Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bedford

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:

 Since the last inspection, the home has a new registered manager and deputy manager. This has improved the leadership and quality of care in the home.  A new dedicated staff team bring a variety of experience to the home. They are enthusiastic about their work and build trusting relationships with young people.  The manager carefully plans transitions into the home and supports young people who move on from this home.  Young people make progress in all areas of their social, emotional and educational development from the point of moving into the home.  Attendance at the on-site school is good and young people are proud to share their educational achievements.  This provision offers a broad range of activities to young people; all of which are introducing them to new, positive life experiences.  Young people are effectively safeguarded in this home; risks are identified and managed in a non-oppressive manner.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 In line with care plans the manager and staff actively engage with family members. This increases the level of family involvement in young people’s lives and key decision-making processes.  Some records in the home require updating in line with information recorded elsewhere in the home. Records are not always signed or dated by the member of staff who completes them, this has the potential to impact on the manager’s ability to quality assure staff’s work.  Records in the home do not consistently reflect the voices of the young people; the contribution of young people to their records is also limited in some areas.

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

Ensure staff encourage young people to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, Page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Recommendations

Ensure case records are kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is a linked school provision on site which all children may attend.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/02/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

Good

The home is warm and welcoming; it has undergone redecoration and refurbishment since the last inspection. The young people have chosen wallpaper and furnishings and have undertaken decorating with the staff. There are numerous photographs of the young people and staff displayed around the home. Key information that is helpful to the young people is displayed in a laundry area, this ensures the main living areas do not appear institutionalised. The manager and staff access a comprehensive training program, which provides a strong theoretical base to underpin the care they deliver in the home. Where a young person has needs that are new to the staff team, training is available for staff. An example of this is recent external training in working with young people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender. To bolster the core training program, the in house clinician attends alternate team meetings and

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Good

undertakes individual work with young people. Moving into this home is a positive experience for young people. Someone from the home visits them in their current placement, then they visit the home, meet staff and the other young people. Following this, they can spend a night in the home and leaving some of their belongings in their room ready for when they move in. All young people access the on-site school. Since moving into this home, two young people who were previously excluded from school are engaged in education. Their attendance has increased. One of these young people attends college off site one day a week and staff remain at the college to support him. When not in school staff engage young people in purposeful activity, for example, work experience with the local farmer. One young person has 100% attendance in education. He has aspirations for his future and is looking forward to gaining a qualification to enable him to teach

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Good

horse riding to young people with disabilities. When he moved into the home, he would not engage with anyone or undertake any written work in school; during this inspection he produced a leaflet on e-safety and had completed maths exercises. His teacher said: ‘He would never have produced anything like this six months ago, we are all so proud of him, most importantly he is taking pride in himself.’ Young people’s views are integral to improving their experience of living in the home. Staff use impromptu and planned opportunities to engage young people. They utilise time with them to informally seek their views and have discussions with them about pertinent issues. The manager has recently engaged an independent advocate for one young person as he feels the young person needs additional representation in respect of the local authority planning. One young person said: ‘We have weekly meetings on a Monday, we get to do things we want

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Good

to do, we can do things on our own with staff, we don’t have to do things with the other young people. I am listened to, that is important to me.’ The manager and staff creatively support young people to engage in community activities, this promotes their social development and confidence. The home has pigs, chicken, goats, and sheep. The young people learn to look after the animals through which they learn to nurture and care. One young person has successfully completed a qualification in animal care and the other young people enjoy spending time outside with the animals. A young person said: ‘I love these animals, they have become my life, I really care about them, I had never been close to farm animals before I came here.’ Two young people have become avid anglers. They have a fishing licence and a membership to a local angling club. They can enter competitions and use a large percentage of their free time angling with staff. Over the school summer holiday,

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Good

the young people completed a formal qualification focussed on angling. Staff made this learning fun and supported them through the modular course to successful completion. One young person joined the home late in the summer; to ensure he was included; the manager made him a certificate and created an angling club named after the home for him to join. He said: ‘Ever since I have come here the manager has got me into fishing and it has helped to change my behaviour.’ Recently two young people, the manager, and staff member climbed mount Snowdon. One young person proudly shared: ‘I didn’t think I could do it, since the new manager came here, I have learned to keep going and not give up, I didn’t give up, and I got to the top.’ Staff and the manager promote good physical health. They involve young people in meal planning, shopping and cooking. One young person has lost a considerable amount of weight since the last inspection and has transformed his eating habits

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Good

as he has begun to understand food. A parent said: ‘They cook a home-prepared meal, that is what I want for my son, a homely home.’

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Good

Historically, relationships within the home have been problematic and were characterised by negative feeling amongst staff and young people. Since the last inspection, the manager, staff team, and young people have reflected on the previous experience and learned from it. Young people and staff slowly build relationships based upon trust, which is born out of constant testing of the trust by the young people and consistent responses from staff to the tests. One young person said: ‘Things are so much better here; the new manager properly cares about what happens to us. The staff treat us better, they take the time to get to know us, they try and understand us, I get on really well with them.’

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Good

Unaddressed bullying was prevalent in this home at the time of the last inspection; this is no longer an issue. The staff and manager quickly identify any potential bullying and use a range of activities to develop strength and respect in peer and staff relationships. Staff encourage team working and team achievement, this improves relationships between young people. Through ongoing therapeutic support, key work, young people’s meetings and education young people have an increase awareness of the impact of their behaviours. A young person said: ‘sometimes one young person will get on my nerves, staff help me think about how I feel and how he feels, there is no bullying here now, we have fun, we laugh and joke.’

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Good

Family relationships improve for young people when they move into this home. The manager and staff offer support to families in line with young people’s care plans and have visited family members in their homes. Staff support young people to express their feelings and in agreement with young people, this is shared with family members. As a result, young people and family members reengage and begin to form positive relationships. One parent said: ‘It is such a relief that they understand my son, they can see the things I have been telling professionals about for years. Nobody believed me before, now the manager and staff see it here people are starting to believe it is real, we definitely have a better relationship now he is here.’

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Good

The manager and staff effectively safeguard young people using informed and comprehensive risk and behaviour management plans. Care and safety are cautiously managed in a non-oppressive way. Through information sharing, observations, and reflection on young people’s behaviour, risks are identified and responded to. With the support of the in house clinician, staff learn to attune to young people’s non-verbal communication. This means they are better able to divert young people away from risk taking behaviours. As a result, episodes of young people missing from care have significantly reduced.

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Good

The registered manager commenced employment in February 2015. He is appropriately qualified and experienced to fulfil the role within this home. All of requirements and recommendations raised during the last full and interim inspections of this home are met. The manager regularly monitors practice in house to identify what the home does well and to inform improvements. The monitoring fortifies clear and measureable action and development plans. Professionals, young people, family members, and staff identify the manager’s appointment as a pivotal point where improvements started. A member of staff said: ‘The new manager is making a massive difference, we can rely on him day in day out, I know I am supported.’

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Good

The home has a newly established staff team. They bring a variety of vocational, academic and life experiences to the role. The manager recruits new staff to complement the existing staff members’ skill base. Following the last inspection the manager and responsible individual chose not to accept new admissions for a period of six months. This enabled the manager and staff to concentrate on rebuilding trusting relationships with the young people in the home. The home does not use agency staff. The manager leads practice by example; he undertakes shifts within the home including overnight stays. This enables him to have an undiluted overview of the care young people receive. He uses observations to inform individual staff development plans. Staff receive regular purposeful supervision. This has improved in quality, and provides an opportunity for staff to reflect on the impact of all areas of their practice. The manager is receptive to staff ideas and opinions. As a result,

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Good

staff feel valued and are committed to their roles, this reduces staff turnover within the home. Consequently, young people receive predictable care from familiar caregivers. The manager has established links with key professionals and community groups. He has met with the parish council and police community support officers regularly visit the home. Young people have met with a local farmer and he will attend a young person’s meeting to talk to them about his farm and animals. These links enhance the positive profile of the home in the community and ensure that people in the locality of the home understand the nature of the provision. The manager and staff team proactively engage with key professionals and make a valuable and insightful contribution to care planning. Professionals welcome the outcome of assessments completed in the home and utilise these to achieve the right outcomes for young people. A social worker said: ‘They have done really well

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Good

highlighting the young person’s strengths not just areas of need. They have put in a lot of time and energy to learn his behaviours. They have worked out what is best for him.’ There are some shortfalls in records maintained. Some did not consistently identify the author or date; as a result, young people would not be able to follow a constant timeline of their care, now or in the future. Individual young people’s records do not consistently reflect their positive achievements or the extent of the care that staff deliver. Some lack young people’s contribution in their own voices, these will have limited value to young people in the future.

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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

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.

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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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