Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Devon

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has Sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has sustained in effectiveness because of the good quality direct work and positive relationships the registered manager and staff team have established with the young people. All three young people contributed to the inspection and provided positive feedback about their experiences. On their return from school they were observed by the inspector to be happy to see each other and the care staff. These observations verified that the relationships between the staff and young people are positive. The registered manager’s monitoring is not rigorous enough to identify weaknesses in the records completed by the staff team. Some records have incomplete entries, they are not clear and concise, and do not sufficiently reflect the young people’s day, their achievements and experiences. Sanctions are not always recorded as required; a recommendation not met from the previous inspection. In addition, one

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

young person’s missing from home plan does not include critical information shared with the registered manager by the police. To date, this omission is a recording weakness as staff caring for the young person are directly aware of the information.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the previous inspection there has been no reported incidents of young people going missing from the home or restraints being used. These achievements are testament to the good relationships the staff have formed with the young people. However, some young people’s behaviour is inconsistently managed by staff. The staff team do not always consider their different age, ability and understanding when issuing sanctions and setting targets for the young people. For example, one young person aged 11 years is required to complete the same house hold tasks as his 15 and 16 year old co-residents. Some sanctions are ineffective and opportunities to maximise young people’s progress is overlooked.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The care team have not considered creative ways to seek the views of young people. Young people’s meetings have not taken place since the previous inspection as staff have been unable to engage the young people to meet and discuss concerns as a group. As a result, the opportunities for the young people to air any dissatisfaction they may have or contribute to the development of the home are missed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager ensures the arrangements for helping the young people to move into and leave the home are good. Since the previous inspection one young person has left and two young people have moved in. The registered manager carefully considers the information provided to him to ensure the young people can live together. A member of staff described the group dynamics as similar to a sibling group that get on very well. She said, ‘the young people show respect, tolerance and understanding of each other, they enjoy having a banter and on occasions they bicker’. Young people benefit from staff’s good help to maintain regular contact with their family and friends. Relationships have improved with increased visits for some. The registered manager shares the young people’s wishes and feelings about seeing their family at review meetings so these views can be incorporated into their individual plans. Young people said their family and friends regularly visit them at

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s achievements at school and college have developed. The registered manager has successfully liaised with a range of services to ensure the young people’s individual educational needs are met. One young person has changed school and her attendance and attainment has improved significantly. Another young person’s placement at a local college has been re-instated after an absence of three months. She is now due to finish a level two hairdressing course with a view to enrolling on the level three course in September 2016. Feedback from a third young person’s school has been positive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has now consulted with safeguarding agencies and used the information he has gained to inform his risk assessment of the homes location. The care team are provided with guidance and information about potential risks in the local area and the response times of the emergency services should they be required.

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private company and is currently registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/12/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (2)(a)(ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (2)(b) that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 31/03/2016

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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 that all staff are familiar with the home's policy on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the principle's as set out in 9.5 are respected.(The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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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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