Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people say this is a good home where they are safe and happy. They report that staff are the best thing about the home and that they can talk to them about anything. One young person said, ‘They are great and go out of their way to help you.’ The young people confirmed that they knew how to make a complaint, if they wished to but had not felt that this was necessary. Both young people have an appointed advocate who they see regularly. This means that they have someone they can talk too independently from the home about any concerns they may have.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the homes last inspection, one young person has moved into another solo home within the company. A range of professionals identified that she required more support and closer supervision. A good transition plan shows how this move was achieved. As a result, the transition went smoothly and she has settled in well. One young person has been admitted to the home since the last inspection. A good impact risk assessment considered his needs, the needs of the other young person in placement and the environment. This means that the manager made an informed decision that the home could meet the young person’s individual needs. On this occasion all the required paperwork was in place before he was admitted. However, at the last inspection this was not the case and a recommendation was given to ensure the home distinguished what essential paperwork would be necessary when taking an emergency placement. The manager said, ‘We have had

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

a head of homes meeting to discuss this and any changes have to go through our referral team. Several discussions have taken place with ideas of how to incorporate this into our Statement of Purpose but there is no outcome at present.’ Therefore, this recommendation has been repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Generally, young people are in good health because they attend all routine appointments and receive additional support through the company’s clinical team. Their emotional health is assessed and a plan of support is put in place. Strategies to support young people to deal with their behaviour in a positive manner are discussed with them and with staff. Clinicians attend staff meetings to ensure the strategies are applied consistently or if the need to be revised. This means that young people receive care tailored to their individual needs. Before coming to this home, one young person was involved in a serious road traffic accident. He has a broken leg which has been pinned and is supported with a halo cage. He said, ‘It did not set right and has been broken and reset. Staff are good in making sure I do my exercises, keep my weight of it, and keep it clean.’ Staff have worked closely with nurses and physiotherapists to undertake daily cleaning of the wounds

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and to know what exercises he should be doing. He attends weekly outpatient’s appointments to monitor his progress. When the young person had his leg reset his mother stayed at the hospital with him. A doctor said that he felt the healing process was taking longer because the young person smoked. His mother brought him an e-cigarette to help him quit smoking. On the day of inspection the young person was smoking this in the lounge and he was not challenged by staff. The manager said that that they would normally have to go outside but he cannot get his leg wet. However, the home does have a conservatory with opening patio doors, where he could remain dry but not be in a confined space with other young people around. In addition to this, the home has a policy of not supporting the use of an e-cigarette and there was no consent from his parents or social worker in place.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home works very closely with safeguarding professionals to ensure young people are appropriately placed and safe. Before young people are admitted to the home, the manager contacts the missing from home co-ordinator from the police to discuss the referral, any implications, and strategies to lessen risk. As a result, she is aware of the young people’s vulnerabilities prior to placement and a detailed risk assessment is completed between them. This ensures that professionals are kept informed and that good safeguarding protocols are in place. There has been no episodes of young people being reported missing from this home since the last inspection. This is a significant reduction and shows that young people are more settled in placement. Staff continue to keep themselves up to date with the local missing from home protocol to ensure that they understand their roles and responsibilities if an incident was to occur.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person had a history of making comments on a daily basis that could be viewed as allegations against staff. The manager has worked closely with the young person, her social worker, and the local designated safeguarding professional to have a firm strategy of reporting incidents. The young person said she often says things in anger but does not mean them. Therefore, part of the strategy is to wait until she is calm and ask her the following day whether she wishes to take her comments further. This approach has been successful in reducing the need to make numerous referrals and has given the young person time to reflect on her comments and their impact. The manager scrutinises and oversees all the information to ensure that no serious concern is overlooked.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Both young people attend alternative educational provisions. One young person was struggling in a large mainstream setting and the home worked closely with her and relevant professionals to identify a smaller setting with smaller classes. Her attendance continues to fluctuate but good incentives which are time focused have brought about improvement. The other young person is currently being home tutored in the afternoons. This is a two prong approach because he had a very poor attendance record prior to being placed here and because of his limitations around his leg and morning health appointments. The home hopes that by having a good structure and routine will encourage him to attend education. A place has been identified for him at the company school and he is due to visit soon.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

An independent visitor and the manager assess the quality of care within this home on a monthly basis. They both ensure that they speak with the young people and professionals to get their views on the care they receive. They scrutinise and evaluate the information held in the home so the manager can make improvements to them. For example, the last inspection and actions from these monitoring tools showed that staff could improve the quality of their recordings. This was taken forward into the homes development plan. Staff have received a further days training on the importance of clear recording and through robust supervisions their developmental needs are being addressed and addressed.

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children’s home can accommodate two young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/02/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

21/01/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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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 emergency admissions should not be taken unless the home's Statement of Purpose and its capacity and support systems mean that it has the capability to care for children admitted at very short notice while continuing to offer high quality care to children already living in the home. This is specifically in relation to identifying what information would be required from the local authority in an emergency admission. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 15, paragraph 3.6).  The specific responsibilities of the home towards supporting the health and well- being of each child should be agreed with the placing authority and recorded in the child's placement plan. This is specifically in relation to the use of e- cigarettes by young people. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 34,

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Recommendations

paragraph 7.7)  Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in the home. Poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. This is specifically in relation to smoking an e-cigarette indoors. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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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