Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC456330 Inspector Elaine Cray 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 Victor Takadiwa Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection 12/03/2014 2 of 12 Inspection date 14/01/2015

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection None.

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Overall effectiveness adequate

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

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Overall effectiveness

This home has not had a Registered Manager since the end of October 2014. An experienced Registered Manager from another home has taken responsibility since December 2014. A recruitment process is under way. Changes of manager and transition between the two homes have caused shortfalls in the home’s operation.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people like living at the home. They experience positive relationships and do well across many aspects of their lives. However young people are often absent and missing overnight from the home. Poor associations and related activities to going missing compromise positive outcomes for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Changes in care planning administration lead to shortfalls in the admissions' processes and care planning frameworks in the home. A core staff team with good knowledge of and commitment to young people maintains quality of care to an adequate level. Young people continue to experience nurture and stability in their day to day care.

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Overall effectiveness

Partnership working is sometimes inconsistent, particularly in managing robust cross-regional responses to going missing. Making short notice decisions to move young people leads to poor planning. There is a lack of rigour in checking out and responding to going missing and risk taking activities. 3 of 12 Six statutory requirements and two recommendations are set as a result of this inspection. 4 of 12

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Information about this children’s home

This service provides four placements for children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private organisation owns and operates this setting.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 22/11/2013 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

4 (2001) produce a guide to the children’s home which shall include a summary of the home’s statement of purpose (Regulation 4.—(3) (a)) 28/02/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

5 (2001) keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose and the children’s guide, notify HMCI of any such revision within 28 days and if the children’s guide is revised, supply a copy to each child accommodated in the home. (Regulation 5. (a -c)) 28/02/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

7 (2001) appoint an individual to manage the children’s home (Regulation 7.—(1)) 28/02/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children’s home is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the safeguarding and welfare of children accommodated there. This is with specific regard to 28/02/2015 5 of 12 managing new admissions, missing from home protocols and safeguarding partnerships (Regulation 11.—(1) (a)) 12A (2001) ensure the child’s placement plan sets out how, on a day to day basis, he will be cared for, and his welfare safeguarded and promoted by the home (Regulation 12) 28/02/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure before implementing the missing child policy the registered person consult, and take into account the views of, such local persons or bodies as the registered person considers appropriate; and have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children (Regulation 16.—(5)) 28/02/2015

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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 rewards for behaviour are clear, reasonable and fair and are understood by all staff and children. This is with particular regard to making incentives for young people more individual to focus on their current placement targets (NMS 3.8)  ensure the home’s procedures are compatible with and have regard to Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocols and procedures maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority for the area where the home is located (NMS 5.6) 6 of 12

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Outcomes for young people are mixed. Those who have been living at the home for longer periods have some improved outcomes. They go missing less and cut down on risk taking activities. Young people understand the impact of their previous and serious criminal behaviours. They are safer because they no longer connect to gang related associations and crime.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people are pleased they go missing less and they see themselves as significantly safer. Comments such as ‘I wouldn’t be where I am now if it was not for my key worker’ show their strong relationships with staff and awareness of the extent of their previous risk taking activities.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people have the opportunity to take part in a range of activities, but currently choose to go out and socialise with their friends. While these friendship networks are more positive that previous gang affiliation, they can lead to absences from the home and drug use. Other more recently admitted young people go missing overnight with their whereabouts unknown.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

The majority of placing authorities are positive about the service. Professionals’ comments include; ‘The home has been a key change in the positive progress being made’ and the ‘key worker is very enthusiastic and motivated – my young person thinks a lot of her and this goes both ways.’

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

There are some early indications that the strength of relationship building in the home positively impacts on new young people. They say they are embracing their ‘new start.’ Overall episodes of going missing remain high but young people and staff see improving school attendance and a dip in going missing as signs of early progress. Young people say they like this home better than their previous placement. Some professionals acknowledge young people’s affinity for the home. However they say these preferences may be more to do with links to a negative culture and poor associations in the local area. Therefore some young people want to stay for the wrong reasons.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Older and more established young people are pleased with the progress they are making. Going to college and doing shorter, part-time vocational courses helps their confidence. They learn more effectively and this provides a good focus on employment. Young people look forward to working in the building trade and customer service. Young people say using the rest of the working week to focus on independence skills is helpful. Starting to budget, food shop, cook and doing household chores helps to prepare them for leaving the home and living in a place of their own. 7 of 12 Some young people move on positively from this home. They attend further education, have a good job and live independently. They say they enjoyed living at the home because staff gave them stability over a period of several years. Young people enjoy careers in catering, are financially self-sufficient and give full credit to the staff in helping with these achievements.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people begin to take more responsibility for their own health. They eat more healthily and are aware of the importance of exercise. Some young people who are normally reluctant to attend appointments have attended recent checks at the optician since arriving at the home. However young people’s smoking and drug use compromises these welcome improvements.

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Quality of care adequate

Care planning frameworks are very comprehensive covering all aspects of young people’s needs. However the volume of information minimises the practical use of care plans. There is extensive information about young people’s histories, but little practical information about daily routines and how staff should support young people. For example, what helps them get up, how they get to school and arrangements for free time.

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Quality of care adequate

Information is difficult to access because there is a current switch between processes for organising information in the home. New filing systems mean that some information cannot be easily located. For example placement plans from the local authority and crucial information about the offending histories of young people.

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Quality of care adequate

These shortfalls are mainly administrative. The impact is minimised because the core staff team know the young people very well. However young people’s care currently relies on the knowledge and experience of staff. Lack of clear written care strategies mean care may not be consistent should staff be absent from the home.

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Quality of care adequate

Lack of clarity regarding information sharing also emerges in the management of daily handover meetings. Young people are sometimes present during the meeting and this presents potential for breaches in confidentiality. There is also potential for lack of equality in information sharing with young people. Due to the time of the meeting young people attending school would not be able to attend. While young people who are off college have more opportunity to join the meeting and share information.

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Quality of care adequate

Improvements in providing information for compatibility assessments lack impact. Compatibility between young people has been assessed; but risks not realistically evaluated. In reality new admissions are as a result of internal transfer due to the closure of another home and transfer of staff. Young people’s placements have not been needs led but in the interests of the wider organisation. As a result new placements do not address young people’s risk taking behaviours in the local 8 of 12 community and this negatively impacts on their quality of care.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff are persistent in encouraging young people to attend medical and health checks. Some young people now make their own appointments. Staff are able to support young people’s medical needs because they receive training in arrangements for the safe storage, administration and recording of medication.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff partnership working with schools and colleges is effective. Teachers and tutors appreciate daily feedback from staff and the support they provide to help young people with their homework. Young people appreciate and respond well to the positive reinforcement and pride shown by the staff to the young people.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff insight and awareness of equality and diversity reinforces young people’s growing emotional resilience and confidence. Staff have good understanding of young people’s backgrounds. They work sensitively with young people and social workers to support safe and appropriate contact with families.

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Quality of care adequate

Young people live in a well-designed, maintained and comfortable house. They appreciate the new redecoration throughout the home. Being involved in decorating and personalising their bedrooms positively impact on young people's motivation to keep their rooms tidy and not to damage their own personal space.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Most young people have a stronger sense of safety as a result of living at the home. Staff have good information about the vulnerability and risk taking behaviours of young people. With the exception of frequent absences and going missing; safeguarding referrals are few. Staff liaise with their local safeguarding team and social workers to discuss concerns arising at the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Established young people go missing less. These older young people have set times for return to the home, but sometimes arrive back late. These older young people now understand boundaries regarding their safety. Poor associations and risk taking behaviours significantly decrease and absences link to more positive local and college friendship networks. They trust staff and get in contact to tell staff their whereabouts. Agreed protocols with the police lead to reporting these young people as absent.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

These outcomes are more difficult to establish with more recently admitted young people. There is some early indication of missing episodes decreasing. Positive reinforcement by staff is impacting on young people’s engagement in the home. However incidents of going missing, staying out overnight and refusing to share information with staff and police remain high for these young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Poor insight into the impact of transferring young people across different homes, at 9 of 12 short notice, impacts on the effectiveness of partnership working. Young people with ingrained patterns of going missing have only moved a few miles. This means they can easily maintain links to poor associations and continue to go missing overnight. Young people’s new placements, although only a few miles down the road, are in a different local authority. This creates new challenges in information sharing, agreeing protocols and establishing cross-regional partnerships.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Transfer of the manager and staff from the same home does give some insight into the going missing profile of young people. Staff liaise with placing authorities to arrange safeguarding meetings to discuss the risks presented by young people. The acting manager is working to build cross-partnership relationships but protocols are still to be agreed. Young people who stay out overnight and their whereabouts unknown are recorded as absent by the police. This recording process minimises a robust response that includes an independent visitor for young people. These current protocols do not give a rigorous response to possible links between going missing and child exploitation.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Lack of consistent partnership working with fire services also minimises impact on young people’s risk taking behaviours. Initial connections with fire safety services for completing work with young people as part of youth offending agreements are not followed up. While some responsibility lies with youth offending; the incident occurred at the home. Staff have not chased supporting agencies. They have not embraced opportunities to build relationships with agencies that can support staff and contribute to young people becoming more safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Bullying is a key part of the compatibility assessment and decision making process about young people coming to live at the home. Identifying such risks has a positive impact because young people have no concerns about bullying at the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Behaviour within the home is good. Staff work closely together and discuss different strategies to manage behaviours. The current cross-over of staff across homes is useful because staff share triggers for behaviour and effective strategies. Young people feel more stable because staff can provide an early and consistent response to behaviours. These early interventions are useful in diffusing incidents and enabling young people to experience positive engagement with staff.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people say working for incentives helps them improve their behaviour. They now keep their rooms tidy and attend to personal hygiene because this means they can have a TV in their room. Other young people are not sure what their incentives are but think they achieve them as they receive their financial rewards. The manager and staff acknowledge that most incentives mainly relate to tidiness and personal hygiene. They are similar for most young people. The new manager plans to work towards individualising incentive plans, with more focus on current pathway planning for the older young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Robust staff recruitment protects young people. Staff are trained in child protection, 10 of 12 behaviour management and health and safety. As a result all staff are aware of their own roles and responsibilities and the other agencies that are involved in keeping young people safe. Training ensures staff carry out health and safety checks as an integral part of the daily running of the home.

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Leadership and management adequate

Lack of management and leadership directly after the Registered Manager left the home in October 2014 has led to instability in the operation and a series of shortfalls in the administration of the home.

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Leadership and management adequate

Addressing management arrangements includes the closure and transfer of young people, staff and manager from another home. These interim arrangements now mean an experienced Registered Manager runs the home until a new appointment is made. However this strategy was made at very short notice and throws up other challenges. An influx of staff, and then subsequent secondment of some of these staff elsewhere, has been unsettling for young people. There are some early signs of positive impact since the new manager has been overseeing the home. For example staff say ‘the home is much more organised now new manager is in place. Rigorous when it comes to supervision.’ However improvements in the short term currently fail to be fully embedded in the overall running of the home.

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Leadership and management adequate

Information about the home is not up to date. The Statement of Purpose sent to Ofsted and available in the home does not reflect the managerial and staffing changes over the past few months.

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Leadership and management adequate

The young people’s guide is also not up to date. Contact details include the now defunct National Care Standards Commission and there is no update regarding the Children’s Commissioner replacing the Children’s Rights Director. The generic document gives young people insight into their rights as a looked after child, but does little to help young people visualise the home, find out about local facilities or become familiar about the people who work there.

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Leadership and management adequate

Staffing arrangements meet the needs of young people. Staffing levels provide enough staff to search for young people when they go missing, support contact and transport to and from education. Young people are able to enjoy quality time with staff and experience regular face to face work in key working session. Staff work extremely hard to maintain safety and consistency for young people over the recent period of change.

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Leadership and management adequate

Quality of care meets the needs of young people because the vast majority of staff have a qualification in care and receive training and regular supervision.

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Leadership and management adequate

Monitoring includes routine submission of independent visitor reports to the home and to Ofsted. This monitoring process impacts on improvement as shortfalls are 11 of 12 being gradually addressed with a new management structure in place.

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Leadership and management adequate

Young people’s views are important to the staff. Weekly meetings give young people an opportunity to talk about the running of the home. Young people are confident in their relationships with staff. They know how to complain, would approach staff with worries and concerns and confident their issues will be resolved.

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Leadership and management adequate

Resuming monthly managerial checks drives improvement and the acting manager is currently carrying out a robust assessment of operation of the home. The acting manager says ‘auditing is highlighting areas for improvement and these are being addressed as I go along. We have already set up new files for 2015 and gone through previous files. Files are now set up as an evidence base and this means we can review and make sure we are moving forward.’ The home’s development plan and safe location assessment are already under review due to the auditing processes in the home. This strategic approach is driving improvement and addressing shortfalls as identified in this inspection. 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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