Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Herefordshire

Outstanding

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

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Staff have excellent, meaningful relationships with young people who have historically struggled to form attachments.  Young people stop behaviours that put their health and well-being at risk.  Young people stop previous high risk behaviours and engage fully with youth offending services.  Young people stop going missing from care and placing themselves at risk of child sexual exploitation.  Young people re-engage with education and now have excellent attendance records and are making outstanding personal educational progress.  Young people’s self-esteem and confidence is nurtured and they become capable, responsible and independent young adults.  Excellent partnership work ensures the care and support each young person receives is targeted to their assessed needs.  The registered manager and deputy provide effective leadership to a professional and highly committed staff team.  The registered manager’s quality assurance reports are rigorous.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The register manager proactively uses research to develop practice to help enhance young people’s progress and experience.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately operated children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties up to the age of 18 years old.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2014 CH - Interim Inadequate progress

p.4

outstanding

Staff form and sustain excellent relationships with young people who have historically found positive attachments challenging. Young people trust staff. They allow themselves to be guided to make well informed life decisions. This significantly affects their outcomes and results in them making exceptional progress. A young person comments: ‘The staff here just can’t do enough to help you. They tell us how important we are all the time. If I have a problem or need help they will drop everything and make sure it gets sorted.’

p.5

outstanding

The staff team undertake excellent partnership work with other professionals and families to ensure young people receive a service which is specifically tailored and constantly adapted to their meet their needs. For example, preparing and then supporting a young person through a major medical operation. Then on her discharge from hospital, adapting the home’s environment to meet her physical needs as she convalesced. The young person comments: ‘the staff team were brilliant. They couldn’t have done anymore to support me. They were there for me throughout.’

p.5

outstanding

Young people make significant progress in improving their health outcomes. They attend medical appointments, understand the importance of advice given by medical professionals and act upon it. One young people who was a habitual user of drugs prior to moving into the home no longer uses illegal substances. She has also stopped smoking which has significantly benefited her health as she is asthmatic. Staff supported her to achieve this with a cessation programme, which gradually cut down her intake of nicotine.

p.5

outstanding

Staff ensure young people’s emotional welfare is given priority at all times. Young people are assessed by the organisation’s therapy team when they first move into the home. The outcomes are shared with the staff team and used to inform their practice. As a result of staff insight and health promotion young people successfully engage directly with and benefit from specialist therapists and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

p.5

outstanding

Young people who did not attend or engage with education prior to moving into the home now have excellent attendance and making outstanding personal progress. Staff have high expectations that young people will attend education and achieve academic success. When young people move into the home staff ensure wherever possible existing education placements are sustained. They recognise where young people have established relationships this consistency is very important. Where appropriate they provide transport to and from the school even if it is a significant distance away. This has additional benefits in that it ensures the staff team have twice daily contact with school staff which results in excellent partnership work. A teacher comments: ‘The staff team meet all the young person’s emotional needs and as a school we can now concentrate on her academic needs. This has enabled her to make excellent progress.’

p.5

outstanding

Young people have interests in a wide range of new, appropriate hobbies, interests and after-school clubs. These are actively and proudly supported by staff. One young person goes to Guides, another attends an after-school football club and another is a member of a music group. Staff and a peer recently went to watch her sing in a duo on stage at a club. These events, any special occasions and all achievements are celebrated by staff and peers.

p.6

outstanding

Young people are confidence and have good self-esteem. They learn to ‘speak up’, ‘share their views’ and ‘talk in front of others’. In resident’s meetings they take turns at chairing and taking minutes. They are fully involved in and influence decisions in their own lives as well as the running of the home. They plan activities, holidays and culturally themed evenings. They are empowered and know their voices will be listened to. They know how to complain and are confident that any issued raised are addressed. A young person comments: ‘We are encouraged to raise anything, however, small. Staff tell us all our feelings and experiences are important.’

p.6

outstanding

Staff have excellent insight into the needs of young people living away from home. They promote family relationships and friendships through school. With sensitive, skilful support from staff young people learn to manage historical behaviour and build meaningful relationships. For example, one young person has learnt not to use inappropriate language around younger siblings and this has resulted in successful and increased contact with her family.

p.6

outstanding

Young people learn a wide range of life skills which are appropriate to their ability and age. These successfully give them the skills to move home to their family, onto a new placement or on into adulthood. For example, one young person has significantly improved her personal hygiene. This has been supported by staff using rewards, encouragements and discrete prompts. Other young people have successfully learnt to use public transport or where appropriate gradually increase the time they spend with friends out in the local community without staff support. These experiences increase their self-esteem, confidence and sense of personal identity. Judgement grade

p.6

outstanding

Professional staff practice and established safeguarding policies and procedures significantly increase the safety and well-being of young people. They learn important skills and gain new emotional understanding, which greatly decrease their historical high risk behaviours. For example, they stop criminal activity and engage with partner agencies such as the police and youth offending service. They comply with youth offending orders, complete voluntary work in the local community and attend full time education.

p.7

outstanding

Staff give excellent priority to educating young people through open discussions and information sharing. They work closely with young people, professionals and their families to identify and successfully reduce risks by using agreed strategies. These are continually monitored and regularly reviewed. For example, young people learn to manage their anger and violent behaviour towards staff and members of the public. Incidents stop and their social opportunities and community participation significantly increase.

p.7

outstanding

Young people learn to understand their responses to anxieties. They manage each change in their life with greater insight and fewer incidents. Staff effectively manage conflict between young people and skilfully promote communal living. They have an excellent understanding of the impact of change, especially young people moving into and out of the house. Staff continue to increase their knowledge and understanding of individual young people and constantly re- evaluate their practice. Incidents are successfully addressed through effective management of the environment and discussions. Physical interventions are extremely low and consequences are very rarely used. Staff provide excellent reassurance to young people and proactively break patterns of negative behaviour.

p.7

outstanding

Staff effectively use their working knowledge and training in safeguarding, missing from care and child sexual exploitation to ensure young people’s safety. Young people who prior to moving into the home went missing from care, had incidents of physical aggression and were at risk of sexual exploitation make fantastic progress. There have been no missing from care incidents since the last inspection. The staff work proactively in partnership work with the police. A police officer comments: ‘We have always found the staff to be proactive with the residents. Promoting good relationships with us also. The staff have always reacted positively when they have needed any interaction with the police. They have been proactive and extremely helpful.’

p.7

outstanding

Staff work successfully with therapists, the police and social workers to help young people explore and understand relationships. They use incidents as safe learning opportunities and the police youth engagement officer to deliver training sessions on topics such as sexting. Young people’s self-esteem and confidence increase and they form appropriate relationships and friendships. The registered manager continues to develop the staff team’s practice by updating her own knowledge. She recently attended training run by the organisation looking at managing investigations and learning from a recent internal enquiry. As a result, she has introduced a number of new practices including undertaking monthly spot checks of the service on a Sunday.

p.7

outstanding

Young people and staff are very proud of the house. It is very warm and welcoming. It is highly personalised with photos, art work and certificates of success all recording and celebrating activities and key events in young people’s lives. All rooms are bright, well decorated and maintained. Any damage is quickly repaired. Each young person is actively involved in the decoration and layout of their bedroom.

p.8

outstanding

The home’s management team are dedicated to the service and provide outstanding support to young people and the staff team. The registered manager has been in post since February 2014. Both herself and deputy are suitably experienced and qualified and both hold a level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The registered manager continues her professional development and is currently completing the organisation’s internal management development programme.

p.8

outstanding

The registered manager and deputy ensure the needs of the young people are central to the operation of the service at all times. They robustly challenge partner agencies where necessary to ensure they deliver an outstanding service to young people. For example, she has ensured home education is in place for a young person convalescing after an operation. Escalating and making a formal complaint to a local authority failing to provide required documentation.

p.8

outstanding

Staff are professional and have excellent insight into the needs of individual young people. They receive constant management support through induction, supervision, training and team meetings. All practice is underpinned by established policies and procedures. Reflective practice is used to enhance staff learning and constantly strengthen the culture and ethos of the home. Information is creatively delivered to the staff team with fun quiz’s and short training sessions forming part of staff meetings. Staff are extremely positive and proud to be a member of the staff team. One staff member comments: ‘We work closely together. Constantly re- evaluating our practice and looking for new ways we can effectively help young people. The young people are at the heart of all we do.’

p.8

outstanding

The management team continually monitor staff practice and young people’s progress. This is effectively used to assess the overall impact this service is having on young people’s long term aims. There are established internal and external quality assurance processes. These continue to be reviewed, developed and enhanced. The registered manager is pleased with the new independent visitor’s visits and reports which provide her with rigorous challenge. She has also developed her quality assurance report which ensures she has excellent insight into the strengths of the service and clearly identifies areas for improvement and growth. She uses this information to inform her development plan and ensure practice and outcomes continue to improve. A previous recommendation has been met which has resulted in the home’s fire risk assessment being updated.

p.9

outstanding

The registered manager and staff team have excellent relationships with partner agencies. Positive feedback is received about the quality of communication and partnership work. The police youth engagement officer comments: ‘We have commenced a good two way dialogue, planning and organising visits to both provide a positive engagement opportunity with the police and also to ensure the residents receive key advice to assist with decision making.’

p.9

outstanding

The management team continually update their learning and knowledge to improve staff practice and the operation of the service. They access research and the outcomes of internal and external enquiries independently and through the organisation’s therapy team and training courses. They feed relevant information back to the staff team through meetings and changes in the organisation’s policies, procedures and practice. For example, they have recently amended existing staff safer caring practice relating to e-safety on the back of updated research.

p.9

outstanding

Effective quality assurance informs excellent forward planning. The staff team and young people are proactively involved in this process and are therefore well- informed and personally invested in the service’s progress. Young people state that this is an outstanding home and identify staff as its real strength.

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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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