Children's home run by Cornerways Children’s Services Limited

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 feel safe within the home and have very strong relationships with staff. They feel staff understand them and listen to their views and ideas. Staff recognise individual vulnerabilities and provide care and support to help young people to thrive and overcome barriers in their lives.  Young people make good progress while living in the home. Episodes of being missing from care, in particular overnight, have dramatically reduced for all young people. Cohesive working with specialist police officers leads to prompt responses should an individual be missing.  Young people benefit from the home’s excellent joint working with emotional well-being professionals and specialist services. They access tailored support and therapies to meet a range of needs, including managing self-injury, building self-esteem and understanding their substance misuse.  All young people attend education or training. They achieve in line with their

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The children's home provision is good because:

peers and benefit from tailored packages including school, college and work placements. Those who struggle to attend or have significant gaps in their education, benefit from consistent support to overcome their barriers to learning.  Staff are committed and demonstrably care for young people’s physical and emotional well-being. They are keen to learn new skills and respond to strategies suggested by specialists. They work well as a team and have an excellent understanding as a team and deliver consistent care.  The areas that require improvement are: proactively obtaining placement plans and review documentation from placing social workers; ensuring all staff have an up-to-date first aid qualification; evidencing that all pre- employment checks have taken place and risk assessing un-laminated glass in the home.

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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

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(c) consider if a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response is adequate in relation to their role, the must challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific regard to accessing the relevant placing and pathway plans and agreements, for example, evidencing if young people are not being allowed independent time by the placing authority. 30 November

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particularly regard to risk assessing the volume of un- laminated glass within the premises. 30 November

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Requirement Due date

Ensure all staff recruitment files contain the information as listed in Schedule 2.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Provide all staff with first aid training. (The Guide to Quality Standards. Page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and run by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to 5 young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The company owns another home within the local area and a special school, which the young people can attend.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17/12/2013 CH - Interim Inadequate Progress

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good

Young people make good progress while living in the home. They thrive as a result of positive relationships with staff, who have an excellent understanding of their individual needs. Young people benefit as a result of the home’s joint working with emotional well-being professionals and specialist services. Individual’s access tailored support and therapies to meet a range of needs, including managing self- injury, building self-esteem and understanding their substance misuse. For most young people, this is the first placement they have settled in and they respond well to staff support and the nurturing environment. Young people are treated with dignity and respect and enabled to form a clear understanding of how they came to be in care. Staff are committed to the young people they care for and invest purposefully in their progress and emotional growth. Young people are confident in approaching staff with any worries or

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good

concerns. Staff listen to individuals’ views and ideas and do all they can to include these in the day-to-day running of the home. Weekly ‘speech bubble’ meetings afford individuals the formal opportunity to air their views, including issues within their relationships with others in the home. Staff are keen to learn new skills and respond to strategies suggested by emotional well-being specialists in order to develop young people’s self-esteem and positive self-view. They work well as a team, ensuring young people know what is expected of them. All young people attend education or training in the organisation’s school and via external providers. They achieve in line with their peers, including gaining a range of GCSEs and vocational qualifications. They benefit from tailored packages including time at school, college and in work placements. Those who struggle to attend or have significant gaps in their education, benefit from consistent support

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good

to overcome their barriers to learning. The home have effectively liaised with placing authorities’ virtual headteachers to source post-16 education and training provisions. In addition to formal education, young people engage in a range of physically and emotionally stimulating activities. These include boxing, dance and trips to the local cinema. Within the home, all young people are currently spending much of their free time directly with staff, for example playing card games. Young people are advised on healthy lifestyles and what this means for them. They have guidance on healthy eating and exercise and smoking is actively discouraged. When appropriate, individuals have access to substance misuse workers and sexual health professionals. Self-injurious behaviour is managed effectively through day- to-day strategies agreed within multi-disciplinary teams. Responses are consistent and young people are actively encouraged to manage their emotions in preparation

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good

for independence. The home recognise when they can no longer meet individual needs, and young people have sometimes moved on to designated mental health provisions in these circumstances. Those who are approaching adulthood benefit from a package of independent skills training. This includes key skills such as budgeting, cooking and laundry, but also how to seek employment, accommodation and pay utilities bills. Independent travel is encouraged and one individual has managed this with great success. There have been delays in placing authorities formulating pathway plans for some individuals, but this has not prevented staff from enabling young people to learn key skills.

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good

Young people feel safe within the home and have very strong relationships with staff. They feel staff understand them and listen if they are worried or upset. Staff recognise young people’s vulnerabilities and provide individualised care and support to help them thrive and overcome barriers in their lives. Any concerns for the safety or well-being of a young person are managed promptly, with close liaison with placing and local authority child protection professionals. Young people have a sound understanding of e-safety and how to protect themselves on line. When there have been concerns, staff have responded robustly, informing the police of potentially inappropriate adults contacting young people. Information within the home and internet agreements remind young people of the risks of contacting people they do not know, and how to report any suspicions or issues they have. Young people gain a clear understanding of their behaviour and what situations

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good

may place them at risk. Episodes of being missing from care have dramatically reduced for all young people while in placement. Cohesive working with specialist police officers and exploitation prevention charities, leads to cohesive responses should an individual be missing. Staff respond immediately to any suspicion a young person is being exploited and swift action by police has ensured inappropriate adults can no longer contact individuals. Young people within the home use or have used self-injurious behaviour as a coping strategy. Close working with emotional well-being and mental health professionals ensures a consistent response to distress and incidents which may lead to an individual injuring themselves. Coordination between professionals ensures all understand the current risk level and staffing and support is responsive to individual need. Regular meetings and updates allow for reviews of need, with

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good

medication and strategies adjusted as required. Those who misuse substances access specialist services to reduce their reliance including managing its use more safely if they are not yet ready to stop. Risk assessments are clear and allow young people the opportunity to take age- appropriate risk and engage in activities in the community. Placing authorities are made aware of local risks prior to placement and the area assessment is implicitly clear of the risks of the home’s location, including proximity to motorway bridges and train lines. Individual risk assessments further reflect strategies to support young people who are emotionally struggling and may gravitate to these areas. The building risk assessment does not include the safety of un-laminated glass within the home. Individual plans did not reflect where social workers have requested and agreed an extended periods of one-to-one staffing to protect

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good

individuals. It is recognised that this is a restriction of liberty, but also necessary to keep an individual safe. Positive behaviour is promoted effectively within the home. Young people understand what is expected of them and are clear on the reward and incentive programme. Individuals comment positively about the plan and feel it helps them to manage their behaviour. Sanctions are fair and proportionate and the recently implemented recording system provides greater clarity of the effectiveness of the measure imposed, and dedicated space for young people’s views. Restraint is rarely used, and only to prevent individual’s from harming themselves or others. Bullying is not raised as an issue within the home, and young people are confident staff will support them to manage any conflict within the group. Individuals are encouraged to reflect on their behaviour and the impact it may have on others. Young people are protected from avoidable hazards within the home by regular

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good

checks of the building and fire protection systems and equipment. Updated fire management plans, in response to a fire in the home, are robust and reflective of the recommended actions in the light of this incident. Young people have engaged in a fire service course in fire safety and the risk of raising false alarms. Recruitment practice is sound. Pre-employment checks are detailed as having taken place on front sheets within personnel files; however this is not reflected in documents within files. For example, gaps in employment are not always clear as previous employment dates only state years and not months; not all references show evidence of being verified either. This is deemed to be a clerical oversight rather than not taking place, and does not have a direct impact on young people’s safety.

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good

The home is effectively run by the Registered Manager who has been in post since January 2015. She was previously the deputy manager and has many years’ experience in residential child care. The manager holds an appropriate level 4 qualification and is continually seeking to update and improve her knowledge in care for young people. The Registered Manager, along with deputy manager, use independent monitoring under Regulation 44 to reflect on the service provided and to improve wherever possible. Monthly manager’s monitoring of the home and records and six monthly evaluations further allow reflection and inform the homes development plan.

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good

The home is well staffed by a team who are confident in their skills and work cohesively with the shared aim of improving outcomes for young people. They have a good understanding of the aims and ethos of the home as set out in the Statement of Purpose. Staff say they are well supported and can approach managers with any ideas, worries or concerns they may have. They feel trusted and enabled to make appropriate decisions within their roles. Staff say meetings with the organisation’s therapists are of particular value in ensuring they are able to meet individual needs consistently and with positive effect. Staff benefit from a comprehensive training package, including on-line and face-to-face training. First aid refresher training is required for some staff though. All care and support staff have regular supervision which provides a sufficient level of challenge and support.

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good

Practice within the home clearly demonstrates a multi-disciplinary approach. Staff and managers have very strong relationships with social workers, who comment positively about the home and progress young people make. Staff attend team- around-the-child and professionals meetings, to ensure consistency in approach. Managers robustly challenge agencies deemed to not be working efficiently or holding the young person’s best interests central to planning. However, evidence shows seeking missing plans and agreements is not persistent.

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good

Young people’s plans and progress are central to all work within the home. Managers have an excellent understanding of individual’s needs and how they have developed while in placement. Managers are proactive in arranging multi- professionals meetings to address any concerns in young people’s behaviour or progress, and advocate for more specialist placements when deemed appropriate.

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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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