Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people develop while at the home, becoming less destructive and reducing aggressive behaviour. Young people are now attending education regularly. Social workers are positive about the way that young people have moved forwards.  Young people enjoy a range of activities. A healthy lifestyle is promoted and they attend a range of appointments to develop both their physical and mental health. Staff work well to decrease young people’s levels of self-harm, being consistently available for those that have previously displayed this behaviour.  Young people are kept safe through staff being well trained and having a good awareness of safeguarding procedures. Care planning is detailed and shows a clear way that staff are working with young people.  Staff are well supported by the management team. Supervisions and appraisals are completed regularly and training helps staff to develop their skills. Staff meetings support a consistent way of working with the young

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

people.  There are some shortfalls, these do not affect the safety of young people. Some records of behaviour management require development. Some admission assessments need further development and the risk assessment regarding the locality also needs increased information. Reports from external monitoring are detailed and relate well to the running of the home but are slow to be sent to Ofsted.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that— (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (Regulation 35.3) 30/11/2015

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure the registered person has systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61 paragraph, 13.2)  ensure that the home work closely with the placing authority to understand the child's relationship history and the impact that the child's arrival may have on the group living in the home (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 38, paragraph 8.3)  ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording.(The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.4

Recommendations

 ensure that locality risk assessment is up to date and staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  ensure the registered person supply to Ofsted a copy of reports produced from monitoring within 28 days of completion and make copies available to placing authorities. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 55 paragraph 15.3)

p.4

Information about this children's home

The home is part of a large private organisation. It offers care up to five young people primarily with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

28/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory progress

p.5

good

Young people enjoy being at the home and develop positively throughout their placement. Staff use an outcome-tracker document to examine the needs of the young people and assess their achievements. This shows that all young people have made considerable improvements. A social worker stated that: ‘the home has really persevered with working with (the young person), he is very different yp from the person that was initially placed, in a really positive way.’

p.6

good

Young people are listened to consistently through formal meetings and everyday discussions. One young person states that: ‘staff are awesome, they let you do stuff and they are always there for you to have a chat with.’ Staff are enthusiastic and show a strong commitment to the development of the young people. Staff are positive role models for good relationships with adults. Young people are aware of how to make complaints and those made are dealt with swiftly, with good feedback to the complainant.

p.6

good

Young people enjoy a good range of activities. Staff engage them in different experiences and regular interactions with the local community. This develops their self-esteem and improves their health. Young people are enthusiastic about walks they have completed, air cadets and a recent ‘prom’ for all young people within the organisation.

p.6

good

Contact arrangements are supportive of young people. Staff encourage positive family relationships and meetings take place both at the home and externally. This ensures that good links are in place for when they leave the home.

p.6

good

Young people’s health needs are responded to well. Health plans are detailed and show a good range of professionals involved with the home. Where sexual exploitation has previously been of concern, young people receive good therapeutic support. Medication administration is completed well. Young people that have previously displayed self-harming behaviours are particularly well supported, with consistent approaches to dissuade and distract at critical risk periods.

p.6

good

All young people attend educational placements and all have shown improvements in their educational ability. Staff consistently support and promote education and the positive alternatives it brings in later life.

p.6

good

The home is well cared for by both staff and young people. Young people are able to personalise their rooms; communal areas are pleasant and homely. A significant amount of work has been completed with young people to decrease the level of damage within the home and this has led to them having an increased appreciation of their home.

p.6

good

A good independence training programme is in place and this supports the development of young people’s skills, ready for when they leave the home.

p.7

good

Young people are safe within the home. They have significantly improved in their behaviours at the home. Highly destructive behaviours have stopped and abusive and aggressive language substantially decreased. Staff develop individualised behavioural targets and rewards are based on these being achieved.

p.7

good

Records relating to behaviour are not in line with the expectations of the regulations at all times. Sanctions records are not dated, so it is difficult to assess if they are completed within necessary timescales. Records of sanctions that state ‘loss of privilege’ are not sufficiently detailed, and do not give a clear picture of the sanctions used. Some records are difficult to read, not giving a clear picture of events. Young people receive differing rewards for positive behaviours. Records of these are not all up to date and do not show the level of work completed with the young people.

p.7

good

Young people state that they feel safe and that the staff make sure that they are safe if they go out. Procedures are in place that promote safety including health and safety checks and a good range of risk assessment relating to all aspects of life within the home and with regard to individuals and their behaviours.

p.7

good

The home has a locality risk assessment, the manager states that there have been previous concerns relating to sexual exploitation in the local area, although this is not included within the risk assessment and could put young people’s safety at risk.

p.7

good

Staff are knowledgeable about how to keep young people safe. They are trained in safeguarding and know how to find information relating to local safeguarding services and the local safeguarding board to support young people’s safety. When young people go missing from the home staff respond in line with the organisations policy, recording details of the absence, staff’s responses to the situation and details of the young person’s return. The manager is aware of the expectation that the placing authority must complete return interviews, to ensure that young people are able to talk to a person independent of the home. This further supports their safety.

p.7

good

Bullying has been an issue. Staff challenge and all young people involved are spoken to. Bullying procedures ensure that issues are resolved. This has resulted in a young person moving from the home and others feeling safer.

p.8

good

Safely checks ensure that those recruited to work at the home are safe to work with young people.

p.8

good

The home has been led by the experienced and enthusiastic manager since July 2015, who is currently completing her level five diploma. Her application for registration has been received and is being processed. Staff are positive about her leadership and enjoy working at the home. A good home’s development plan includes areas that the home will be moving forwards with, including increasing consultation with young people and the training of the staff team. The development is updated regularly to examine areas that have been met and still to be completed.

p.8

good

Monitoring systems are good and help to develop the working of the home and improve outcomes for young people. External monitoring includes discussions with young people, associated professionals and parents. This gives a good assessment of the care provided. Reports are slow to be sent to Ofsted, occasionally taking almost two months to be received.

p.8

good

Relationships with professionals working with the staff are consistently positive. Police working with the home stated that: ‘Staff here are very positive….they seem to have a passion for the job and for caring for the young people.’

p.8

good

Care planning is regularly reviewed, ensuring that it is up to date and links to the needs of the young person. This effective system increases the manager’s awareness of young people’s current situation and care. Plans include good targets that link to the placement aims agreed on admission. However, admission information is basic and does not give sufficient examination of the needs of the current young people at the home. This could affect the positive outcomes of the young people being admitted and those already at the home.

p.8

good

The home works in line with its statement of purpose, which gives a good awareness of the way that the service works. The children’s guide is also a good document giving young people basic information about the home, key personnel and how to raise concerns.

p.8

good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals and state that they are well supported. The manager has not completed training in supervision, although this is planned. This does not currently ensure that staff get skilled professional supervision. Staff are well trained and complete a good induction process when first working at the home. Mandatory training is rolled out during their induction period and updated regularly. This ensures that they are appropriately skilled to meet the needs of the young people. Staffing levels are sufficient to meet the needs of the young people currently at the home. Staff meet on a monthly basis and share information about ways of working with the young people to ensure a consistent approach.

p.9

good

The manager is aware of the need to notify differing professionals in response to significant incidents and these are completed swiftly.

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.10

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

p.11

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 .

p.11

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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

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

p.12