Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

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:

 Young people do not receive planned key working sessions which support them to make progress.  There is a lack of independence work. Staff do not provide young people with the skills they need for their futures.  Managers and staff do not escalate young people’s complaints. They do not consistently advocate for and on behalf of young people or escalate any concerns.  Managers do not provide staff with adequate levels of supervision. They do not have opportunity to reflect on practice and develop their skills in order to successfully meet the needs of the young people in their care.  Staff do not consistently promote young people’s welfare in line with their risk management plans.  There has been significant change and instability within the staff team.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people say they feel safe.  Young people make some progress from their starting points. They engage in education and with the clinical team.  Staff are tenacious at building positive relationships with young people. These relationships enable young people to want to invest in the placement.  Staff help young people to develop hobbies and interests.  The new manager is aware of the strengths and areas of development. He has started to make changes to the structure of the home.  Staff are supportive of the new manager and embrace the changes being made.  Managers and staff are child focused and committed to the young people in their care.

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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

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s need are met.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard—

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Requirement Due date

(c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans 23/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must

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Requirement Due date

(vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult 23/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure

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Requirement Due date

(i) meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans

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Requirement Due date

(x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the 23/10/2015 behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure

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Requirement Due date

(v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person 23/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and Management standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child 23/10/2015

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care for up to four children and young people and is privately owned by a large childcare provider. The home provides a 12 month therapeutic service for young people at risk of, or involved in, child sexual exploitation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/02/2015 CH - Interim Declined in effectiveness

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requires improvement

Young people form positive relationships with staff. However, staff changes have caused instability. A young person said: ‘I get on ok with the staff team but I want them to stay the same. There has been a lot of change and I just want them to stick about now’.

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requires improvement

Staff provide young people with a level of individualised care on a day to day basis within their interactions with young people. Staff manage young people’s relationships with one another positively. Staff do not engage young people in planned key working sessions. They do not complete work with them regarding child sexual exploitation, missing incidents or relationships. A young person said; ‘I am here to do work around child sexual exploitation – that is why I am here but no one has talked to me about this’.

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requires improvement

Independence work is weak. Staff do not provide young people with the knowledge and skills they will need in their futures. Young people say they want to learn to budget and learn some independent living skills. Staff do not engage young people within their placement or risk management plans. This means that young people do not have a voice within their own care planning and futures.

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requires improvement

Young people have positive daily experiences. Staff encourage young people to participate in new activities, such as football coaching courses, ice skating and Zumba. They encourage young people to develop their hobbies and interests. A social worker said: ‘My young person is settled. She has created a little home; her room reflects her personality and creativity and she has explored her talents. She is never bored and there is always something to do’.

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requires improvement

Young people make some progress. They attend education and they achieve qualifications. Young people engage with the clinical team and staff encourage them to do so. Staff do not incorporate the clinical work within their interactions with young people. There is a lack of coordination between the clinical team and the staff team. Judgement grade

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requires improvement

Young people say they feel safe. Some staff understand child sexual exploitation and the risks associated with this. Staff encourage an open atmosphere within the home. They support young people through court processes and pass on safeguarding information young people disclose about past traumatic experiences.

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requires improvement

There is a lack of planned work with young people regarding their risk taking behaviours. Staff do not consistently ensure that they provide young people with opportunity to learn from risky behaviours, such as accessing social media sites. They do not take proactive, preventative steps to ensure future occurrences do not happen. Staff do not record their discussions with young people regarding pertinent issues. This means that information gets lost. Due to a lack of recording coupled with staff changes staff do not consistently address young people’s emotional needs.

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requires improvement

Young people’s risk taking behaviours, such as missing and child sexual exploitation reduce. Physical interventions are rare and staff focus on helping young people to self-soothe. When young people go missing staff look for them. On occasions, staff do not use outside agencies such as the police appropriately, instead using them as a means of support to manage young people’s behaviours. Staff do not ensure that young people receive return interviews after missing episodes. This means that young people do not have opportunity to speak to someone independent.

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requires improvement

Managers and staff do not take appropriate steps to document young people’s complaints regarding staff practice. As a result, staff do not learn from practice issues which arise. They do not tenaciously ensure that young people’s complaints regarding their placing authorities are addressed. As a result, young people’s welfare is not consistently promoted.

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requires improvement

Staff are safely recruited. They are trained within areas such as safeguarding, medication and first aid. Some staff do not receive training regarding child sexual exploitation prior to them working within the home. This means that some staff are not fully equipped to understand and manage the risk taking behaviour young people present. Judgement grade

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requires improvement

There is a new manager in post. He started within the home in May 2015. The manager has a level 4 diploma in leadership and management. He has extensive experience within youth offending and the prison service, as well as having worked with women who have been trafficked. Although new in post, the manager is aware of the strengths and areas for development. He has a clear vision and aim. Staff say: ‘The manager has new ideas. He has a plan for the future and he wants to make it the best for the young people; and I am with him all the way’.

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requires improvement

The manager is child focused. He understands the needs of the young people and how to meet their needs. The manager recognises that staff require support to gain the skills needed to be able to respond consistently to young people’s needs. Young people make some progress within the home. However, a lack of documenting and recording of interventions means that management scrutiny of young people’s progress is poor. The manager is implementing new systems for key working and recording information.

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requires improvement

Inconsistent staffing creates instability within the home. A lack of a permanent staff team impacts on the staff team as a whole as well as young people. Supervisions are poor. Previous managers did not ensure that staff received appropriate levels of supervision. This means that staff did not have opportunity to reflect on their own thoughts and emotions regarding young people’s complex needs.

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requires improvement

Managers do not escalate concerns regarding young people’s care planning. There is a lack of robust challenge for issues such as return interviews and young people’s transitions. However, the manager has started to establish good working relationships with placing authorities.

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requires improvement

There is a clear development plan in place. The manager is taking steps to improve the home, particularly in relation to increasing staff knowledge and skills in meeting young people’s needs. The home is currently delivering its statement of purpose.

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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

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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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