Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Dudley

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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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 There has been no registered manager in post since August 2014 and the home has experienced inconsistent leadership since the last inspection. The new manager has not yet embedded effective leadership.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Few young people have experienced sustained good progress here since the last inspection.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Some young people feel isolated and angry. They say that adults do not make the effort to have a special relationship with them.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Placements, including moves within the organisation, are poorly planned.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff and managers do not make sufficient contribution to care planning for young people before, during, and at the end of, placements.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers and staff do not reflect and evaluate their practice sufficiently to learn lessons and adapt care practice to best meet children and young people’s needs. This is particularly evident when young people are going missing and when there are behavioural incidents resulting in the use of physical intervention.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers do not monitor the work of staff well enough to identify and rectify weaknesses in their practice. Their own work and skills are not monitored and developed clearly enough when they are new in post.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people enjoy good holiday activities and experiences. They are well occupied and are enrolled on relevant college courses that start in September.

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The children's home strengths

 Some young people feel very comfortable, heard and supported in the home, particularly with respect to their choices about religious practice.

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The children's home strengths

 Committed staff and good staff ratios provide nurture for young people, including at times of crisis.

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The children's home strengths

 Stake-holders and the home’s monthly visitor are positive about the efforts of staff and about the potential of the new manager and current staff to achieve better outcomes for young people.

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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

7. In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered must, in particular, ensure— (2) (a) that staff— (iii) help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (2)(a)(iii)) 31/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

10. In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person must, in particular, ensure— (2)(a) that staff — (i) help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (2)(a)(i)) 31/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

11. In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must, in particular, ensure— (2)(a) that staff— (i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; (viii) strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (2)(a)(i) and (viii)) 31/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider is an organisation, the organisation must ensure that the responsible individual has the skills needed for supervising the management of the home. (Regulation 29 (2)) 31/08/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that evaluation of missing incidents is undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that records of restraint enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person is skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis. (The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, page 56, paragraph 11.3)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person only accepts placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Information about this children's home

The home is part of a large limited company. It provides care for up to five children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. At present the home caters for young women in accordance with its current Statement of Purpose.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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requires improvement

Four young people have lived at the home since the last inspection in January 2015. Two of them were living there at the time of this inspection. Only a small percentage of young people have experienced sustained good progress. Placements have ended suddenly for some young people and a few of them feel isolated and unhappy. For example, some young people say that staff do not make the effort to have a special relationship with them and that staff leave too often. Numerous staff changes and now a third manager mean that the home has continued to be unsettled. Nevertheless, the present staff group are committed and have the capacity to make improvements over time. Staff do not make a sufficient contribution to young people’s individual care plans. At times, young people do not understand what the plan is and who is deciding things. For example, staff do not advocate for young people when they have significant knowledge and concerns that are relevant to young people’s long term

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requires improvement

plans and their present contact with relatives. Staff do not document and organise their knowledge and concerns, or communicate them clearly in meetings and reports to stakeholders. This means social workers make decisions about contact and long-term care arrangements without the benefit of the home’s intelligence and understanding about the possible implications of those decisions. This unclear communication frustrates young people and holds back their levels of engagement and trust in all the adults around them. Staff do not focus enough on analysing care practice and using records with young people to reflect on what has gone well or less well. Ample opportunities exist through debrief meetings; one to one learning sessions; house meetings and ‘team around the child’ meetings, but are not well used. Few insights or creative ideas for practice arise from them. Staff rarely state in records their insights and ideas, or

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requires improvement

make them available for sharing with all staff and the young person concerned. This means that despite individual staff commitment, young people are not provided with comprehensive, consistent and most effective care. It also means that young people wonder what is being said and written about them and how plans make any real difference to their outcomes or well-being. As a result, young people sometimes find it more difficult to trust staff.

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requires improvement

Despite this, staff work hard to help young people feel nurtured. The home’s monthly visitor recently described them as, ‘sensitive and caring’. For example, they help them with their hair before a dance show rehearsal and help them with make-up before going to see relatives. They talk about how they are getting to places and what times they need to be ready. Staff also plan meals so that they can all eat together regularly. A social worker said: ‘I think the staff are great – they do a really good job with my young person.’ Young people who have been here the longest say they feel secure here and have gained significantly in confidence.

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requires improvement

Staff create a purposeful atmosphere in the home. Young people currently in residence enjoy good holiday activities and experiences. For example, they are visiting major cities and seaside locations at weekends this summer. Young people are also doing voluntary work during the day, or completing access courses in preparation for vocational college courses in September.

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requires improvement

The home supports young people’s religious practice particularly well. Staff make every effort to understand the implications for young people’s lives that arise from their religious beliefs and family cultures. For example, staff get up during hours of darkness and help young people prepare food if they are fasting during daylight hours. They decorate the home alongside young people and join in with them for religious celebrations. Staff help young people find ways to reconcile and express their individuality within the cultural expectations of their families.

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requires improvement

Young people’s risks are not methodically or insightfully understood and managed. For example, the risks of the current group of young people are not taken clearly into account when new young people are admitted. Young people’s risk taking behaviours are not considered in enough depth. Nor are strategies planned with enough insight, even when young people move to the home from within the same organisation. Staff do not engage young people meaningfully enough to help address and reduce behaviours, such as going missing, or damage to themselves and others. Changes of staff and managers have made young people feel unhappy. Overall, young people do not become increasingly safe here: increases in risky behaviour have necessitated police and medical interventions and placement breakdown.

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requires improvement

Despite this, staff offer good levels of vigilance and support, especially at times of crisis. For example, they do all they can to establish and maintain contact when young people are vulnerable to going missing, or if they are struggling with self- harming or violent, aggressive behaviour. Staff stay with young people in hospital and transport them when a placement move is required, or a young person needs to be collected. A social worker said: ‘they tried their absolute best and seemed to work as a team which felt safer for my young person.’ Staff communicate with police and independent visitors when young people go missing and when they return. However, staff do not plan ahead enough or share relevant information early enough with police, independent visitors, relatives and social workers. This means young people’s vulnerabilities are not well managed from the start of their placement. Similarly, staff debrief amongst themselves and

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requires improvement

with young people when there have been incidents involving physical restraint. However, they identify and share few insights or ideas for engaging young people more positively. This means young people get less effective help to understand the impact of their risky behaviour and learn how to make safer responses.

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inadequate

The judgement is inadequate because there has been no registered manager in the home for almost a year. There have been managers, but none has completed registration with Ofsted since young people began living in the home in December 2014. A manager resigned before registration processes were satisfied and an interim manager covered the home until the present manager assumed post in June 2015. This is the present manager’s first post as a children’s home manager. Her experience in residential work is adequate and the provider considers that her level 5 diploma in leadership and management is equivalent to the level 5 diploma in Leadership and management for residential childcare. (The registration process with Ofsted is currently underway.)

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inadequate

The manager has not yet embedded effective leadership. She demonstrates a good grasp of legislation, including the quality standards, and she feels well supported in the work of managing the home. She is enthusiastic and hard-working. However, the senior management support she receives is purely task-centred. It does not help her to gain necessary skills for effective monitoring and development of the home.

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inadequate

The manager’s review of admissions and discharges, risky behaviours, sanctions and consequences, risk assessments and care plans, requires improvement. Her grasp on practice in the home lacks detail and evaluation. This means that staff cannot develop best practice and managers cannot make good contributions to young people’s relevant plans. For example, there was insufficient management consideration about the appropriateness of a recent proposed placement. Managers asked too few questions about what worked and the reasons a placement move was necessary. They did not analyse records in sufficient detail to ensure that the placement was appropriate and that staff and young people were prepared to integrate a new young person into the home. Similarly, the manager’s reviews of missing from home incidents, physical interventions and positive and negative consequences, lack insight and analysis for messages about what works

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inadequate

well and less well. As a result, there is less guidance given to staff about practice strategies and the manager’s contribution at multi-agency and stakeholder planning and review meetings is reduced.

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inadequate

The home’s monthly independent visitor reports that young people spoke positively to him about the new manager and said they were happier than they were. The visitor notes that the manager is trying to involve young people more in the life of the home and this was evident during the inspection. Staff morale has improved greatly and there is adequate progress on the requirements raised at the last inspection.

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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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