Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Devon

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 have made positive progress in this home. They feel settled, happy and safe.  Young people have good relationships with staff, who are committed to the young people and care for them well. Staff prioritise spending time with young people and engaging them in fun activities.  Staff establish routines that reinforce positive behaviours, academic progress and healthy lifestyles.  Professionals and parents praise the home and how well it supports the young people. Communication is strong and helps to ensure a consistent approach to caring for young people.  The manager is child-centred, committed and caring and an excellent role model for the team, which is well supervised and supported.  The manager has not escalated concerns to ensure that one young person receives independent return-home interviews when they go missing.  Full information was not obtained from the local authority, which led to an

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The children's home provision is good because:

inappropriate decision regarding an admission.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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 persons must comply within 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 15 July 2016 5(b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child's needs and, in particular, escalate the need to the local authority for young people to meet with a social worker and an independent person, if they choose, following a missing episode or serious concern. In addition, the registered person must ensure that all information is provided to the home before a young person is admitted.

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Requirement Due date

9: The enjoyment and achievement standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the enjoyment and achievement standard, the registered person must ensure

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Requirement Due date

9(2)(b) that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. 15 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to achieve the leadership and management standard, the registered person must

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Requirement Due date

13(1)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home and, in particular, ensure that necessary documentation is complete, that the request for carpet replacement is expedited and that young people can make telephone calls without reference to staff if safe for them to do so. 15 July 2016

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private company and is currently registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

9 December 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

19 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people living in this home make significant progress in many areas of their lives. A deputy headteacher described one young person as ‘flourishing and considerably happier than before’. Young people who have had several placement moves previously, now feel secure and happy in this home. They have strong and trusting relationships with the manager and staff. Young people can discuss their concerns with staff and access help from doctors and mental health services with staff support. Consistent day-to-day routines have a positive impact on performance at school, sleep, healthy eating and positive behaviour. Mealtimes are shared around the dining-room table, and members of the home like playing a variety of board games together. Young people contribute to the running of the home and take part in everyday household chores, which help to build confidence and skills for the future. Young people, who previously spent considerable time gaming, enjoy

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Good

different activities with staff such as football, games and trips out. Staff are now encouraging young people to access clubs in the community independently. Photograph albums and memory diaries are compiled for young people, so that they have lasting records of the time that they have spent in the home. Educationally, one young person has made dramatic progress in reading and writing, confidence and focus. The excellent relationship between the school and the home ensures that all involved support the young person to achieve their targets. Another young person’s attendance has improved considerably, and they have now successfully completed one part of an ‘access to entry’ course. Young people regularly see their families. Staff welcome families and friends into the home and facilitate visits outside of the home. Family members talk highly of the home and say that they know that the manager and staff care for their children

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Good

well. One young person with complex needs has left the home since the last inspection because the manager recognised that staff could not keep the young person safe. Staff supported the transition to the next placement well and still maintain contact to support the young person. Feedback from the young person’s social worker and parents is very positive, despite the manager giving notice to the local authority for this placement to end. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people are helped to feel safe because staff apply consistent boundaries and are clear about what is expected of young people. Staff have seen a significant reduction in concerning behaviours that young people displayed before they came to live in this home. These behaviours included physical aggression, unhealthy eating patterns and lack of cooperation. Sanctions are overseen by the manager and have positive consequences on young people’s behaviour. For example, being restricted from time on an Xbox led to the young person spending time with staff playing board games, learning turn taking, interaction and patience. No incidents of physical intervention have occurred since 2013. Young people say that they feel safe and happy. They know how to make a complaint. The manager is clear about what to do if allegations or complaints are made and applies the home’s child protection procedures effectively.

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Good

Risks to young people are understood and monitored carefully by staff, with good liaison with the relevant professionals. When risky behaviour occurs, the manager has a clear overview of patterns and ensures that young people receive help in a sensitive manner. On occasions, staff have had cause to search a young person’s bedroom. The search has been carried out sensitively and has involved the young person each time. These searches have been carried out by two staff members. However, the second staff member has not signed the search documentation. This lacks rigour, given that room searches are a serious course of action to take. When young people go missing from the home, staff employ a robust response, by following and searching for young people in accordance with missing procedures. Staff work with young people, families and professionals to try to prevent absconding in the future. One young person does not have access to a telephone without reference to staff,

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Good

should they need to make a private call for support. The manager has not yet explored whether the young person could safely have access to a telephone.

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Requires improvement

The manager admitted one young person to the home without insisting upon full referral information from the local authority. Information came to light after admission, which meant that the manager realised that the home was not the most suitable environment for this young person. Despite this, the manager had considered all known risks when considering compatibility and went on to ensure that the young person had a positive transition. The manager is now clear on how to implement the home’s admission procedure and is carefully planning for the arrival of a third resident. Since the previous full inspection, on the three occasions that one young person has gone missing, independent return-home interviews have not taken place. Therefore, the young person does not have the opportunity to talk with an adult outside of the home about why they have absconded. The manager has raised this concern with the social worker after each missing episode. The social worker

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Requires improvement

responded to the young person by telephone only, which is not an effective form of communication in such circumstances. The manager has contacted agencies on the social worker’s behalf to resolve this problem but has not escalated the lack of response to local authority social work managers. The registered manager and staff describe how they talk with the young person to understand the reasons why missing episodes occur, and work to prevent these occurring in the future. Written recordings, however, do not fully reflect this work. It is positive that episodes for this young person have reduced in frequency and duration since they have been living in this home. The home is an extremely welcoming and comfortable environment, personalised with young people’s belongings and taken care of by staff and young people. For some time, the manager has sought to replace the stained entrance and stairs carpet. In such a well-maintained home, the carpet stands out and is commented

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Requires improvement

on by young people who value their home environment. The garden houses a trampoline, which young people enjoy, but the safety net has been broken for over a month. Another young person would like to go horse riding, as they used to do before living in the home, but need further encouragement from staff and practical and financial support to access this activity. The registered manager cares passionately about the young people and their happiness. He creates a family atmosphere within the home, and staff and young people feel well supported. Staff say that the manager ‘goes above and beyond’ and, consequently, they mirror this commitment to the young people. The staff team members work well together, attend team meetings and receive regular supervision that includes challenge and support. The manager and staff attend all relevant meetings for young people and are clear about their care plan aims. The

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Requires improvement

manager is clear about what the strengths and areas of improvement are for the home. The independent visitor provides monthly reports with recommendations that assist the manager with monitoring how well the home supports young people. A parent described the home as ‘exceptional’, and a staff member said, ‘I really enjoy working here and love helping young people to engage and see them happy.’

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 whom 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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