Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

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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because:

 Staff do not always address young people’s inappropriate behaviour in a consistent manner. This means that young people are unsure of the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and the consequences of breaching them.  Care plans are not consistently updated following changes in a young person’s circumstances or after looked after reviews. This makes it difficult to ensure that all staff are aware of the detail of a young person’s plan.  Aspects of the home’s physical condition and the arrangements for fire safety are unsatisfactory.  Information on young people who are being considered for placement is not always sufficiently detailed or accurate. Staff therefore cannot be assured that the home is able to meet the young person’s needs.

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The children's home strengths

  Staff maintain good relationships with young people, sometimes in highly challenging circumstances. Many young people develop trusting attachments to staff which promote their self-esteem and emotional well-being.  Staff are exceptionally committed to maintaining and promoting family contact, even when a young person’s home is far away.  Most young people make reasonable improvements in school attendance. The home is creative in enabling them to practise the skills they will need as adults.  The number of times that young people go missing has reduced significantly. The home has successfully protected some highly vulnerable young people who are no longer at risk of sexual exploitation.

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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

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that care plans are kept up to date, for example, following looked after reviews, the registered person must ensure that children: (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 20/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

6. In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to maintaining the cleanliness of children’s accommodation, the registered person must: (2)(c)(i) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. 20/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

11. In order to meet the positive relationship standard, with particular reference to managing behaviour consistently, the registered person must ensure that staff: 2(a)(v) communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. 20/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home – (b) the registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) 20/11/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Emergency admissions should not be taken unless the home's Statement of Purpose and its capacity and support systems mean that it has the capability to care for children admitted at very short notice while continuing to offer high quality care to children already living in the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15 paragraph 3.6)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2015 Interim Improved Effectiveness

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requires improvement

Staff are caring and committed to the task of looking after young people and helping them to make progress. They are patient and tolerant in dealing with situations when young people are being uncooperative and abusive. Staff practise the home’s ethos of accepting young people for who they are rather than what they do, one saying, ‘I wouldn’t like to think any young person was beyond help, however difficult their behaviour might be.’ A social worker said, ‘I was talking to the independent reviewing officer and we agree that the home is absolutely meeting the young person’s needs. Staff are brilliant, they are very patient, they speak very warmly and positively of the young person. It’s been nothing but a pleasure working with them.’ Young people themselves are generally appreciative of the care that the home provides, though their opinions are sometimes less complimentary when they cannot get what they want.

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requires improvement

Care plans are of reasonable quality. However, they are not always cross- referenced to other documentation, like education and health plans. In addition, changes in a young person’s circumstances, for example, following looked after reviews, are not always reflected in their plans in a timely manner. This limits the usefulness of the plan in providing consistency of approach by all staff in the day- to-day care of young people.

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requires improvement

Young people make reasonable progress in school. Attendance is variable, with some achieving figures of over 80 percent, but this in itself is an improvement from their performance prior to coming here. Educational attainment is disappointing, despite the efforts of staff to prepare young people for exams, for example, helping them to complete homework on the kitchen table.

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requires improvement

Staff provide young people with a number of avenues for them to express their views and make choices. Formal meetings seek their opinions and note agreed actions. Young people who move into the home choose their preferred colour scheme for their room which is decorated almost immediately. In addition, there are regular key-working sessions where staff and the young person discuss issues of concern, or just provide an opportunity for individual attention. Staff advocate strongly for young people, upholding their rights and helping them to overcome barriers. For example, a member of staff acting as appropriate adult stopped a police interview of a young person to allow him access to a solicitor.

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requires improvement

The home is well-equipped and decorated in a homely and welcoming way. It provides ample space for group activities and recreation as well as privacy when young people want it. Older young people are given responsibility for keeping their rooms clean and tidy. However, at the time of the inspection one bedroom in particular was extremely untidy, grubby and in need of a deep clean. This indicates a lack of staff and management oversight in ensuring that young people’s personal space is of an acceptable standard, and does not help young people in improving their self-esteem.

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requires improvement

The home places great importance on enabling young people to do things for themselves in preparation for independence. Older young people are given a budget for food shopping and cook most of their own meals. Staff encourage them to make healthy choices and for the most part they do, cooking dishes such as chicken in tomato sauce with pasta. Staff also undertake formal work in life skills with young people, such as completing mock job application forms, or preparing for a driving test by reading the Highway Code.

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requires improvement

Staff have a good understanding of the importance for young people of maintaining family ties. They give them every opportunity to see their parents and other family members, in accordance with their care plans. Staff are extremely flexible and accommodating in promoting contact, even when it involves a long drive. One member of staff set off late at night to take a young person home because it was particularly important for him to get there at that time. This commitment has resulted in young people rebuilding fractured family relationships which will be crucial to them succeeding in making the transition to adulthood.

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requires improvement

Even in situations when young people have to move on in an unplanned way, the Registered Manager and staff work hard to make the transition as seamless as possible. A social worker for a young person who has left said, ‘When the young person had to move, the manager basically sorted the placement and arranged everything. This ensured that the new placement started off positively.’

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requires improvement

In general, the home provides an environment which is safe. The staff recruitment process is particularly robust, ensuring that only people who are suitable to work with children are employed. All necessary health and safety checks ensure that equipment and services are well-maintained. Recent allegations by young people against staff (found to be unsubstantiated) have been managed extremely robustly and in accordance with statutory guidance and local protocols. Fire safety, however, is a concern. Although the home has a no-smoking policy, it is evident that young people habitually smoke in their bedrooms. The home’s risk assessment does not acknowledge this as an issue and so there are no control measures in place to manage it. The home works well with young people who are vulnerable, and has had particular success in safeguarding those at risk of sexual exploitation. Staff understand the indicators in young people’s behaviour which signal that their

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requires improvement

safety may be threatened. They then work closely with other agencies to take action in protecting young people. A professional who is attached to the police force said, ‘I have a great relationship with the staff here. We keep in close communication and quickly address any issues to do with keeping young people safe.’

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requires improvement

The home has succeeded in reducing the number of times that young people go missing. This has resulted from the staff’s persistence in developing their relationships with young people, winning their trust, and helping them to realise the dangers of such behaviour. When young people do go missing, staff are proactive in looking for them and keeping in contact via mobile. When they return to the home, staff ensure that young people are able to have an independent interview. This adds an additional safeguard in managing this kind of behaviour.

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requires improvement

The staff are trained in a behaviour management approach which focuses on the de-escalation of potentially difficult situations. Staff use a variety of techniques, not least their relationship with young people, to reduce tension and restore normality. Consequently, the use of physical restraint is rare. Recently, staff have had to deal with some extremely challenging behaviour. Staff have been threatened with violence and actually assaulted by young people. It is commendable that staff continue to work positively with young people even after such incidents, demonstrating their commitment and resilience. Each young person has a detailed plan, setting out how staff should deal with challenging behaviour. However, it is evident that the response of staff in some situations is inconsistent. One young person’s serious and deliberate misbehaviour, smoking in the home’s vehicle, did not incur a sanction. There is no evidence that staff had responded to the incident

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requires improvement

in any other way, for example, by individual counselling. This same young person repeatedly breaks house rules which some staff appear to ignore and not challenge. Such inconsistency of approach in setting and enforcing boundaries makes it more difficult to maintain good order and safety. It also gives confusing messages to young people about what is acceptable.

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requires improvement

The Registered Manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is a visible leader who motivates her staff and builds good relationships with other professionals. A social worker commented, ‘The manager is really switched-on, and the level of communication is excellent.’ Other senior staff are similarly experienced, and it is noteworthy that the registered provider is improving the management skills of the home’s leaders through formal development programmes. Additionally, the responsible individual provides excellent support to the home. This was demonstrated during a recent difficult period when the Registered Manager was unavoidably absent and young people were presenting particular challenges.

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requires improvement

Monitoring of the home is generally sound, the regular internal review of the home’s performance making particularly good use of consultation with young people and others. However, the issues with fire safety and the quality of young people’s rooms have not been picked up. Moreover, the shortfalls in care planning make it more difficult to track the progress of individual young people so that all staff know how well they are doing.

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requires improvement

The staff group has undergone some changes in the last six months, with a third of the current complement being appointed in that time. Understandably, this has had an impact on the consistency of practice, although the induction process for the new staff has been thorough in preparing them for the task. The training programme is well-planned and enables staff to keep their skills refreshed. In addition, the quality of staff supervision is good. Sessions focus on young people, and enable staff to reflect on their practice.

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requires improvement

Although the home is good at managing transitions of young people leaving the home, the arrangements for planning new admissions, particularly those which are emergency requests, require attention. There is an established system for assessing information provided by placing social workers and commissioning bodies. This then allows managers to determine the risks posed by a young person who is referred, and the impact their admission will have on young people already living here. The provider’s policy is that the Registered Manager’s assessment will inform the decision about whether or not the home can meet the young person’s needs. In one case, this assessment was completed after the decision had already been made to admit the young person. In addition, information supplied by the placing authority was of poor quality, and the home’s managers were not sufficiently proactive in seeking further information. Subsequently, it has become

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requires improvement

clear that the home is unable to meet the young person’s needs, and their admission has had a significant negative impact upon other young people.

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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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