Children's Home run by 4d Care Ltd in Cambridgeshire

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff work hard and use every opportunity to engage with the children and to build positive relationships.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Children arrive at this home having experienced early trauma. Staff understand the children’s presenting behaviours and work proactively to help the children to learn to manage their emotions.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Children receive carefully planned and highly individual education plans. As a result, children have made progress in their educational achievements.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff use creative ways to help the children to talk and understand the issues in their lives, through direct work and other activities.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Staff are alert to any negative behaviour in the home. They take prompt action to ensure that relationships remain good.  The manager skilfully motivates the team to provide a good standard of care.  Supervision is reflective, and working in partnership with a child psychologist develops the staff’s understanding of the needs of each child.  The home uses specific tools to collate information and to identify the progress that children have made.

p.3

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to look after a maximum of six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Education facilities are provided on-site by the organisation for some young people .

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.4

Recent inspection history

23 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.4

Recent inspection history

26 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.4

Good

Children are making good progress because they live in this home. Staff are working hard to build relationships and use every opportunity to engage with the children. Observations of staff interacting with the children revealed a calm and caring response to meeting their needs. Staff nurture and support the children and this helps them to feel secure in this home. A placing social worker commented: ‘Staff understand his life-story. This has been a stable placement for him.’ Discussions with staff members clearly demonstrate their understanding of the children’s needs. They are aware of the impact of the early life trauma that most of the children have experienced prior to coming to this home. This helps them to understand the presenting behaviours and to work proactively, as a team, to help the children to learn to manage their emotions.

p.5

Good

Children are making good progress towards their educational targets. For some, this can start with practical work in the school’s workshop before moving on to academic work. Each child receives a bespoke education plan. A social worker commented: ‘The staff support this child to remain in class. This has been positive as he had missed a great deal of his early education but he has made some good progress. The school staff develop very creative ways to encourage his learning.’ As a result, children are improving their reading and arithmetic work. This is helping to prepare for further education and training. Plans for independence are well managed and there is effective, joined-up work with the local authorities. This ensures that plans and assessments are complete ahead of any move towards independent living arrangements. This gives older children the chance to practise important skills and to gain confidence with the support around them.

p.5

Good

Children meet with the staff weekly, as a group, to discuss issues in the home and to plan for activities. This gives them the chance to hear about any changes and to have their views heard. Recently the children excitedly heard about plans for a trip to France. They were able to look at the plans and the arrangements and to give their views. Direct work takes place regularly and staff are creative, and determined, in finding ways to help the children to talk about and to understand the issues in their lives. Through this direct work, the children can make changes to their care plans. This also helps them to understand what staff are looking to achieve in their work with them. Consequently, the staff are listening to the wishes and views of children.

p.5

Good

Staff support the children to make and keep appointments with doctors, dentists and opticians. Recently one child has been able to reduce his medication with support from the community mental health team. As a result, he is now able to manage his emotions without the need for treatment. Healthy activities and diets are also encouraged. Outdoor pursuits, such as camping, hiking and cycling, take place regularly. Children support local and charity events by taking part in sponsored walks. Staff support children’s interests in the cinema, computer games and watching television. These provide children with the opportunity to relax and have fun.

p.5

Good

Staff help children to manage their relationships with each other. They carefully monitor the interaction to ensure that it does not lead to negative behaviour. Staff are alert to this and take prompt action to ensure that relationships remain good. A social worker commented: ‘The child I have placed has made significant progress at this home. He is now better able to manage his relationships with other children in the home.’

p.6

Good

Staff proactively support contact. A social worker commented: ‘Staff have gone above and beyond what is expected to support contact. This ensures that the contact sessions are positive and this has enabled him to make better relationships with the extended family.’ Families have visited this home and children have enjoyed having contact with siblings. This helps children to maintain important family bonds and reinforces their understanding of their background.

p.6

Good

Children say that they are happy in this home. One commented the he was, ‘happy here’ and that the staff, ‘are good and help me’. Placing social workers have no concerns about the safeguarding practice in the home. There has been one notifiable incident when the manager raised concerns about the conduct of a staff member. The manager discussed this with the designated officer for safeguarding in the local area, who felt that the home had managed the situation suitably. The manager updated risk assessments following this incident and he briefed staff about managing future activity.

p.6

Good

Children do not go missing from this home. The staff have positive nurturing relationships, which they use with the children to build on their stability in the home. There is a robust missing from care process. Staff identified the steps that they need to take should a child go missing. They are aware of the risks in the community in relation to exploitation. In particular, they are alert to potential risks if children were to leave the home without the support or knowledge of the staff.

p.6

Good

Children in this home have experienced trauma and abuse in their early lives. These children can often display behaviours towards themselves or others which are aggressive and/or in some cases can be violent. Staff trained in de-escalating these situations try to prevent children from harming themselves or others. Restraint is used. The manager reflects on the incidents when staff have had to intervene to ensure that the action was necessary. The staff record these incidents very well and these notes help the group to review the event and to look at learning points. The provider has taken advice from a psychologist to help them to understand the behaviours and to look at how the staff can develop their practice to help the children to gain a better understanding of their behaviours.

p.6

Good

Staff use the positive relationships and incentives to encourage good behaviour. Children can increase activities and rewards when they are behaving well. Restorative sanctions, for example if a child breaks something, mean that a child will contribute to a replacement or work to repair items. Recently, children have received fewer sanctions as behaviour has been more positive.

p.7

Good

The manager has level 4 national vocational qualifications in leadership and management and in health and social care. He has been in post since 2007 and has relevant experience and skills. He skilfully encourages and motivates the team to provide a good standard of care. The staff are suitably experienced and all ‘relevant’ staff have the level 3 national vocational qualification. Supervision is reflective, and, alongside the psychologist, the manager is developing the staff’s understanding of the needs of each child. This has helped staff to look at how they can best meet the children’s needs. The training pathway is suitable and the induction package helps to prepare new staff to have the skills to meet the needs of these children.

p.7

Good

The manager monitors and reviews the care plans to ensure that children are making improvements. The home has specific tools to collate information and identifies the progress that children have made. Discussions between the staff group and with a child psychologist assist in refocusing the work and setting further targets. As a result, children have made good progress. A social worker commented: ‘This child has made considerable progress in this placement given the instability that he had prior to coming to this home.’ The manager’s application and commitment to reviewing the care that the children need means that the provider has addressed the regulatory requirements set at the previous inspection. There are no requirements set at this inspection. The senior managers and the independent visitor are working well together to ensure that the services provided are in line with the statement of purpose. There

p.7

Good

is a strong and positive relationship between the managers and staff and the local authority. The manager has challenged local authorities to ensure that education plans are up to date. As a result, children are receiving the level of support that helps them to progress.

p.8

Good

The provider is aware that the skill and resilience of the staff and their ability to nurture the children helps them to make and build better relationships, this raises the children’s self-esteem. Although the team works closely and consistently together, developing a team ethic is an area that the manager is looking to improve. Plans to enlarge the school and build an all-weather playing surface, along with the continued maintenance to the building, are positive steps by the provider to improve the service.

p.8

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’.

p.9

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

p.9

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.9

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

p.10

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 .

p.10

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,

p.11

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

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

p.11