Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Nottingham

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 A high turnover of staff means young people are cared for in an unstable environment by a staff team they do not know well. This creates uncertainty.

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because:

 Young people do not always have secure and trusted relationships with the majority of adults who care for them. This impacts on the engagement young people have with the home.

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because:

 Outcomes for some young people have deteriorated since the last inspection. There are increased rates of being absent or missing from the home. Some young people do not engage in external community activities. Consequently, some young people lack the opportunity to engage positively and be included in the local and wider community.

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because:

 Young people have not had the opportunity to have a return interview facilitated by their placing authority after being missing from care. This means opportunities for young people to be seen by someone independent of the home have been missed.

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because:

 Placement matching procedures have not always ensured that new young people placed at the home are a good match for current residents. Outcomes for young people are diminished by poor placement matches.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff and the management team are strong advocates for young people. Where decisions are made that are not in the best interests of young people, staff empower them to express their wishes, feelings, views and opinions.

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The children's home strengths

 The manager is proactive and skilled at challenging placing authorities where they do not appear to be acting in young people’s best interests, there appears to be a lack of interest in young people’s outcomes or where lack of information sharing has led to poor placement matches.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

9. The enjoyment and achievement standard

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to meet the enjoyment and achievement standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(a) ensure that staff help each child to-

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Requirement Due date

(i) develop the child’s interests and hobbies

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Requirement Due date

(iii) make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community 06/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care for each child 06/07/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Consider ways the placement matching process can be improved. It is essential that homes understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child's placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  Ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 35, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people, two of whom may be accommodated in the semi-independence provision. The home is owned and run by a large private organisation. It provides care for young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/12/2014 CH - Interim Improved Effectiveness

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requires improvement

In general, young people make positive progress while living at the home. All are making excellent progress with their education and are reaching their educational potential. They are well prepared for semi-independent living. However, for some, their behaviour has deteriorated since the last inspection and rates of being absent or missing from the home have increased. As a result, young people are not always engaged in their usual routines, preferring to spend time away from the home. Although there is a plan to help young people become more engaged, the impact of this is yet to be seen.

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requires improvement

Young people do not currently have trusted and secure relationships with all the adults who care for them due to high levels of staff turnover. The Registered Manager has focused on maintaining consistency as far as possible, such as by limiting the amount of agency staff on duty. However, being cared for by such a changeable staff team does not promote stability and means clear and consistent boundaries are not always applied.

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requires improvement

Careful consideration is given to placement matching. However, since the last inspection, despite appropriate planning for a new young person to move in to the home, it soon became apparent it could not meet the young person’s needs as outlined in the Statement of Purpose. The impact of this placement was a rise in significant incidents. This included: a rise in young people going absent or missing from care; theft of a young person’s personal belongings; and young people putting themselves at risk by climbing on the roof or lighting fires. The Registered Manager was proactive in challenging the placing authority about the lack of information supplied at the point of referral. However, the poor placement match had an impact on long-term residents’ outcomes and experiences. One young person’s behaviour was heavily influenced, leading to an increase in risk-taking activity. Young people report that the home’s atmosphere changed, they did not

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requires improvement

feel safe, and they did not want to come out of their rooms or engage at meal times due to the attitudes and behaviours shown by others. This affected their emotional health. Since the young person’s placement has ended, young people report the home is slowly returning to how it was previously and they are building positive relationships with each other again.

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requires improvement

Young people are reaching their academic potential. There are high levels of attendance and achievement. Education is prioritised. Education professionals comment on the high levels of communication and information sharing. Some young people are involved in various additional and extra-curricular activities. For others, engagement in external activities such as sports clubs has decreased, meaning they do not have opportunities to learn new skills or make appropriate friendships in their local community.

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requires improvement

Young people’s health needs are met. For example, they are listened to and supported to attend appointments to talk about their health, such as decreasing their prescribed medication. Young people are supported with their complex emotional and mental health needs. All receive the support and specialist services they need. Young people say they feel listened to. They are encouraged to use advocacy services. They know how to complain and if the resolution to their complaint cannot be achieved immediately, they are kept verbally up to date with progress.

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requires improvement

Young people have opportunities to learn new skills and prepare for independence. This includes helping cook a meal, running errands to buy groceries or visiting university open days. The manager and staff demonstrate a high level of challenge and advocacy in relation to the placing authority where there are concerns about the timing of young people leaving care. A social worker stated: ‘They are being proactive in pushing for what’s in my young person’s best interests.’ Contact arrangements with family members and people important to the lives of young people are prioritised.

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good

For the majority of the time, young people live in a safe environment and say they feel protected. For a short period, when the home was unsettled, young people did not always feel safe. During this time, staff were proactive in trying to deal with the presenting negative behaviour. Higher staffing levels were used and various behaviour management strategies were implemented in consultation with young people and placing authorities, such as positive rewards and sanctions. A social worker stated, ‘They have strategies in place for my young person’s behaviour. They are willing to meet half way, to negotiate. They let the young person know the consequences of actions.’ Where the home could not meet a young person’s needs, action was taken, in consultation with the placing authority, to find alternative care arrangements, thus helping to limit the impact on long-term residents.

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good

There are positive relationships with the local police, who regularly visit the home. With any incident of challenging or risk-taking behaviour, the support of the police is used only when necessary and when all other options, such as behaviour management strategies, have been exhausted. This approach helps avoid the criminalisation of young people.

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good

Young people can identify an adult they can trust to confide in such as their keyworker. Staff understand the risks to young people when they are absent from the home well. On occasion, young people have been absent from the home for extended periods of time and their absence has been classed as missing from home. The Registered Manager has not been proactive in challenging the placing authority to complete missing from home interviews, and as a result, opportunities to use independent means to gather a young person’s views on why they were missing have been lost. There is a clear and regularly reviewed plan to reduce absence from the home devised through consultation with the police, the placing authority and education.

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good

Staff understand how to keep young people safe and how to follow safeguarding policies and procedures, such as whistleblowing, if required. They understand the particular vulnerabilities of young people and ensure thorough and up-to-date risk assessments identify how to manage potential risks. Young people live in an environment which is kept physically safe through ongoing maintenance and health and safety checks.

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requires improvement

The manager has registered with Ofsted since the last inspection. He is very experienced and qualified for the role and has an in-depth knowledge of local authority processes, especially in relation to care leavers. The manager is tenacious in challenging placing authorities where shortfalls in practice or young people’s care plans are identified.

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requires improvement

There is a significant turnover of staffing at the home. A large number of core members of staff, many of whom had been working at the home for a number of years, have left. Staff from other homes within the organisation, and the occasional agency member of staff, are used to manage the shortfall in the numbers of staff available to care for young people. Recruitment of quality staff is prioritised; new members of staff have joined the team and are undertaking their induction. However, this high turnover has meant young people are living in an unstable environment, cared for by staff they do not know well and do not have trusting relationships with.

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requires improvement

Two requirements were made at the last inspection. One related to annual consultation with relevant local bodies in relation to the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the children’s home. The local police have provided their views and opinions and consultation with other interested parties is ongoing. Consequently, important local bodies have had the opportunity to inform a review of the home’s location. Another requirement was made in relation to ensuring the safety of the home’s vehicle. The car is subject to servicing and regular checks and is now safe for young people to use.

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requires improvement

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home through his monitoring of activities, supervision with staff and feedback through team meetings. A member of staff stated, ‘We have positive support from the manager. We may have different opinions but we listen to each other. He encourages us to take part in team meetings, to give our opinions. It is democratic and supportive.’ Established members of staff have a good level of understanding of young people’s needs through regular attendance at meetings such as parents’ evenings or education planning meetings.

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requires improvement

There are good professional relationships between the manager, staff, family members and professionals involved in the lives of young people. This promotes good information sharing for the benefit of young people. Professionals consulted during the inspection gave comments such as: ‘Support around contact and cultural needs is very good. There is an underpinning stability which means my young person is thriving. Overall, it’s a very positive view. They are good advocates’, and, ‘Communication between school and the home has been very good indeed. They have gone out of their way to attend important meetings to support the young person.’

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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