Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

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 benefit from a nurturing approach to the care offered.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There are strong links with key professionals, and these underpin a comprehensive approach to young people’s care.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people participate in the daily life of the home, cooking and taking turns in household chores. This teaches them life skills, and helps them to feel valued and to develop a sense of belonging.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are supported to have contact with their families. Staff work closely with parents to ensure that they are fully informed and involved in decisions relating to the care of their children.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff understand how to develop strong relationships with young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There is a strong, experienced manager in place who is committed to developing the service and has the support of the staff team.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc.) however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression. In particular, the current refurbishment plans should be completed (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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Recommendations

 When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulations 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home's location and strategies for managing these. In particular, this should be done in consultation with all relevant parties (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1).

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Recommendations

 Sufficient staff means a home having enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home. In particular, staff should update and maintain training where necessary (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1).

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Information about this children's home

The home provides accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

8 March 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13 October 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

18 February 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

The home is situated in a quiet residential area of a small village. It is large and well equipped, and has areas for communal living and privacy. The damage and lack of maintenance seen at the previous inspection, and highlighted by young people, are being dealt with. The result is that young people feel listened to and valued. This promotes respect for their surroundings, enabling a sense of belonging. Young people are contributing to the garden, through their practical help, and are growing vegetable seedlings to plant for use by those living in the home.

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Good

The home has gone through a difficult, disruptive time with challenging behaviour and staff changes. The result was low staff morale, and this influenced the care delivered to young people. There is a new acting manager whose impact, in a short period of time, is evident in all aspects of the home. This has resulted in a positive change of atmosphere, and a rise in the morale of both staff and young people. A member of staff said, ‘The motivation is back, staff are buzzing.’ Another member of staff said, ‘This feels a good place to be now, we have structure back.’

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Good

Staff are nurturing in their approach to providing care and are committed to the young people. They strive to enable young people to progress, while ensuring that the pace of such progression is achievable. Staff spend time with young people and actively engage them in activities, both inside the home and outside in the community. Each young person has an individual profile and a detailed care plan that is designed to meet their needs. This helps young people to experience care as being warm, attentive and genuine.

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Good

Young people are healthy. They eat a balanced diet and have the opportunity to prepare food for themselves and to share with others. If young people have particular health needs, staff ensure that they access specialist support. They advocate on their behalf to ensure that they receive the best treatment.

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Good

Young people are regularly consulted about their experiences of being cared for, and their views are included in review meetings. Key-worker sessions are regular and offer the opportunity for more in-depth discussions about issues concerning young people or staff.

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Good

Education is seen as important by staff. Young people make progress from their starting points, although there are still barriers to full achievement for some. Staff ensure that plans are in place on a daily basis for young people who are not attending school or work placements. This ensures that the importance of education is continually promoted.

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Good

Staff have a good understanding of the importance of family contact. They are flexible and accommodating in their approach, transporting and supervising when necessary. This has allowed young people to repair fractured family relationships, and it maintains support for their transition to independence or return home. A parent said, ‘They are doing a good job with him.’

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Good

Overall, young people are safe at the home. Staff understand the triggers and indicators in young people’s behaviour. They now put in place clear and consistent boundaries. This provides good structure and routines for young people. Positive behaviour is recognised and rewarded. The proactive approach adopted by the new manager is giving young people the opportunity to experience praise on a daily basis. Staff are trained in a behaviour management approach which focuses on the de-escalation of potentially difficult situations. The positive relationships that staff develop with young people are the key to this management of challenging behaviour. These, in addition to a detailed behaviour management plan for each young person, have resulted in a reduction in the use of restraints in the home.

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Good

The practice of constantly using finance as a sanction for all behaviours has diminished. Practice now focuses on restorative means of addressing unacceptable behaviour. There have been no episodes of young people going missing since September 2015. This demonstrates that young people consider that this is their home and that they have formed attachments here.

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Good

While recruitment, supervision and training of staff are robust, there are gaps in the renewal of training courses for senior and experienced staff. This does not impact on the care provided to young people, as all staff have been trained, but updates have been delayed due to changes in management.

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Good

Allegations against staff working at the home are robustly reported and investigated. The local authority designated officer said that the home ‘followed protocols and communicated well’ during such times. It is commendable that staff continue to work positively with young people, even after such constant allegations, demonstrating their understanding of particular behaviours of young people.

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Good

Risks within the home are well managed. A rigorous system of risk assessments is in place and is updated regularly. It is important that these are shared with others who have a role in a young person’s life to ensure that full consultation takes place.

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Good

Staff have positive relationships with other professionals. These offer additional support to young people. The local beat officer from the police said, ‘This home demonstrates good practice in terms of relationships with the police.’ Officers regularly drop into the home on a casual basis. They report that there is minimal need for them to attend regularly to deal with or address situations. The staff and police have set up a ‘meet and greet’ service for any new young people admitted to the home. This enables young people to understand the expectations and the reporting systems that will be used by the home in certain circumstances.

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Good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She has only been in post for a few weeks. She is a charismatic, visible leader who motivates her staff. She quickly builds good relationships with them and other professionals. A social worker commented, ‘The new manager seems excellent’ and that he ‘Cannot fault the staff’. The result is a rapid response to issues, allowing young people and staff to feel listened to and respected. The responsible individual provides excellent responsive support to the home. This was demonstrated during the inspection when a situation arose, and he quickly attended to support the new manager.

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Good

Recruitment processes are robust. The subsequent induction and supervision processes enable staff to develop skills and knowledge at a pace that suits them and ensures supportive team relationships develop. Supervision is regular and well documented. This supports staff in their work and allows them to be reflective in practice.

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Good

The manager has not yet submitted her application to the regulator for registered manager status. This will help to improve the positive foundations that she has been able to put in place in this short space of time. She has begun to make positive working relationships with those professionals involved in the support of young people. The impact of this is that young people will have increased opportunities to gain services that will enable their development both within and when they move on from the home.

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Good

Monitoring of the home has improved, and the manager is developing plans based on a review of practice within the home that will lead to a change in the ethos of the home. A member of staff said that they had ‘noticed a change since (name) came, and it was needed’. The manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses in the home but is considerate of the impact of too many alterations to processes and practice have on staff morale.

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Good

The manager has concentrated her efforts in these early days on ensuring the home environment is improved for young people. Many of the issues seen at the last inspection have been addressed. The home is comfortable, clean and welcoming and the refurbishment is on-going.

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Good

The staff are a new team. The past year has seen many changes in the staff and management group. It is recognised that this has impacted on the consistency of care at times, but staff express that they are looking forward to the developments ahead and to building on the progress made.

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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 ‘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 0300 123 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, work- based 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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