Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Unique reference number SC032083 Inspector Marian Denny Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Castle Homes Care Limited Registered person address Castle Homes Care Ltd, The Manor House High Street, Rothwell KETTERING Northamptonshire NN14 6BQ Responsible individual Shelley Frances Whiting Registered manager Louise Margaret Arrowsmith Date of last inspection 22/01/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 22/01/2015

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness good

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

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Overall effectiveness

This is a good children's home as the young people are provided with good opportunities to achieve positive outcomes. They live in a supportive home environment, which provides them with consistency, structure and routine. Staff ensure their individual needs are identified, addressed and their progress regularly reviewed by all the agencies involved in their care. This enables young people to make good progress in many areas of their lives, as illustrated with regard to their education, family relationships and the reduction in risky behaviour such as going missing from care.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are very positive about the home, staff and feel well supported and safe. They enjoy good relationships with staff and as a result, the home is usually calm and a pleasant place to be. Professionals involved with the young people and parents are very happy with the quality of care, help and support staff provide.

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Overall effectiveness

Both the manager and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding, their role and responsibilities and know how to keep young people safe, particularly if they at risk of harm.

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Overall effectiveness

A significant strength of the home is the fact that both the manager and staff are very child focussed and provide a nurturing environment for the young people. 3 of 11 Behaviour management strategies are effective, which results in a minimal use of sanctions and physical intervention. There is a strong and effective leadership team who are committed to ensuring staff provide good quality care and that young people achieve the best possible outcomes for their lives. They do this by establishing strong, effective partnership working with other agencies and in ensuring staff are well supported and trained. This team also understands the strengths of the service and effectively uses quality assurance systems to develop and secure improvements.

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Overall effectiveness

To include build on the existing good practice and standards of care the following should be addressed: maintenance issues both inside and outside the home; training for staff regarding young people’s contact with their family and in ensuring contact details in relation to the independent reviewing officer are incorporated in the children’s guide. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates two young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. It is run by a private company which has other homes in the area.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 31/10/2013 Full good 09/01/2013 Interim good progress 23/10/2012 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 have appropriate training, supervision and support if they are required to supervise and facilitate contact (NMS 9.2)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated, including the immediate outdoor space (NMS 10.3)  ensure the children's guide includes a summary of what the home sets out to do for children, how they can find out their rights and specifically how a child can contact their independent reviewing officer. (NMS 13.5) 5 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people achieve good outcomes as they benefit from a secure and stable placement. This enables them to grow and develop in all aspects of their lives. They have good relationships with staff and are gradually developing relationships with other young people in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

The staff team develop effective relationships with family members to ensure young people maintain strong links. As a result, young people are enjoying improved contact with their families, both at the home and in their own family homes. This has resulted in some young people having regular overnight contact with their parents.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people receive individualised care and support which helps them to grow in confidence. They are also involved in the daily running of the home, such as cooking, shopping, cleaning, as well as menu and activity planning. They participate in young people's meetings and are consulted on a regular basis. These practices enable young people to have control over their own daily lives and to contribute to the development of the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people engage in a variety of activities in the home and in the local community.. For example, some young people planned and participated in a Halloween and New Year’s Eve party at the home. Some young people are also involved in community activities, such as walking, cycling and playing football. This increases their confidence, self-esteem and broadens their horizons.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are encouraged to enjoy a healthy life-style, including eating a varied and nutritious diet. They develop trusting relationships with staff and are able to access services that maintain their health. Young people regularly attend local doctors, dentists and opticians appointments. Health plans clearly set out each young person's health care needs and how these will be met. This means they understand the importance of good health and know what to do if they are unwell.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people's educational outcomes are good. Young people have various educational placements; for example, one young person attends college on a full-time basis and is making good progress. Another young person has tuition at the home and is 'doing well'. Young people have aspirations and plans for their futures, and as a result of their engagement in education, they are improving their life chances.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are also developing their independent living skills, as is appropriate to their age and ability, in preparation for moving on into adulthood. This enables them to leave the home with a better chance of making a success in their adult lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

The young people spoken with stated that they are ‘Enjoy living in this home.’ They 6 of 11 also stated that they had good relationships with the staff and realise that they really care about and want the best for them.

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Quality of care good

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. They are happy and relaxed with staff and there is good exchange of light hearted and teasing remarks between them. Young people get on reasonably well with each other, although both are very independent and have different interests. They feel involved in the home as there are regular young people’s meetings, one to one sessions with their key worker and informal discussions. They know how to make a complaint and have done so in the past. These were resolved to the young people's satisfaction and appropriate learning improved staff practice.

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Quality of care good

Staff have high aspirations for young people, celebrate their achievements and are proud of how well they are doing. They place the well-being of young people at the centre of everything they do. This is confirmed by parents and professionals who speak very highly of the way staff care for young people and the progress they make as a result. One professional said, ‘(Name of young person) is making really good progress, as a result of the encouragement and support the staff are giving him.’ Another said, ‘staff are working hard to develop (name of young person) independent skills. They are also really promoting and supporting his contact with his family and ensure it is a positive experience for him.’ One placing social worker said, ‘Staff have been fantastic in helping (name of young person); communication has been excellent and staff have worked very well with us.’

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Quality of care good

The staff team are very child focused, nurturing and are all very committed to the young people in their care. They carefully analyse each young person's needs and review the effectiveness of the behavioural strategies that are in place. They provide extremely good support to the young people in their care and constantly encourage them to work through their difficulties and address the key areas in their plans. Professionals spoken with said, ‘Staff are very professional and they work hard to address their needs.’

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Quality of care good

Young people contribute to their plans, as well as their individual incentive programmes. This means that young people know what they are working towards. It also ensures that they are cared for in line with their placement plans, which clearly identify their individual and diverse needs.

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Quality of care good

The Registered Manager and staff ensure young people’s views are routinely heard through daily conversations, one to one sessions with their key workers and through young people’s meetings. This means that young people are at the centre of planning for the home. Since the last inspection, young people have taken an active part in 7 of 11 the décor changes around the home and continue to have a strong voice in the running of the home.

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Quality of care good

Staff ensure young people are registered with universal services such as the doctor, dentist and optician. Young people also have access to a variety of other specialist professionals, if required, such as adolescent mental health services. This ensures a holistic approach is very much adopted to young people’s care. Staff carefully monitor young people’s health needs and follow them up, as necessary. They also discuss these issues in key-workings sessions. One professional said, ‘Staff are very aware of (name of young person’s) medical needs. They fully understand what triggers deterioration in his health and are conscientious in ensuring these health issues are well managed.’

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Quality of care good

Staff are good advocates for young people and fully support their education. They attend meetings, challenge decisions such as exclusions, are proactive in transporting young people to education and in waking them up in the morning so they are used to the routine of preparing for school. This has been effective with young people now achieving and making solid progress towards securing good educational outcomes.

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Quality of care good

Staff encourage young people to engage in positive leisure pursuits so that they become part of the community and develop their skills and confidence. One professional said, ‘(Name of young person) confidence, self-esteem and communication skills are constantly increasing in being at (name of home). He is also learning a great deal about himself, as staff are very effectively helping him to address his various needs.’

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Quality of care good

Young people live in a comfortable, homely environment, which internally is maintained to a reasonable good standard. The house is clean, suitably decorated and meets young people’s individual needs, personalities and tastes. Their bedrooms are decorated according to their wishes and reflect their personalities. However, the front door bell is not working and the paint on both the front and back doors is in need of attention. Similarly, in the bathroom, the toilet did not match the bathroom suite and the décor chosen by the young people, which detracts from the general homely environment.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people’s welfare is of paramount importance. They are effectively supported to overcome any difficulties they may face so they have an opportunity to lead happy and fulfilling lives. Young people say they feel safe living in the home and can talk to staff, who they know will help them to 'sort things out'.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff have had safeguarding training and they have a good understanding of their role and responsibilities in keeping young people safe. Since the last inspection, there has been one safeguarding allegation. Both the manager and staff were very clear on 8 of 11 the actions to take and followed the safeguarding procedures appropriately. As a result the matter was effectively addressed and this ensured the young people were protected.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people do not experience bullying in this home. However, staff are very aware of the potential for a young person to bully or be bullied and are open in their discussions about this. Nor do young people go missing as they enjoy living in the home and want to be here. There are clear procedures in place though should this occur. Staff fully understand these and would implement them, if necessary.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Comprehensive care planning and individualised risk assessments address any identified areas of concern such as likelihood of becoming missing from care; these are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure staff have the most up-to-date guidance to follow to keep young people safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The staff team are particularly successful in building positive relationships with young people and gaining their trust. They maintain very clear and consistent boundaries. This enables young people to strengthen their emotional resilience and to begin developing appropriate coping mechanisms to deal with their frustration and anger. Any behaviour management incidents that do occur are well-managed. Staff work on the basis of ensuring good behaviour and effort is positively encouraged and rewarded. As a result, staff do not impose a great deal of sanctions. Those that are imposed though are fair, proportionate, effective and appropriately recorded.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff, visitors and young people are well protected from the risk of fire. They are made aware of fire safety procedures when they arrive at the home. The fire safety risk assessment is reviewed and fire drills regularly carried out. Staff and young people actively participate in these drills and this ensures they are familiar with the evacuation procedures.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are protected by a comprehensive range of risk assessments linked to individual activities as well as general hazards. Health and safety checks are undertaken with a view to maintaining a safe environment and appropriate service contracts are in place to ensure emergency and domestic equipment is safe. However, some external environmental issues, which could potentially present as a safety hazard to young people, were identified in this inspection. Some were immediately addressed But there others, such as the damage to the front gate to the home, the wind damaged fence and some loose bricks in the outdoor play area remain.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Recruitment and selection processes are very thorough and ensure that young people are protected. The management team carefully ensures staff have the skills and competencies to meet the needs of individual young people. Visitors are suitably checked and supervised. 9 of 11

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Leadership and management good

The manager has been in charge of the home since January 2014 and was registered with Ofsted in April 2014. She is suitably experienced and qualified to carry out her responsibilities. She has over 15 years’ experience in residential care with children and young people. She has achieved a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3 in Health and Social Care for Children, an NVQ 4 in leadership and management and a level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership. She demonstrates a real commitment to continued professional development and is eager to improve her skills and knowledge through further training.

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Leadership and management good

The manager provides strong leadership and effective management. As a result it is a well-run home that focuses on achieving good outcomes for young people. She has good internal and external monitoring systems and is using these effectively to understand the strengths and areas for development of the service. One placing social worker said, ‘The manager is fantastic as she addresses any issues raised immediately.’

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Leadership and management good

Since the last inspection there have been some staff changes and it is therefore a relatively new staff team. However, the team is developing and staff are working really well together. They are extremely committed to the young people whom they are caring for and very much want the best outcomes for them. As a consequence, young people’s needs are being well met and they are making good progress in their life. The manager is not complacent about her service and is keen to develop the expertise of staff so that the quality of care provided is of a high standard and young people achieve good outcomes. One placing social worker said, ‘It is a fantastic placement. Staff spend time with (name of young person) and talk to him about the various issues in his life. As a result he is making good progress. Both the manager and the staff are top drawer.’ Another professional said, ‘Staff are very child-focused

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Leadership and management good

and do their utmost to ensure (name of young person) gets the best of care.’

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Leadership and management good

The home always ensures there is a sufficient number of staff on duty to meet the needs of young people. The current deployment of staff promotes continuity of care and provides opportunities for young people to form positive attachments with staff. Staff are very well supported by the manager through regular professional supervision and team meetings. This provides staff with the chance to review and reflect on young people’s progress and needs. It also provides them with an opportunity to review their own performance and developmental needs; as well as the running of the home and ways to develop and improve the standard of care and support provided. Staff are also provided with suitable training opportunities so they can increase their knowledge, skills and to develop professionally.

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Leadership and management good

The home is run in line with the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose and children’s guide. The Statement of Purpose and children’s guide provides an accurate and comprehensive picture of the children’s home and the services it provides. However, the children’s guide does not contain the contact details of the independent 10 of 11 reviewing officer, should a young people wish to raise a concern.

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Leadership and management good

Since the last inspection, the manager has met the one statutory requirement and three recommendations that were made. She has therefore ensured the regulation 34 report covers all the matters that require to that be monitored and it is being sent to HMCI at the required frequency. Recent staff appointments have ensured that there is a continuity of staff so that young people’s attachments are not overly disrupted. Staff now know and can implement the local authority policy in relation to children or young people who may going missing. The manager also ensures staff are formally appraised on an annual basis.

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Leadership and management good

Young people’s written records are securely stored and well-organised. They contain up-to-date information and provide a clear picture of their progress and experiences. Staff also keep detailed accounts of any direct work undertaken with young people. This provides a clear picture of young people’s views and feelings about their lives, as well as the progress they make and the areas for further work. These records are therefore helpful to young people in understanding their lives and the plans made for their future. 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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