Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Torbay

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 comfortable to openly explore their identity. Staff embrace difference. As a result, young people are kind to each other and accept individuality.  Young people are achieving in education, staff support them to make choices that assist them to fulfil their aspirations.   Staff encourage young people to develop independence skills naturally. Young people identify key areas with staff who provide them with a steady focus.  Proportionate risk assessments are used which enable young people to access free time that would be expected of their age and understanding.   Staff educate young people on risky behaviours, how to identify these and make the right choices to self-regulate their behaviour.   Young people have confidence in the complaints procedure and report practice they are unhappy with. Safeguarding concerns are dealt with swiftly and transparently by staff.  Monitoring by the registered manager is insightful and shows clear

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The children's home provision is good because:

leadership. Information is analysed and identifies areas for development.  Behaviour management plans do not provide a clear strategy on how to restrain young people as a last resort.  Behaviour management records are not consistently good, some lack clarity on how staff have managed behaviour which diminishes transparency.   A member of staff did not manage conflict in an appropriate manner with their colleague. A young person was witness to an altercation which has provided them with an unsuitable view of acceptable behaviour.  The physical environment does not reflect the young people living it. Living space is not personalised as you would expect in any family home.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff provide personalised care that meets the child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking into account of the child's background. This specifically relates to care plans detailing the most appropriate control measure to be used as a last resort in behaviour management.

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Requirement Due date

ensure children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust, an understanding about acceptable behaviour and positive responses to other children and adults. This specifically relates to staff acting as a positive role model in terms of acceptable behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1) (a) (b) (c)) 12/08/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure young people are provided with an environment that is welcoming and homely. In particular, personalise the home to reflect the young people living in it. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the Quality Standards (page 15, paragraph 3.7))

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Recommendations

 ensure behaviour management records are clear, factual and recorded in a way that is helpful to the child. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the Quality Standards (page 62, paragraph 14.4))

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered for up to two young people. It is owned and operated by a national provider of children’s services. The home looks after young people who may display complex emotional and behavioural needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

13/01/2015 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

12/11/2013 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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good

Comprehensive care plans are written with young people and enable staff to look after them taking into consideration their past history and experiences. As a result, both young people have a stable home which has previously been a challenge.

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good

Progress young people make is evident in their demeanour, achievements and plans for transition. Long-term placement objectives are agreed and enable young people to communicate to staff what they are working towards for their future. Young people are motivated in education which is tailored to meet their needs. Achievements in mechanics and life skills courses mean young people are making foundations for their future.

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good

Young people learn skills such as cooking, budgeting, cleaning and shopping which plans to assist them to move on from the home successfully. Staff agree with young people on what areas they wish to work on and programmes are written from this consultation.

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good

Individuality and difference is respected in the home by young people and staff. Young people are encouraged to explore their identity. Staff chat to young people about their families and backgrounds and help them recapture happy memories. Contact with families is frequent when possible, one parent said ‘I feel involved and visit often’. For one young person staff have offered support to find their family.

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good

Young people have a clear voice in the home and will challenge staff about decisions that are made which they disagree with. This creates an honest and open dialogue which allows feelings to be expressed in an appropriate manner. As a result, of this during the inspection a young person was given additional trust with money and this was successful.

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good

Key working relationships between young people and staff are strong. Staff are committed to young people and care about them which provides them with a nurturing home to live in. An Independent Reviewing Officer commented ‘he has formed good relationships with the staff, they have watched him grow, they know and understand him, I can see that in the way they talk about him’.

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good

Throughout the inspection staff were observed to provide positive role models to young people. However a recent incident of conflict between two members of staff has been witnessed by a young person. The behaviour does not set a good example to young people who are known to display volatile behaviour.

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good

Young people say ‘I like the house and my room, yeah it’s okay’. Bedrooms are personalised spaces however this is not reflected throughout the home. Living areas are bland with no indication of who lives in the house.

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good

Young people gradually reduce their risk taking behaviour over time and become more settled. When fluctuations arise the registered manager identifies the triggers for this and talks to young people about the cause of criminal activity. For one young person an increase in volatile behaviour is linked at their determination to detach from the home following a plan to move on.

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good

Risk assessments are reviewed monthly which keeps them current and purposeful. Young people develop trust and a sense of responsibility that enable them to function independently of staff when they are out of the home. Free time is increasingly built up as young people prepare to leave the home.

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good

Young people have access to the internet and social media sites through technology they own. They have participated in education about risks such as child sexual exploitation and internet safety. Key working sessions focus on safety and risk taking behaviour which young people engage well with.

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good

Young people have confidence in the complaints procedure. One young person said ‘I complained about a member of staff, they looked into it and I was happy with the outcome’. Concerns of a safeguarding nature are taken seriously. The registered manager reports appropriately to the Local Area Designated Officer and acts on decisions they make. Young people benefit from a team of professionals who work collaboratively to keep them safe. Impromptu visits are made to the home from the local police and young people engage well with the youth offending team. For one young person who has been absent from the home return interviews are offered by an independent person. Behaviour management plans provide staff with strategies on how to manage young people when they become challenging. Young people participate in this process. When young people have become significantly volatile towards staff the behaviour plan has been reviewed to reflect this. Incentives are provided to

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good

encourage positive behaviour which relate to things important to young people such as lifts in the car. Reparation is used as a consequence to negative behaviour, young people have been involved in pumping up tyres they have let down or repairing damage in the home. Physical intervention has been used once and the outcome was not effective. Behaviour management plans do not provide staff with information about the most appropriate physical intervention to use. This means staff are ill prepared during a heightened time which puts the young person and staff at risk. The quality of behaviour management records is inconsistent. Some records do not give sufficient detail about the behaviour being displayed and staff responses to it. This minimises the opportunity for learning and does not provide young people with information they can make sense of in the future.

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good

The home has an experienced registered manager who is committed to improving the lives of looked after children. The registered manager develops her skills by attending training to meet the needs of young people she is responsible for. One young person said ‘I will keep in touch with Bev when I leave’, which shows positive attachments are developed.

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good

Arrangements were in place to deputise for the registered manager when she had a significant period of time away from the home. The assistant manager took on overall responsibility and this provided young people and staff with a stable management structure and some consistency. The registered manager has since returned and the staff and young people are adapting back to the usual management arrangements.

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good

The registered manager is a sound advocate for young people in situations when their voice may not be heard. As the home is part of a national group there is scope for staff changes across provisions. The registered manager states ‘I will fight to keep my experienced staff for the young people we look after, they are complex young people who deserve consistency’.

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good

Staff regularly attend training that develops their skills, specialist training is available such as sexually harmful behaviour. In addition when a training need is identified following a complaint this is actioned swiftly. Supervision is carried out as per the supervision policy with the focus on the young people.

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good

The registered manager shows good oversight of the home through her monitoring tools. Information is analysed which highlights trends, areas of concern and development. Young people contribute to the reports by evaluating the home and staff as do families and social workers and staff. Feedback is used to inform the homes development plan which is actioned such as the redecoration of the home.

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good

The statement of purpose has been reviewed recently and captures the ethos of the home. Staff practice is reflective of the statement of purpose and what it states the home can provide young people.

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good

Decisions made by local authorities are challenged by the registered manager when necessary. For one young person a decision has been made to move him following his request. The registered manager has detailed her concerns with the local authority and young person. This has impacted on the types of placements they are now searching for and should give the young person a better chance to improve his future outcomes.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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