Children's Home run by Unique Care Homes Support Limited in Cambridgeshire

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:

 The home has significant damage throughout. Repair is required to provide young people with a homely and comfortable environment in which to live.  Young people’s contact with family and friends is compromised as the house phone has been removed and needs to be replaced.  There is a high turnover of staff and some staff are not yet suitably qualified or experienced to manage the behaviour and meet the complex needs of young people placed.  Due to the high staff turnover, young people have not had the opportunity to develop secure and trusting relationships with adults.  Following a physical intervention, young people do not systematically receive an opportunity to discuss the incident. This limits the scope for reflection on behaviour and does not offer the additional safeguards intended by such discussions.  Behaviour management strategies are not making a positive difference and young people have experienced an increase in criminal charges and possible

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because:

convictions.  The home excludes young people from contributing to and executing a safety plan. This practice increases the vulnerability and wellbeing of young people.  Staff are not trained in the home’s restorative practice model of work. This does not offer young people and staff opportunity to strengthen their community living by addressing the impact of negative behaviour.  Young people and stakeholders experiential feedback is not sought, therefore is not considered in developing an improved service.  Poor record keeping undermines the manager’s ability to evidence or evaluate the quality of care given and the progress young people are making.

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The children's home strengths

 The manager does have aspirations for the home; the staff are motivated to learn and to deliver a high quality service to children.  Staff receive competent and effective supervision.  Young people engage positively with the organisation’s school provision. All have significantly improved their school attendance and have made educational progress.  Staff have assisted young people to stop smoking both nicotine and cannabis and young people have benefited from improved dental care and health.  Staff act swiftly and appropriately when young people disclose past abusive incidents or situations. Young people receive supportive, caring responses from staff.  The home has excellent links with the local police who say: ‘Staff are very caring and supportive of the young people. They are extremely professional and act swiftly to address any concern and where required, they produce reports of high quality.’

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The children's home strengths

 When young people leave the home without permission or go missing, staff responses are well coordinated, robust and effective. A parent described how ‘the staff follow her child’, should she leave the home without permission and how this management of her behaviour minimises risk.

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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 children are provided at all reasonable times with access to the following facilities which they may use without reference to persons working in the home – a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private. (Regulation 22 (3) (a)) 12/07/2015

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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)) 12/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a)) 12/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. In particular, ensure all staff who undertake restraint, medication or carry out complex care tasks have received suitable training. (Regulation 33 (4) (a)) 12/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in a the home, a record is made and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 12/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4, specifically, a record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child the date of the child's admission to the children's home, the date on which the child ceased to be accommodated in the home, the child's address immediately before being accommodated in the home, the child's address on 12/07/2015 leaving the home, the child's placing authority and the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated. (Regulation 37 (2) (a) Schedule 4 (a-f)

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the standard with particular reference to providing children with a comfortable living environment, the registered provider must: (2)(c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to – (i) meet the child's needs; and (ii) enable each child to participate in daily life of the home. 12/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet this standard the registered person must: (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child (e) ensure the home's workforce provides continuity of care for each child (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research on (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

(ii) feedback on the experiences of the children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 12/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard In order to promote a positive relationship and to reduce harmful behaviour that has contributed to criminal charges being brought against children the registered provider must ensure that they: (2)(iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone (ix) understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these to develop positive relationships with children (xi) de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or 12/07/2015 potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff understand factors that affect a young person's motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child's relevant plans. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 39 paragraph 8.13)

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Recommendations

 Actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulation 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55 paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

 Ensure an effective system is in place for staff to administer non-prescription medication for requested pain relief in line with young people’s relevant plans. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 35 paragraph 7.14)

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Requires improvement

The home is a spacious detached house with large individually decorated bedrooms and generous living space. There is significant damage to the fixtures and fittings of the building. This is not conducive to a homely, welcoming environment for young people however; there are plans in place to make reparation and decoration as required. A home phone has been removed, which affects the ability of the young people to keep in contact with family and friends. The home has a well-kept large garden that includes a tennis court. Young people do take part in garden activities and play tennis. They have access to the local park, holidays and days out, which broadens their social experiences.

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Requires improvement

Young people engage positively with the organisation’s school provision. All have significantly improved their school attendance and have made educational progress. All young people have a full time education placement. To assist a smooth transition into education some young people have a reduced timetable. Where young people are on a reduced timetable, educational activity is set. Young people are supported by staff who take them to and from school and will assist the young person with homework should this be set. The home has good links with the school and communication is frequent.

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Requires improvement

There is a lack of continuity of staff to provide stability and consistency to young people. This has a significant impact on young people, as they are unable to build trusting and secure relationships with adults working in the home. This has affected their ability to manage their own conflicts and difficult feelings. It also undermines young people’s ability to gain a sense of permanence within the home.

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Requires improvement

Young people’s health has generally improved. Staff have assisted young people to stop smoking both nicotine and cannabis and young people have benefited from improved dental care and health. A member of staff trained in first aid is not always on duty. A member of staff who has not received relevant training has administered medication. This does not support staff to effectively and safely meet the health and wellbeing needs of young people.

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Requires improvement

Young people have access to child and adolescent mental health services yet some staff are unclear as to why a particular therapeutic provision is provided or the purpose of the provision. In order to support the young people staff need to have an understanding about commissioned services and their purpose.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are evident and their use has promoted some positive changes for young people. The plans need to provide more clarity around specific matters rather than generic statements. Currently, plans do not identify a system or incentive to promote positive behaviour. Young people do not receive a programme of regular and recorded key worker sessions. This limits the opportunity to build trusting relationships with adults and to explore matters relating specifically to them and their place within the home. The young person in placement did not wish to engage formally in the inspection process. However, observations demonstrated a young person who appeared comfortable in the company of staff, at ease when discussing the positive activities that were due to take place and clearly supported when faced with a difficult situation. Generally, young people are encouraged to take part in activities of

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Requires improvement

particular interest such as cooking and fully integrate into the usual activities of family life, such as shopping.

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Requires improvement

The young person’s social worker gave positive feedback, she described ‘seeing the young person maturing and engaging positively in education’. The young person had informed her that she likes where she lives and likes the staff. This had been the first time the young person had ever spoken positively about her care arrangement.

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Requires improvement

Staff act swiftly and appropriately when young people disclose past abusive incidents or situations. Young people receive supportive, caring responses from staff, however, the recording of action undertaken by staff is poor. The home has excellent links with the local police who say: ‘Staff are very caring and supportive of the young people. They are extremely professional and act swiftly to address any concern and where required, they produce reports of high quality.’

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Requires improvement

Prior to residing in the home, young people had a history of going missing from care. There has been just one episode of a young person missing. Staff responses are well coordinated, robust and effective, demonstrating a commitment to safeguard and protect in respect of this high-risk area. Should a young person leave the home without permission, staff safeguard their welfare. A parent described how ‘the staff follow her child’, should she leave the home without permission and how this management of her behaviour minimises risk.

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Requires improvement

Behaviour management strategies are not always making a positive difference. There have been several incidents of negative behaviour, which necessitated calling the police to the home. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of criminal charges and likely criminal convictions being brought against individual young people. This has led to unplanned, disrupted, immediate endings for one young person. Restorative practice is part of the home’s management of behaviours yet staff are not trained in this practice model. This does not enable staff to fully support young people to strengthen their community living by addressing the impact of negative behaviour. Additionally, it does it meet the aims of the home’s Statement of Purpose.

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Requires improvement

Young people who have been restrained when their behaviour is out of control and at risk of harm to themselves or others, do not receive a debrief following the incidents. Staff do not seek the views of young people following all incidents of restraint. Managers do not effectively review and monitor incidents to enable them to contribute to meeting the ongoing and changing needs of young people. For example, no suitable senior person has overviewed a physical intervention conducted by the Registered Manager. There is a lack of equity and clear reasoning to explain why specific sanctions are imposed and why sanctions may differ between individuals. This has the potential to create an environment of inequality and a sense of injustice between the residents.

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Requires improvement

Each young person has a personalised, regularly reviewed safety plan. Staff do not share these plans with young people, therefore the individuals concerned are unable to contribute, understand or agree their plans.

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Inadequate

The Registered Manager has significant experience of working with children and young people in residential care. She was appointed to the post in October 2014 and is currently working towards a level five qualification in leadership and management.

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Inadequate

The management of the home is ineffective. The manager is not able to deliver the caring experience to young people as set out in the Statement of Purpose. The primary cause for this is the significantly inconsistent staff team. In just 6 months of the home opening, 18 members of the care staff team have been employed to work within the home, many of whom have stayed just a few weeks. Just one of these has been a permanent member of staff. Some staff employed by the home often have limited or no experience of working with young people in care prior to their employment starting and there is no clear process to inform the factors considered in determining staff promotion.

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Inadequate

Young people placed at the home have experienced significant early life trauma and have gone on to have multiple placement breakdowns before residing at the home. They are emotionally fragile and have displayed significantly challenging and harmful behaviour. They require an experienced staff team that has the knowledge and understanding of how neglect and abuse effects young people and have the skills to manage presenting behaviours. Staff are not consistent nor suitably qualified or competent to deliver a high quality service to meet the needs of the young people in placement.

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Inadequate

Frequent changes in the staff team have had a negative effect on the young people. Staff are caring and supportive, however, they have not had the opportunity to establish a relationship with the young people. The environment is unpredictable with changing personnel who on occasion, offer inconsistent behaviour management and care.

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Inadequate

Staff attend safeguarding and positive handling courses for a block two-week period prior to taking up their post within the home. Supervision records demonstrate that staff receive competent and effective supervision and staff report they are supported in their role and understand their responsibilities.

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Inadequate

The manager did not have full knowledge of some of the policies and procedures of the home, such as pocket money. This has the potential to lead to inconsistent practices and unnecessary negative responses from young people. There is poor record keeping throughout, with signatures not completed by staff or young people, signatures that are illegible and due to the high staff turnover, an inability to decipher the author of recordings. There is no clear evidence on file recordings in relation to action taken following incidents or situations. This practice demonstrates a lack of robust record keeping and undermines the manager’s ability to evidence or evaluate the quality of care given and the progress young people are making.

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Inadequate

The manager does have aspirations for the home and the staff are motivated to learn and to deliver a high quality service to children. The manager does not have a clear awareness of the strengths and areas for development nor a suitable plan to address the shortfalls.

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Inadequate

The home does not seek experiential feedback from young people in placement, parents and the wider professional team. This does not enable the manager and staff to understand the views and wishes of those people and does not support the home to develop the care provided.

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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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