Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Good

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

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff provide a particularly nurturing environment enabling high profile young people to experience being children again and to feel safe and secure to discuss their past experiences.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff place the well-being of individual young people at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the significant challenges they may present.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff safely and effectively manage some highly complex and challenging behaviours without resorting to physical interventions.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 This competent staff team are highly skilled at securing good partnership working with resistant families which in turn positively promotes young people’s sense of identity.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff have successfully helped the young people to re-establish constructive contact with their family and friends and other people who are important to them.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff have excellent successes in encouraging young people back into full time education who have previously been excluded prior to moving to this home, and in securing 100 per cent attendance thereafter.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

The main areas for improvement are to ensure: timely repairs so the home, inside and out, is maintained at a good standard; young people’s bedrooms are clean and well presented; and, young people have the opportunity to talk to an independent person on their return from going missing about their reasons for going missing.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

To meet the protection of children standard the premises must be furnished and maintained to a standard that protects each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health and safety. (Regulation 12(2)(d)) 31/08/2015

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.4

Recommendations

 Establish effective routines to allow for young people's bedrooms to be cleaned regularly. (The Guide, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure young people have the opportunity to talk to an independent person on the safe return from being missing about their reasons for going missing. (The Guide, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

p.4

Information about this children's home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people of either gender who may be experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.5

good

Young people are happy and settled at this home and enjoy good relationships with the staff. They are responding well to the particularly nurturing environment and the homely routines in place. Comments include, ‘I like living here and I get to be who I want to be. I choose my meals and I have decorated my bedroom. I get on good with the staff who keep me safe and I can tell them if I have a problem. They help and encourage me and now I go to school’ and, ‘I like it here, it’s big and well posh and much better than the area where I used to live. The meals are good and I like sitting at the dining table to eat meals with the staff which I didn’t do at my last home. I like my new school too but I do miss my friends.’ In response, staff have made arrangements for him to see his friends in the school holidays. This demonstrates that their wishes and feelings are positively responded to if it is in their best interests, which serves to increase their self-esteem.

p.6

good

Moreover, they are sensitively helped to understand when it is not possible to act on their wishes, for example, the removal of window restrictors.

p.6

good

Young people’s opinions are central to the day-to-day running of the home and inform ongoing service development, which makes them feel valued. They positively engage in frequent individual key worker sessions where highly relevant and sensitive issues are fully discussed as well as in young people’s meetings. They are also actively involved in the continued recruitment of new staff. They are currently excitedly planning an activity based summer holiday.

p.6

good

This experienced staff team have the proven ability to quickly establish open and honest relationships with the young people. Consequently, new admissions settle in quickly and soon feel safe and comfortable enough to be themselves and to talk about their innermost feelings. This enables them to receive timely and appropriate specialist services. This means they are being appropriately supported to come to terms with past events, gain a more positive self -view and build emotional resilience to better deal with difficulties in the future. They are already making wiser choices.

p.6

good

One placing authority specifically commended this home on their sensitive admission processes. The young person’s social worker said, ‘The staff handled a potentially very difficult admission well. He was made to feel very welcome yet they were also very clear about the boundaries.’ Another young person was particularly well supported following the bereavement of a close relative. All the young people and staff benefit from the expertise of the company’s clinical psychologist who is specifically working on attachment and anger management issues.

p.6

good

The staff have excellent successes in encouraging young people back into full time education who have previously been excluded prior to admission, and in securing 100 per cent attendance thereafter. All the young people attend the company’s school and care staff and teachers ensure a full handover prior to the start and at the end of every school day to ensure their emotional, behavioural and educational needs are met well. One young person who has not had any formal education for over 12 months prior to this placement, now gets up, showers and is ready for school without any prompting, to the delight of his mum. She said, ‘I cannot believe he is attending school every day and enjoying it. He hasn’t been in full time education since May 2014, so this is a massive achievement.’

p.7

good

Another key strength of this home is successfully re-establishing and supporting regular and constructive family contact. One young person recently enjoyed a week’s holiday with his family. Comments from parents include, ‘I now have daily contact with my son which he is initiating for the first time in months and he told me he loved me which he has not said for over a year’ and, ‘I am thrilled to be seeing my son again after so long and to see such a positive change in him. He is relaxed, happy, chatty and looking healthy. His skin and eyes are much brighter.’

p.7

good

Other positive outcomes include a marked reduction in medication and cannabis misuse. Alcohol misuse and the use of legal highs has ceased altogether. This is noticeably improving their physical health, emotional wellbeing and behaviour.

p.7

good

Incidents of self-harm have also decreased in frequency and severity. One young person refused to engage with any health professionals prior to admission. Now all his health checks are up-to-date and he saw a doctor at his request. Bedtime routines are now firmly established which is reducing anxieties and improving sleep patterns. All the young people continue to smoke but they are no longer stealing or selling their possessions to fund this habit. The specialist nurse for looked after children is working with the home to try to break this habit.

p.7

good

Young people are offered a good range of constructive leisure activities within the local community which strengthens their sense of belonging. Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported which increases competence and confidence. Examples include art, swimming, free running, basketball and boxing. There are age and ability appropriate opportunities for all the young people to gain the practical and social skills necessary to successfully live independently in the future. One young person is thoroughly enjoying honing his excellent cooking skills. Others are now more able to manage their own emotions and continued good health and are using strategies learned to effectively stay safe in the community and on line.

p.7

requires improvement

All the young people feel safe and particularly secure and comfortable enough at this home to enjoy being children again. This means they are happily engaging in age appropriate activities rather than, for example, being embroiled in gang culture. They confirm that there is no bullying in this home.

p.8

requires improvement

There have been no complaints, allegations or child protection referrals since the last inspection. Excellent working relationships with relevant partnership agencies are firmly established. This ensures that all the young people are effectively safeguarded and their welfare is positively promoted at all times. One serving police officer, soon to retire from the police force, is going to work at this home as a residential care worker because he was so impressed by the professionalism of the staff during an arrest.

p.8

requires improvement

The registered manager ensures social workers meet their statutory responsibilities to frequently visit the home and check that the young people remain happy and safe. Placing authorities confirm, ‘Excellent communication’ from this staff team and say they provide, ‘Fantastic support to young people.’

p.8

requires improvement

There are robust arrangements in place for the safe storage, administration and recording of medicines.

p.8

requires improvement

Stringent selection and recruitment processes ensure a safe and competent workforce.

p.8

requires improvement

Very clear strategies are in place for minimising identified risks. These are frequently reviewed to ensure they remain effective in the light of progress or new concerns and take into account the views and experiences of young people. For example, this home installed internal and external door alarms given the particularly high risks and vulnerabilities of the young people on admission. However, this has proven to only increase challenging behaviours, so they now have a night waking member of staff.

p.8

requires improvement

The increased use of restorative practices are effectively developing young people’s sense of personal responsibility and reducing the need for formal police interventions. Offending behaviour has demonstrably reduced. Moreover, one young person is now showing remorse for his past behaviour, which his social worker has never seen before, and on request staff helped him to write a letter to his victim. A youth offending officer wrote, ‘This home provides a very good service and the staff have built up good relationships with the young people and positively support our interventions.’

p.9

requires improvement

A key strength of this home is the staff’s ability to safely and effectively manage some highly complex and challenging behaviours without resorting to physical interventions. Requesting police intervention is also a rare occurrence, therefore young people are not unnecessarily criminalised.

p.9

requires improvement

The staff are called on to act as appropriate adults at the police station. To date, this has been undertaken by senior staff. The registered manager has arranged for the youth offending service to provide specific training to all the team. This is to equip them with the confidence and skills to uphold young people’s legal rights.

p.9

requires improvement

This competent staff team have established an appropriate balance between sanctioning young people for unacceptable behaviour and rewarding good behaviour, progress and effort, which is having the desired effect. For example, since admission to this home one young person has stopped offending, taking drugs, going missing and is attending school every day. These are outstanding achievements.

p.9

requires improvement

Moreover, young people were admitted with significant histories of assaults within children’s homes and the community. Some were racially aggravated. There have been none in this placement, which is outstanding progress. However, young people continue to be verbally aggressive towards staff and frequently damage their own bedrooms.

p.9

requires improvement

This home is a large detached property in its own grounds in keeping with surrounding houses. It provides a good choice of communal rooms and sizes of bedrooms to meet individual preferences. Visitors are impressed with the décor and furnishings. All the required health and safety certificates are in place and internal fire safety checks undertaken at the required frequencies to ensure a safe building. All young people have been involved in a recent fire drill so they know exactly what to do in the event of a real fire.

p.9

requires improvement

However, there is not an efficient system in place for ensuring repairs are addressed in a timely manner and bedrooms are kept reasonably clean and tidy. Consequently, two young people’s bedrooms were in a poor state of disrepair for two weeks. This included foul language on the walls, holes in the wall and broken furniture. There were also uneaten food, dirty dishes, cigarette stubs and matches found. This is particularly concerning given histories of fire setting.

p.9

requires improvement

In March 2015 the home requested that the side gates open in to the property rather than out towards the road and identified boundary areas requiring re- fencing. In May they informed the company head office that the gate to the back garden needs repairing. None of these matters have been addressed.

p.10

requires improvement

Young people are empowered to take age appropriate risks necessary for their continual development into adulthood. In particular, they do enjoy free time, albeit restricted, in the local community. They are also trusted to be at the agreed location for being picked up after contact with family and friends despite an extensive history of going missing. They are adhering to these boundaries. To his credit, one young person recently used his time away from the home to distance himself from an incident in the home.

p.10

requires improvement

Despite a significant history of young people going missing from previous placements, there have only been two absences for less than two hours in this home. Moreover, the young person returned of his own accord. On both occasions positive action was taken to try to prevent a re-occurrence. He said he just wanted some time on his own. In response, a contract was drawn up allowing him some free-time. On the second occasion he explained that he was upset because it was his brother’s birthday. Now regular contact is in place. However, there is no system in place to enable young people to talk to someone independent of the home about their reasons for going missing.

p.10

good

The registered manager is a particularly child-focussed individual who leads by example. She is highly regarded by her team and colleagues in the wider company. Comments include, ‘She has the children's care at the centre of her practice,’ ‘She goes the extra mile for the most vulnerable children with energy and commitment’ and, ‘She has absolute compassion for the children and the staff that work with her.’ She is suitably qualified, has the good character and integrity for this highly responsible position and has 16 years relevant experience. In turn, she is well supported by senior managers within the organisation, and her deputy.

p.10

good

No requirements were made at the last interim inspection on 11 February 2015 and no judgement made because there had been no young people placed since registration on 21 July 2014.

p.11

good

In response the home changed its initial purpose and function to care specifically for young children who have been sexually abused to older children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This has resulted in numerous referrals. Robust impact risk assessments are undertaken to ensure the staff can meet their individual needs balanced with the safety and continued stability of the young people already living in the home and making good progress. One referral was appropriately refused, for example, because she was a prolific drug taker and her source was local. In contrast they have accepted two referrals for after 22 July 2015 when new staff will have completed their required training.

p.11

good

Since the changes, the current staff team have all received a further two day induction exploring the key differences and the importance of audit trails. They have also completed missing from care, record keeping, self-harm and substance misuse training, and value the additional support from the regional manager. One member of staff said, ‘It's never ending training with this company. It’s brilliant. I've never known training like it in all my years of experience in residential childcare.'

p.11

good

This home is always well staffed to meet the highly complex and competing needs of the young people.

p.11

good

Staff confirm regular good quality supervision. There are also robust arrangements in place to ensure timely probationary processes and annual appraisals. These celebrate individual achievements and explore areas for continued personal development.

p.11

good

Fortnightly team meetings are very child focussed. Staff say they feel comfortable to explore issues openly and honestly thus ensuring an agreed and consistent approach to meeting individual young people’s needs.

p.11

good

This confident, experienced and competent staff team are also well supported by a weekly session with a clinical psychologist. All these support systems make for a very motivated and committed staff team and consequently morale is high.

p.11

good

The home's statement of purpose is regularly updated to ensure that it accurately reflects the aims, policies, practices and staffing structures. A user friendly children's guide is also given to young people prior to their admission. This means they are well informed about the services provided and the expectations of their behaviour.

p.11

good

A key strength of this home is their ability to secure good partnership working with resistant families, which in turn positively promotes young people’s sense of identity.

p.12

good

Strong links have also been established with relevant partner agencies including, specialist nurses for children looked after, the local police and church. Their next identified challenges are to secure independent advocates for all the young people and ensure the active involvement of independent reviewing officers outside the six monthly reviews.

p.12

good

Effective internal and external monitoring systems are in place to constantly improve service provision. Any recommendations made following monthly independent visits are immediately addressed. The manager's three monthly reports are informative and evaluative and demonstrate that positive outcomes for children are at the heart of strategic planning.

p.12

good

Detailed notifications of serious incidents are forwarded to Ofsted in a timely manner . These show that appropriate action is taken in full collaboration with relevant safeguarding agencies and strategies put in place to try to prevent a re- occurrence.

p.12

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.

p.13

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

p.13

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.13

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

p.14

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 .

p.14

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,

p.15

Information about this inspection

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

p.15

Information about this inspection

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

p.15

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

p.15