Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in County Durham

Outstanding

The children‟s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people benefit from stable placements which will last until adulthood. They form meaningful attachments to staff, and the attachments provide emotional security and increase self-esteem. Staff respond to young people with enthusiasm, affection and an evident desire to help them to overcome barriers to progress. The high staffing ratio ensures that each young person receives the level of support that they need to enjoy life to the full.  Staff care for young people in a highly systematic and well-organised way. They are keen to increase their knowledge to improve the effectiveness of their work. Care plans are tailored to each young person‟s needs and are focused on enhancing their life chances.  Staff ensure that young people can enjoy stimulating and healthy activities. The majority of these take place in the community, so reducing the possibility of social isolation. Staff are creative and dedicated in promoting family contact.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

This improves the quality of young people‟s relationships with their parents.  Staff are imaginative in promoting choice and enabling each young person‟s voice to be heard. This provides additional reassurance that any concerns that young people may have will be promptly recognised and listened to.  A minority of staff are not yet qualified as required by regulation. The quality of leadership provided by the registered manager and senior staff is sound.  Managers encourage staff to research new approaches to meeting individual young people‟s needs and sharing them with the team. Leaders and staff are aspirational for young people and advocate strongly on their behalf.

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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

The registered person may only: (a) employ an individual to work at the children‟s home, or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that: (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform (4) For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained: (a) the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or (b) a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (5) The relevant date is—

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Requirement Due date

(a) in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home, or (b) in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32(3)(b), (4) and (5)(b)) In particular, ensure that all relevant staff obtain the required 28 October qualification in accordance with the workforce development plan.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Children‟s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene and so on). However in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than „institutional‟ impression. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to four children with emotional and behavioural difficulties: sensory impairment, learning disabilities or mental disorders, excluding learning disability. It is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

22 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

3 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people relish the company of staff. There is much laughter and hugging in the home. The quality of relationships means that young people feel that staff value them and will always look out for them. This enhances young people‟s self- worth and gives them confidence in their own abilities. One young person said, „I love it here, I would give the home 100 out of 10.‟ There are always sufficient staff on duty to provide a minimum of one-to-one support for each young person. One young person is accompanied to school by two members of staff who stay with him all day. As a result of this level of input by staff whom they know and trust, this young person has made exceptional educational progress. Others have received awards and certificates from school for attainment and behaviour. Care plans are clear and detailed, setting out each young person‟s needs and how staff support them to achieve their individual

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Outstanding

targets. Work done with young people is therefore focused and systematic, and leads to significant progress in all areas of their lives. Young people have made outstanding improvements in their health. One no longer uses a wheelchair, on which he was almost completely dependent prior to coming to the home. This is due to the dogged encouragement of staff to develop his mobility, as well as their persistence in challenging health professionals to provide appropriate support. Staff work closely with consultants and specialist nurses to address specific issues for young people. For example, the frequency of epileptic seizures for one young person has greatly reduced. He has also acquired greater ability to undertake his own self-care tasks, including toileting. He is exhilarated by the increased independence and dignity this gives him. Other young people are aware of how the home has improved their health. One said, „I‟m so much

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Outstanding

healthier, I‟ve lost weight, I eat better and have plenty of exercise.‟ The emotional well-being of young people is also enhanced due to the work done by staff. One young person has weekly sessions with a psychotherapist. Staff accompany him to these sessions and, in consultation with the psychotherapist, devise strategies to use back at the home to help the young person cope with any distress. As a result, the young person has made tremendous strides in being able to regulate his previously chaotic behaviour. Staff value the views of young people and are innovative in helping them to express themselves, whatever communication difficulties they may have. Recently, staff have provided one young person with a tablet device. He is able to use this to communicate his wishes and choices. For example, where he would like to go out to eat, and which staff he would like to accompany him. Staff involve the young

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Outstanding

people in discussions, not only about the home and its routines but also about current affairs. During the inspection, staff devised an exercise on the EU referendum, with all young people casting their votes. Young people also help staff in fundraising for charity. These are excellent examples of how staff do not permit young people‟s learning difficulties to restrict their participation in wider society. This theme is echoed in the range of activities that the staff promote and facilitate. After returning from school or college, young people are seldom in the house. They visit the library; go horse riding, swimming and bowling; go on river walks; and enjoy meals out. Some young people bravely took part in a fundraising New Year‟s Day dip in the North Sea. Young people and staff often use public transport for these trips. This keeps young people in touch with the community and gives them skills which they will need as they get older. Young people‟s independence is also

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Outstanding

promoted in the detail of the daily routine. Staff firmly encourage young people to do things for themselves, such as bringing their laundry to the washing machine, or clearing away their dishes. One young person is adept at cooking his own meals. During the inspection he prepared a breakfast of scrambled egg and bacon on toast, with minimal assistance from staff. The ability of staff to enhance young people‟s overall quality of life and to drive their development was summed up by one social worker who said, „The home provides a safe and happy environment with lots of activities and opportunities to extend the young person‟s learning, develop his life skills and support his interests.‟

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Outstanding

Staff are excellent at promoting young people‟s contact with their families. For example, two members of staff accompanied a young person‟s family on a foreign holiday. As a result, parents were able to spend quality time with their son, confident in the knowledge that staff were there to provide support should it be needed. This level of commitment by staff is invaluable in enabling young people to maintain and strengthen family relationships.

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Outstanding

Safeguarding practice is excellent. Risk assessments are comprehensive and individualised to each young person. Key workers update these regularly, and ensure that any changes are made known to the rest of the staff team. Staff have a particularly keen awareness of the additional vulnerabilities of young people with disabilities, and modify their practice accordingly. For example, when a young person needs one member of staff to help with intimate personal care tasks, other staff maintain discreet oversight in the vicinity of the bathroom. An assessment of the local area helps to identify any additional risks when young people are out and about with staff. The result is that young people confirm that they feel very safe living here.

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Outstanding

Staff provide clear boundaries for acceptable behaviour which take account of each young person‟s abilities and competence to understand. Coupled with the high level of individual support that staff give to each young person, this ensures that the home is a happy and orderly place. Staff are always on hand to prompt and praise desired behaviour, such as a young person showing kindness to another, or saying, „please‟ and „thank you‟. They are also alert to any signs that a young person is becoming over-excited, anxious or distressed. This enables them to intervene by use of a look, a quiet word, or offering a distracting activity. The skill of the staff in avoiding and de-escalating potentially harmful behaviour is evidenced by the infrequent need to use physical restraint. There have been only seven such incidents since the last inspection. Each is comprehensively recorded, with evidence that both staff and the young person involved are fully debriefed

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Outstanding

Access into and out of the home is controlled securely, so that young people cannot leave the premises without staff. Because of the easy and regular access to the outside world that young people have in the company of staff, these arrangements in no way restrict their liberty. There has never been an incident of a young person going missing. Nevertheless, staff are clear about what to do should it happen.

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Outstanding

Because of the young people‟s disabilities, many take a variety of medication, much of it defined by legislation as, „controlled‟. The administration of medication is a model of outstandingly safe practice. All staff receive basic training in this topic on their induction. Furthermore, senior staff have an additional level of qualification, and further training is provided by a pharmacist. The medication itself is provided in blister packs labelled for each day of use. Recording of medication, including stock checks, is meticulous. This attention to detail significantly reduces the likelihood of mistakes in administration and keeps young people safe.

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Outstanding

The safety of young people is further enhanced by the extremely thorough process of preparation for admission. The registered manager sets out a timetable, including visits to the young person‟s home, visits to their school, and meetings with social workers and parents. The young person comes to visit the home for increasingly longer periods, gradually getting to know staff and other young people. In one example, a young person‟s programme of introductions lasted over three months, with two staff spending a week in school with him to get to know him better. This kind of intensive and considered approach to placement planning ensures that any risks, either to the young person or to others, are identified and avoided. Judgement grade

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Good

The registered manager and two senior staff provide a clear and consistent level of leadership to the staff team. They work alongside staff in supporting young people, and so are able to lead by example in meeting each young person‟s needs. Young people are able to appreciate the quality of the home‟s organisation, one saying, „Marie is a great manager, she looks after all of us and keeps us safe, she is a great manager.‟ Even so, staff need little motivation. They are committed to their work and are passionate about improving the lives of the young people in their care. One said, „As a key-worker, I discuss the young person‟s milestones with him and update them in his file. This helps me and other staff to see the progress he makes. He has done so well, I feel so proud of him.‟

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Good

Staff are creative in adding to their knowledge, for example, by researching information in relation to particular topics. One member of staff sought out research findings on childhood attachment and presented them to the team. This has enabled them to have a better understanding of why some young people behave as they do and to modify their support strategies. Another has used the internet to gain greater knowledge of nutrition, and has enrolled on more formal training in this area. As a result, they have worked with young people to help them to understand the importance of healthy eating. For example, knowing the age and weight of each young person they are able to tell them how many minutes walking it would take them to burn off the calories in a chocolate bar. This approach engages young people in the topic and gives it real meaning.

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Good

Although staff have access to a range of additional training, the majority of staff are unqualified. Four of the 11 staff who should have gained this qualification by April 2016 have not yet done so. Management oversight is generally very good. The registered manager‟s own monitoring reports make excellent use of consultation with all those who use the service. They clearly evaluate the progress that young people make. However, monitoring has failed to identify a potential hazard in the kitchen. The inspector found opened food packs in the fridge which were neither covered with cling film nor labelled with the date they were opened.

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Good

The premises are well maintained, creating a home which is attractive and welcoming. Changes to the decor are discussed with the young people. They chose the colours in the recently retiled bathroom. A young person expressed his pride and pleasure at his input saying, „The bathroom tiles are really classy.‟ The commitment of the staff and the registered provider to maintaining the environment is important in giving young people the sense that they are valued.

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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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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