Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Dudley

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 very settled and are enjoying living here.  Young people are progressing well in their education, training and ability to manage independently.  Young people’s progress stems from the warm, individualised, nurturing and positive relationships staff make with them.  The home and flats are clean and well maintained: the atmosphere feels very welcoming and young people are proud of their home.  A strong, supportive registered manager exemplified good practice until her recent departure in August 2015.  In-house temporary management arrangements ensure young people’s attachments have not been disrupted since then.  There are some shortfalls. Staff and managers do not always anticipate and plan creatively or insightfully enough for difficulties young people are likely to encounter.  Practice lessons are not learnt from the issuing of ‘consequences’ for young people’s negative behaviour. Staff and managers do not know whether

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The children's home provision is good because:

these have actually worked or not.  Young people and staff do not benefit from a consistent, independent visitor who gets to know them and assesses progress, strengths and weaknesses over time.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must— (2) (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 06/11/2015

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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 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 Quality Standards, page 56, paragraph 11.3)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that where the independent person is an employee of those carrying on the children's home, they must be employed solely for the purpose of quality assurance within the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 65, paragraph 15.7)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The accommodation includes two flats for semi-independent living. The provider is a large private limited company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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good

Staff have given good quality individualised care to seven young people over the period since the last inspection. Staff help and nurture young people with warmth and understanding. They communicate well with them and guide and support them with good levels of commitment and consistency. They create a very homely, welcoming atmosphere which most young people respond well to. Young people make good progress towards independence here. This is because staff know what each young person is capable of, and are realistic and sensitive to the extent of their difficulties and past experiences. Staff provide support, reminders, encouragement and advice, just like good parents do. This means young people are not lonely or confused about how to cook, clean, manage money and live healthy, purposeful lifestyles. Young people say: ‘I like the place’; ‘staff help me’; and, ‘it’s five star here – amazing’. Most young people make good progress in relation to their health, education and

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good

emotional well-being. Staff work well with schools and providers of education, training and advice services to ensure that young people can access a range of suitable support. A social worker said, ‘communication from the home is very good and the overall service is excellent.’ Staff directly assist young people when they need continuing help. For example, staff listen to young people’s concerns if they want to re-consider their education or training options. Staff create relationships and an environment where young people receive support without feeling they have failed. They talk with young people while spending quality time together. For example, they go to the gym, or cook a healthy meal with them. They help them with their fishing hobby, or make a special supper at bed-time for younger ones. Staff ensure that young people know who is on shift. Staff make after school, evening, weekend and holiday activity plans with young people, so that their time

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good

is spent well and good relationships develop. Young people are accumulating happy memories and are benefitting daily from staff that role model a healthy, positive life-style. A grandparent said: ‘my grandson has come a long way, they respect him and look after him.’ The two ‘in-house’ flats are an asset, particularly for young people, who move into them after living in the main part of the house first. Staff have already built good relationships with them and provide ongoing support at the right pace to bring success. For example, young people presently receive continuing support to make sure they get up on time for training and take their medication correctly. Staff notice and praise young people’s successes, for example, with managing laundry, personal hygiene, budgeting and cleaning. This boosts young people’s self- confidence and motivates them to further success. Young people who move directly into the flats from other placements do less well

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good

here overall. Staff do not anticipate and plan well enough for the likely difficulties they will experience. These young people struggle to settle into a new home and educational environments because they have made compromises about these and are feeling cut off from family and friends. Staff and managers have not planned in advance how they will minimise foreseeable issues such as, withdrawal from college, or being absent from the home.

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good

Young people’s risks are identified well overall. Staff provide support and care that help most young people to become increasingly safe. The nurture, guidance, supervision and quality time that staff invest in young people, enables them to understand and avoid criminal and unsafe behaviour like drug dealing and misuse. Mutual respect between young people and staff arises from their positive relationships. This respect helps young people choose to comply with the warm, uncritical advice and guidance given by staff. For example, young people choose to come home at sensible times and keep in touch with staff when they are away. They spend time in the kitchen, lounge and games room with staff and are able to talk to staff about their feelings and relationships. This minimises risky and unhealthy behaviour, such as self-harm and exploitative, unsafe sexual relationships. A social worker said: ‘my young person came with some very

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good

challenging behaviours but he has settled down well and is doing great.’ Staff respond quickly and with concern when young people are missing, absent or hurt. They work well with police and medical services. They are skilled at defusing young people’s anger, frustration and fear, calmly and confidently. Clear and consistent guidance and expectations contribute to young people feeling safe and supported. Staff aim to provide activities and quality time as enjoyable, safe alternatives for young people. This is working. Young people are also actively involved with staff in training scenarios for emergencies in the home. This helps young people learn to react calmly in threatening situations. A drugs worker said: ‘A lot of young people develop good relationships with staff very quickly and then don’t want to leave from here. They always have young people’s interests in their heart and offer everything that they need.’

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good

Staff inform placing social workers and hold strategy meetings promptly if they are unable to help and protect young people well. In a few instances, young people have not been able to invest in the home and staff have not been able to prevent unsafe behaviour including self-harm, drug misuse and going missing. Nevertheless, they maintain contact with young people after they have left and continue to offer telephone support. Overall, there are minimal incidents due to the positive relationships staff have with young people. Responses to drug misuse, aggression, damage or racist and sexist attacks are positive and creative. For example: young people undertake a piece of internet research around the subject; a discussion with a member of staff; an apology, or fixing and cleaning up the damage with staff help. Staff seldom use physical interventions, or sanctions, like supervising spending money. However,

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good

staff and managers sometimes repeat a sanction without knowing if it actually helps a young person stop a risky behaviour. They do not think carefully enough about whether each measure of control works and the impact of the practice of ‘consequences’ on their relationships with young people.

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good

Young people have benefitted from good quality leadership throughout the period since the last inspection, despite the departure of the registered manager in August 2015. A team leader is providing good quality acting manager cover until the appointed new manager is able to start at the end of 2015. The two managers both received more regular supervision and support following the last inspection. The acting manager has found this particularly helpful to achieve the correct balance between management and her usual role in direct practice. However, area managers have not yet arranged for the appointed new manager to visit the home and meet staff and young people. The acting manager says, ‘the team stick together and give the best to the young people.’ Staff agree with this and their morale and motivation is clear. The acting manager had a two week handover before the registered manager left. They planned the key areas for staff development together, including ensuring

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good

successful completion of probation training and reflective diaries for a number of newer staff. They planned a drive for upskilling all staff in good practice responses to young people going missing from home and making the most of key working sessions. No staff are compromised in the support and supervision they receive. This is because supervisors were reallocated appropriately to meet staff preferences and sensible use is made of group supervision and reflection sessions. A senior member of staff said: ‘the things the registered manager put in place we have kept in place – we all know what we’re doing – we are giving 110%.’ The home is achieving its aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose. In order to continue to do this, area leaders and managers are keen to ensure that the home manager maintains full oversight over the matching of new young people to the home and flats. This is because the outcomes for young

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good

people coming to live in the flats when friends and family are far away, are recognised to be generally less good. Managers are bearing this in mind when considering referrals and are also ensuring that staff are up to date and competent to help young people who present risky behaviour such as self-harm. The acting manager and area manager know and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home generally well. They identify specific weaknesses in staff knowledge and practice and take decisive action to ensure every member of the team performs well. The quality of professional relationships between the home, families, placing authorities and police are good. The manager successfully identifies most shortfalls in practice through thorough monitoring and review processes. However, positive and negative ‘consequences’ for behaviour are not evaluated to check they work. In addition, relevant contingency plans are not

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good

made with sufficient skill, foresight and promptness to minimise difficulties that young people are likely to experience in fulfilling their plans. For example, managers do not know in good time whether young people can stay in the flats beyond the age of 18 under their Ofsted registration. They do not check if young people are attending new college placements. These weaknesses in contingency planning undermine the otherwise good leadership and management in the home and hold back young people’s outcomes in a few instances. The organisation’s leadership and management are slow in arranging effective independent monthly visiting to the home. This means that visits are still being conducted by various managers from other children’s homes. This lack of continuity and independence limits the ability of visitors to identify trends and patterns in the home’s effectiveness. It also means visitors do not build

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good

relationships with young people and staff and has led to duplication.

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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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