Children's Home run by Care Haven (UK) Limited in Stockport

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:

 Children and young people make good progress while living at the home.  Attendance in education is encouraged and supported resulting in the overall increase in qualifications which contribute towards their future careers and plans.  Good overall health promotion encourages young people to have a sound understanding of the importance of attending health care appointments, having a balanced diet and following health care advice.  Staff provide nurturing, supportive and a good quality of care to enable young people feel safe and make good progress.  Good transition plans enable young people to move on from the home in a planned and positive way.  The manager provides good leadership, supervision and support to staff and is committed to continue to develop the service to provide consistent and good quality care.  Young people benefit from receiving care from an experienced and consistent staff team.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home provides a homely and warm environment. However, there are some areas that are showing signs of wear and tear. These include the décor to the hallway and on the first floor and the carpeting to the stairs. These are to be addressed through ongoing maintenance and repair.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/03/2015 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

p.4

good

Children and young people make overall good progress relative to their individual circumstances and time living at the home. They develop positive relationships with staff, benefit from good quality care and live in a nurturing and supportive home.

p.5

good

Comprehensive placement plans reflect current needs, which enables staff to be responsive. Regular reviewing enables changing and emerging needs to be included. Young people contribute to their plans along with social workers and, where appropriate, parents or significant people involved in the young people’s lives. One social worker said: ‘staff really engaged my young person well in planning their care and support. This validates their views and opinion and contributes to them enjoying their experience living there.’

p.5

good

Support with educational attendance enables young people to make progress from their starting points, including gaining qualifications. They access further education to gain additional qualifications and experiences which enhances their future career opportunities. Staff support young people to find and access courses they are interested in doing. An example of this is one young person began a further education course and was not enjoying or fully engaging on it. Staff discussed what course she wished to do and negotiated with the college and arranged educational funding to enable a transfer onto a course she was interested in to reduce the risk of non-attendance. The young person said: ‘I’m looking forward to starting the new college placement because it is something that I am interested in and enjoy doing.’ Where exclusions are in place, staff support education within the home by ensuring work is provided from school or via individual tutors working on

p.5

good

a one-to-one basis, and supporting return to school placement in agreed timescales.

p.5

good

Young people access a range of activities which include football, boxing, basketball and other community based activities. This enables them to follow and develop a range of interests, contributes to their health and fitness, and supports them to meet and develop friendships with other young people their own age. Additionally, the home has toys, books, a game console, and craft items to use and enjoy. There are also opportunities to go on holiday and for day trips out. Memory boards and pictures around the home reflect the various activities and trips which young people say they have enjoyed.

p.5

good

Planning for independence is encouraged with all young people completing age appropriate tasks. For example, developing self-help skills including helping to clean their own bedrooms, learning to wash clothing, shopping and preparing simple meals. This helps them to gain skills for their future.

p.5

good

Children and young people receive help to improve and maintain good health. They register with community health care professionals, attend appointments as required and staff support access to additional specialist help when it is identified. Staff communicate effectively with a range of health care resources, including children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). This means that young people receive support with their physical and emotional health to enable them to achieve optimum health.

p.6

good

Full consideration is given to all requests for placements prior to offering a place to a young person , which reduces the risk of placement instability. Moving on from the home is, wherever possible, planned to enable the experience to be a positive move. in recent admission and discharges, the manager and staff have worked hard to minimise disruption for all young people. A placing social worker who had previously placed a young person at the home said: ‘staff supported the young person exceptionally well. Progress and outcomes for this young person meant that when he moved on from the home it was a positive, well-planned, and successful move.’

p.6

good

Children and young people gain an understanding of their history and life experiences. Staff understand the importance of maintaining regular contact with their families and friends, if it is in their best interest and, in accordance with any restrictions or court orders. Where agreements are in place, family visits and the fostering of relationships is evident. One relative said: ‘the staff have always made me feel welcome, kept me involved in decisions being made and provided additional support to help me to manage behaviour. There has been an improvement overall and the home has provided stability and good care. I can’t think of anything else they can do to improve things overall.’

p.6

good

Staff have good communication skills and engage well with the children and young people. The staff and the manager are proactive in looking at ways to further develop and improve the service; continually engaging with and improve outcomes for all young people.

p.6

good

Children and young people say they feel safe at the home. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues to respond to concerns and to promote their welfare. It is evident the relationships between young people and staff is built on mutual respect and trust. One said: ‘I like living here. I know the staff care about me and they regularly discuss with me things I can do to help keep myself safe when I am out and away from the home.’

p.6

good

Detailed risk management plans, updated with any relevant changes, make sure potential risks have clear minimising strategies. Behaviour plans encourage positive behaviour by high levels of praise and opportunities to earn rewards. De-escalation techniques of diversion, humour, and redirection, support young people to turn away from negative behaviour. Consequences for negative behaviour are discussed and where there have been sanctions put in place, discussion with young people enables them to reflect on their behaviour and record their views fully. Physical intervention is rarely used and only to prevent harm to themselves or others. Staff undertake regular training to make sure they act in accordance with any changes to guidance and in legislation. Recordings of physical interventions are clear and enable good oversight of the event and help young people and staff reflect on the incident and look at future strategies to minimise future occurrences.

p.7

good

When young people are absent from the home without agreement, staff know the procedures to follow for each young person. Missing from care risk management plans agreed with the police and placing authority social workers are in place. Staff understand the risks associated with missing from home, including child sexual exploitation. The home has good links with other professionals; ensuring effective communication and he implementation of agreed multi-disciplinary safeguarding strategies. Independent return home interviews enables objective oversight of the reasons for missing from the home. These measures contribute to help keep young people safe.

p.7

good

A locality risk assessment provides an outline of the area and any potential concerns there may be. The manager has sought the views of a range of agencies when completing this, including police and the Local Authority Designated Officer. This helps identify areas of potential risk and measures to reduce risk for the young people.

p.7

good

The home is warm, welcoming, and comfortable. Young people are able to personalise their bedrooms. They say they are happy living there. The manager has a rolling programme of maintenance and repair in place. However, there are some areas that are showing signs of wear and tear. This includes the hallway and landing, and carpeting to the stairs. Judgement grade

p.7

good

Children and young people benefit from a Registered Manager who has experience and promotes child centred practice effectively. She has been the registered manager of the home since November 2014. She holds relevant child care qualifications and is currently completing the Level five Diploma in Leadership and Management. She demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement in the home to benefit the young people living there.

p.8

good

An experienced and committed deputy manager supports the manager. Together they provide good support and leadership to the staff team. This means young people benefit from receiving care from staff that have a good understanding of the ethos of the home and receive excellent support to fulfil their duties. Continuity of staff, with minimal changes, further benefits the young people, enabling them to form positive relationships with staff they know well. New staff to the home receive clear induction, support, and supervision to enable them to have a clear understanding of their role. Robust recruitment and selection practice ensures references are checked as well as disclosure and barring checks, prior to commencement of duty. These measures reduce the risk of young people being harmed by those in positions of trust.

p.8

good

All staff receive regular supervision on a formal basis, enabling them to reflect on their practice in supporting the young people to achieve well in all areas of their lives. They also say they work well together as a team and can seek additional guidance and support at any time from their peers or managers. Regular staff meetings facilitate full and detailed discussions to further contribute to consistent care. Training and development for staff enables them to continue to develop their skills and knowledge. This means young people receive care from staff that are well-supported and provide care to a high standard.

p.8

good

The Statement of Purpose provides information about the home and how it operates. Regular reviewing keeps the information current and is available to relevant parties, including the regulator. Young people have a guide which is user friendly and supports them to have an understanding about the home.

p.8

good

Robust internal and external monitoring of practice ensures that there is good oversight of the care given to young people and the progress they make. The manager takes action to address any shortfalls identified, in a timely manner and has addressed recommendations made at the previous inspection. However, the recommendation regarding the décor of the home is carried forward due to general wear and tear.

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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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