Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Worcestershire

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 are making good progress in all areas of their lives. They have excellent relationships with the manager and staff team. Their education, interests and well-being are always given priority. Mistakes are seen as positive learning experiences and all achievements are celebrated. Young people’s aspirations have been raised and all are working towards clear plans for the future.  Partnership work is well established and benefits young people’s opportunities and outcomes. The staff team actively engage with families, professionals and a range of agencies to ensure young people are provided with the necessary support required to meet their individual needs. The staff team recognise that this work strengthens and enhances the effective work they achieve.  Staff keep young people safe, and implement strategies consistently which has resulted in a significant decrease in risk-taking behaviour.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and staff team provide a stable and nurturing environment which allows young people to explore and understand their emotions. This is a key strength. Since moving to the home in March 2015, the manager has implemented new strategies and practice. As a result, behaviour is well managed, consequences and physical intervention have significantly reduced and are now rarely used.  The home has been without a registered manager since October 2014. There has always been a manager in post, but they have not been registered with Ofsted. This means the home is without someone who can be formally held accountable and responsible for the day-to-day operation of the service.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately operated children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties up to the age of 18 years old.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.4

good

Young people are making good progress and have positive experiences because of living in this home. A young person stated: ‘After all the children’s homes I have been in, this is the most perfect staff team and the most perfect manager. They help me with my emotions and when I am struggling.’

p.5

good

Relationships between staff and young people are excellent. They have positive interactions based on mutual respect. Staff clearly care about the young people and are interested in their welfare. As a result, young people feel staff care about them, listen to them, and take their views into account.

p.5

good

All young people are in good physical health. Their psychological and emotional needs are being met through access to the child and adolescent mental health service and other services. The staff team promote good parenting routines. For example: there are regular mealtimes where everyone sits down to eat, and set bedtimes with individual night-time routines. This enables them to monitor healthy eating and instil good sleep patterns.

p.5

good

Young people make good progress in all areas of their lives. They all have educational placements which are appropriate to their needs. They attend well and make good progress. Some young people have been celebrating good exam results this summer. Staff are proactive in supporting with college applications, interviews and enrolments.

p.5

good

Young people share their views through one-to-one meetings and residents’ meetings. They all participate in their statutory reviews and voice their opinions and influence proposed plans for their future. On a day to day basis, they are actively involved in choosing activities, planning holidays, and discussing their bedroom decor.

p.5

good

Young people are developing confidence and social awareness. They have positive friendships formed through educational placements and clubs, such as Girl Guides. They attend and positively participate in activities and significant events, such as their school ‘prom’. Staff support young people to be familiar and confident in the local area. As they demonstrate they have the skills to be responsible, they have more unsupervised time out of the house. Young people learn time management and to stay in contact with staff.

p.5

good

Family relationships are promoted. Staff provide transport and supervision where necessary, to support the visit with staff the young person knows. They are good at ensuring visits take place and are successful.

p.5

good

Staff welcome and support young people effectively to move in and out of the home. A wholesale change took place in March 2015, when two young people, the manager and half the staff team moved to this home. Their previous home had closed. The manager hired a removals firm and ensured the young people experienced a well-planned and professional move. As a result, they quickly settled into the home and now know how to plan a smooth move in the future.

p.6

good

Young people are well prepared to move on from the home, both practically and emotionally. Staff encourage learning about age appropriate life skills as part of the home’s normal routine. Young people see this as a normal part of the day, as well as being enjoyable. Although the home has a house vehicle, staff use public transport with young people to go shopping, to town and college. Wherever possible, staff encourage young people to learn new skills. For example, phoning to make a medical appointment or storing and administering their medication. This independence then becomes normal practice.

p.6

good

Staff ensure young people are safe. They identified and regularly review risks. Staff develop strategies with the involvement of young people. They support young people to access resources and develop skills to lead safe and healthy lifestyles. For example, they share information on the safe use of social media and healthy relationships. Young people also have contact with other agencies which provide specialist advice, guidance, and support. For example, the local police visit regularly to provide advice, support, and to build relationships with the young people. The impact of this proactive work is that young people significantly reduce their risk-taking behaviour. For example, incidents of self-harm have significantly decreased.

p.6

good

Staff manage any safeguarding allegations robustly. Any investigations have been carried out effectively to protect young people. Staff are very quick to identify if young people are at risk of child sexual exploitation. They work proactively with other safeguarding agencies to reduce risks, then successfully educate young people to protect them from any future harm. The police missing person co- ordinator reports that: ‘the manager and her team are proactive in seeking to engage with local policing’.

p.6

good

Staff promote a nurturing, safe and welcoming environment. As a result, there have been no incidents of young people going missing from care. For some young people this is significant progress. Staff understand the missing from care protocols and work in partnership with the police and other agencies to protect and safeguard young people.

p.6

good

Behaviour is well managed in this home. Since the current manager moved to the home there has been a significant reduction in the use of physical interventions and consequences. Staff use incentives, positive relationships and role modelling, rather than consequences to achieve positive outcomes.

p.7

requires improvement

The home has been without a Registered Manager since October 2014. There has always been a manager in post. The first post holder did not stay long enough to register with Ofsted. The current manager has been in post since March 2015, when she moved to this home.

p.7

requires improvement

Since being in post, she has applied to re-register with Ofsted as registered manager of this home. However, there have been a number of delays, which were no fault of her own, which mean the home is still without a registered manager. At the time of the inspection her application had been completed, her DBS had been issued but remains lost in the post. She has asked for a new certificate to be issued. These circumstances leave the home without someone who can be formally held accountable and responsible for the day-to-day operation of the service. For over six-months, young people and staff have not had leadership from a person who has been able to successfully register with Ofsted to manage the home.

p.7

requires improvement

The manager holds a number of qualifications including a national vocational qualification level 3 in Children and young people, a certificate in Health and Social Care and a degree in early childhood studies. She is currently working towards the level 5 diploma in leadership in children and young people health and social care. In addition, she has substantial relevant experience, including previous registered managerial positions in residential childcare. This, despite delay, results in a well- managed home.

p.7

requires improvement

Internal and independent monitoring reports demonstrate that the manager has a strong understanding of the shortfalls, where improvements need to be made and how these are going to be achieved.

p.7

requires improvement

The ethos of the home, as detailed in the statement of purpose, is about enabling young people to have the best outcomes possible, and staff reflect this in their day-to-day practice. The manager and staff have excellent understanding of the individual needs of the young people at the home and the reasons which underlie certain behaviour. There are good systems which enable the manager and staff to assess the impact of their care and support on the progress young people make. Staff take pride in seeing the young people develop and progress.

p.7

requires improvement

Staff are appropriately qualified and experienced. They are supported to develop their practice through weekly team meetings and regular supervision, both of which enable them to reflect on their practice, discuss how well the young people are progressing, and provide challenge. Staff access a number of relevant training courses to further enhance their knowledge, for example, mental health and self- soothing.

p.8

requires improvement

There are some good relationships with partner agencies and families. All are positive about the quality of communication and commitment of staff. A parent commented: ‘Since my child has been living at the home she has improved her behaviour and the way that she is with me. The staff are really friendly, very approachable and keep me informed and up to date with anything she does. I have weekly emails and if there is anything else I need to know they call me as soon as possible with what's happened. I am really pleased with how she has come on and that she is looking forward to college.’

p.8

requires improvement

The manager and staff provide challenge where appropriate. A young person stated: ‘When our manager started, the first time I met her I had got excluded and she picked me up. School wanted rid and she had to fight to keep me in. I was put on reduced timetable and she helped me build it back up, because of her I got to study for my GCSE’s and take them.’ These actions ensure that young people receive support they need from a variety of agencies to meet their needs effectively.

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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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