Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Leeds

Unique reference number SC428895 Inspector Parveen Hussain 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 Michelle Powell Date of last inspection 12/05/2014 2 of 12 Inspection date 07/10/2014

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Previous inspection improved effectiveness Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action taken 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 adequate

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a warm and welcoming environment for children and young people to return home to from school and college every day. Young people living here are engaged in full time education, are happy and feel safe. From the early stages of admission, young people enjoy the benefits of feeling stable. Others in longer term placements are supported to work towards achieving independence. They have diverse needs arising from their different experiences and backgrounds and trust the staff caring for them. Children and young people have developed good relationships with staff and with each other.

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Overall effectiveness

Children are cared for in line with their individual care plans. Staff deliver care that is flexible, effective and tailored to meet the individual needs of young people. Strategies and interventions adopted by staff are therapeutic, as is the ethos of the home. These approaches support young people to make progress whilst feeling safe.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff are aware of the protocols involved with safeguarding children and take their responsibilities seriously. This leads to the effective care of young people and contributes towards their physical and emotional welfare being safeguarded.

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Overall effectiveness

Leadership and management is judged as adequate with five requirements and two 3 of 12 recommendations. These relate to the quality of some written records, minor inconsistencies in practice and the quality of which the management arrangements and care practice are monitored. These have not impacted on the welfare of children and young people who benefit from good outcomes and quality of care. 4 of 12

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide accommodation and care for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/05/2014 Interim improved effectiveness 17/10/2013 Full adequate 17/06/2013 Interim good progress 26/11/2012 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

4 (2001) ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent to its statement of purpose (Regulation 4 (6)). 31/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which shall include - a description of any injury to the child concerned or any other person and any medical treatment administered. (Regulation 17B (3)(g)). 31/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain in respect of each child who is accommodated in the children's home a record in 31/10/2014 5 of 12 permanent form which is signed and dated by the author in each written entry (Regulation 28 (1)(c)).

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the independent visitor shall interview the children accommodated at the home, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home where necessary in order to form an opinion as to whether children accommodated at the home are effectively safeguarded and whether the conduct of the home promotes the wellbeing of the children accommodated (Regulation 33 (8) (a) (i) and (ii)). 31/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the independent person shall produce a written report about a visit and provide a copy of the report to the required people and authority's (regulation 33 (9)). 31/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for improving the quality of care provided in the children's home (Regulation 34 (1)(b)). 31/10/2014

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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 the system for recruiting staff includes an effective system for reaching decisions as to who is to be appointed and the circumstances in which an application should be refused in light of any criminal convictions or other concerns about suitability that are declared or discovered through the recruitment process. (NMS 16.5)  ensure the home follows procedures and guidance on police involvement in the home, which have been agreed with the local police. (NMS 3.22) 6 of 12

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children and young people benefit from the close, nurturing and trusting relationships they enjoy with staff. In comparison to their starting points and on admission, children and young people are making good progress in developing a positive self- view and with improving their confidence. Young people comment on how staff care about their welfare, this leads to them developing good attachments with staff.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Some young people display unsafe and anti-social behaviours and place themselves at risk of offending. They benefit from the caring, sensitive approach from staff, which helps minimise the frequency and nature of their offending behaviours.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children and young people enjoy good physical health. While they are active in achieving this themselves, they develop and benefit from the active encouragement and commitment staff provide. All children and young people are all registered with local health services and are supported to accessing these where necessary to promote their wellbeing. Others working towards independence are encouraged to do make their own appointments as part of their development plan. Children and young people are responsive to the commitment and drive from staff to actively promote their overall health and wellbeing. This includes keeping themselves safe and adopting healthy lifestyles through eating healthily, exercising regularly and having insight into the triggers that affect their behaviours.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Some children engage with therapeutic services to help promote their emotional wellbeing and resilience. Other young people choose not to work with such services however benefit from staff consulting with therapists to ensure young people are cared for consistent to their needs. Children and young people work with staff and professionals to understand their life story and personal experiences in ways appropriate to their age, ability and understanding. This enables them to be more open about their feelings and leads to them achieving better emotional health and stability. As a result children and young people are integrating with their community, making progress in education and are developing life skills towards independence. An example of this is when the staff and residents of the home engaged the local community in a charity event. The event was not only a success for young people who took part in a baking competition but the sale of their cakes helped to raised

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Outcomes for children and young people good

funds for a meaningful charity. This approach is enabling children and young people to participate in the day to day care they receive and influence the running of the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people enjoy personalised activities and hobbies which helps them to develop as individuals. Some young people have made huge improvements with their confidence and social skills as a result and are benefitting from increased levels of emotional resilience. 7 of 12 All young people are accessing full time education. They benefit from continuity and stability of educational provisions. Individuals who have not previously achieved their potential in school are now benefitting with knowledge and learning from new educational programmes and opportunities. These are positive ways to help young people meet new friends and socialise with others their own age.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people’s life skills and independence are developed through stages with young people covering areas such as independent travel, budgeting, shopping, cooking and laundry skills. Young people benefit from the staged approach to building their skills and results in their independence and potential being maximised.

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Quality of care good

Children and young people receive good care from staff at the home. Staff are passionate about helping young people meet their individual needs despite levels of hostility and aggressive behaviours directed at them from some young people. Staff want the best outcomes for children and young people resident at the home and want them to do well. Staff provide a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment for children and young people to grow up and flourish. The environment has been made to feel homely and comfortable which contributes to children and young people’s sense of belonging and general wellbeing.

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Quality of care good

The current group of children and young people have differing needs based on their age, gender, background and individual experiences. Staff are mindful of this and endeavour to promote positive outcomes through effective key working sessions and high levels of staffing including one to one ratios with a focus on individual needs. For example, one young person’s needs are such that he needs simple and clear instructions. These are given in three simple words enabling him to process this easily.

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Quality of care good

Staff are understanding and persistent with addressing challenging and difficult behaviours from children and young people. Their aim being to support in tackling barriers preventing them in making progress with acquiring stability. Staff are focused and committed to combating children and young people’s negative self- perceptions arising from their early experiences of care. They work hard to reduce challenging adolescent and offending behaviours.

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Quality of care good

Staff are consistent in the care they deliver and in reinforcing strategies that promote positive outcomes. They work in line with care plans as identified by the local authority social workers and are proactive with multi-agency working. Staff adapt their style of parenting to meet each young person’s needs. For example they have strategies in place for younger residents which are not consistent to the approach utilised for older residents. This has however, led to mixed messages about the use of police involvement and young people being confused as to why they are treated 8 of 12 differently.

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Quality of care good

Staff are guided in the care they deliver to children and young people by the therapeutic ethos and input by the home’s attached psychologist. This results in any interventions being targeted to the specific therapeutic needs of children and young people with regular reviews and evaluation of progress. The level of analysis in the strategies utilised and progress made contributes to children and young people attaining better emotional stability. Progress has been seen in one young person where staff have adopted a therapeutic approach by being both firm and clear in their approach. Staff work collaboratively with partner organisations to ensure children and young people get the necessary support and input required to help them flourish.

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Quality of care good

In instances of new placements, the manager, staff and psychology team work together to gather necessary information about the young person. This leads to better identification of need and helps with better matching with existing young people in the home. Data gathering with a 28 day assessment process leads to the building of a chronology and informs the future planning and provision of care.

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Quality of care good

Staff are proactive at supporting young people with their individual education plans and make provision to guide and support them with homework and revision. This can helps maximise young people’s potential and lead to better outcomes. Staff work collaboratively with schools and education establishments to ensure strategies are consistent and young people’s care remains focused on their individual needs. Staff support visits to the library and other educational settings to help young people with their learning and development.

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Quality of care good

Behaviour management plans are closely linked to young people’s individual traits and personalities. Staff ensure sanctions are age appropriate and of a restorative nature. They are linked to the individual behaviours of young people that warrant action. This teaches young people the importance of consequences whilst learning about the impact of their behaviours on others and their environment. In addition to this, staff are proactive in making young people aware of the systems in place for dealing with more serious concerns that potentially lead to the involvement of the authorities. Young people know how to complain and utilise the process which leads to them receiving feedback from staff and the manager. They actively address equality and diversity through learning about cultures and religions around the world and how these are celebrated. This builds on young people’s general knowledge whilst promoting equality and diversity.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

9 of 12 Safeguarding children and young people at the home is good. Children and young people are safe and state they feel safe living in the home. Some young people are challenging and become involved in unsafe behaviours. Safeguarding the welfare of children is a high priority for the staff team and is evident in their practice. They work collectively and consistently to support young people to change these behaviours. Young people state they get on well with staff and each other and there is no bullying in the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff are familiar with policies that safeguard the welfare of children. The homes own protocols are in line with the requirements of the local safeguarding authority and the police. Staff have a good awareness of the potential dangers children are exposed to and are particularly mindful of the vulnerability of looked after children. Staff effectively implement protocols for dealing with concerns around safeguarding and have received training in these areas. They know how to respond to allegations of abuse and when recognising concerns around the exploitation of young people. This ensures staff put appropriate measures in place to keep children and young people safe where possible.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

There are very few instances of young people absconding from the home. Staff work hard to minimise this. As a result numbers over recent months have reduced with young people generally remaining in the local vicinity. Young people are actively encouraged to return home within their curfew time. Where necessary, staff follow them to ensure they are not exposed to further risks. They contact young people’s family and friends accordingly to ascertain their whereabouts and will collect them to ensure their safety. Children and young people are given a warm welcome on their return. Focused key work sessions take place to make young people aware that staff care about their safety and welfare. This contributes to young people’s sense of worth and self-esteem.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Concerns and allegations are swiftly identified and investigated with young people’s wellbeing remaining central and paramount to investigations. The registered manager effectively collaborates with partner agencies such as placing authorities and local safeguarding board.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people have comprehensive risk management plans which address the potential for risky and unsafe behaviours and takes into consideration their vulnerabilities. These plans are reviewed regularly and gives consideration to new behaviours. Staff support young people to take appropriate and managed risks in line with their age and stage of development. Staff use individualised strategies worked out with young people and their professional networks. This ensures consideration is given to young people’s right to take measured risks and exercise choice. At times this can lead to the need for sanctions and the need for physical intervention. Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques and have good insight into when to escalate their response to involve physical intervention. This method of intervention is used only in accordance with the legislative framework where there is risk of harm or damage to young people, staff and property.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

10 of 12 The organisation of records required to be kept for using physical intervention are not in line with regulations. Any medical treatment is recorded separately making it harder to monitor. It is also not clearly recorded that children and young people consistently have the opportunity to be examined by a registered nurse or medical practitioner in every case. Staff do offer first aid and in cases where there are concerns of injury further medical care is sought.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Recruitment practices are in the main particularly thorough. On one occasion, despite necessary checks being completed, evidence and justification for decision making where there is a concern about historical behaviour was not recorded. Therefore a very small minority of staff are not subject to a full rigorous recruitment assessment. While this compromises the Registered Provider’s ability to ensure that all staff are suitable and safe it has not impacted on children and young people’s welfare.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Children and young people are further protected in a home that provides a safe and secure environment. Staff regularly follow a range of safety procedures to help identify any potential hazards and work with the residents to ensure they fully understand the fire procedures. The home is safe and appropriately secure and adds to the young people’s sense of security and wellbeing.

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Leadership and management adequate

Leadership and management is adequate as there are a number of shortfalls identified in the management arrangements of the home. This includes issues in record keeping and practice highlighted in other aspects of the provision.

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Leadership and management adequate

The one recommendation from the last inspection has not been addressed adequately. Monitoring reports undertaken by an independent visitor still lack sufficient evaluation of the standards of care. Despite the independent visitor identifying that records were being left incomplete whilst awaiting signatures, this has continued and left unaddressed. The manager’s quarterly monitoring does not consistently include feedback from placing authorities. This also does not demonstrate sufficient analysis of the quality of care to facilitate improvements. This compromises the manager’s ability to drive improvements and comprehensively evaluate gaps in service provision.

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Leadership and management adequate

The impact of these shortfalls is limited by the close working arrangements with other professionals to review individual care plans and focus on outcomes for children and young people.

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Leadership and management adequate

The new Statement of Purpose is clear and consistent with the ethos of the home. The process for managing admissions was not in line with this document. This was a recording issue regarding the timing of completing an impact risk assessment prior to decision making about a new admission. On this occasion it has not impacted on how 11 of 12 risks relating to the admission have been managed.

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Leadership and management adequate

The registered manager has been in post for the last year and is suitably qualified and experienced to manage the home. She is supported by the provider and the deputy manager to ensure the home is suitably resourced to meet the needs of the children and young people living here.

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Leadership and management adequate

There are effective systems in place which address consultation with young people. These include key work sessions and residents meetings. There are other opportunities for young people to make their views clear. For example through focused key work sessions with staff. Overall recording is thorough and detailed.

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Leadership and management adequate

The current manager has made improvements. There is capacity for further improvement work to be achieved. The manager is proactive in chasing placing authorities for any records that were not available at the time of admission. The manager along with the staff team are aware of how absent information can compromise the care provided to young people and therefore review progress weekly. This system enables the manager to have a measure of the quality of care and levels of progress made by children and young people.

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Leadership and management adequate

All children accommodated at the home are provided with a young person’s guide which provides details of their Independent Reviewing Officer. It alerts them of who to speak to should they wish to make a complaint. On admission all children and young people are advised of the homes policies and practices alerting young people to what the expectations are in the home.

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Leadership and management adequate

They home is appropriately resourced and staff are appropriately trained and equipped to deal with the needs of the young people in placement. They are confident in their roles and utilise their individual skills and strengths to support each other in ways that best promote the chances of success for young people. Extra staffing is in place at key times when two-to-one staffing is required. This allows children and young people to feel safe with the level of support required for them to pursue activities.

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Leadership and management adequate

New staff benefit from the induction process which covers core and mandatory training. Probationary periods are a supportive time and boast fortnightly supervision. The supervisions are thorough and address all aspects of staff’s development and learning whilst young people’s care needs remain central. High levels of support and supervision all contribute to keeping young people safe. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management adequate

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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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