn reduces anxiety. There has been a gradual planned reduction in supervision needs for some young people which contributes to their independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Educational attendance and achievement is a priority. Staff try to negotiate bespoke education and work experience packages for young people who have disrupted full time school placements. Despite the efforts of staff some young people refuse to engage in full time learning opportunities and are getting further behind peers in educational achievements. This will affect young people’s opportunities to engage in higher education and compete with peers for jobs.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Serious risk taking and unacceptable behaviour has diminished significantly for some young people. There is a notable reduction in incidents of unsafe behaviour, and the criminalisation of difficult behaviour has ceased since moving into this home. Children and young people are engaged in positive activities. They benefit from the range of activities on offer and broaden their experiences through exposure to new opportunities. Young people enjoy spending time out and about, maintain interests and use community facilities such as the gym and local parks. One young person created and distributed Christmas cards to neighbours, building on the positive reputation of the home within this small community.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff support and encourage young people to take responsibility for their own health depending on their ability. They attend regular routine health checks and are helped to understand the importance of exercise and healthy eating. Some young people continue to smoke which will affect their health into adult life.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff enable young people to express their views and feelings about the care provided depending on their age and ability. Young people make choices for themselves including clothing and hairstyle and it is evident that they take a pride in their appearance. Residents meetings and individual support sessions inform practice and the views of young people are sort to inform planning meetings.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people approaching adulthood continuously improve independence skills. Alongside opportunities to develop social and emotional maturity and sexual health and relationships knowledge, they are acquiring practical skills such as shopping, cooking and cleaning.

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Quality of care

Children and young people benefit from the care provided; they are making social and emotional progress. It is evident that they trust the staff to care for them and act in their best interests. Staff have high expectations for children and young people and talk positively about their achievements. Relationships and responses to children and young people are considered and respectful. This practice develops children and young people’s self-esteem, confidence and feelings of self-worth. Social workers report that young people are doing well and are kept safe. They confirm that communication is effective and they receive regular updates about the progress made or any concerns so that they are dealt with in consultation with stakeholders.

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Quality of care

The knowledge, experience and efficiency of the manager and staff is fundamental in the quality of care provided. Children and young people have detailed individualised plans covering all aspects of their care needs. Age related, identity and religious needs of young people are known to staff. Specialist support and guidance is available from the organisation’s clinical psychologist to inform practice and understand behaviour. Plans are regularly reviewed to avoid any delay in young people’s progress.

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Quality of care

Risk assessments identify triggers to difficult behaviour and detail action to support productive responses. Clear boundaries and expectations support the positive behaviour of children and young people. It has on occasion been necessary to use physical restraint to avoid serious risk of injury to staff or children and protect their safety and dignity. This practice is proving to some children for the first time that staff can keep them safe and are in control. Negative behaviour is reducing as a consequence.

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Quality of care

Children and young people are encouraged to attend education provision and are provided with alternatives to compensate for school placements while these are being sought. Staff work in partnership with education providers, colleges and work experience providers to try and engage young people in developing skills and learning opportunities.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to make a complaint and will express their discontent to staff if they have any concerns. Staff understand the needs of young people. They readily identify if young people are unhappy through observation of behaviour and physical well-being. Issues are dealt with quickly to avoid escalation and resolve any problems. A young-person-friendly complaint form is available which is easy to complete. The young person's guide to the home contains details of several independent associations who would provide support and guidance if needed.

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Quality of care

Children and young people influence all aspects of the care provided. Consequently they feel valued and this contributes to them developing self-esteem and confidence. Discussions with young people afford them opportunities to provide ideas about the home and help with planning. Young people routinely choose activities and food.

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Quality of care

The care provided is led by the needs of young people, making them feel valued and contributing to the success of placements. Individual support provides almost constant opportunities for discussions and the early resolution of any concerns or worries. Discussions are also used to inform and educate young people; examples include discussions about risk taking, education, work experience opportunities and cyber-bullying.

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Quality of care

The home provides a suitable environment which is spacious, clean and decorated and maintained to a high standard. All young people have their own room. Personalisation of the environment by and on behalf of children and young people adds to their sense of belonging. The home is well equipped with activity resources such as toys, books and games. Outside areas have suffered in recent weeks because of adverse weather conditions; plans are in place to develop these areas.

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Quality of care

Regular access to the home’s computer to access the internet and social networking sites is limited or has not been provided to young people. This reduces opportunities for young people to access the wealth of information available, engage in age- appropriate activity and understand how to keep themselves safe when using social media and electronic communication. In addition, young people are missing out on opportunities to improve computer and keyboard skills.

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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

Children and young people are kept safe and feel safe. They appear at home and comfortable in this environment and can express any concerns to the staff. Careful matching of placements reduces anxiety and avoids issues of bullying or negative influences between residents. Understanding the particular vulnerabilities of children and young people alongside a knowledge of their history and previous influences supports positive behaviour management.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The use of rewards to influence behaviour is proving successful and has led to improvements for children, particularly around bedtime routines. All reward targets are realistic and add to a sense of achievement for children. Physical intervention is only used as a last resort to prevent risk of injury.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Comprehensive pre-incident planning and supervision of young people, alongside work in partnership with other agencies, supports their safety. Practice to deal with young people who go missing from the home follows police protocols and ensures work in partnership with all those who seek to return young people as quickly as possible. Incidents are few and young people return quickly.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Safeguarding of young people is a priority and all staff receive formal training to be sure that they know what to do and who to contact in the event of a child protection issue.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected by the vetting of any visitors to the home and a visitors' book is signed to keep a record of those entering the premises. The recruitment process includes several welfare and police checks; this helps to protect young people from adults who may seek to do them harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Recruitment records are maintained in the organisation’s local offices and available on the electronic recording system. Some references for staff do not contain detail of the person’s suitability to work with children; this undermines what is otherwise a robust recruitment process.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Regular health and safety checks take place. Fire safety and early detection systems are in place to protect children and young people in the event of a 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

This is the first inspection since the home was registered in June 2013. The Registered Manager came from managing another children’s home which has a reputation for providing good quality care with some outstanding elements. She has been able to replicate many of these high standards to the benefit of children and young people in this home.

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Leadership and management

Staff report that they can ask for the support and guidance they need and they express confidence in the manager. Formal supervision is provided on a regular basis and at an enhanced level for those undertaking probationary assessments. In line with the organisation’s polices, staff completing induction standards also keep a reflective diary. Consequently formal opportunities for reflection to improve practice and to ensure staff fulfil their role and responsibilities to children and young people are robust.

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Leadership and management

The home empowers young people to express any discontent or concern. Appropriate action is taken in dealing with any complaints, and grumbles are also recorded to ensure young people are taken seriously and that their views are recorded. Where it would not be in their best interests to act on their wishes children and young people are helped to understand why. This contributes to developing effective and productive relationships with care staff.

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Leadership and management

Managers and staff demonstrate a commitment to compliance and continuous practice improvement to benefit service users. Independent monitoring of the service is completed on a monthly basis and these reports are forwarded to Ofsted for quality assurance purposes. The manager undertakes regular analysis of the care provided to inform planning and ensure quality. Detailed development and action plans contribute to improving practice. Specific responsibilities are allocated to team members acknowledging their strengths and skills. This reinforces staff investment in the service and avoids drift in completing tasks. Of particular note are the plans to develop the outside space and make best use of the garden. These include diagrams and month by month detail of what needs to be done depending on the weather and seasons.

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Leadership and management

Young people’s records are clear and well ordered. They contribute to understanding the life of young people; identify care needs and record progress made and plans for the future. They are stored securely to avoid breaches of confidentiality. Review and planning meetings are up to date and where appropriate children young people have been involved in these meetings and consulted about the care provided.

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Leadership and management

Training opportunities for staff are suitable; all staff have undertaken essential training and they can access specialist when needed. Consequently children and young people benefit from a staff team who are well-trained and equipped to meet their needs. All are either qualified, undertaking a minimum level 3 child care qualification, or completing essential induction training. This supports competence in their work practice.

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Leadership and management

Working in partnership with other agencies has improved the care and welfare of young people. The police work in close partnership with the home, and sometimes visit for a cup of tea and a chat. This has been significant in allaying some fears and anxieties young people had about the police. Police are also helping to deal with difficult behaviour without use of the criminal justice system. This work is avoiding criminalising the behaviour of young people and improving police understanding of the impact their historical experiences has on this behaviour.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose has been recently updated to include all the information required. Some of the detail and wording is ambiguous, which could confuse placing authorities or other stakeholders. The manager is in the process of amending this document and some progress was made during the inspection.

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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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