Children's home run by Cherry Cottage Limited in Wigan

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Outstanding 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 make exceptional progress from their starting points. Staff ensure they develop positive relationships with young people who have complex needs. Young people value this and their life chances improve. One young person said: ‘My staff member loves me, she has been with me since day one.’ Young people benefit from living in a welcoming and homely environment which has been personalised to reflect their interests and achievements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide nurturing care in line with the home’s statement of purpose. They understand the importance of the research which informs their practice. Staff and young people receive therapeutic support, directly and indirectly, from the home’s therapist. This informs staff’s assessments and plans resulting in care that is tailored to young people’s specific needs. Staff support young people to have contact with family and friends where it is safe and in their best interests. This promotes their identity. They make good use of their delegated authority to provide opportunities for young people to have holidays abroad and engage in numerous activities in the local community from trampolining and swimming to voluntary dog walking and dancing. Young people are in good health. A nurse commented: ’Staff always take young people’s health concerns seriously.’ Staff are robust in their challenges to placing

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

authorities where there are delays in accessing specific therapeutic interventions as identified by the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). They advocate strongly to ensure that young people are able to take age appropriate risks safely. This promotes children and young people’s health and welfare. Staff respond sensitively to the needs of young people who are new to the home. They ensure there is careful planning so that young people who move into the home are able to achieve stability, whilst maintaining the security of the group environment. This represents exceptional progress for those young people who have experienced multiple placement moves. Staff are proactive and ensure young people engage with education and make good progress. They liaise effectively with placing authorities, the virtual school head teacher, and schools and colleges, to ensure that appropriate education is

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

provided. Consequently young people who are new to the home quickly become established at a local school and develop a sense of security.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff promote positive behaviour and safely de-escalate most challenging behaviours. They review and monitor any patterns of physical intervention carefully to inform their practice. This is highly effective and incidents when restraint is required become much shorter as young people begin to develop skills in regulating their own behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff ensure that young people live in a safe environment and provide help and support so they become increasingly safe. Children and young people go missing from home infrequently. Staff have developed positive relationships with the police which means there is a co-ordinated response when young people do go missing. As a result they are at risk of harm for a minimum amount of time. Staff work effectively with the police and professional partners so that young people are not unnecessarily criminalised. Staff understand child protection policies including how to manage allegations against staff. They implement these quickly to ensure that placing authorities and delegated officers are informed and incidents are investigated promptly. This ensures young people are effectively safeguarded.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers continue to be aspirational for their young people and strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. They ensure that staff are safely recruited. Staff receive training which supports the therapeutic care they provide, for example, in behaviour management and child sexual exploitation. Managers continue to provide good formal and informal support to their staff team which recognises the emotional impact of the work. They undertake detailed monitoring of the quality of care provided in order to drive forward improvements, including responding to the recommendation raised at the last inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The children's home is one of two homes operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with physical disabilities and learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

13/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

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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