Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

Unique reference number SC456602 Inspector Vicky Johnson 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 Jeanette Gaunt Date of last inspection 26/03/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 17/09/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection there has been no compliance action since the last inspection

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Overall effectiveness good

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

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Overall effectiveness

The home successfully promotes positive outcomes for young people. Staff are enthusiastic about the care they provide and develop relationships with the young people that are supportive, caring and genuine. Individual independence planning is a particular strength of the home. Practice is dynamic and creative to help young people develop their living skills, make choices and increase their confidence. Records evidence the involvement of young people in their care, seeking their views through regular key work sessions, meetings and advocating on their behalf. Because of the persistence and motivation of the staff team, young people have made outstanding progress in the time they have been resident in the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people receive effective and individualised support to meet their care needs. Staff provide encouragement and advice to help them attend their education, to be successful and make positive choices for their future. Young people enjoy well- coordinated support and guidance to meet their physical and emotional health needs. The staff and Registered Manager are confident advocates for the young people and are proactive in responding to their individual requirements. As a result, young people say they feel ‘very safe’ living in the home and do not often engage in risk-taking behaviours. 3 of 11 The management of the home is effective and consistent. The Registered Manager is highly motivated to meet the needs of the young people, to identify any shortfalls in service delivery and to drive change. The management arrangements are strong to support the work of the team to deliver purposeful child-centred practice.

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Overall effectiveness

There are three recommendations to further improve practice. 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

26/03/2014 Interim good progress 10/12/2013 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 that staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the children, specifically that they receive training on equality and diversity which will enable them to support young people’s awareness of culture, heritage and identity (NMS 18.1)  ensure that the Registered Manager gains a relevant management qualification within three years of their appointment. This means by 15 December 2014 (NMS 14.3)  ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. In particular, develop a plan to modernise and improve young people’s bedrooms. (NMS 10.3). 5 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people are making outstanding progress while living at the home. They discuss their choices and actions with the staff team regularly and they are thriving with the support this affords them. There is significant improvement in their competence and self-esteem since their admission to the home. For example, young people now practise living skills previously considered unattainable. These include travelling independently and managing change to travel plans with a developing confidence. The young people complete household tasks and are making significant gains in the development of their cooking, budgeting and their resourcefulness. Such achievements increase their motivation, personal resilience and feelings of accomplishment.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people also enjoy outstanding outcomes in their education. Since living in the home, their level of attendance in education is consistently high. Their attainment is exceptional, taking into account their progress from their starting points at the time of placement. Young people who did not attend school previously have achieved GCSE results, enrolled in college courses and are eager to achieve. Some young people, who perhaps did not previously appreciate the value of education, now view it as a route to financial security and stability. One young person said, ‘I want a better life’ when discussing with the inspector their recent choice of college course. As a result, young people are beginning to make choices that entail setting goals for their future. They are starting to forward plan for their lives with a sense of optimism about what they might achieve.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people are making good progress in developing their understanding of their own health needs. Some young people have attended smoking cessation sessions. This has had an impact on their consumption and, along with them engaging in other physical activities, to improvements in their health. Young people also engage in the support offered by the home to address their emotional health needs when they struggle to manage their feelings. As such, they are developing insight into their behaviours and previous history and, with support, are finding better ways to express themselves.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people benefit from the excellent, supportive communication in place with their families. Some young people have regular overnight stays at home where previously there was tension in family relationships and contact was infrequent. Additionally, staff take the views and feelings of young people and their parents seriously in any contact. One parent said, ‘They’ve always listened to his and my ideas and kept me informed about everything that he does.’ Such constructive facilitation of views and feelings ensures young people have continuity in their lives with the people they regard as significant to them. Therefore, since coming to live in the home, some young people now have the possibility of reconciliation and reunion 6 of 11 with their families.

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Quality of care good

Young people benefit from the warm and nurturing relationships with staff and appreciate they are there to care for them. They strongly agree that staff consistently help them to deal with their concerns and listen to what they have to say. When asked about what they like about living there, they responded ‘Everything, I like the staff and my friends in the home.’ One young person was unable to identify any areas for improvement; they said ‘it can’t get any better’.

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Quality of care good

It is clear the home works hard to develop their relationships with the young people, to create an atmosphere in which they feel they belong. There is also a sense that staff genuinely invest their time, enthusiasm and interest in the young people as individuals. One staff member said, ‘The young people I look after teach me something every day and all the staff that I work with try to make the place where they live a home.’ Such commitment and dedication to the role enhances the young people’s feelings of acceptance, value and identity.

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Quality of care good

Staff are eager to encourage young people’s educational achievement and their development of new skills. Their innovative ‘Summer Programme’ of activities entailed setting the young people a range of tasks inside and outside of the home. The programme aimed to develop the young people’s social competence, living skills and resourcefulness. The range of tasks set required the young people to take responsibility, source information, travel independently, cook and budget. The young people successfully completed the programme and engaged in follow up sessions to reflect upon their learning experiences. The range of exercises encouraged healthy competition between the young people, sustaining their interest while promoting their individual problem solving skills and confidence. This imaginative approach to practice illustrates the quality of relationships with the young people and staff’s level of commitment to their overall development.

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Quality of care good

Young people strongly agree that the staff help them to understand why they are living in the home. Changes are made to their care plan in line with their wishes and staff explain when it is not possible to do so. Young people know how to make a complaint; they express their views, and are directly involved in their own care planning. Meetings take place to review the effectiveness of these plans. Some young people attend these meetings to give their opinions directly to the relevant professionals about their future care needs. The Registered Manager and team members attend; they provide detailed written information, record any actions, and are strong advocates on their behalf. As such, these arrangements ensure the young people’s needs are understood well and, if needed, that the necessary support is 7 of 11 provided.

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Quality of care good

Comprehensive care planning is in place that takes into account the key areas of the young people’s needs. Staff update these plans as circumstances change and monitor them regularly. They also exchange information with other social care professionals to ensure that the detail of plans is good. Key worker recordings are thorough and evaluative of the young person’s engagement in the sessions. They happen regularly, swiftly addressing any issues that are current for the young person. These sessions and associated plans cover key aspects of need. However, they do not always explore and analyse fully the dimensions of the young people’s identity. Discussions with staff indicate that their understanding of how to fully address issues of culture and heritage is under-developed. Young people therefore have unresolved issues about their identity, which has the potential to impact negatively upon their self-

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Quality of care good

Staff encourage young people to adopt healthy lifestyles. They partake in activities such as going to the gym, playing football, and one young person has successfully obtained a placement at a farm. Access to specialist services is good, and young people are consistently registered with general practitioners, opticians and dentists. If young people are ill and require overnight stays in hospital, staff stay with them. A known, familiar adult on hand ensures the young person feels secure, safe and comfortable.

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Quality of care good

When young people struggle to recognise and take responsibility for their health, staff employ an indirect approach, offering prompts and other incentives. If the young people’s commitment is limited, staff try to arrange to bring the appropriate support to them. These actions encourage their engagement and create increased opportunities where their health needs are more likely to be met.

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Quality of care good

The home is located in a quiet rural village, but other local towns and cities are easily accessible via public transport. Young people benefit from the transport the home provides, but staff manage this carefully as part of their attention to developing independence skills. The home provides a safe and very comfortable environment for young people, with sufficient space available for group and individual activities. The Registered Manager is conscious of the need to create the feeling of a home environment. Staff therefore limit the information on display for the young people to the dining room of the house.

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Quality of care good

A key strength of the home is their liaison with parents and their approach to facilitating contact for the young people. The home actively supports such arrangements and in some instances, their intervention has changed plans with significant gains for the young person. For example, staff will take action to supervise contact in the home and offer transport, should they believe it is likely to improve family relationships. Staff consider offering transport and providing practical support to parents integral to their role. It is part of the philosophy and holistic approach to meeting the young person’s emotional needs. The Registered Manager imparts a ‘can 8 of 11 do’ attitude to the team, making sure contact with parents is regarded a high priority. They said, ‘Anything that I can do, or my team can do, we will do it.’ Parents clearly recognise and appreciate this assistance. One parent commented, ‘I have said and

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Quality of care good

will keep saying that the home has got my child’s best interests. I have a very good rapport with the staff.’ Another parent shared the view that it is ‘the best place my child has ever been’.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff have the safe care and wellbeing of the young people at the centre of their practice. In surveys completed during the inspection, one young person said, ‘I have never been restrained in my home.’ There are no incidences of bullying, and only one incident each of restraint, missing from home, and offending since the last inspection. This is creditable because of the frequency of risk taking behaviours the young people exhibited prior to living in the home. Young people state unequivocally that they feel ‘very safe’. This means they derive an enhanced sense of safety and wellbeing from their environment and from those who care for them.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Robust, comprehensive and individualised risk assessments inform and shape practice. The regular and swift reviewing of these plans in response to external monitoring processes, ensure they continue to keep the young people safe. Staff encourage young people to take reasonable risks that are appropriate to their age and stage of development. Staff, however, remain on hand, available to offer guidance and practical support when needed. The Registered Manager understands the importance of welfare checks and encourages staff to carry these out in a way that conveys concern and offers reassurance. As such, the young people benefit from an approach that is supportive, responsive, and recognises their transition into adulthood.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff are effective in identifying triggers for behaviour, and de-escalation techniques are recorded clearly in current behaviour management plans. Their comments about the high quality training and support they receive reflect that they feel equipped to deliver insightful interventions. One staff member said, ‘Our child-focused psychological consultations help us to develop therapeutic practice that aids our behaviour management and approach to the young people.’ As a result, young people grow to understand the impact of their behaviour using involved techniques such as role-play to bring about change. They develop more mature solutions to difficulties and are able to manage their responses better. The home is therefore as a rule harmonious, with conflict between the young people and staff very infrequent.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

The home has developed strong relationships with outside agencies to safeguard the young people who live there. The survey results reflect that communication with partners such as the police is excellent and staff consider partnership working a high priority. One police officer said, ‘The home is a well-run managed place of safety…the staff are approachable and have an excellent rapport with all the children.’ Parents 9 of 11 share this view and strongly agree that staff make sure their children are safe from harm. One parent said, ‘Staff always keep in touch with him by phone, he comes in on time and they always know where he is.’ The excellent outcomes achieved for young people are clear evidence of the well-planned and focused approach to safeguarding. Risk-taking behaviour has become a rare occurrence in the home. This enables the young people to have the opportunity to develop as citizens within the

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

community and to reach their full potential.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager is very skilled and suitably experienced at running the home. She was registered in 2011, but has yet to reach the required level of qualification and needs to do so by December 2014. This is a recommendation from the previous inspection and has therefore been repeated. The other recommendation from that inspection, that staff record decisions following looked after reviews on young people’s files, has been met. This means that decisions taken and actions agreed at these meetings can be acted upon promptly.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has a strong and charismatic leadership style, equipped with a focus on delivering a high standard of care to young people. Their approach is successful in ensuring young people receive a balance between high levels of warmth and nurturing, with firm and consistent boundaries. The Registered Manager has an in-depth understanding of the young people’s needs. Staff lead by example, demonstrating a sincere and invested interest in their welfare. They cultivate an atmosphere where staff feel they have a contribution to make and they can effectively influence and shape practice. Such leadership means the staff team deliver a coordinated and unified, response to young people. This enhances young people’s feelings of stability and security.

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Leadership and management good

The staff team is highly motivated to deliver a quality service to young people. They feel extremely supported by the Registered Manager and her line management. One staff member wrote, ‘Senior staff go above and beyond to make sure the home is run to a very high standard. They offer support to both staff and children when it is needed.’ Another commented upon the availability of managers as, 'empowering them with confidence to complete their daily tasks and meet all responsibilities.’ This means the young people living there benefit from confident, assured, and predictable care from the team.

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Leadership and management good

Supervision of staff happens regularly, is evaluative of practice and is child-focused. Staff training records are current, with a wide range of courses on offer to the team. Additionally, the Registered Manager quickly addresses any recommendations concerned with training arising from independent monitoring reports. One staff member referred to the training on offer as being, ‘constantly available, catered around refreshing my current knowledge and skills as well as learning and developing new skills’. This demonstrates a strong investment in developing the staff’s 10 of 11 knowledge to equip them for their roles and support young people more effectively.

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Leadership and management good

Quality assurance, evaluation, and improved service delivery is a priority of the Registered Manager. As such, they quickly address the recommendations from independent monitoring visits and any future actions form part of the team meeting agenda. The Registered Manager’s internal monitoring reports are thorough and detailed, examining practice in the home and actions taken to improve outcomes for young people. These arrangements give a high level of assurance that the home is committed to achieving improvement and appraising the service they deliver.

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Leadership and management good

The home’s development plan clearly outlines the plans in place for further modernisation, for example, refurbishing the bathroom. However, while the home is well maintained, clean, and comfortable, young people’s bedrooms are dated and unattractive. This gives young people an inconsistent message about how the home values the quality of the environment it provides. 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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