Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Herefordshire

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 spend time with young people and form good relationships with them.  Staff support young people well to enable them to progress in their education.  Young people are having positive experiences and engaging in various activities in the local community.  The home environment is warm and homely.  Managers and staff work well in partnership with placing social workers and other professionals.  The home supports continuity and consistency of care for young people.  Staff are supported to meet the needs of the young people they care for. They continually update their learning and knowledge to improve their practice.  Monitoring systems are strong. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.  There are some shortfalls regarding staff qualifications and assessments. These do not have a direct impact on young people’s safety.

p.3

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification [so that] by the relevant date, the individual has attained the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (Regulation 32(4) and (5)) 31/08/2017

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that placements for children are only accepted where they can be satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

p.4

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately operated children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties up to the age of 18.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

11/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

Young people receive high-quality individualised care from the manager and staff in the home. They form strong relationships with staff because staff spend time with them developing their trust. As a consequence, young people are able to develop and grow in confidence. One young person said, ‘staff are really nice’. Young people have positive experiences and enjoy many activities in the local community, such as swimming, going to the cinema, walking on the hills and engaging in music therapy. One professional commented that ‘staff are proactive in supporting young people to access various activities’. At the time of this inspection two young people were on holiday with staff at the seaside. Young people are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. Staff support them to take responsibility for their own health needs and help them to attend regular and specialist health appointments. Staff work closely with other health professionals

p.6

Good

and challenge when needed to ensure young people receive the healthcare they require. Young people are making really good progress in their education. They attend and engage well in school. One young person is a school councillor and mentor for her peers. Another young person asked to do an additional GCSE and is being supported by staff to do an online course in psychology at home. Young people are able to attend a school run by the organisation. There is excellent communication between the home and school staff. Staff discuss young people’s progress and behaviour with teachers every morning and evening to aid consistency. The manager regularly spends time helping in the school. This gives her a good insight into how the school operates for young people who attend from the home. Staff listen to young people. They speak with them on an individual basis to help them share their views and express their feelings. Young people also participate

p.6

Good

fully in regular residents’ meetings where they can plan activities and influence the running of the home. Residents’ meetings are also used to develop young people’s knowledge of issues such as fire awareness and keeping safe. Young people know how to complain and are confident that any issue raised is addressed promptly. There has been one complaint made by a young person since the last inspection which was swiftly responded to by the registered manager. Staff promote positive family relationships. They support young people to have contact with their family and friends by encouraging regular telephone calls and visits from family members. Young people are helped to develop age-appropriate independence skills and complete tasks such as baking, cleaning their room and doing the laundry in readiness for adult life. The home environment continues to be warm and homely. Pictures and photographs of young people and staff hang throughout communal areas. Young

p.6

Good

people’s bedrooms are comfortable. They are able to hang posters on walls and choose furnishings in their bedrooms to reflect their personalities.

p.7

Good

Young people say they feel safe in the home. The manager and staff work well with them and provide consistent boundaries, which helps them feel safe and secure. The manager and staff are knowledgeable and receive regular training in safeguarding, including child sexual exploitation, to help them keep up to date with current issues and concerns. This is supported by the designated officer, who commented that ‘referrals made are all dealt with appropriately’. Placement plans and individual risk assessments are completed and understood by staff. The home’s location risk assessment covers all areas of concern in the locality. Impact risk assessments are thorough and completed prior to all planned admissions. However, these assessments are not always completed prior to emergency admissions into the home. As a result, staff do not always have enough information to be fully aware of young people’s behaviours to ensure they can

p.7

Good

meet young people’s needs. Young people do on occasions run away and display risky behaviours, such as self- harming and violence. When this happens staff respond appropriately. They manage young people’s behaviour well and are quick to recognise when it cannot be managed safely. There have been occasional incidents when staff have needed to call police to the home, but this is rare. One police officer commented that the home is ‘top of my list for the way they deal with issues in-house ’ . Managers and staff escalate concerns appropriately and engage with police and placing social workers to try to reduce the level of risk. There is low use of physical intervention within the home and when used it is usually of a short duration. On one occasion where a young person was held for a prolonged period, the manager ensured this was carefully scrutinised by an independent person to determine its appropriateness. Further training and support was given to staff which was specific

p.7

Good

to the home environment. One placing social worker commented, ‘I have seen the home and staff go above and beyond … systems that you have put in place have been by far the best from a placement I have experienced in five years.’ The physical environment of the house is safe and secure. Fire evacuations take place on a regular basis and whenever a new young person is admitted into the home. This ensures that they all know how to keep themselves safe if there were to be a fire. There is a robust recruitment process for all new staff working in the home to ensure they are suitable to work with young people. Visitors are supervised and monitored appropriately to ensure that young people are safeguarded.

p.7

Good

The home is well led by an experienced registered manager who has been managing the home for several years. She is fully qualified and has obtained a level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The home is well resourced and staffed. Since the last inspection there have been several changes in the staff team, which has meant there are fewer staff qualified to the required level. Despite this, the manager has always ensured that there have been enough qualified staff on duty to ensure that young people receive a high quality of care. The vast majority of care staff have obtained, or are in the process of obtaining, the appropriate qualification to work with children and young people. This helps ensure that all those caring for young people are equipped to meet their needs. Although there is one member of staff who has not achieved the stated qualification within the required timescales, the organisation is committed to ensuring this is

p.8

Good

completed as soon as possible. Staff receive regular supervision and feel well supported to meet the needs of the young people they care for. The manager and staff continually update their learning and knowledge to improve their practice. The organisation has a good training programme for staff which combines face-to-face and online training to meet mandatory training requirements. Staff can also access training courses to further their knowledge and meet the particular needs of the young people they are caring for. The manager has recently sourced external training with health agencies and local authority safeguarding boards to further staff knowledge and awareness of young people’s sexual health and the dangers of pornography. The manager also uses team meetings and staff supervision effectively as a way to update staff knowledge and understanding of current issues. The home is achieving its aims and objectives as set out in its statement of

p.8

Good

purpose. Young people are making good progress in many areas of their development and staff are proactive in supporting young people to do well, particularly in relation to their education. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. This is because monitoring systems are strong and identify any weaknesses as they occur. Development plans demonstrate the manager’s commitment to further develop and enhance the quality of care to young people. The manager has developed strong professional relationships with placing and host authorities, police and health agencies to ensure that young people get the best support. One placing social worker stated that ‘the home’s communication is excellent … they always respond to telephone calls’. The manager is also effective in challenging other professionals when she feels this is needed to ensure that young people receive appropriate specialist care.

p.8

Good

Case records for young people are kept up to date and are of good quality. They are clear and contribute to the understanding of their lives.

p.9

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.10

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.10

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.

p.10

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.11

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.11

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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12

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.12

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.12