Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Nottingham

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 manage risk well. They utilise comprehensive risk and behaviour management plans that are subject to regular review, and keep young people as safe as possible.  Young people and staff have positive relationships. Young people are happy in the home and say that they feel safe.  The good relationships that staff have with young people assist them in recognising when young people are going through a difficult time. This can also help staff to recognise the potential triggers for self-injurious behaviour.  Young people make good progress in many aspects of their lives. Their life chances improve.  The staff team is becoming more stable. There is a strong leadership team and a clear intention to enable staff to develop their skills.  Staff work effectively in partnership with others. Staff utilise local resources well and ensure that young people have access to a range of activities, resources and services in the community.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress educationally from their starting points. They are motivated to learn, as care is given to finding the right provision. Young people are engaged in their education.  There are some shortfalls identified as a result of this inspection. These relate to a fire door being propped open, ensuring that maintenance issues are addressed promptly, managing behaviour between young people, and ensuring that all young people move on positively from the home. These issues do not have a significant impact on the safety and welfare of children and young people and do not detract from the high-quality care provided.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) and any regulations made under it, are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) 29/08/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person is required to: 2(c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— (i) meet the needs of each child; and (ii) enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 29/08/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person is required to: (2)(a)(iv) ensure that staff manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. 29/08/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person is required to: (1)(b) ensure that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 29/08/2016

p.4

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people, one of whom may be accommodated in the semi-independence provision. This home is owned and run by a large private organisation. It provides care for young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

27/10/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

30/12/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

Young people are happy in the home and say that they feel safe. The home has seen a number of staff changes since the last inspection but this has not had a negative impact on the young people in the home. Warm relationships are evident between the young people and staff, with young people feeling understood by their carers and valued. Trusting relationships are providing a firm basis for good key work sessions and supporting the emotional development and resilience of young people. Young people are making positive progress in many aspects of their lives. All the young people are engaged in education that is tailored to meet their individual needs. For some young people, educational provision is part time. The majority of young people in the home are over 16 years old. One young person hopes to go to university this year. Staff have advocated well for young people to ensure that their engagement in education is priority for all who work with them. Staff also

p.6

Good

recognise the benefits of routine and predictability for young people and have clear expectations around young people being in education. Previously, other young people in the home have struggled to engage positively in education, so this is a positive development. Young people’s health needs are met effectively. Young people are encouraged to take part in all routine health checks, and health assessments. Staff access clinical support to assist them in meeting each young person’s emotional health and well- being needs. Young people are routinely asked to comment on aspects of their care. They are encouraged to learn more about participation and advocacy. Peers from another home came to speak to the young people about the need to participate in their own plans, and to be aware of children’s rights and the role of independent advocacy. A range of activities are available to young people, for example one young person

p.6

Good

attends a local horse-riding stables. Young people have pets and, through this, develop nurturing skills and learn about responsible pet ownership. The home is being redecorated and work is being done downstairs to make it feel more homely. Young people’s bedrooms are nicely decorated and personalised, but, overall, upstairs is in need of decoration and two bedrooms are awaiting significant improvement to make them appropriate for use. During the inspection, a fire door had been propped open on the landing. Staff explained that this improved supervision of the young people. Clarification is needed from the fire service about this practice and the use of the door, to ensure the safety of young people and staff.

p.6

Good

Young people have comprehensive risk and behaviour management plans that are subject to regular review, and through their effective implementation keep young people as safe as possible. Staff use a multi-agency approach to managing risk, and invite professionals and the young people themselves to take part in devising plans to promote their safety. Responses to safeguarding concerns are appropriate and well documented. When young people have gone missing from the home, staff have acted in line with local missing from care protocols, responding swiftly to the situation to bring about a positive outcome. Staff have devised a comprehensive location risk assessment which includes contributions from young people living in the home and from other agencies. Staff work closely with placing authorities, education professionals and the police to ensure that there is effective information sharing. This is evident in relation to the

p.7

Good

diligence shown by staff in informing the police of all new admissions to the home, and in promoting a close working relationship between staff, the young people and the local police community support officers. Young people are happy in the home and say that they feel safe. The good relationships staff have with young people assist staff in recognising when young people are going through a difficult time. This can help staff to recognise the potential triggers for a young person going missing. It can also help staff to recognise signs of bullying, or triggers for self-injurious behaviour. Staff have recently managed a high level of incidents in the home, including incidents of bullying. The combination of a more stable staff team, staff training and better matching of young people has been instrumental in reducing this type of behaviour. The management team acknowledges that this is an area for further

p.7

Good

development. Problems arising from aggressive behaviour have led to some young people experiencing an abrupt ending to their placement in the past. This is something that the staff need to address through improving how they manage challenging behaviour and careful placement matching going forward. Physical intervention is sometimes used to manage behaviour, but is seen as a last resort to ensure the safety of the young person and staff. Where physical intervention has been used, debriefs are well documented to enable the staff involved in the restraint, and the young person, to reflect on the incident and move on positively. The recruitment of staff is robust and prevents unsuitable adults from being able to work with vulnerable young people. Where concerns about staff have been raised, the managers have taken appropriate action to safeguard young people.

p.7

Good

The home is managed by an experienced manager who is suitably qualified. A newly appointed deputy manager, who is also experienced and appropriately qualified, supports her well. They provide strong, clear management support to the staff. The appointment of a deputy manager has also increased the capacity for good management oversight and further development of the staff team. Since the last inspection, the staff team has undergone considerable change, but this has not impacted negatively on the young people. The registered manager and deputy manager have clear plans in place for the development of services within the home. There is a clear sense of what is working well, and of areas for development. Training for staff equips them well for their work, and the management team recognises the need for senior staff to model good practice in order to share their experience and skills. They place great value on consultation with young people

p.8

Good

and endeavour to engage them in all aspects of how the home is run. Young people feel able to express their opinions, wishes and feelings, and feel valued. Consultation with professionals, including placing authorities, education professionals and the police, is constructive and promotes improved outcomes for young people. This is evidenced through good multi-agency working to manage risk, as well as challenging professionals when necessary and advocating on behalf of young people. Staff maintain records efficiently, and records include management oversight and young people’s contributions where appropriate. There are systems in place to track the progress of young people. This provides good oversight for managers and is accessible and helpful data to include in reports. There are also very clear summaries which provide more detail about young people’s progress.

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 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 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, 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,

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