Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people feel happy, settled and enjoy their time at this home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Risk taking behaviour such as missing from care, self-harm and substance misuse is successfully tackled. Young people are able to make positive changes to their behaviour. Resulting in them being safer.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Sustained improvement in education through attendance and engagement has led to achievement.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 High quality psychological assessments inform bespoke care plans for young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are safeguarded. Good quality care practices, good oversight and monitoring by staff reduce the likelihood of any adverse incidents.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Managers work collaboratively with placing authorities, schools and other professionals.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 High quality information is shared between agencies for the benefit of young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Significant changes to the staff group have not ensured young people have received continuity of care from staff. This negatively impacts upon young people being able to develop and sustain attachments to important adults.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Supervision for staff members has not always been provided by the Registered Manager.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The Registered Manager has not ensured the administration of medication is as safe as it could be.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people do not always get access to effective health advice.

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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

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children's home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31(1)) 17/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure staff receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(b)) 31/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, self-administration and disposal of medicines received into the children's home. (Regulation 23(1) 31/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Requirement Due date

 Ensure staff help young people understand, and where necessary work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being such as sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 35, para 7.18).

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Information about this children's home

The children‘s home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people. The young people will be aged 11 to 17 years of at time of admission. The home provides care and support to young people who have experienced, or at risk of sexual exploitation. Young people who experience emotional, behavioural and social difficulties may also be admitted. The home is privately owned and predominantly accepts referrals from local authorities. 

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/01/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

The environment for young people is safe, homely and stimulating. As set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose staff focus on providing young people with a good place to live.

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Good

Young people make good progress in relation to their starting points. Their physical, emotional and behavioural progress is markedly improved despite their length of time in placement. Effective, high quality support underscored by individualised care planning supports young people’s progress. They enjoy their lives and as a result their confidence and self-esteem as increased. They are developing personal skills and are now making informed decisions about their lives, confidently. One young person comments, ‘I can’t believe how much I have changed, I use to trash rooms, kick holes in doors I can’t believe I use to do that, behaving like that did me no favours and only made things worse’.

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Good

Good knowledge of young people ensures that rooms are personalised to their liking. The building and grounds are in very good condition. The physical environment is clean, well maintained and decorated. This means the young people have a home they can enjoy and are proud to live in.

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Good

Educational attainment by young people is valued by the managers and staff. Attendance at school remains high. Young people enjoy going to school and making progress, being fully supported by staff. For some young people they were not attending education before being placed at this home. They are now achieving 100% and doing well. This achievement is to their credit. Their attainment and progress is on track to achieve good outcomes.

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Good

Some young people require ongoing medication. The system for administering this is not always robust or secure. The medication is being taken by staff to the young person. Travelling to various parts of the building this will increase the risk of losing the medication or it not reaching the intended recipient.

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Good

The psychological and mental health needs of young people are prioritised. Young people receive ongoing thorough psychological assessment from suitable qualified professionals. Psychological and therapeutic interventions are then provided to young people. These are supported through regular meetings between those providing therapy and residential care staff. This ensures good communication between all those caring for young people and consistency of care practices. Young people receive good quality therapeutic interventions whilst living within this caring and nurturing environment. This provides them with a good possibility of dealing with past traumatic experiences.

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Good

Relationships between young people and their families are valued and promoted by the manager and staff. Contact arrangements are set out within a clear and structured plan. Contact only takes place when in the best interests of the young person. For those young people not able to maintain family contact this is sensitively and carefully managed by staff.

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Good

Aspirations are high for young people moving towards living independently. Programmes of independent skills development are in place set at a realistic pace. Plans are altered dependent upon the emerging needs of young people. This means that young people are working hard for their future supported by nurturing staff members and managers.

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good

Young people at risk of sexual exploitation are safe and kept safe through good care practices. The home provides bespoke placements to young people who have been victims of exploitation. This risk is well understood and pro-actively tackled by the manager and staff. Internet use is effectively managed to prevent young people accessing inappropriate sites. Whereabouts of young people are known as are friendship groups. These measures create and maintain a secure and nurturing environment.

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good

Frequency of missing from care is low. The risks associated with missing are well understood by the manager and staff. Young people are discouraged from going missing through individual work that raises their awareness of risks. The manager and staff have agreed measures with the local police that ensure a rapid response from police. There are also high levels of supervision and monitoring of young people’s whereabouts.

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good

Young people have only a rudimentary understanding of healthy relationships and sex education. This hinders young people making good choices in respect of relationships.

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good

Physical intervention is rarely used. In circumstances where physical intervention has been necessary this has being carried out appropriately to prevent harm. These are appropriately recorded and documented. Reflection with the young person concerned takes place. They seek to understand what could have been done differently by staff or the young person to prevent recurrence. The young people have become increasingly safer as staff have supported them to stop engaging in risk taking behaviours. As a result, young people do not have difficulties with alcohol, drugs, legal highs or tobacco. It is to the credit of the manager, staff and young people that smoking is not tolerated.

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good

Behaviour is managed well. Through replacing sanctions with negotiation, compromise and discussion. Young people have individual behaviour management plans. These are informed by staff, and clinical team and reviewed at regular meetings that take place. Young people live in a calm and measured atmosphere where they can relax.

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good

Staff recognises the triggers which cause young people to engage in self-harm. They are skilled and experienced in working directly with those that self-harm. Effective strategies including one to one work and incorporating therapeutic work take place.

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good

Good relationships keep young people safe. The relationships between young people and staff are both nurturing and supportive. Staff members know young people well and there exists warmth, encouragement and positive sense of humour and fun. Young people can confide in staff and view staff as safe adults. This protects them.

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good

The home is led by a dedicated and suitable qualified Registered Manager. She has lengthy experience of working with children and young people in residential care. Young people benefit from this committed and knowledgeable manager who demonstrates leadership to improving services. She is supported by a deputy manager who is equally well experienced and has a good grasp on the service. They work cooperatively and display strong leadership through recent significant staff changes.

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good

Robust processes are in place for recruitment and vetting of new staff. Young people are better protected through ensuring those charged with their care have been through stringent and sufficient checking processes. This decreases the possibility of young people being harmed by those in positions of trust.

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good

Attachments and continuity of care for young people has been disturbed through significant changes in the staff group. Since last inspection a number of staff has left. Recruitment has taken place and there is sufficiency in staff numbers. This unfortunately impacted on the continuity of care practice and communication across the staff group. It is to the credit of the Registered Manager and deputy that recruitment has been undertaken without delay. They have utilised bank staff within the organisation to avoid, where possible use of agency staffing. The Registered Manager completed a development plan to manage the situation with new staff starting and pressures this creates. The situation regarding the continuity of staff numbers to provide consistent care to young people remains a concern during the period of change.

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good

Most staff are supported through regular supervision and have training opportunities. However, there are a few staff where their supervision has not been as frequent. This has hindered them having their practice formally reviewed.

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good

Effective working with a range of external agencies safeguards and promotes the welfare of young people. These include social workers, education and health professionals. Regular meetings such as looked after reviews, strategy meetings and care planning meetings take place. The Registered Manager shares information well with all agencies. This ensures that young people are safeguarded and that effective communication is taking place and young people’s plans are well coordinated.

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good

The internal monitoring of the service is strong. The Registered Manager utilises information from reports provided by an independent visitor on a monthly basis. The manager seeks the views of partner agencies and collates information from a number of sources. She uses this to produce a detailed analysis of areas to target. This assists with constructing a development plan.

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good

The Registered Manager has completed a detailed health and safety risk assessment. This is comprehensive and updated regularly taking into account key areas to ensure the accommodation is safe and secure.

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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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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