Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Cambridgeshire

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding:

 Staff complete thorough risk assessments before young people come to live in this home. As a result, staff know and understood young people’s needs very well.  Young people have engaged exceptionally well in school. They are not only attending, they are engaging and achieving in line with educational targets.  The young people feel safe in the home. They reflect on the trust that they have learnt through making positive choices and through discussing with staff any concerns that they have.  Incidents where young people have been missing have reduced. Key work sessions with the young people discussing the risk factors that may be present in the community are regularly occurring.   The home has recently fitted monitors to the young people’s bedroom doors. The registered manager is building into the admissions process a process to gain the consent of placing authorities for this measure.  The registered manager has been instrumental in getting young people settled

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The children's home provision is outstanding:

in to good education provisions which have promoted the learning needs of the young people.  The registered manager has a number of very good mechanisms for monitoring the progress of young people. These help to focus the work staff complete to getting the most progress possible for the young people.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that where the home is using monitoring equipment, the registered person should gain the consent to any monitoring or surveillance, in writing, at the time of the placement. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 16 paragraph 3.16)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/02/2015 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

30/01/2014 Interim Satisfactory Progress

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Outstanding

Young people make excellent progress while living in this home. There is high quality support from staff to help the young people to build positive relationships. Observations of these relationships demonstrate a thoughtful and caring approach from staff. Staff complete thorough risk assessments before young people come to live in this home. These risk assessments help the staff and managers to minimise and understand any identified risks. These assessments help staff to consider how the young person may match with the other young people already living here. As a result, staff know and understand young people’s needs very well. Consequently, young people quickly settle and feel at home. Young people say that the staff: ‘Are always there for me’ and ‘will do anything to help me.’ Staff complete targeted direct work with young people focussing on staying safe, family relationships, and making good choices. This provides

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Outstanding

numerous ways for the young people to engage with on-going work which helps them to understand issues in their lives, and build excellent relationships. Young people comment that: ‘This is the best home for me, I get on with so well with the staff, they really know me.’ Young people engage exceptionally well in school. Some young people have not been regularly attending school prior to living in this home. Now they are not only attending, in most cases full time, they are engaging and achieving in line with educational targets. For example, one young person who had not been in school has progressed on to a level 2 Diploma in Art & Design. Staff describe the young people as: ‘eager to attend school now.’ Social workers comment on the commitment shown by the staff to find educational provision for young people who arrive without a school to attend saying: ‘The staff turned every stone to find the right educational provision’ for this young person. This engagement with education

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Outstanding

will enhance the opportunities that the young people will have for further education or develop skills that will be useful for work. Staff engage with young people to help them to access activities. Discussions take place at in house meetings and in keyworker sessions to plan for activities. These activities include trips to the cinema, bowling, or shopping. Some activities are a reward for positive interaction, such as going for coffee with a keyworker. These rewards help young people to learn appropriate ways to manage their behaviour. There is support for young people to go, with staff if needed, to appointments with doctors, dentists, and opticians. This keeps them in touch with those professionals that will help to keep them healthy. Staff support young people to develop age appropriate independent skills, such as cooking and managing their laundry. These skills will be important in preparing young people for life outside of this home.

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Outstanding

Staff support positive contact with families. This can take place in the community near the home or in the area where the young person lives. This contact is important in maintaining their links with those family members. This will help their understanding of their background and culture and be helpful in a future reintegration within the family.

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Outstanding

Good quality, on-going risk assessments inform the practice of the staff. The care plans that staff use to work with the young people reflect these assessments. As a result, risks are minimised and staff who have the most up-to-date information to meet young people’s needs. The home has recently fitted monitors to the young people’s bedroom doors. Staff are alerted if they leave their rooms at night and respond to make sure that the young people are safe. The home has informed the local authority of these monitors, and the registered manager is building into the admissions process a method to gain the consent of placing authorities for this measure. The young people feel safe in the home. They say that: ‘Staff keep me safe by making sure that I am making good choices.’ Young people reflect on the trust that they have earnt through making positive choices and through discussing with staff any concerns that they have. Staff complete visual checks on young people if they

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Outstanding

are having free time in the community. These checks ensure that the young people are safe. The young people feel that these checks are positive as they know staff are there if they need them. The registered manager has a good relationship with the designated officer of the local authority and there are robust safeguarding processes in place. Staff talk confidently through the safeguarding and whistle blowing approach that the provider has in place. The home has robust safe recruitment processes. There are checks on any visitors to the home, prior to entering the home. These processes help to ensure that inappropriate adults do not have access to young people in the home. Some young people place themselves at risk through by being absent or going missing from care. Staff are aware of the processes to follow when this happens. Staff inform multi-agency partners immediately and checks made in the community

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Outstanding

to see if the young person can be located. Police comment that: ‘Our interaction with the home is positive.’ Key work sessions with the young people discuss the risk factors that may be present in the community are regularly occurring. Further key work sessions happen when a young person returns to the home. Incidents where young people have been missing have reduced. For example, one young person placed in this home, who had been missing over an extensive period from a previous home, has not been missing from this home since January 2014. Staff are keenly aware of the potential risk of childhood sexual exploitation when young people go missing from the home. Staff complete further key work sessions to help young people to understand these risks and help to inform them of how to best protect themselves in the community. For example, young people have telephone contact numbers for the home, the police, and other agencies to contact

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Outstanding

in an emergency. Some young people have required restraint when they have placed themselves or others at risk. Trained staff complete these restraints. The registered manager and staff use feedback from the young people and the good quality recording of the incident to inform their reflections on the restraint. Since the last inspection there have been five restraints used which is fewer than previous years. Staff use positive rewards to reinforce good behaviours. They also implement sanctions, such as losing a planned activity, to promote improved conduct. Staff say that this balanced approach has seen some young people, ‘grow in maturity’. Young people say that: ‘Staff are showing me that if I respect them and the guidelines of the home I can have more activities and more enjoyment.'

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Outstanding

The registered manager has a level three National Vocational Qualification in childcare and is working towards a Diploma level five. They have many years’ experience as a manager. The registered manager energetically leads the team to promote the best outcomes for young people. The registered manager supervises the staff regularly and is available in the home to support the staff and to listen to the young people. This helps them to be alert to the staff’s practices in the home. It also allows them to be available to hear the young people’s views. As a result, they can take swift action if required. Staff report that their training is very good and challenging. For some, this has led to them seeking further training, for example, in attachment theory, as they have been inspired to learn more on the subject. All staff have completed mandatory training in safeguarding, physical intervention techniques, first aid and food

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Outstanding

hygiene. A staff group who are keen to learn routinely undertake any available further training. This means that staff who have appropriate skills are working in the home. The registered manager has been proactive in obtaining information and support for young people from their placing authority. They have been instrumental in getting young people settled in to good education provisions which have promoted the learning needs of the young people. Placing authorities report that the home is providing ‘excellent care’ to the young people that they have placed. Social workers comment that the staff: ’Know the young people very well. They provide the consistency that they require, and the young people understand the boundaries in the home. They also make time to positively interact with the young people and have helped the young people to be more aware of the consequences of their behaviour. ’ The registered manager has a number of very good mechanisms for monitoring

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Outstanding

the progress of young people, such as reviewing the direct work and monitoring positive and negative consequences. These processes help to focus the work staff on getting the most progress possible for the young people or being able to make adjustments to care plans. This monitoring, along with joint work with the independent visitor ensures that the work completed, is in line with the 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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