Children's home in Cannock Chase

Previous inspection judgement Declined in effectiveness

Enforcement action since last inspection None

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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:

 The leadership of the service and management of the home are a key strength. The newly registered manager has worked hard to develop an experienced and permanent staff team, and has initiated a range of service developments.  Children are well supported to attend and achieve in education.  Good care planning promotes a healthy lifestyle and children’s good health.  Staff are enthusiastic and very focused on promoting positive outcomes for children.  The one current resident is in a stable placement and is making positive progress in all areas.  Recent whole-house redecoration, and the purchase of new furniture, bedding and lighting, ensure that children benefit from a pleasant and well- maintained home.  Staff training is generally good. However, not all staff have the required qualifications and this has led to a requirement being set within this report.

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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 ‘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

32. Fitness of workers Ensure that each member of care staff achieves the appropriate qualification by the relevant date (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b), (5)(a)(b)). 8 December 2016

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Information about this children's home

This is privately owned children’s home, registered to provide care and accommodation for three children who have a diagnosed learning disability.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

1 March 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The one child in residence is described by his parent as calm, relaxed and happy in his placement. Staff know this child really well and drive forward opportunities for his personal development. Individualised and well-planned care focuses staff to work on current targets, for example creating opportunities to increase the child’s use of communication cards. This targeted approach is linked to progress in the child’s engagement in communication, his improved understanding of plans for each day and being able to make his views known. Because the staff know him well, they understand his preferences and ensure that his likes and dislikes are supported in daily plans. Staff recognise when he may be unwell or in pain. As a result, they are able to respond promptly to his needs. Professionals and parents have a positive view of this placement and the progress that this child has made. Comments include: ‘He is now growing up, maturing and difficult behaviours have

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Good

improved’, also: ‘The staff know the children well, the children are always happy and seek staff for attention and appropriate affection, and the staff are well in tune with the needs of the individual child’.

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Good

The staff team works well with external agencies. For example, key staff have recently visited the child’s school. Consultation with education staff and observations of practice at school have led to improved consistency for the child. Attendance and achievement in education is valued and, with the support of the home, children make good progress in school.

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Good

One young person has transitioned into an adult placement since the last inspection. The team at the new setting said that knowledge of the young person and care plans were passed on, confirming that the level of detail was helpful to the transition process. The staff team was proactive in advocating for this young person when there was delay in transition plans being finalised by the placing authority. This shows that the team puts children’s and young people’s needs first.

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Good

Children are treated with respect, and their dignity and individual needs are considered when planning trips out in the community. This means that they are able to gain the most from social experiences. Children have the opportunity to learn new skills and to develop their independence. Staff recognise even the smallest of steps forward. For example, a member of staff expressed excitement when a child used a new communication card for the first time. This demonstrates that staff engage in the child’s journey of progression. The child in placement is in good health. He has attended routine check-ups and other personal health appointments, as needed. A healthy lifestyle is seen as important, and staff promote a healthy diet and physical activity. The administration and storage of medication is good. Medication is stored securely and safely. The training that staff receive has ensured that they understand their

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Good

responsibilities in relation to medication administration.

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Good

Children live in a much improved environment. Changes made to the use of some communal areas are to children‘s advantage. For example, the lounge area is now used as a lounge/diner in order to promote a more homely feel. Staff welcome the recent redecoration of the home. Additionally, new furniture, improved lighting and a well-managed cleaning schedule mean that children benefit from a pleasant, appropriate and well-maintained home.

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Good

A safe living environment is provided. The management of risk for children is effective and reflects individual needs. Environmental risk assessments are currently being updated by the manager in order to enhance the already strong arrangements to support children's safety and well-being. Additionally, fire safety arrangements are being reviewed.

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Good

Waking night staff monitor the home overnight and understand their role in safeguarding children, if necessary. This demonstrates that leaders and managers place a high priority on children’s safety and wellbeing.

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Good

Due to their individual and complex vulnerabilities, children are fully supervised within the home and on trips into the community. As a result, there have been no incidents of children going missing.

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Good

Staff understand children’s behaviours in the context of their disabilities, and work hard to support individual needs. Good behaviour management and consistency in approach has resulted in the child in placement being able to take part in social activities in a way not previously possible. His parent spoke very positively about behaviour changes and being able to go out for family meals now.

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Good

The team has shown strong resilience in managing some very complex and difficult to manage behaviours over recent months, prior to a young person’s move to a new placement. It is apparent that staff really cared about the young person and remained committed, while external professionals identified the appropriate transition placement. The team consults external professionals when necessary, and seeks guidance as to how best to manage behaviours. Comments from mental health professionals confirm that self-harming behaviours are well-managed.

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Good

The home is led by a suitably qualified registered manager, who has been in post since February 2016 and was registered as the manager in April 2016. The manager has shown that they want to prioritise the personal development of the staff and has also recently undertaken some additional training in relation to autism.

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Good

The new registered manager has impacted positively on the service after a period of instability following the resignation of the previous registered manager in November 2015. The new manager has been instrumental in driving forward recruitment. There is now a full team, including a competent and knowledgeable deputy manager and staff who have previous experience of working with children with learning disabilities. Less experienced staff speak very positively about the learning opportunities provided, and their ability to seek guidance from knowledgeable senior staff and managers.

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Good

The manager has some good ideas and plans for improvements to the service, including a team day to promote team development and shared learning. Recent service developments include the sweeping environmental enhancements which have led to a more well-maintained setting. Record keeping has been restructured, with records now showing a clear audit trail of service delivery, which also allows for better monitoring by management. Additionally the manager has developed a child centred record, which when introduced, will focus staff on really looking at what is happening for the individual child. This is for the manager to use with the team to identify and reflect on areas of care which are working well or need adjustment.

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Good

The three requirements set at the time of the interim inspection in March 2016 have been addressed. The new cleaning schedule has ensured that the home is kept at an appropriate level of cleanliness. The additional details now included in placement plans improve guidance for staff and ensure that staff understand how best to meet individual needs. Safeguarding arrangements are strengthened by the improved recording system to monitor body marks or bruising, and the cause of such marks.

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Good

Staff knowledge is supported by induction training, and refresher training at regular intervals. Training specific to working with children with learning disabilities has been provided, and plans are in place for this to be enhanced. However, not all members of staff have achieved the appropriate qualification within set timescales, and this is set as a requirement. This shortfall is balanced by the proactive response of the new manager. Plans have been put in place to ensure that three members of staff complete the necessary qualification without further delay.

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Good

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to provide care in line with the home’s statement of purpose. A recent positive is the manner in which the quality standards are threaded through training, recording and supervision arrangements. This means that staff are clear about their individual role in meeting these required standards. There is a clear focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for each child, and leaders and managers work hard to accomplish this. The current resident has made good progress from his starting point. The team is open to learning from reflection and has spent time looking at previous events in the home to strengthen practice for the future. The management team challenges external professionals, when required. A good example is when they challenged professionals when there was delay in finalising the transition plans for a young person.

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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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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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