Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Unique reference number SC457433 Inspector Michelle Bacon Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Advanced Childcare Limited Registered person address Pinnacle House 2 Oakwood Square, Cheadle Royal Business Park CHEADLE Cheshire SK8 3SB

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Responsible individual

Registered manager Kelly-Anne Wade Date of last inspection 12/09/2013 2 of 9 Inspection date 11/06/2014

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Responsible individual

Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are settled in the home and overall continue to make good progress. Young people benefit from consistency of support from a staff team who provide effective, high quality, individualised support to them. The staff are fully committed to ensuring young people achieve positive outcomes. One professional commented ‘the placement has gone over and above supporting this young person…I am exceptionally pleased…they are committed to this young person despite the young person’s extremely challenging behaviour.’

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Overall effectiveness

Some young people did not engage fully with the inspector during the inspection but observations confirm good relationships exist between young people and staff. One young person commented in a survey ‘I like living here, this is my home.′ Staff listen to young people, and as a result, young people are learning to trust the adults. Consequently, young people feel safe and secure.

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Overall effectiveness

The home shows strength in its partnership working to minimise the risks to young people. This ensures the welfare and safety of young people is well promoted. Some young people are not confident in social situations. That is having an impact on their participation in activities in the wider community and limits young people's opportunity to develop positive friendships with other young people of a similar age. 3 of 9 Staff discuss issues of online safety with young people when concerns arise. They also provide supervision when young people are accessing the internet. However, young people need to build the resilience to manage their own online safety as they get older.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from living in a home that is effectively managed by a qualified and experienced Registered Manager. Monitoring arrangements are robust and assist the manager and staff team in ensuring continuous improvement and development. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

The home, run by a private company, provides care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 15/05/2013 Full good

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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 young people are encouraged to take appropriate risks as a part of normal growing up. Young people are helped to keep themselves safe includin outside the home and when using the internet or social media(NMS 4.4)  ensure children are able to enjoy their interests, develop confidence in their s and are supported and encouraged by staff to engage in leisure activities. (NM 7) 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people’s progress, in relation to their starting point at the time of placement, is very good. They have a good understanding of their background and why they are living at the home. Young people are supported to talk about their feelings and helped to change their behaviours. As a result they are learning to manage their anger and upset much more positively. In addition, they benefit from psychological assessments and therapeutic support to improve their emotional health and well- being.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Generally young people are in good health. However, young people continue to smoke and this potentially impacts on their long-term health. They have access to services, are informed about the risks associated with smoking and get support to stop. This means young people are able to make well informed choices about their health.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people make good progress in their education. Their attendance and participation in education, which is organised in the home, is very good. Consequently, young people benefit from living in a home where the value of education is an important part of what the home does. Daily routines, including shopping and cooking, enable young people to be involved in the running of the home as well as developing their practical skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people struggle with their confidence and ability to manage social situations. As a result, they do not benefit from having friends with similar interests to them. Despite being encouraged to take part in a range of activities they struggle to do so. Instead they prefer to go to the cinema, to Laser Quest or the library with staff from the home. As a result young people are not making good choices and developing their social skills. Staff recognise the importance for young people of keeping in touch with their families. Staff work closely with placing authorities to promote contact that is positive and safe. An Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) commented that ‘the home has been proactive in supporting contact.’ Consequently, young people benefit from good quality contact. Young people are able to access the internet in the home. Staff discuss issues of online safety with them and also provide close supervision.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

However, young people need to build the resilience to manage their own online safety as they get older.

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Quality of care good

6 of 9 Young people enjoy positive and constructive relationships with all staff. Staff are committed to improving outcomes for young people. Staff have a good understanding of young people's individual needs and are sensitive to their personal issues which they skilfully address. They provide young people with good support, guidance and advice. Overtime, they have helped young people to manage their emotions more effectively. An IRO commented that the staff have ‘gone over and above‛ with a young person. A young person reported in a survey that ‘I see the team as my family.’

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Quality of care good

Young people are encouraged with incentives and rewards. They engage well with this and, as a result, have attended a concert and other events. Young people are encouraged to express their views on all aspects of their care. Regular key worker sessions and young people's meetings ensure they play an active part in the running of the home. For example, staff appraisals take into account the views of young people to help improve practice. This ensures young people feel valued and respected.

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Quality of care good

Staff ensure that young people have access to routine health services. The staff also have access to the in-house CAMHS team; regular consultation provides them with guidance and support in relation to young people's emotional well-being. This ensures young people benefit from having their psychological health needs met. In addition staff have had some specialist training, for example in self-harming behaviour, to ensure they have the appropriate skills to meet the needs of the young people.

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Quality of care good

Young people are supported to participate in education. Staff work in partnership with education staff to ensure young people are working towards their learning targets. The staff have high aspirations for young people and celebrate their achievements. This gives young people a sense of pride.

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Quality of care good

Young people benefit from living in a home that is comfortable, clean and tidy. The home is decorated, maintained and furnished to a good standard. Young people are encouraged to take ownership of the home by personalising it with photographs of their family and other memorabilia. It is located within close proximity to local services and public transport routes.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people say they feel safe and like living in the home. They say they can talk to any of the staff if they feel unsafe or concerned. Staff regularly talk to young people about not taking risks and keeping themselves safe. All of the staff are trained in safeguarding and know how to implement safeguarding procedures. Some young people have had periods of being missing or absent from the home and have been at risk of antisocial behaviour. The home works proactively with agencies such as the police, local authorities and youth offending services to ensure a multi-agency 7 of 9 approach when young people's behaviour is a cause for concern. This has had a positive impact for young people as their risk-taking and unacceptable behaviour has significantly reduced.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted and staff are successful in supporting young people to make changes to their behaviour. When restraint is used the records confirm that this is only used as a last resort. The manager regularly monitors the home’s records to identify any patterns or trends in order to improve practice. This protects the welfare and safety of young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure all staff are aware of young people's vulnerabilities and the strategies that are in place to ensure their welfare and safety. Regular health and safety checks of the building, including fire drills, ensure young people live in a physically safe environment.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The organisation uses careful selection and vetting process to ensure all staff are suitable to work with young people. The home has a record summarising the vetting checks carried out on staff in line with Schedule 2 of the regulations. This ensures the manager has oversight of any persons employed to work in the home.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has been in post since April 2009 and provides strong leadership to a stable, committed and competent staff team. She is suitably qualified to Level 3 in child care, and Level 4 in the management of children’s homes. She is also the Registered Manager for another home run by the organisation. She divides her time effectively between the two homes and there is a suitably qualified first line manager who deputises in her absence. The manager is well respected by the staff team and by professionals who work with the home.

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Leadership and management good

The home provides a clearly written Statement of Purpose that has been revised to ensure compliance with the latest regulations. This means that local authorities and those with an interest in the home have up-to-date information about the service.

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Leadership and management good

The number of staff on duty is sufficient to meet the needs of young people. The core staff team are very experienced and qualified. They feel supported and are well motivated. New staff complete a comprehensive induction prior to starting work in the home. Furthermore, the organisation provides a range of training, including specialist training, to ensure staff have the appropriate knowledge and skills to work with young people. All staff have annual appraisals which enables them and their manager to reflect on their performance and identify areas for further development. This ensures that staff continue to deliver the quality of care that is improving outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management good

Based on its performance since the last inspection, the home demonstrates a 8 of 9 capacity for continued improvement. The one recommendation made at the last inspection has been addressed. The home has established positive relationships with other agencies in the local area, such as the police, missing from home coordinator and Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). This means any concerns can be addressed by the appropriate agency and ensures young people are safeguarded.

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Leadership and management good

The manager and provider monitor the operation of the home every month to ensure that the quality of care is maintained. The views of young people and their placing authority are sought on the conduct of the home. The manager uses these monitoring tools to fully understand what the strengths of the service are and identify any areas where practice can be improved.

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Leadership and management good

An IRO spoke highly of the service and recognised the positive impact that living at the home has had for young people. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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