Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Lancashire

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:

 Staff place the well-being of individual young people at the centre of their practice irrespective of the significant challenges they present.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 This home provides a particularly nurturing environment that effectively enables young people to feel safe and secure enough to be children again and enjoy age appropriate activities.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 This home ensures particularly good partnership working with families and placing authorities.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff have excellent working relationships with the company’s school where all the young people attend and the on-site clinical team. This ensures consistent practice across both settings to best meet their learning, behavioural and emotional needs.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff are pro-active in ensuring young people receive the most appropriate specialist support in a timely manner which best meets their unique and highly complex needs.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 A key strength of this home is the confidence and competence of staff to enable young people to take age-appropriate risks to aid their development into adulthood.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff are strong and effective advocates and ensure that all the young people are supported to be actively involved in complex decisions about their future plans.

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The children's home provision is good because:

To continue to improve, the home must: demonstrate on every occasion that they follow robust admission procedures, independent monthly monitoring visits and independent return interview processes; revise their behaviour management policy and improve restraint recordings.

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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

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due Date

The registered person must: keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it; ensure that within 24 hours of a restraint a record is made that includes its duration; within 48 hours demonstrate that the young person has been spoken to about the restraint and the record is signed by the author as an accurate record; within five days of the restraint, the registered person has spoken to the child about the restraint. (Regulation 35 (2) and (3)(a)(iv)(b)and (c)) 23 December 2015

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Requirement Due Date

44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due Date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the home at least once a month and reports on how effectively the children are being safeguarded and their well-being is promoted. (Regulation 44) 12 December 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

 To meet the care planning standard the home must demonstrate that they only accept placements where they are satisfied that they can respond effectively to their assessed needs and after full consideration of the impact this will have on the existing group of children. (The Guide page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 To meet the protection of children standard the home must demonstrate that they take account of the findings of independent return home interviews when re-assessing risks and putting new arrangements in place to protect the child. (The Guide, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this children's home

This is a private children’s home registered with Ofsted on 12 October 2015 so there is no inspection history. It provides care and accommodation for up to five children at any given time who may be experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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good

As young people have only recently been admitted, the staff’s main focus has been to sensitively and gradually build open trusting relationships within the home and secure positive family contact to help maintain the unique identity of young people. One parent is visiting the home for the first time because he is so impressed with the progress his child has made in this placement.

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good

The transition process for one young person was exemplary. He made a positive decision to move here, chose his bedroom and visited frequently bringing items to personalise it. Social stories aided his understanding. Six members of staff moved with him including his keyworker, so he had already made strong attachments. Consequently, he settled very quickly. He wanted to be the first young person admitted and the registered manager made sure this wish was realised. He was then actively involved in the decision to admit another young person who he already knew from school. He said, ‘I love it here. It’s smaller and quieter and we do loads of activities. I loved my wizard training.’

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good

All of the young people have established particularly positive relationships with individual staff members. This is despite one young person having a recognised attachment disorder. They all benefit from the extremely nurturing environment this home offers. As a direct consequence, one young person is now genuinely enjoying lots of appropriate hugs. This demonstrates how safe and secure he feels in this particular placement and is a huge step forward especially given his traumatic past.

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good

Young people’s wishes and feelings are central to the day-to-day running of the home. They are also supported to be actively involved in more complex decisions about their future plans. For example, one young person participated in a planning meeting agreeing contact arrangements with a view to eventually living with family again. He was given some difficult messages yet managed to listen, control his emotions and clearly put his point of view across to the professionals. This in itself is significant progress. On admission one young person did not engage in any meaningful conversations. Now she participates in young people’s meetings. Moreover, she attended a health appointment and explained her needs to the doctor. This is outstanding process given her diagnoses. She is also really pleased with her new trendy spectacles.

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good

Staff place the well-being of individual young people at the centre of their practice irrespective of the significant challenges they present. They are particularly pro- active in ensuring young people receive the most appropriate specialist support in a timely manner which best meets their unique and highly complex needs. This team also benefits from direct access to a clinical team. They provide both direct work with young people and ongoing consultations with staff. Together they review strategies to manage young people’s emotional and behavioural difficulties. The psychologist has also trained staff on sensory and breathing techniques and in mindfulness. Putting this learning into practice has already successfully reduced the intensity of one young person’s anxieties. A new member of staff said, ‘The young person really enjoyed the self-soothing techniques and it helped us to bond.’

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good

One young person is now independently using the sensory equipment in the games room to successfully regulate her emotions.

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good

All the young people know how to make a formal complaint but have not needed to exercise that right. They say they feel comfortable raising any concerns with the staff and that they are listened to. Any reasonable requests are positively responded to if it is in their best interests. They all actively engage in young people’s meetings and one young person now takes the minutes.

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good

One young person said he liked living here and is particularly happy at this home because, ‘The staff treat me with dignity and respect so I show them respect.’ He is already proving to be a very positive role model to the other young people.

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good

Two out of the three young people are currently on a phased return to full time education. Nevertheless, this still constitutes a significantly improved attendance record than in previous placements. They all attend the company’s school which is on the same grounds as the children’s home. It offers a very flexible curriculum including work experience to meet the unique learning, behavioural and emotional needs of each pupil.

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good

Staff have an excellent working relationship with the teachers including daily handovers. This ensures consistent practice across both settings. One young person has 100 per cent school attendance and is making good progress. The head teacher said, ‘He is an outstanding pupil who gets fully involved in school life, including the recruitment of staff. He likes showing visitors round and is our anti- bullying champion. He is on target to achieve his art GCSE early.’

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good

Another young person has not shown any aggression or extreme criminal damage at all. This was frequently exhibited at his previous school. In fact the head teacher said, ‘He demonstrates good social skills and is very respectful to the teaching staff. He is responding well to small group settings on offer and the one-to-one attention.

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good

All the young people are clearly making progress in managing their extreme emotions. For example, one young person recently removed himself from a meeting for a few minutes because he disagreed with a peer’s point of view. He returned and then continued to positively contribute.

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good

Initially one young person showed no emotions at all at school. The head teacher said, ‘She now comes into school smiling and her sense of humour is shining through. There has been particularly good partnership working to effectively support this young person.’

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good

On return from school the staff show a genuine interest in their school day and help them to complete any homework before relaxing and enjoying a nutritious homemade meal together. One young person said, ‘The food is good here. We have a meeting and chose the weekly menu but we have to include vegetables.’

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good

One young person was observed to come rushing into the home proudly announcing that he had been good all day in school. He now enjoys reading to staff which has directly improved his reading age in two months by 11 months. Another young person had made a huge sausage roll and was pleased to have his photograph taken with it for the school’s newsletter.

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good

Young people enjoy taking part in a wide range of constructive activities. Individual interests are actively encouraged and supported which demonstrably increases confidences and competences. One young person, for example, is a very talented artist which provides another genre to express his feelings. Another likes boxing which helps to release his pent up emotions.

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good

Young people enjoy relaxing together and playing traditional board and card games with staff. One young person said, ‘I am so happy here and I was crying with laughter playing a guessing game with staff.’

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good

One young person has stopped a daily cannabis habit since moving to this home and has reduced his cigarette intake from 20 to three. This has had a marked positive effect on his physical appearance, emotional well-being and improved behaviours. Moreover, he now has improved fitness levels, which means he is enjoying going to the local gym.

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good

This home offers a good range of age and ability appropriate opportunities for all the young people to develop the practical and social skills needed for successful future independent living. As young people’s self -esteem demonstrably increases their personal hygiene and self -care has also vastly improved.

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good

One young person is particularly enjoying learning to cook the evening meals using fresh ingredients. Another young person said, ‘I went to the shop and I did some budgeting work. I then made a cheese and onion pie and learned about health and safety. I really enjoyed making pastry.’

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requires improvement

There was good matching of the first two young people admitted to this home. However, there is no documentary evidence of a thorough assessment of risk in respect to admitting a third young person with highly complex needs. This was within days of the two other young people, with equally complex but quite different needs, being admitted. Consequently, their views about this decision are also not recorded. Moreover, a professional decision was agreed not to inform the young person of this move, so she was very frightened on arrival.

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requires improvement

Initially, the impact was significant, but high staffing ratios, a nurturing environment and effective partnership working with the care staff, school and clinicians means that all the young people now feel safe and more secure in this placement. One young person is particularly reassured by the fact that there is a waking watch on duty throughout the night.

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requires improvement

The home have learned from this and the manager is now very clear that she will not admit any more young people until all three young people feel completely settled.

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requires improvement

One young person now feels comfortable enough to start opening up to staff about his traumatic past. This is a significant step forward. Sexually inappropriate behaviours, fire setting and drug dealing has ceased in this placement. Self- injurious behaviours have lessened in frequency and severity. One young person is enjoying having stories read to him before going to sleep and playing age appropriate games. This is exceptional given he was allegedly previously involved in gang cultures. This shows that he now feels safe to be a child again.

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requires improvement

Prior to this placement, one young person was going missing every night and taking drugs. He is still not always at the agreed location following weekly contact in his home town, but has not gone missing once from this children’s home. This is significant progress and his social worker and family are thrilled. In fact, as a result of his progress so far, the placing authority is considering the need for ongoing weekly strategy meetings. His youth offending worker said, ‘He is making significant progress and he seems more settled than he has been for a long while.’

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requires improvement

A system is in place to ensure timely independent return interviews, but, the outcomes of these discussions are not shared with the children’s home to inform their re-assessment of risk or when considering new strategies to keep young people safe.

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requires improvement

A key strength of this home is the confidence and competence of staff to enable young people to take age-appropriate risks to aid their development into adulthood. They successfully advocate on young people’s behalf to agree realistic arrangements for them to enjoy independence with their friends in spite of the risks this poses. The bigger picture is that they have settled at the home and do not go missing for long periods of time placing themselves in vulnerable situations as in previous placements. For one young person this is the longest period to date that he has not gone missing and not smoked drugs for the last three years. Another young person was trusted with money to have his hair cut when out with his friends. He did not abuse this trust and consequently relationships with staff have strengthened even further.

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requires improvement

Comments from young people include, ‘This is the only place where I’ve been good so I’ve never had to be restrained. I’m happy as long as I see my family and the staff have made this happen’ and, ‘It was a good choice to come here. I feel safe and get on well with most of the staff. In my other placement I was restrained all the time. It is very different here. It is a lot more laid back. The staff treat me with respect and I have never been restrained.’

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requires improvement

Twice weekly meetings take place with care, education and clinical managers to explore and constantly review and revise, as necessary, the highly individualised strategies in place. This effectively ensures safe and consistent practices.

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requires improvement

The main shortfall arising from this inspection is the recording of restraints. While the bound books were being reprinted, they have used a word document so it is not tamper proof and therefore the home cannot demonstrate that every restraint is recorded within 24 hours. Two restraints have not been recorded on the correct paperwork and the duration is not always detailed. Some have not been signed by the author and young people’s views are not always reflected.

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requires improvement

This company are looking to revise the behaviour management techniques used across their services. The current policy is misleading in that it reflects this future change in some detail rather than clearly stipulating the strategies actually used in this particular home.

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requires improvement

Placing authorities confirm good partnership working to safeguard and promote the welfare of the young people. The staff are currently working closely with the police and youth offending team to try to avoid unnecessarily criminalising young people.

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requires improvement

All the required external and internal health and safety checks are undertaken in a timely manner to ensure a safe and well-maintained home.

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requires improvement

Robust recruitment and selection processes ensure a safe and competent workforce.

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good

This home remains financially viable and provides an excellent standard of accommodation. It is tastefully decorated and furnished throughout and a particularly homely ambience has been created. It offers a good choice of bedroom sizes to meet different young people’s needs and preferences. One young person said, ‘I choose my bedroom and my bedding and I asked for a double bed and they bought me one. I have my own key so I am very happy with how it all is’. Visitors describe the home as, ‘Absolutely beautiful’, ‘So calm and relaxing’ and, ‘Light, spacious and airy.’

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good

This home is well-managed by a suitably qualified and child focussed individual with a good track record with Ofsted. She demonstrates the good character and integrity required of this highly responsible position and has over 16 years relevant experience. She leads by example and is held in high regard by her colleagues and senior managers. In turn she benefits from good deputising arrangements. An extract from the deputy’s recent appraisal reads, ‘She excels in her organisational skills, has an excellent rapport with the young people and high standards. She was a great asset in opening this home.’ Young people also contribute to staff appraisals. She was described as, ‘Caring, fun and makes me feel safe.’

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good

Together, they ensure high staff ratios at all times to meet the complex and competing needs of the young people. They also provide very clear direction to the staff and excellent daily support. There is also an effective system in place to enable managers to check that all online courses are completed in a timely manner and good scores achieved.

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good

Staff confirm regular and good quality supervision and timely probationary meetings or annual appraisals to celebrate their strengths and identify areas for continued development. Consequently, morale is high. Comments from members of staff include, ‘I love my job and I get great support’ and, ‘This company’s training is amazing.’

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good

The statement of purpose accurately describes the aims, services available and the staffing structure of the home. Individualised children’s guides are in place so they are meaningful to each young person.

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good

This home was only registered on 12 October 2015, but this inspection was brought forward due to the frequency of serious incidents since it opened, including self- injurious behaviours, offending and missing from home. The notifications to Ofsted were all sent in a timely manner. They were also sufficiently detailed to show that appropriate action is taken in full collaboration with relevant safeguarding agencies and strategies put in place to try to prevent a re- occurrence.

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good

The managers’ six monthly report on the quality of care provided in the home is not yet due, but there are good monitoring systems in place to inform this process. This home is still awaiting their first monitoring visit from an independent person, which means it has not taken place within regulatory timescales. Moreover, the manager has not received any correspondence as to who this will be.

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good

Two out of the three young people placed have extremely complex needs and indeed reach the threshold for secure accommodation. Placing authorities and families are, therefore, exceptionally pleased that they are now settling down in this placement and enjoying age-appropriate and positive experiences. There are good systems in place to monitor individual progress.

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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

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

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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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