Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

Unique reference number SC457573 Inspector Nicholas Murphy 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 Lorna Ann Fearon Registered manager Nicola Jayne Pine Date of last inspection 17/03/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 13/08/2014

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Previous inspection good 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

The home provides a good standard of care which supports and nurtures young people effectively. Care programmes are well planned and are based on each young person’s individual needs and circumstances. Staff work sensitively with young people to address any issues of concern and help them navigate difficulties in their lives. A social worker said, ‘Staff have a good understanding of the young person’s life experiences and how these have affected their overall well-being.’ As a result, young people have made good progress, and are achieving constructive outcomes in their education and health.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff place a high priority on listening to young people, enabling them to express their views and have some influence upon how the home runs. There is a good rapport between young people and staff. The quality of these relationships ensures that, in general, any behavioural issues are quickly resolved. The home keeps young people safe, with good systems in place to protect them from harm. In addition, staff are good at helping young people to understand how they can safeguard themselves when away from the home.

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Overall effectiveness

The management of the home is sound. Staff are experienced, well trained and adequately supported. Above all, staff have shared values and a very child-centred 3 of 11 way of working. One social worker said, ‘Staff think a lot of the young person and speak very positively of them.’

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Overall effectiveness

There are some shortfalls in practice which have resulted in one statutory requirement and three recommendations being made. However, these do not have a significant impact upon the welfare or safety of young people. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company and provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/03/2014 Interim good progress 09/10/2013 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

12B (2001) notify, in writing, the local authority for the area in which the children's home is located without delay of the admission of a child into and the discharge of a child from the children's home. (Regulation 12(b)(1)(a and b)) 19/09/2014

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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 staff have appropriate training, supervision and support if they ar required to supervise and facilitate contact (NMS 9.2)  ensure that the system for recruiting staff and others includes an effective system for reaching decisions as to who is to be appointed and the circumstan 5 of 11 in which an application should be refused in the light of any criminal convictions or other concerns about suitability that are declared or discovered during the recruitment process (NMS 16.5)  ensure that the records of staff supervision contain the time, date and length of each session, and are signed by the supervisor and the member of staff at the end of each session. (NMS 19.5) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are in good health, and in general make the right lifestyle choices. Although some young people smoke, they have reduced their reliance on this habit, and none use alcohol or drugs. Some young people struggle with emotional issues, but are becoming more comfortable in understanding their early experiences and how they impact upon their feelings.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Many young people come to the home with very poor patterns of school attendance and attainment. From this low base, young people make good progress at school. One young person is awaiting their GCSE results, and is expected to achieve grades in line with their potential. For those in transition between schools, they engage well with home tutoring services. This ensures that they are able to maintain an education routine while waiting for a school place.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are developing greater confidence, and awareness of how they should relate to others. One young person who had difficulty in maintaining eye contact with staff when they were admitted now has an easy and relaxed conversational style. This corresponds with an improvement in their self-esteem and emotional resilience, and a better ability to deal with setbacks. Young people also benefit from keeping in touch with family and friends. This is important in maintaining their sense of self, and continuing relationships which they will rely on even into adulthood.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people take responsibility for looking after their own rooms and doing their laundry. They are able to cook meals and clear away after themselves. This is good preparation for making the transition to independence. In addition, some young people have shown enthusiasm in making a wider contribution to the home. For example, one young person has prepared a vegetable patch in the garden, clearing the ground and planting seeds. Young people are encouraged to take part in community activities, such as attending a recent Gay Pride event. This helps young people to develop an awareness of differences within society and make the concept of diversity more real.

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Quality of care good

Relationships between young people and staff are good. There is much banter and good humour, making for a relaxed atmosphere within the home. As a result, young people behave well most of the time, adhering without difficulty to boundaries. One young person said, ‘The rules are OK, I have no problem with them.’ The home is roomy and comfortable. It has a homely and welcoming feel, and is very well maintained. The quality of the surroundings gives young people a sense that they are 7 of 11 respected and that they deserve to live in a pleasant environment.

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Quality of care good

Staff pay attention to the wishes and feelings of young people. They provide formal avenues for views to be expressed, such as regular young people’s meetings. Suggestions made here are considered by the staff, and wherever possible acted upon. For example, the young people themselves chose the venue for their summer holiday. One of them used initiative in researching accommodation options, making phone calls to enquire about prices. Staff and young people were preparing to depart for this holiday on the day of the inspection. The excitement and anticipation on the young people’s faces was evident, and they were clearly pleased that they had been able to choose where they were going. One young person commented, ‘I’m really looking forward to my holiday. I like this home, I’d give it 10 out of 10.’

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Quality of care good

In addition, staff consult young people on a daily basis about other aspects of life within the home, such as menu choice and activities. Staff give them the opportunity to choose the decoration scheme for their bedroom. One young person had told staff that they wanted a particular kind of wallpaper and specific colours on their walls. Staff arranged for the decorator to do the work while the young person was away on holiday. They were eagerly awaiting the young person’s return to see the look of delight on his face when they saw their new room.

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Quality of care good

Staff write placement plans which are consistent with the local authority plan for each young person. They detail objectives in each area of the young person’s life and actions necessary to achieve them. Staff ensure that plans are regularly updated, and take into account any changes; for example, decisions made in looked after reviews. Regular discussions between key workers and young people focus on elements of the care plan. Young people therefore are closely involved with their programme of care and are able to voice their view of it. Key worker sessions are well planned and relevant. For example, the registered provider’s trainee psychologist regularly visits to discuss each young person’s plan with their key worker. Topics for discussion with young people are then identified and taken forward. This planning helps to ensure that even very sensitive issues, such as a young person’s emerging sexuality, can be

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Quality of care good

explored in a thoroughly considered way.

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Quality of care good

The home is good at supporting other aspects of young people’s healthy development. Staff are diligent in encouraging young people to attend health appointments, such as dentist and optician. There have been some notable successes. For example, one young person who initially was extremely reluctant to even visit a dentist has recently made their own appointment, attended, and received fillings.

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Quality of care good

Staff understand the importance for young people of maintaining contact with families. They work closely with social workers and parents to support these arrangements effectively and safely. In some cases, contact must be supervised by staff because of potential risk to young people. Although staff are happy to do this, they do not receive adequate support or training to undertake this complex task. Nor 8 of 11 do they always make detailed recordings of the quality of the contact and what it meant for the young person. This means that relevant information, which could be used to assess the possibility of reconciliation between the young person and their parents, is not consistently available.

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Quality of care good

Staff promote the educational achievement of young people. They encourage good attendance, supporting this with home to school transport where necessary. They attend all necessary meetings and keep in touch with schools to monitor progress and resolve any difficulties. Staff celebrate young people’s successes and continually reinforce the importance of education. For example, one young person without a school place was admitted to the home shortly before the summer holidays. Rather than wait until the autumn term to commence their new school, the Registered Manager insisted that the school provide daily home tuition in the interim. This provides a good example of the home’s ethos in valuing education.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

All staff have a good awareness of how to respond to concerns, whether raised by colleagues, parents or professionals. Clear procedures are in place setting out who needs to be notified so that appropriate steps are taken to safeguard young people. This approach contributes to the young people’s feeling of safety here. Young people have confidence in the complaints procedure, and are well aware of the different avenues they can take to voice any issues.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

There is no bullying and very few incidents where young people go missing. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place and staff update them on a regular basis. This enables staff to monitor whether the risk to young people in any particular area has changed, and plan actions to address it. An important element of the home’s safeguarding work is enabling young people to keep themselves safe. For example, staff have worked with young people on topics such as safe sex, and internet safety. Staff have also had training in child sexual exploitation, which gives them awareness of factors which make young people more vulnerable.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The generally good behaviour of young people means that sanctions are used sparingly. Similarly, there is a very low incidence of physical restraint. Instead, staff prefer to use praise and more formal rewards to encourage young people to make the right choices. On occasion, staff have worked constructively with the local police when young people’s behaviour has been so dangerous that it required their intervention. As a result, young people have avoided being criminalised.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

In general, the home has robust procedures in place for recruiting and vetting staff, assessing their experience and skills. Interviews analyse a prospective member of staff’s motivation and personal values. Where an applicant discloses previous criminal offences, the interview panel explores whether there is any potential risk to young people should they be appointed. However, the discussion leading to this decision is 9 of 11 not always recorded within the staff personnel file. This means that the rigour of the process cannot be assured.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home provides a safe and secure environment for young people. Arrangements for fire safety are good, as are the systems for checking electrical and other systems. The home takes a sensible approach to assessing risks in other areas. For example, the planning of the young people’s holiday has been very thorough. All possible risks have been considered, ensuring that young people can enjoy the experience in safety.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager was registered in August 2013, and is suitably experienced and qualified. The efficient organisation of the home is reflected by the clearly labelled and easily accessible records. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities, which helps them to support young people more effectively. Some staff are assigned particular areas of specialism (such as equality and diversity), which enables the staff group as a whole to gain additional skills and expertise.

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Leadership and management good

The last full inspection made one recommendation to improve practice in the area of education. The Registered Manager has addressed this, with the result that any shortfalls in young people’s school provision are now more assertively challenged.

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Leadership and management good

Information about the home, for example the Statement of Purpose and the children’s guide, is detailed and easy to read. It enables young people, their parents and social workers to be clear about what the home offers and how it will achieve its objectives. Other records are accurate and up to date. However, although the Registered Manager keeps a record of young people who are admitted and discharged, it only notifies the host local authority verbally of such changes. This is contrary to regulation, which requires a written record to be kept of these notifications.

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Leadership and management good

The great majority of staff are suitably qualified – those who are not are working towards this. There is a comprehensive and well organised training programme which ensures that staff skills and knowledge are maintained and refreshed as appropriate. As a result, staff have the confidence and ability to support young people and meet their needs. The Registered Manager and other senior staff provide regular, formal supervision to staff. There is, however, a minor shortfall in the recording of supervision. The duration of the session is not always recorded and both parties do not always sign.

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Leadership and management good

There are good systems for monitoring the home’s operation. The Registered Manager’s own quarterly oversight provides a good picture of the progress that young people make and enables weaknesses to be identified and addressed. This monitoring also takes good account of the views of young people, gleaned through 10 of 11 the young people’s meetings and more informal day-to-day consultation. 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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