Children's Home run by Arnfield Care Limited in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC020133 Inspector Rachel Griffiths Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Arnfield Care Limited Registered person address Brookbank House Wellington Road, Bollington Macclesfield Cheshire SK10 5JR Responsible individual Wayne Relf Registered manager Elaine Carole French Date of last inspection 29/10/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 02/03/2015

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Previous inspection outstanding Enforcement action since last inspection None

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This inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Young people who arrive at this home in crisis, with a history of significant risk taking or offending behaviour continue to achieve outstanding outcomes from their starting points. A social worker said in respect of a young person, ‘they now attend school, they are doing independence work, have not gone missing and have not used drugs. The young person has developed insight into their difficulties and is now motivated to address them.’ A young person said: ‘I have learnt to swim, I no longer run away, I have learnt how to do fractions and I have tried lots of new healthy foods. I feel so much better for leading a healthy lifestyle.’ Young people start to experience stability, consistency and security in their lives. They develop aspirations and start to work towards realistic goals for the future. As a result, their life chances significantly improve.

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This inspection

Young people continue to benefit greatly from engaging in an extensive range of activities and exciting outdoor pursuits. A young person said: ‘We can do any activity we want within reason. I am going kickboxing soon, I have been climbing and caving; I play pool and go to the cinema and shopping. I have climbed Mount Snowdon. I am really proud of myself for doing that.’ Staff are extremely encouraging. They help young people to believe in their abilities, enjoy new experiences and overcome their fears. Young people benefit emotionally and physically. They get fitter, they have fun and they develop a sense of achievement. This helps raise young people’s confidence and self-esteem.

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This inspection

Staff continue to provide young people with an outstanding quality of care. Staff are committed and enthusiastic. They work very closely with the home’s psychologist and in-house educational services. Staff have excellent relationships with young people and they provide extremely consistent care. A social worker commented: ‘There is a holistic approach. Care is very well thought out. Staff are confident and assertive and totally up front with young people. Young people know where they 3 of 6 stand and this gives them security.’ Strong and positive multi-professional working relationships ensure that young people’s care plans are highly individualised, comprehensive, and delivered to a high standard. This holistic and consistent approach provides certainty for young people and impacts positively on their sense of stability and security.

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This inspection

Young people are fully respected in this home. They know how to complain. Their views are continually sought regarding the day-day running of the home during weekly young people’s meetings and very frequent key work sessions. Young people’s needs, views and preferences are fully incorporated their care plans. One young person said: ‘Staff listen to my views. I have set my own goals and the staff are now helping me achieve them.’ Another young person said: ‘Staff listen and they are all on my side.’ Consequently, not only are young people’s individual and diverse needs well met, young people feel supported and valued. They are also motivated to work towards the goals of their care plans.

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This inspection

Young people continue to feel safe and are so much safer while living in this home. A young person said: ‘This is a safe place to live. There are always staff around to talk to. It just feels safe.’ The positive relationships young people have with staff provide them with a strong sense of safety. Work undertaken with young people in respect of risky behaviours such as going missing from home is extremely effective and provides young people with a high level of protection. Robust missing from care procedures and high levels of supervision by insightful and knowledgeable staff has resulted in young people previously at risk of exploitation no longer going missing. A social worker commented: ‘This home is excellent. The staff have safeguarded a young person who was at significant risk of exploitation and substance misuse.’

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This inspection

Young people are well supported in respect of their behaviour. All young people continue to be motivated by individualised reward systems which help promote positive and acceptable behaviour. Positive strategies used to de-escalate challenging behaviour have resulted in physical intervention being rarely used. When it is used as a very last resort, incidents are well recorded and young people are always debriefed. The Registered Manager continues to monitor the effectiveness of behaviour management plans and interventions in consultation with the home’s psychologist to look for ways to continually improve practice in this area.

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This inspection

The management of this home continues to be extremely effective. The Registered Manager is enthusiastic and motivational. Her child-focussed approach and high standards filter down to the staff. Morale amongst staff is good and a cohesive staff team continue to ensure that young people are consistently well supported.

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This inspection

Monitoring and quality assurance systems continue to be effective. Monitoring systems demonstrate the progress young people make and the value living at the home has on their lives. Internal and external quality assurance reports identify strengths and minor shortfalls. Ongoing regular consultation with young people, parents, placing authorities and partner agencies demonstrates how the manager 4 of 6 continues to proactively seek ways to make improvements to an already outstanding service. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

The home, which is owned by a private company, is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Education is provided 365 days a year, both on site and through camps and outdoor activities.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2014 Full outstanding 27/03/2014 Interim good progress 20/11/2013 Full outstanding 23/01/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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