Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

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 excel in their education. Staff support young people to complete studies and to sit their exams successfully.  Overall, young people‟s risk-taking behaviours reduce, and their safety increases.  Young people experience positive transitions home. Transition planning is a strength of the home.  Young people experience positive relationships with one another. The home is settled and staff promote a relaxed environment for young people.  Independence work with young people is successful. They develop their independence skills. Staff focus on compromise and mediation with young people. They support young people to get part-time jobs.  Staff provide personalised care to young people. Staff regularly review young people‟s risk management plans. Young people are involved in creating their own risk management plans, supported by staff.  There is a new manager in post who is child focused and advocates strongly

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The children’s home provision is good because:

on behalf of the young people in her care.  Staff say that the manager strongly supports them and supports them to learn new ways of working with young people.  The manager appropriately challenges placing authorities and escalates her concerns where necessary, in order to ensure that young people receive the services they need.  The manager works in partnership with other professionals. She accesses support services for young people in order to meet their needs, such as addressing substance misuse.  The manager has met the requirements from the last inspection. Two requirements have been raised in this inspection regarding staff members‟ assessment of risk, based on young people‟s risk management plans, and ensuring that staff receive the training and input they need to meet young people‟s needs.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered provider must ensure: (a)(i) that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 1 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must: (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 1 August 2016

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children‟s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people. It specialises in providing a 12-month therapeutic service for young people at risk of child sexual exploitation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21 January 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

9 September 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

24 February 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

Young people receive individualised care. They engage in good quality, key work sessions around issues such as child sexual exploitation, safe relationships and substance misuse. Some key working sessions have focused on young people‟s past experiences, enabling young people to start to look at linking their experiences with their behaviours. Staff tackle such subjects sensitively and young people feel able to share this with staff. This is testament to the relationships they have with some staff members. Young people are involved with developing their own behaviour management plans. They talk with staff about what they need from them in order to feel safe and to make changes to the way they manage situations. Staff encourage young people to view the placement as their home: „We call it our house and our home and use wording that makes them feel like this is my house too. I am proud of this house and I want to be here.‟

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Good

On the whole, young people make progress. Young people have excellent attendance at school. Staff have worked in partnership with the young people‟s teacher to put together revision plans to help young people with their forthcoming exams. They provided young people with „revision packs‟ consisting of pens, paper and sweets. All the young people have sat their exams and are predicted good grades. Young people have plans to move on to further education and staff have supported them to attend college open days. One young person is enrolled on the national citizenship programme. Young people have aspirations. Independence work with young people is good. Independence packs are bespoke to the individual needs of the young people. Young people develop independence skills ready for when they leave the 12-month placement. They focus on supporting young people to look at where they see themselves in 10 years‟ time

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Good

and how they will reach their goal, as well as equipping young people with practical life skills. Young people enjoy positive relationships with their peers. The manager is focused on enabling young people to learn to resolve any difficulties in a positive way and without conflict. Staff listen to young people. When young people raise complaints, the manager responds swiftly and with an outcome. Some staff are tenacious at following up on young people‟s wishes and feelings with placing authorities. Young people say that they enjoy good relationships with some staff members. Young people‟s transitions from the home are excellent. The plans are sensitive to the young people‟s needs, to ensure that young people do not feel overwhelmed. The manager and staff work collaboratively with parents, family members and placing authorities to support young people returning to their families‟ care. They discuss difficult subjects openly and honestly, to ensure that they understand risk

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Good

management and to safeguard young people. A social worker said: „The staff have played a very positive role with reunification, in contributing to it and also enabling the young person to clarify their thoughts and inform the assessment. I am particularly impressed by the manager. She has a particular way of putting everyone at ease. That is a useful approach and characteristic to have. She has a “can do” mentality and is unflappable.‟ Staff support young people to have safe and positive contact with their families where appropriate. For those young people who live far away from home, staff support them practically and emotionally to maintain family relationships. Staff manage any risks positively and the manager ensures that distance is not a barrier to young people seeing their families.

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Requires improvement

Some staff do not always identify the risks that are associated with young people‟s behaviours, such as substance misuse, missing incidents and child sexual exploitation. This has led to some staff not adhering to young people‟s risk management plans, resulting in an incident of a young person going missing from the home overnight. However, missing incidents are rare. When young people do go missing, staff follow them and take robust action to find them. Staff are tenacious at ensuring that young people receive return interviews and that they gain feedback from them in order to learn from the incident. Young people‟s risk-taking behaviours reduce and young people say that they feel safe. Staff work with other agencies, such as the police and substance misuse professionals, to take effective action to minimise young people‟s risks. Young people engage with the clinical team to ensure that young people receive

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Requires improvement

purposeful input, aimed at addressing young people‟s risks. A professional said: „In terms of progress, my young person came from secure and she had never looked safe before, and she does now. She looks calmer than I have ever seen her. She is not dissociated from the world and she has emotional energy.‟ Overall, boundaries are consistent. Staff work with young people around risk management. For example, young people have put together their own risk management plans around free time and mobile phones. Staff balance enabling young people to develop independence skills while also managing risk.

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Good

There is a new manager in post. The manager was previously the deputy manager and commenced in post as manager in May 2016. She is qualified to national vocational qualification level 4 in leadership and management. Seven of the 11 staff members are qualified up to national vocational qualification level 3. All 11 staff members have their first aid certificates. The manager knows the young people and has established good relationships with them. She knows the progress they have made and she wants them to reach their full potential. Young people feel able to talk to her and feel supported by her. She is aware of the strengths and areas for development within the home. For example, she has focused on the development of the independence work with young people, which both staff and young people have embraced. A staff member said: „Young people are now coming in, stabilising, we are moving them through therapy and independence and they are then going home and this is a nice feeling.

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Good

We are keeping them safe.‟ Despite there having been a change in the management of the home, the young people have continued to make progress. The manager is aware of how to support each young person so that they achieve their full potential. A staff member said: „There is a good feeling in the house and this has improved. You can tell the manager‟s background is care. Her attitude and the decisions she makes are more forgiving. The manager now has been important in developing the independence work with the young people and this has had an impact on their confidence and behaviour.‟ Managerial oversight is robust. The manager is quick to take action to rectify any practice issues that occur within the home. She prioritises risk management while also offering young people a therapeutic approach. She has established good working relationships with professionals to address risk-taking behaviours. For example, the fire service has visited the home due to fire-setting behaviours. She

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Good

regularly links in with the clinical team to support the therapeutic aspect of the placement. As such, the home is delivering its statement of purpose. Positive relationships with placing authorities mean that the manager is able to ensure that young people receive outcomes to any issues they raise. The manager escalates any concerns appropriately and is a strong advocate for the young people in her care. Changes in staffing have meant that there has been some inconsistency within the home. However, the manager has maintained stability within the home through supporting staff to provide consistent boundaries. Staff receive regular supervision. However, staff do not always receive the in-depth training that they need in areas such as autism, substance misuse and safeguarding. A staff member said: „I will put myself out to come to work and to support the place, the manager and the staff team. If I wasn‟t happy, I wouldn‟t do that‟.

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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 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

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

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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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