Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Manchester

Unique reference number SC064666 Inspection date 20/03/2014 Inspector Monica Hargreaves Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 15/05/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned.

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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 last full inspection in May 2013, this home was judged to be good. Since that inspection, the home has made satisfactory progress overall.

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Progress

Two requirements were made at the previous inspection. These related to information that is held about young people and sanctions records. Both requirements are met. The home has copies of young people's local authority care plans and his ensures that they have good information about young people's history and current needs. The manager makes sure that sanctions are recorded in full and that records are kept up to date. He regularly checks the records to assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of sanctions that are given to young people. Young people are encouraged to read and sign their records.

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Progress

Two of the three recommendations that were made at the last inspection are met. Young people are supported to understand and contribute to their individual placement plans. This ensures that they are consulted about and involved in the decisions that are made about their care. All care staff, including casual staff, have regular supervision. This ensures that their work is monitored and they are supported in their care of young people.

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Progress

The recommendation that was made about young people's education is not fully met. Some young people attend school every day and are reaching their educational targets. However, other young people have not engaged with education and are therefore not making progress. Staff have a very positive view about the value of education. They work closely with the organisation's own education team to identify an appropriate provision for every young person. They also organise broader educational opportunities for young people, for example trips to museums, in order to engage them in the learning process.

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Progress

Staff have maintained the quality of care for young people. They report that they work well together and that they are well supported by the manager and senior staff. Young people themselves say that they feel that staff look after them well and they report that they feel safe in the home. For example, one young person said, 'Staff are kind and make sure I'm safe'. However, since the last inspection there have been incidents of bullying in the home. Staff are fully aware of these and are working to ensure that bullying does not happen and that all young people are protected. Young people spoken with report that they know that bullying is not acceptable and say that staff have tried to make sure that it does not happen. However, they say that on occasions it still does and that this makes them unhappy. Young people are confident about making complaints and feel that these are taken seriously. They report that

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Progress

they have complained to the manager about bullying and these complaints are being responded to appropriately by the home's manager. Staff are trained in countering bullying and have put in place in a number of strategies to reduce the risk of bullying and to protect young people. The manager and staff continue to review the work they do with young people and they make sure that young people are appropriately supervised.

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Progress

Overall, the home is generally well maintained, although there are some areas that require attention. In particular, the floor in the young people's 'chill out' room has sunk in one corner and needs to be repaired. The flooring in the kitchen requires attention and the bath needs to be replaced. The manager said that there are plans in place to address all these issues. On the day of the inspection, a member of the organisation's maintenance team came to the home to assess the environment and confirmed that the repairs will be attended to.

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Progress

Three recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection. These relate to bullying, young people's education and the maintenance of some parts of the home.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure all young people understand that bullying is unacceptable (NMS 3.11)  ensure that children are supported to attend school, college or alternative provision regularly (NMS 8.3)  ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained and that repairs are attended to. (NMS 10.3)

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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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