Children's Home run by Care Haven (UK) Limited in Stockport

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:

 Children and young people‟s views and opinions are fundamental to their placement. Consultation is meaningful, ensuring that practice is child- focused.  Aspirations for young people are high. Staff provide a warm, nurturing environment, enabling young people to feel valued.  Good support is offered to encourage young people to attend and engage in education.  Children and young people‟s health is promoted through strong links with healthcare providers, including support from specialist health care professionals to minimise the involvement in drug, alcohol and substance misuse.  Staff support children and young people to develop independence skills, including shopping, cooking and budgeting, taking into account individual needs and understanding. These skills support them then they move on to adulthood.  Leisure and recreation activities enable young people to pursue their interests and hobbies. This helps young people to have outside interests for

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The children's home provision is good because:

when they move on to independence.  Young people‟s safety is given high priority. Staff have a good understanding of individual risks and vulnerabilities and are proactive in working with a range of agencies to implement strategies to minimise risk and keep young people safe.  Young people‟s achievements are recognised and celebrated, which is valued by the young people.  There are a few shortfalls in relation to six monthly monitoring reports being completed by the manager, independent return interviews taking place when a young person has a period of going missing from the home and all staff understanding predicted levels of attainment in education.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months and supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)). 13 June 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 45, paragraph 9.30).  Staff need to have the knowledge and skills to understand each child's education and training targets and their next steps for learning. If a child's progress is not in line with their agreed targets or next steps, staff should seek expert advice from education professionals, such as virtual school head, special educational

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Recommendations

needs coordinator, learning mentor or teacher. Staff must challenge the child's education or training provider if the child does not receive sufficient support to progress as outlined in their relevant plans („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 28, paragraph 5.11).  As children will spend significant periods of time away from the home, for example in education or training, at appointments with the youth offending team or for engagement in leisure activities, any assessed risks should be shared with the education provider or service that the child is attending if appropriate, so that the service is clear on the action that they must take if the child puts themselves at risk while using their service („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.6).

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Information about this children's home

This is a private children‟s home that provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

15 March 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

3 February 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

Young people enjoy living at the home and have developed strong attachments to staff, who in turn work consistently in building positive relationships built on understanding and mutual respect. Staff are responsive to the young people and their individual needs, have high aspirations and want them to have a positive experience of living at the home. This is evident in the views expressed by the young people living there. One young person said „I love it here‟ and another young person said „staff listen to me and encourage me to do my best, they are interested in what I like and help me if I am worried about things‟.

p.6

Good

The ethos of the home is to provide support and guidance to young people in a positive way within a homely environment, enabling them to aspire and achieve a strong foundation for their future. Care planning and practice is individualised, focusing on the individual needs of each young person. Staff work in partnership with other professionals to promote this.

p.6

Good

The vast majority of young people attend education. Where this is not the case, staff work with placing authority social workers, virtual heads and schools to support the integration into school. Where school placements are at risk, additional resources through independent tuition at the home are arranged. Staff support with homework and additional activities to promote education. However, not all staff have a clear understanding of current levels of attainment against expected attainment and progress and this could impact on any challenges made to education providers on behalf of the young people.

p.6

Good

Young people‟s healthcare needs are met through access to community healthcare professionals. When additional health needs are identified, staff access resources to meet these. For example, the home works closely with the drug, alcohol and substance team to engage and support young people to reduce their substance misuse. Staff have a good working relationship with the designated looked after children nurse and seek additional advice when required. Planning and discussing meals helps young people to understand the importance of a varied diet and involvement in the budgeting, shopping and cooking meals support them to learn skills for independence.

p.6

Good

Consultation with young people is pivotal to the practice within the home. Regular meetings enable the young people to meet as a group to discuss their wishes and views about how the home runs and the activities that they wish to do. Children and young people have informal discussions during meal times and this helps them to understand and respect each other‟s views.

p.6

Good

Activities are varied, including swimming, making use of local leisure resources, having meals out, trips to the coast, attending concerts, craft activities within the home and walks at local community parks. As a result, young people are developing interests that they can continue when they move on to living independently or return to their own home.

p.7

Good

Staff understand the importance of supporting young people to maintain contact with those who are significant to them if it is agreed and in their best interest. Clear contact arrangements are in place. This enables children and young people to have an understanding of their history, culture and identity.

p.7

Good

Staff work positively to promote the safety and well-being for all young people at the home. Individual risk assessments reflect known risks and strategies to minimise them. Regular reviewing contributes to ensuring that strategies in place are effective. Where additional risks are identified, staff work in partnership with placing social workers and other professionals, including police and health and education, to support individual young people. However, the home does not routinely share their risk assessments with these agencies to ensure and demonstrate continuity of support in relation to risk management.

p.7

Good

Young people say that staff encourage them to stay safe and discuss potential dangers with them, including dangers associated with going missing from home. Staff are proactive in their efforts to find young people when they do go missing from the home. Staff make every attempt to contact young people and search for them, including areas where young people are known to go. Upon return, young people are welcomed back. However, the opportunity to speak with an independent person is not consistently followed to share any reasons that may contribute to them going missing.

p.7

Good

Staff are aware of the risks of child sexual exploitation and work with young people to help them understand these. Multi-agency working with police, social workers and local safeguarding agencies enables effective responses to this. One specialist police officer said, „The home have [has] been excellent in sharing information and working with us to take action to safeguard young people.‟ One social worker said, „Staff have been resourceful and responsive to addressing issues where the safety of (name) has been at risk. Through regular discussion, additional safety and welfare needs have been identified, requiring a specialist placement to be sourced. However, the home has supported the young person to make some positive progress during their placement.‟ Children and young people receive support and guidance to manage their behaviours. Positive interventions encourage this. One young person said, ‟It‟s nice

p.7

Good

to be praised and get treats for doing good things. It is far better than being told about everything you are doing is wrong. I really feel since I have lived here that I am being listened to and treated fairly. Staff explain things and the rules of the home are OK. We all get along and it is a good place to live.‟

p.8

Good

Staff employed at the home are subject to robust recruitment and vetting procedures and do not commence employment until all appropriate checks have been completed and reviewed. This means that the home takes suitable action to safeguard the young people from people who may pose as a potential risk to them.

p.8

Good

The home is suitably furnished and maintained. Regular health and safety checks are completed, along with the routine servicing of gas, electrical and fire safety equipment to make sure that they are in good working order. Staff and young people know the procedure to follow in the event of a fire with evacuation drills underpinning this. These measures ensure that the environment is safe for young people to live in.

p.8

Good

The manager was registered in October 2015 but has worked at the home for a number of years. He has the necessary experience of working with children and young people and is currently completing his level 5 qualification to further enhance his knowledge and continual professional development. The manager is supported within his role by a deputy manager who has also worked for the organisation who owns the home. At the previous inspection, there had been a shortage of staff, resulting in the manager working on the rota to cover the shortfall. This meant the development of the service and management oversight was not completed as required. Recent recruitment of additional staff has enabled him to concentrate on the management and development of the service.

p.8

Good

Staff receive regular supervision on a formal and informal basis and attend regular training to make sure that they have skills and updated knowledge to fulfil their role. As a team they have reviewed how they can incorporate the quality standards for young people in their every-day practice to reflect outcomes for children and young people. This has included updated recording and paperwork and discussion within monthly team meetings.

p.8

Good

The home operates in accordance with the aims and objectives as outlined in the statement of purpose. Children and young people are provided with a children‟s guide to the home, which explains what they can expect from living at the home and links with the statement of purpose. Staff provide child-centred practice and have high aspirations for all young people. When there have been unplanned endings to placements, the manager and staff have reflected on and learned from these. As a team they are confident in challenging decisions on behalf of children and young people, with the manager now confident to escalate concerns with senior managers in a placing authority.

p.8

Good

Care planning is detailed and contains information in a child-friendly format to enable young people to understand and contribute their views to their plans. The care plans set out individual needs and how they will be met. Regular reviewing and oversight means that the overall progress of each individual young person can be monitored and action taken to address any areas of concern or shortfall. Monthly updates and progress reports are sent to placing social workers as well as updates via telephone calls and during statutory visits. Reports for formal reviews also reflect progress made and contribute to further planning for each young person.

p.9

Good

The manager works in partnership with other agencies. This is reflected in positive comments made by other professionals. The home seeks feedback on the practice, but this is not consistently returned. The manager is actively reviewing alternative ways of obtaining comments and views of other professionals and parents to help inform the development of the service.

p.9

Good

An independent visitor undertakes monthly monitoring of the home, reporting to the manager, responsible individual and Ofsted about the care and support provided. The reporting format has recently been reviewed to enable the visitor to clearly record how the home safeguards young people and the progress that they are making. The manager also completes monthly monitoring and oversight of the home, including sanctions and significant events. He ensures that any incidents that are required to be notified to Ofsted and other agencies are done so within the appropriate timescales. Formal reviewing of the home as required by regulation has yet to be completed and submitted to Ofsted. This does not enable the regulator to have a comprehensive oversight of the service. The manager is aware of this shortfall and has commenced his report with an agreed date to submit it.

p.9

Good

At the last inspection, a number of requirements and recommendations were made in relation to engaging young people in education, staff‟s understanding of the quality standards, challenging placing authority care plans and return home interviews for young people who have been missing from home. The manager has made progress with the vast majority of these. The shortfalls identified again with regards to the manager‟s six monthly report and return home interviews for young people have actions commenced to address them. The manager continues to request return home interviews and is following this up further with placing authorities.

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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 that 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

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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