Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Manchester

Unique reference number SC064666 Inspector Louise Redfern Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Cambian Childcare Limited Registered person address Pinnacle House 2 Oakwood Square, Cheadle Royal Business Park CHEADLE Cheshire SK8 3SB Responsible individual Kamran Iltaf Abassi Registered manager Anjum Latif Khan Date of last inspection 20/03/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 31/07/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness good

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

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Overall effectiveness

Young people live in a caring and supportive environment. They are cared for by an enthusiastic Registered Manager and small staff team who show a strong commitment to the young people in their care. Staff give young people's needs and welfare the highest priority from the beginning, to the end of their placements. Young people are making good progress in relation to the starting point in their placements.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff recognise the importance of building strong, trusting relationships with young people. They work hard to provide young people with clear and consistent boundaries that bring about a sense of stability to their lives. This enables young people to positively engage with staff, and in turn brings improvement and better outcomes for them.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's needs, views, wishes and feelings are integral to all aspects of care planning and care practice. Staff are knowledgeable about young people's specific needs and they work in a coordinated way with young people, their family, social workers and external agencies. As a result, young people get the right help, guidance and support they need to meet their individual needs on a daily basis.

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Overall effectiveness

Systems and consistent care practice ensure the welfare and safety of young people 3 of 11 is promoted at all times. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of young people's risks and vulnerabilities. They manage these risks well using age- appropriate risk management strategies. Consequently, young people are generally kept safe and made to feel safe. Despite some episodes of bullying, young people say that they feel safe and that staff care for them well.

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Overall effectiveness

Some shortfalls are identified. These relate to first aid training, recording of sanctions, appropriate staffing levels on all shifts and effectively addressing bullying episodes in the home. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 15/05/2013 Full good 03/01/2013 Interim good progress 26/04/2012 Full good

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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 the registered person makes proper provision for the safeguarding of children accommodated in the home, this is directly related to bullying (Regulation 11 (a)) 01/09/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that at all times at least one person on duty at the children’s home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 20 (1)(e)) 01/09/2014

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take 5 of 11 account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure sanctions for behaviour are clear and understood by all staff and child (NMS 3.8)  ensure that the deployment of staff on individual shifts can fulfil the statemen purpose and meet the individual needs of young people in the home. (NMS 17 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people have made good progress since being in placement. This is because they are cared for by staff who are child focused and skilled at making positive attachments that enhance young people's trust, self-worth and confidence. Staff show a strong sense of commitment to young people, providing them with a caring and nurturing environment with clear expectations for behaviour. As a result, young people feel valued and respected as individuals and are beginning to find a sense of stability in their lives. One social worker said, ‘there has been significant progress in X’s behaviour, the staff work well with me to address behaviour and produce clear strategies to keep X safe. X is thriving in the placement.'

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people enjoy healthy diets and take regular exercise through activities and play. Staff ensure young people are registered with healthcare services and routine check-ups are up to date. Good links with healthcare specialists have been established. Despite all young people accessing the school nursing team the Registered Manager and staff team maintain strong links with the local looked after children’s nurse. In addition consultation from the in-house Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) has developed the working practice of the staff team.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Internal placement plans are now completed in partnership with these professionals. As a result the plans are very detailed, reflect the individual needs of young people and identify clear strategies on how best to meet these needs. This means young people's known and emerging physical, emotional and psychological health needs are effectively managed by a well-informed staff team.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people's attendance at school is excellent. Channels for communication and collaboration have been established with schools. This has ensured the impact of moving into the home has been minimised and there has been no break in young people's education. Young people realise the value of education and are making good progress with their studies.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Contact is facilitated and managed in accordance with young people's care plans and young people are well supported to maintain safe contact with their families. Staff are acutely aware of the impact contact can have on young people. They work closely with social workers and families to establish good contact arrangements that cause the minimum disruption to young people's lives. One parent commented ‘the home is an absolutely fabulous place for X to live at this moment in time.’

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are provided with opportunities to develop age appropriate independence skills on a daily basis. This includes tidying their bedrooms, completing basic household chores, helping prepare meals, manage their pocket money and 7 of 11 maintaining good levels of hygiene.

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff work in a determined way to develop and maintain positive relationships with young people. These relationships underpin the culture and ethos of the home and are used effectively to provide a caring and supportive environment for young people to live in. Young people have settled quickly into their new home and are at ease with staff. One young person said, ‘its 10 out of 10 here. The best thing is the staff they all look after me.'

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people’s individual needs have been comprehensively assessed prior to admission. Due consideration is always given to young people's needs when considering placing them together. This ensures young people placed at the home are well matched and increases the potential for young people to make positive progress in their lives.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people's care is very well planned. Comprehensive care plans detailing young people's needs are used by staff as working documents. Staff regularly discuss and review young people's progress to ensure individual targets are current, realistic and achievable. They work collaboratively with social workers and others agencies. This ensures young people receive the right services and support they need to meet their individual and unique needs. Consultation is integral to all aspects of care practice. Staff provide lots of opportunities for daily one-to-one discussions and planned placement sessions. They provide excellent support to young people, enabling them to contribute to planning meetings and formal reviews. This ensures young people are actively involved in making decisions about their lives and contribute to the daily running of the home.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people's health needs are well managed. Detailed health plans that clearly outline the support young people require, including the involvement of routine and specialist healthcare services. Young people are supported to access these services. Records of appointments are maintained and staff constantly monitor young people's health. This ensures known appointments are attended and staff are aware of, and able to respond to any known or emerging health needs. One medical professional commented, ‘this is one of the best homes I currently work with, the staff are committed to ensuring young people’s health needs are clearly met.’

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff value and promote the importance of education. They work hard to develop working relationships with young people's schools to support their attendance and participation. Staff liaise with young people's teachers and attend meetings as required. They show a keen interest in young people's progress and celebrate their 8 of 11 individual achievements.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people are encouraged to engage in purposeful, risk assessed and age appropriate leisure activities. Staff are quick to identify young people's interests and hobbies and ensure young people are able to build and maintain friendships in the community. As a result, young people have the opportunity to develop their individual talents and skills, grow in confidence and become more socially adept.

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Quality of care outstanding

The home is well maintained and has undergone some improvements to the internal décor, including new flooring being laid. The bathroom refurbishment remains an area for development; however a timescale for improvement is now in place with the work scheduled for completion in September 2014.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people confirm they feel safe at the home and placing social workers say they have no safeguarding concerns. Staff practice is underpinned by policies and procedures for managing and reporting safeguarding concerns. Staff show a good understanding of the home's safeguarding procedures and clearly know how to keep young people safe. This is because young people's individual needs, behaviours, risks and vulnerabilities are clearly recorded in their individual risk assessments. Staff have a good understanding of these documents which enables them to put effective risk management strategies into practice.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

However, since the last inspection there have continued to be incidents of bullying in the home. Staff, social workers and parents are fully aware of these incidents. The management and staff team continue to challenge young people about bullying however; the work undertaken successfully eradicated bullying.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff strike a good balance between protection and enabling young people to take age appropriate risks. This approach ensures opportunities for personal growth and social development are not limited and young people enjoy the same social experiences as their peers. As a result, young people have reduced their risk taking behaviour since the start of their placement.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Robust systems are in place for managing young people's absence, despite this there continues to be isolated episodes of young people going missing, which for both young people is a significant improvement. Agreed internal working practices remain in place. This ensures that staff respond immediately, should a young person go missing and follow specific, individualised plans which are in place for young people. Staff are proactive in attempting to retrieve young people quickly, which helps to reduce the number of incidents and helps to keep young people safe. Young people are cared for appropriately on their return, allowing staff and other relevant professionals to explore reasons why young people absent themselves from the home. 9 of 11 Young people benefit from a structured environment that provides them with clear boundaries and behavioural expectations. Staff make good use of individually tailored

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

incentives and rewards to encourage and reinforce positive behaviour. Young people's achievements, no matter how small, are celebrated and responses to negative behaviour are proportionate. However, imposed sanctions are not always recorded, as a result young people do not have the opportunity to have a good understanding of the measure imposed and reflect and learn from the imposed measure.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

All staff are trained in behaviour management and restraint. Staff effectively utilise their training in de-escalation to encourage young people to find alternative ways of managing their emotions and frustrations. As a result, challenging behaviour is managed effectively and there have been few incidents of restraint since the last inspection.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

New staff have been recruited since the last inspection. They have been checked and vetted through the organisation's thorough recruitment procedures. The Registered Manager takes an active role in recruitment, ensuring the safe recruitment of staff who are able to meet young people's needs.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people and staff are regularly involved in fire drills to ensure they know how to safely evacuate the building in the event of a fire. Staff undertake routine health and safety checks and fire equipment is regularly maintained. This ensures young people live in a physically safe environment that is free from hazards.

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Leadership and management good

The home is well managed by a competent, suitably qualified manager who was registered in 2006, he holds the NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management. He has over 10 years managerial experience. He is child-focused and committed to providing a service that places young people's needs at the heart of care practice.

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Leadership and management good

The Statement of Purpose clearly sets out the home’s aims and objectives. Supplementary information is available in the form of a child-friendly children's guide.

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Leadership and management good

The staff team are a small team, there is a good balance of experience within the team with all of the staff either holding a level three childcare qualification or working towards qualification. Rotas are generally well planned to ensure young people receive adequate support to meet their needs. However, on two occasions due to staff sickness one member of staff was left in the home as a lone worker with two young people. The member of staff is a senior and remained supported by the organisation’s on-call system. There was no impact on the care received by the young people on these occasions. 10 of 11 All staff receive regular supervision and have their performance appraised annually. Good training opportunities are available for staff as part of the organisation’s on- going training programme. Although some shortfalls have been identified in relation to mandatory training there are good opportunities for staff to undertake needs-

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Leadership and management good

related training. This includes child sexual exploitation and self-harm. As a result, young people are cared for by competent staff who have the right skills to meet their individual needs.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager makes good use of a range of monitoring activities relating to young people's records, quality of care and conduct of the home. This includes gathering the views of young people and stakeholders about their experience of the home. This helps the manager understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and to drive forward improved practice. Feedback is consistently positive and neither young people nor stakeholders have any concerns about the staff or the home.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has addressed the recommendations from the inspection in March 2014. Educational attendance has significantly improved and repairs to the home have now been completed, bullying although was addressed has on occasion continued to be evident in the home. This demonstrates the home has made progress to improve the overall effectiveness of this service, although the management team acknowledge some work remains outstanding in relation to bullying behaviour.

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Leadership and management good

Young people's records are generally of a good standard. They clearly document young people's needs, how these needs are to be met and the progress young people are making. Information is stored securely and shared confidentially to protect young people's privacy. 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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