Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Birmingham

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The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Relationships between young people and staff are outstandingly strong, with positive comments from social workers, independent reviewing officers and the young people themselves.They benefit from consistent encouragement, decreasing in self-harming, being missing and challenging behaviours.  Adults listen to young people unfailingly, from key-working, home meetings, regional youth forums and a national looked after children’s parliamentary group.  Care planning is highly detailed and includes target setting, promoting young people’s development and increasing their life skills.  Staff give excellent support young people’s cultural identity and faith, including staff’s involvement with Ramadan and resolute promotion of contact. Staff work hard to ensure that young people have family members in their lives that are positive for them and encourage their development.  Staff are exceptional at raising young people’s awareness of risks they may

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

experience outside the home. Where young people raise concerns about their safety they are responded to swiftly and clear records show the way that the staff work with safeguarding agencies.  Young people benefit from a highly skilled staff team that work very well together and show consistent practice. Staff continually develop their skills and challenge themselves to improve the outcomes of the young people.  The registered manager is highly thought by the staff. She has a strong awareness of the development of the young people and how the staff are supporting this.

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Information about this children's home

The home is part of a large private organisation. It offers care up to three children primarily with emotional and behavioural difficulties within an age range from 8 to 18.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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people living in the home are

Young people make substantial development in a wide range of aspects of their behaviours and ability to form positive relationships. Staff conscientiously support young people’s maturity and progress through detailed care planning. Young people’s plans are highly individualised with significant detail. Young people help to write them, so that they are fully aware of their content.

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people living in the home are

Relationships between young people and the staff team are consistently of a very high quality. Young people state that: ‘the staff are really caring, they look after you and always make sure that you are OK.’ A social worker stated that the staff team had had a significant effect on their young person and that they had, ‘become their extended family,’ due to their strong level of support in placement.

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people living in the home are

Young people enjoy an excellent range of well-considered activities and experiences. They take part in regional youth forum meetings to discuss their lives in care and this has led to attendance at a parliamentary group for looked after young people. Young people have been involved with fundraising for a local charity, raising their own awareness of animal mistreatment. Activities follow the interests of the young people as well as developing their self confidence in line with care planning.

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people living in the home are

Staff robustly support differing cultures: fasting during Ramadan and seeking out the most suitable mosque and imam for young people to relate to. Well organised cultural evenings raise an exceptional awareness of local communities for both staff and young people.

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people living in the home are

Well organised contact arrangements lead to significant improvements in relationships between young people and their families. One social worker stated that: ‘the work that staff did with (the young person) and their family was exceptional to try to make sure that there would be someone there after she left the home.’ A placing authority wrote that their young person: ‘continues to make good progress in all areas of their development. This is due in no small part to the excellent working relationship between the manager and (the young person’s) mother. Staff work in tandem with parents, offering support and guidance so that young people receive a reliable message of being cared for’.

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people living in the home are

Staff promote a healthy lifestyle and positive mental attitude to young people. They encourage new activities, new foods and healthy eating, discouraging smoking and drugs. Young people attend regular health appointments and staff make alternative arrangements for those who find these difficult, such as dental appointments. This shows a level of thoughtfulness and ensures that health professionals are involved with young people throughout their time at the home.

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people living in the home are

Young people are involved in a variety of educational placements and all achieve and develop strongly. They attend the organisation’s schools, alternative placements, or they return to mainstream where appropriate. One parent stated that they: ‘never thought it would happen. I’m so proud of how she is doing.’’ Management have high expectations of staff commitment to learning: staff attend at parents evenings, support during the school day.

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people living in the home are

The registered person consistently seeks and acts on young people’s views. Key working meetings are constructive and well organised, staff and young people discuss significant aspects of their safety and development in the home. Young people’s meetings minutes regularly include feedback from the registered manager and their views are also included within staff meetings. Young people state that issues such as bedroom changes, activities and menus are responded to. Good information about complaints and how to contact a range of independent agencies ensures young people are fully aware of how to raise concerns with both the staff team and externally, although no such actions have been necessary.

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people living in the home are

The home is a pleasant and homely environment. Photos of current and past residents within communal areas give the home a family feel and a feeling of permanence. Young people state that they: ‘like the fact that we will be remembered here after we have left.’ Bedrooms are well personalised and they are able to choose carpets, and wall colours.

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people living in the home are

Admissions to the home are well organised and a high level of consideration is given to the appropriate mix of young people. Risk assessments and meetings show that admission decisions carefully consider both the current and the new young person. Young people are well supported with moving into independence. They complete a skills pack, which includes a wide range of both practical and emotional skills as part of the programme. Those that have left the home continue to live successfully in supported accommodation.

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people are helped and protected

Young people feel safe and well cared for by the staff. Social workers and reviewing officers state that young people are safe, learning about how they can keep themselves safe while at the home. One social worker of an ex-resident stated that: ‘intervention work that they did regarding awareness of child sexual exploitation and going missing, was exceptional.’

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people are helped and protected

Staff have a strong awareness of how to safeguard young people using the home’s procedures and working in partnership with child protection organisations. Staff respond to concerns swiftly and inform all professionals of necessary details. A detailed and clear chronology of responses to concerns and the discussions held is in place, showing the staff team’s vigour in supporting young people’s well-being.

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people are helped and protected

Incidents of young people being absent without permission decrease while they are at the home. They learn about the dangers that going missing bring and the need to keep in touch with staff. When they are missing, staff regularly contact young people. One social worker stated that: ‘when she was absent she always answered her phone and understood that the staff team cared for her, it was due to the strong relationship that she had with the staff team.’ Visits by an independent person follow their return to the home, to examine the reasons for their absence and attempt to decrease further incidents. Staff have worked with the local police to develop a better awareness of how best to respond to missing incidents.

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people are helped and protected

When young people have previously displayed self -harming behaviours these decrease while at the home. Excellent supportive plans help staff to respond to self-harming. Young people state that the decrease is: ‘due to staff talking to me about how silly it is, think I did it just to try it out or try to impress people, I understand now that that is a bit stupid.’

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people are helped and protected

Detailed behaviour management strategies assist staff to respond to behaviours that may put young people at immediate risk. All staff train in restraint and management of incidents. They record incidents well within both the home’s restraint log and more detailed incident records. Discussions with both the young person and the staff involved demonstrate excellent examination of the young person’s behaviours and how staff could respond better. This input promotes the young person’s self-examination of their behaviour, allowing them to develop differing response strategies. Sanctions are rare and based on restorative justice, promoting young people’s consideration of their own behaviours and the effect that they may have. One independent reviewing officer stated that: ‘the home has clear boundaries and they give proper explanations when things happen, so that young people understand why the staff are making certain decisions about things.’

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people are helped and protected

Effective monitoring of health and safety ensures that both young people and staff are safe. Risk assessments regarding the home, the activities and behaviours of the young people are thorough and give staff an awareness of how to respond to concerns if they arise. Detailed assessments of the locality and of new admissions, support young people moving into the home. Effective recruitment practices are robust and help to keep young people safe. Judgement grade

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leaders and managers

The home is led by a registered manager who has been in position for five years and qualified to Level 4 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. Young people and professionals state that she has a significant positive effect on the home and the work completed within it. Staff state that: ‘there is a constant expectation to improve and learn new ways of doing things.’

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leaders and managers

Strong monitoring systems ensure that the registered manager and staff team have a high awareness of the home’s performance. Regular feedback from staff, young people and professionals informs an innovative and responsive development plan to improve practice. Independent monthly visits to the home further help to develop care practice, and include seeking feedback from a range of sources involved with the home, all positive. The home has established a consistently strong level of practice and Ofsted identified no regulatory shortfalls or concerns at the last, or this inspection.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager works exceptionally well with all services involved with the care of young people. She challenges when services are not effectively organised, including education and health services. For example, getting appropriate dental care that meets the needs of the young person. Reviewing officers state that the home fully supports reviews and supply detailed reports in good time. Meetings with the local police examine missing issues and provide information about local crime. Staff work consistently with education and care services to support their academic and social responsibilities as ‘good parents’. They are ambitious for the young people, promoting the opportunity that achievement brings. Young people are responsive to this, being positive about attending work placements and returning to mainstream schooling.

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leaders and managers

Young people are fully involved with the review process; they attend and put forward their expectations and views of the home and future plans. The registered manager regularly updates the statement of purpose to show rationale of the home; the staffing arrangements so that they only deliver care to young people in line with the home’s ethos and expectations.

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leaders and managers

Managers consistently monitor the plans of young people, updating them in response to behaviours and after reviews to ensure that they are pertinent to the care being given. Staff update target setting within plans regularly, showing that young people are progressing and staff continue to encourage their development.

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leaders and managers

An enthusiastic management team constantly encourages individual development and improvement in the service. Supervision is supportive, including discussions relating to both working practice and the young people. Each staff member has their own development plan with targets to enhance their skills further. Annual appraisals promote critical examination of working practice, encouraging staff to improve. Staffing levels meet the needs of the young people and good consideration is given team work and getting the right people for vacancies. All staff either have completed, or are in the process of completing the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare. They state that, ‘Training is constant, we’re always doing stuff in meetings or being given other stuff to think about how to work better, which is great that we are always improving as a team.’

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leaders and managers

Staff swiftly share information regarding significant events with social workers and other professionals. Excellent records are in place that highlight how situations have been dealt with and how the home is responding to decrease any repeat of such instance.

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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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