Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 The company’s placement plan for the young person does not contain factually accurate information. For example, it details contact arrangements that are not correct.  The young person’s health plan is not robust because it lacks information. It does not cover his emotional health, a known allergy and self-harm.  The young person has said that he wishes to make a complaint about his local authority. The registered person has contacted an independent service to help him do this, but he has not formally recorded the action he has taken.  The young person has been registered at the company’s school. However, while waiting for the new term to start he refuses to engage in education within the home. The home does not have an alternative educational timetable for him. Further to this, the home has the young person’s previous educational report and they have not carried over the information about his academic level into

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

the home’s education plan.  The home has a system for staff to sign any information that is updated. Not all staff sign these documents.  The home has a location risk assessment in place. The police have supplied statistical information around criminal, cultural, and geographical aspects of the area but these have not been evaluated by the registered manager.  The quality of care report has not identified the shortfalls raised within this report. Further to this, the registered manager has not taken quick action to address shortfalls raised by the independent person.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 A good impact risk assessment shows that consideration was given as to whether the home could meet the young person’s individual needs.  Prior to coming to this home, the young person had been out of education for a significant period of time. The home has been proactive in identifying a school for him, he has been to visit and has a starting date for the new term. They also have a contingency plan in place if this should fail.  The home has ensured that good contact arrangements are in place. As a result of this, the young person has significantly reduced his episodes of being reported missing and his behaviour has vastly improved. In addition to this, the home is excellent at helping young people repair relationships with people who are important to them.  Professionals say that this home is very good at keeping young people safe and reporting and communicating with them when concerns arise.  The manager successfully challenges other professionals when services are not

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The children’s home’s strengths

in place or when young people require more support.  Young people have left this home in a planned manner and because they have made good progress they have been able to return back to their own community near their family.

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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 complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— (a) the quality of care provided for children; (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45(2)(a)(c)) 31/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 31/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person must ensure that 10 (1) (a) ensure that the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to their emotional health and support required 31/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person must ensure that

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Requirement Due date

10 (1) (a) ensure that the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to including all known information 31/08/2016 within their health plan.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure that children14 (1) (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to having a factually accurate placement plan in place. 31/08/ 2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must

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Requirement Due date

8 (2) (ii) support each child’s learning and development.

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to having an education timetable in place for young people who are refusing to engage in education. 31/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that records are kept up to date. This is specifically in relation to staff signing the necessary documents identified by the registered person. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 62, paragraph 14.3)  Ensure that the home is in an area that supports children’s safety, well-being and personal development. This is specifically in relation to evaluating the information and statistics provided within the home’s location risk assessment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.23)  Ensure that staff have the knowledge to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.11)

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home can accommodate one young person with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

16/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The young person has recently been placed at this home. A good impact risk assessment was completed before accepting his referral to the home. This ensured that an informed decision was made on whether the home could safely care for him or meet his needs. As part of this process, the manager can demonstrate when unsuitable referrals have been rejected. The young person said, ‘I did not want to come here, but staff have been very good at sorting things out for me, so I am quite happy to stay.’ This means that young people are suitably placed and are settling in well.

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Requires improvement

The home did not have an updated care plan or placement plan from the local authority in place. Therefore, some information in the home’s placement plan was incorrect, such as the young person’s contact arrangements to his family. Further to this, some information from these documents has not been carried over to the home’s placement plan or relevant supporting documents. For example, the care plan says that the young person is receiving weekly therapy and this was confirmed by the registered manager but is not within his plans. This does not ensure that staff have the most up-to-date information available to them to care for the young person. However, the registered manager can evidence that he has challenged the local authority on several occasions to produce the updated documents. They were received on the day of inspection.

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Requires improvement

The young person is in good health. At his last placement he refused to attend all routine health checks. However, he is slowly engaging in this placement and has recently attended the opticians and received glasses for reading. But, the home’s health plan is not robust because they have not identified known aspects of his health. For example, the young person is allergic to bee stings and this is only briefly mentioned, but with no action for staff to take. Also, there was a serious attempt of self-harm at the previous placement and he has weekly therapy with a counsellor. The outcome, progress or agreed action and strategies are not discussed within his health plan. Therefore there is no information on his emotional health and this means that staff do not have the most up-to-date information to be able to support or take clear action if an incident were to occur.

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Requires improvement

Prior to coming here, the young person had been out of education for a significant period of time. The home has been proactive and enrolled him at the company’s school. He has been for a visit and will start at the beginning of the new term in September 2016. However, the young person has already stated that he will not go. Therefore the manager has put a contingency plan in place for him to visit a college, and an educational meeting has been scheduled to discuss different options. In the interim, the home has received some work from his prior educational placement to complete at the home. Good incentive and reward schemes have been put in place to encourage him to engage in this education, but he has refused to do this. However, the home cannot demonstrate what alternative educational opportunities are being offered because there is no plan or timetable in place. This does not ensure that the young person has routine and structure to his

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Requires improvement

day. Further to this, the home has his previous educational plan that lists his academic level and areas for improvement. These facts have not been taken into his educational plan within the home. Therefore, when the inspector discussed his educational needs with members of staff they were unsure of what level he functions at and whether they were suitably qualified to support him in this area. In contrast to this, a family member said, ‘Our main concern is his education. He is an extremely bright lad and was identified to sit his exams early when he was 12. It is really positive that this home is focusing on his education.’

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Requires improvement

The young person said that he was fully confident in being able to raise a concern or complaint but had none with regard to the home. However, he was extremely unhappy with the local authority. He said, ‘I do not know why I do not see some of my family, they do not return my phone calls and they do not explain things.’ He continued to say, ‘I wanted someone independent to help me and the home have contacted an independent company for me.’ However, the manager has not formally recorded the complaint. Therefore he cannot demonstrate what action he has taken to support the young person.

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Requires improvement

The young person said that contact was important for him. He said, ‘I am happy to stay here because staff have listened to me and made things happen. I am now seeing some of my family and friends regularly and this means I do not have to go missing or kick off about it.’ A family member said, ‘Although it is early days, it appears that the home is working well with him. We get to see him regularly and he appears to appreciate what they are doing for him.’ The home has a good track record of increasing, supporting and repairing relationships between young people and others who are important to them. This has enabled young people to have closer relationships and return home or to be placed back in their local community.

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Requires improvement

The young person said he is fit and well. He said, ‘I eat lots of fruit and vegetables and I enjoy trying new food. I also go to the gym and I have started boxing classes.’ He enjoys spending time with his friends in his local community or going out with staff. This means he is engaging in the local community and experiencing new leisure activities.

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Requires improvement

Young people have moved from this home in a planned manner. Good transitions plans prepare young people for their move. This involves visiting, staying for tea and in some cases staying overnight before moving in. Staff have fully supported these moves by staying in hotels overnight to ensure that things go well or to support if necessary. When the last young person moved, her transition plan was effective because there was a good contingency plan in place. After starting to work towards semi-independence, she felt that this was too much. The manager had already pre-empted this and had identified another placement nearer home. This meant that there was not a significant delay in her moving forward and she is continuing to make progress.

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Requires improvement

The young person takes pride in his bedroom and keeps it clean and tidy. He said that now he feels more settled he is going to decorate and personalise his bedroom. Other areas of the home are well maintained, nicely decorated and furnished. This gives a welcoming feeling.

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Good

The young person described staff as ‘fun’ and ‘approachable’. He said that the best thing was that they listened and tried their best. A member of staff said, ‘It is early days, but our approach is to be honest, listen and to treat young people with respect. This often works and he is seeing the benefits of this.’

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Good

The young person said he felt safe at this home. He also talked about how staff have started to discuss with him the concerns that adults have for him when he is reported missing or not behaving well. He said that his behaviour had improved because staff had sorted out his contact and that there was good incentive and rewards schemes in place. This means that sanctions are minimal but fair and he has spent more time with his friends as a reward. Young people have not been held for their own or others’ safety. Staff receive regular restraint training to ensure that if an incident occurred, they could do this safely.

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Good

Professionals say that members of staff and the manager are good at discussing potential concerns, safeguarding issues or updating them on the progress of an issue. Therefore they were confident that the home follows all procedures and protocols in reporting and sharing information. Staff are fully able to support young people in areas around safeguarding, child sexual exploitation and online protection because they have ongoing training that is refreshed frequently. This means staff are aware of any changes to approaches or legislation.

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Good

Good risk assessments identify the vulnerabilities of the young person. They include the history, triggers, strategies or actions for staff to take if an incident were to occur. This ensures that consistent responses or agreed strategies or action are taken to safeguard young people.

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Good

At the young person’s previous placement, he was frequently reported to the police as being missing from care and he was allegedly involved in criminal activity in the local area. Since being placed here, he has been reported missing on three occasions. However, this was early within his placement. He said, ‘I do not need to go missing now as the home have sorted out my contact and I am being good because I know if I am not my free time will be stopped.’ To ensure that the young person is using his free time responsibly, the manager liaises with the local police to ensure that he has not come to their attention. The current missing from home coordinator from the police is very new to her post but had no concerns to report from the home. The previous coordinator spoke highly of the home regarding keeping her informed, being proactive, following protocols and keeping young people safe. The manager ensures that the placing authority completes a missing

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Good

from home return interview when necessary. This is completed by an independent service and ensures that young people have the opportunity to discuss their reasons for why they went missing.

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Good

Effective and meaningful partnerships between the home, police and other safeguarding professionals promote young people’s safety and welfare. Staff spoken with during the inspection fully discussed their roles and responsibilities in ensuring that young people were safe as well as the procedures to follow. All professionals spoken with said that the home was excellent in sharing information, keeping them up to date and having the safety of young people at the heart of their practice.

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Good

A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose a risk to young people and staff. They take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to evacuate the building safely in the case of an emergency. These measures help to ensure that young people continue to live in a safe environment.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post since September 2015 . He was registered with Ofsted in January 2016. He is currently completing his level 5 diploma in leadership and management. He has worked in social care settings for over 10 years and has progressed through the company from a care worker to a team leader until securing his management role. He is also the registered manager for two other single placement homes. He recognises the challenges of managing three homes and he has put strategies in place to help him to effectively divide his time between each home. This is now supporting him to remain in day-to-day charge of them all. Experienced managers within the company are supporting him and this is enhancing his leadership skills and management style. In addition to this, he has also sought feedback from staff. For example, he has implemented anonymous staff consultation forms to see how he can improve as a manager. This

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Requires improvement

means he is a reflective practitioner and has a clear understanding of his strengths and areas for development. The statement of purpose has recently been updated to include information in relation to recent changes. For example, the company no longer has clinicians based in the children’s homes, but a referral process is in place should young people require extra support. The referral process for this is clear within the statement of purpose. As a result, stakeholders including social workers and commissioners are fully aware of the aims and objectives of the service and how support will be provided. The home has a locality risk assessment in place, but it does not clearly identify all risks within the local area and how these will be managed. For example, the home is within close proximity of local transport links and consideration has not been given to how this could have an impact on young people who go missing from

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Requires improvement

home. Further to this, the police have supplied statistical information on the criminal, geographical and cultural aspects of the area and the manager has not evaluated what these mean, as regards being able to meet young people’s needs or to keep them safe. Most of the staff team have a suitable professional qualification and one staff member is undertaking a recognised child care qualification. All staff members have experience of working with young people and they receive mandatory training as part of their induction. These are refreshed regularly and within timescales. They have further opportunities to attend additional training to enhance their knowledge and skills. Several staff members said they were supported by their manager and work together as a team. A staff member said, ‘This house is brilliant and the staff are really supportive, it’s a really strong team. The manager listens to us and responds to any issues we have.’

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Requires improvement

Staff handovers are thorough and well recorded, which ensures a good transition from one staff team to another and provides young people with consistency in working practices. Supervision is regular and staff are able to reflect on their practice and consider how it can be improved. Team meetings are well attended and promote staff development through reflection on practice and discussion of the quality standards and other guidance that will have a positive outcome for young people. In a recent team meeting, the statutory guidance on ‘children who run away or go missing from home or care’ was discussed as this is a particular issue for a young person recently moving into the home. A copy of the guidance was also placed on file in the office for all staff to read. As a result, staff’s knowledge is kept up to date with changes in new guidance, legislation and law. The manager has introduced new practices to ensure that young people’s progress

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Requires improvement

is measured and continually monitored. In addition to the risk assessment, a risk summary is completed each month which measures the risk levels from month to month for each young person. He has plans to strengthen this further by introducing a care-planning summary to be completed each month for every young person. This will enhance how the home monitors and improves young people’s progress and outcomes. The home is good at working in partnership with a range of professionals, parents, placing authorities and other agencies. This ensures that the appropriate support is in place to meet the young person’s identified needs. A family member said, ‘They let me know what is going on all the time. Communication is great.’ A professional said, ‘I have no concerns about this home. They ring and discuss concerns appropriately.’ The manager has successfully challenged several professionals in the past, to ensure that young people get the services they require. He has

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Requires improvement

recently challenged the placing authority because the young person’s legal documents required updating. He received these on the day of inspection. Internal quality assurance does take place regularly, but the manager has not made a thorough audit of the home’s records. This has resulted in documents having inaccurate information or known relevant information which has not been included in the young person’s plans. For example, some of the young people’s documents and plans have not been signed by him and all staff members and there is some conflicting information in relation to contact and health. The manager acknowledged that the internal monitoring report lacks detail and evaluation. Therefore he was able to reflect that he has missed opportunities to identify shortfalls and take effective action to ensure that the needs of young people are consistently met. Further to this, the independent visitor has repeated

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Requires improvement

the same actions to be completed on several occasions. However, the manager said that these were not a true account of the home’s practice. For example, the visitor said that supervisions were out of date and evidence shows that they are not, but the manager has not formally challenged the visitor. This does not support an effective quality assurance of the service. The manager has addressed and made progress in meeting the requirements and most of the recommendations from the interim inspection in March 2016. For example, significant progress was made in relation to the shortfalls identified in meeting the education standard for a young person, which resulted in her being enrolled in education provision and progressing to examination level.

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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 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

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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 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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