Children's Home run by 4d Care Ltd in Cambridgeshire

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:

 Young people say that they are safe in this home. They comment on the care that the staff provide, even when they are troubled. Staff strive to keep young people safe and young people begin to stabilise while living in this home.  Staff are resilient, calm, and confident when confronted with behaviours that are challenging. As a result, they build relationships with the young people. This is central to the work completed with these young people.  The home has resources, including independent living accommodation for post 18, to support young people moving in to adulthood. They also provide equipment and support in the local area for young people making the transition to independence.  In-depth, carefully drafted pathway plans are in place, which focus on young people developing skills and confidence to be able to look after themselves in the community.  The registered manager has well-defined monitoring processes. This means

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The children's home provision is good because:

that he can quickly see how the interaction with the young people has helped them move forward with their care plan and develop maturity.  Not all visitors have signed in at the premises. As a result, there is no record of them being in the building. This raises the risk to young people should there be an incident or allegation made during this time.

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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

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4, with specific regard to maintaining a record of all visitors to the home, and to the children, including the names of visitors and the reason for the visit. (Regulation 37 (2) (a) Schedule 4 (5)) 12/01/2016

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Information about this children's home

This registered home, which is privately owned, looks after a maximum of six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Some young people attend the on-site education facilities the organisation provides.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

06/01/2014 Interim Satisfactory Progress

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Good

Young people have made good progress because they live in this home. Staff support and encourage them to achieve well in education. They utilise a number of distinctive approaches that enable these young people to engage with learning. Some become very involved with a workshop, where practical skills begin to build confidence and young people start to form relationships with the teaching staff. The teacher has developed an innovative use of television programmes to instigate debate on subjects such as travel or relationships. From these debates a wide range of learning opportunities grow. These debates often continue after school, where staff encourage the young people to discuss the issues raised.

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Good

Staff are resilient, calm, and confident when confronted with behaviours that challenge. This helps them to build relationships with the young people. These relationships are pivotal in supporting young people. Most of the young people arrive at this home having experienced neglect, physical and sexual abuse. As a result, their emotional development is affected. In-house therapists help staff to understand these issues. This supports staff to start to rebuild young people’s self- esteem.

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Good

There is support for young people to make and keep important appointments with therapists in house and with workers from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services locally. The provider has focused on building an extremely good relationship with these services as this acts to support the young people and reinforce the work done in the home. There is also support to maintain contact with health professionals in the community, such as doctors, dentists, and opticians. This helps young people to remain in good health. To promote a ‘family’ feel in the home, freshly cooked meals are prepared and served by the staff at the table.

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Good

Staff encourage participation in sports and promote healthy life styles. Young people are engaged in well-planned activities that meet their needs. This includes football, roller skating, and swimming. Staff spend time developing their understanding of young people’s interests and give them choices that these young people have previously not had.

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Good

Key work sessions focus on identified areas of the care plan; staff help the young people to learn to manage issues in their lives. Young people review their care plans with staff and this provides them with input into those plans. The staff support with regular house meetings. There are discussions about issues in the home, including relationships between the young people, at these meetings. These meetings also help to plan out activities and events for the young people.

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Good

The home is developing resources to meet the needs of those young people who are approaching the time to leave. This includes obtaining accommodation, providing equipment and support in the local area. In-depth, carefully drafted pathway plans are in place, which focus on developing skills and confidence to be able to look after themselves in the community. The home provides on-going care and contact after the young people have left the home. As a result, there is both practical and emotional support available. Recently, a number of young people who have left the home returned for a celebration of the home’s tenth anniversary of opening.

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Good

The staff actively support contact for the young people. A social worker commented: ‘The home is very accommodating with contact arrangements, arranging it locally and transporting to their local area as well.’ These contact arrangements help to maintain important relationships with the extended family and keep the young people in touch with their own community. As a result, their knowledge and understanding of their background improves.

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Good

Regularly reviewed risk assessments inform the care plans, which staff use daily to provide a good standard of care. These risk assessments contain the most up-to- date analysis of the young people and their activities. Because of this, staff are able to interact with them and take action to minimise risks. Young people say that they are safe in this home. They comment on the care that the staff provide, even when young people are distressed. Young people do not go missing from this home. Staff detail the policy and the procedure that they would follow if there was an incident when a young person was absent. Recently, one young person expressed a wish to stay overnight with a friend. Working together with their family, the placing authority, and the friend, staff were able to plan a process that resulted in planned overnight contact. This removed the risk of being absent. Staff are keenly alert to the safeguarding

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Good

aspects for these young people, particularly the risk of exploitation. Their care plans detail the monitoring and observation that takes place to ensure their safe care. The home has robust safe recruitment processes, which help to ensure that unsuitable people are not working with these young people. Some staff visiting the home to complete voluntary work and other visitors did not sign in at the premises. As a result, there is no record of them being in the building. This raises the risk to young people should there be an incident or allegation made during this time. Young people in this home have complex needs and as a result, they may display behaviour which challenges staff. Staff remain calm and resilient during these times. There is support from specialist therapists for the staff and the young people to help them to understand this behaviour and to look at ways to manage it. Positive behaviour results in rewards. To help the young people to understand

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Good

the consequence of their actions, staff use a restorative approach to sanctions. Training is available for staff to restrain young people who place themselves or others at risk. Recently the staff have had to use restraint more frequently than previously. Senior staff, the specialist therapist and the young people are engaged in reviewing this increase to learn alternative ways to manage these situations.

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Good

The registered manager has a level four qualification in health and social care. He has over twenty years’ experience at this and other settings, including six years as a manager. He skilfully leads a competent group of workers to deliver a good standard of care. He encourages the staff to seek alternative ways to engage the young people, particularly with direct work. There are regular direct supervision meetings as well as adhoc opportunities to guide and mentor staff. The registered manager and the deputy manager are regularly available in the home to support the staff. This means that they can take immediate action to remedy any practice deficiencies that they see. Training is welcomed by the staff who comment on how informative the induction and on- going training is. Issues covered include safeguarding, first aid and fire precaution training, with formal training to manage physical intervention following soon after.

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Good

As a result, staff with relevant skills are caring for these young people. Social workers report on how much progress the young people have made because of living in this home. One social worker commented: ‘The home has done remarkably well and they are helping the young person to work hard to maintain their good behaviour. Now they are better able to manage themselves in the community. They have made progress in reflecting on their behaviour and being able to understand their life story and how this has affected them.’ The provider has well-defined monitoring processes to record and review individual needs. This means that the registered manager can quickly see how the interaction with the young people has seen them move forward with their care plan. As a result, young people are more settled in this placement, they are supported in addressing their needs and make progress in their education. These monitoring

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Good

systems also help the provider to reflect on how the service is operating. This ensures that service is in line with the statement of purpose. The young person’s guide is suitable. Currently the staff, with input from the young people are re- drafting the guide and have suggested a number of changes to the layout, which improves the document. The registered manager has engaged well with local services to ensure that they are able to offer the services that these young people need. He will challenge any gaps and follow up to ensure that services have the most relevant information that they need to begin to work with the young people as soon as possible.

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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

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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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