Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

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 are making good progress in all areas of their lives. They have begun to form strong attachments with staff. This increases their sense of trust, contributing towards them feeling safe and valued.  Staff have a good understanding of how to keep young people safe, and there are clear strategies in place to minimise risk-taking behaviours, including going missing from home. As a result, there has been a decrease in the number of occasions when this has happened.  Staff have high aspirations for the young people, encouraging them to attend education and access a range of leisure and social activities to enhance their learning and life skills in preparation for adulthood.  An established staff team benefits from receiving regular support, supervision and training. Where additional staffing is required, bank staff, who the young people know, fulfil this role, thereby minimising disruption and promoting

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The children's home provision is good because:

consistency in care.  Working in partnership with a range of professionals is a strength of the home, ensuring that young people receive necessary support to meet their needs.  Relationships with parents and carers are good. Staff support young people with their individual contact arrangements, enabling them to spend quality time with their families to build and maintain relationships.  There are some shortfalls with regards to the timely repair and maintenance of the building. This could compromise the health and safety of young people. For example, there is loose block paving at the front of the house, and replacement of broken windows and refurbishment of damaged flooring in the kitchen is needed.

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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 ‘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

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure— (2)(d) that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health. 30/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that a notification under this regulations is in writing and states whether the child has a EHC (Education, Health and Care) plan or statement of special educational needs and, if so, details of the local authority with responsibility for the EHC plan for maintaining the statement of special educational needs. (Regulation 41(3)(e)) 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 recommendation(s):  Children should be provided with appropriate furniture, such as a lockable cabinet or drawers, to securely store personal items including personal information. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)  For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the

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Recommendations

arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and the placing authority, must include details of the steps that the home will take to manage assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home, registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Children and young people benefit from receiving care and support to enable them to make good progress during their time living at the home. They develop good relationships with staff, who provide consistent and supportive care. When young people challenge boundaries and display behaviours which can be challenging, staff provide reassurance, structure and guidance. This helps the young people to feel secure, listened to and valued. They say that the staff are fair, and explain why some things cannot happen and the reasons why. One young person said, ‘they don’t just tell you not to do something, they explain the reasons why. I know that sometimes I argue, but they do continue to explain. The rules are fair and I have settled into the home well.’

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Good

Staff have high aspirations for young people and promote their educational outcomes well. This has resulted in young people who have been out of school placements for a significant period of time commencing education and having the opportunity to gain qualifications to contribute towards their future life chances. One social worker said, ‘this young person has previously struggled with any rules or boundaries, did not attend school and displayed increasingly difficult behaviours. The staff have provided stability and encouragement to such an extent that (name) has attended school, developed some good relationships and made far better progress than was expected. This is due to the tenacity of staff. Despite some exceptionally challenging times, they have not given up.’ In the past, when young people have disengaged from education, staff have been proactive in sourcing alternative educational facilities and advocating on behalf of young people to

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Good

attend education facilities which meet their needs, including residential special school when this was in the best interests of the young person.

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Good

Young people have access to a range of activities, both within the home and the local community. This includes going to the cinema, swimming, attending local cadets and using leisure centre resources. Within the home, there are a range of books, games, a computer and a television. Games are also a useful resource for complementing education, for example young people enjoy playing Scrabble and word games.

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Good

Healthcare needs are met through access to community healthcare professionals, including doctors, dentists and opticians. Where additional resources may be needed, for example access to children and adolescent community health services, staff arrange appointments with healthcare professionals to enable referrals to be made if there is an assessed need. Further health promotion is included through the planning of menus, enabling young people to try different foods and understand about the benefits of eating a varied diet. Some young people continue to smoke. Along with clear guidance that smoking is not allowed within the home, staff provide literature and information about the negative impact that it has on health. They arrange support through smoking cessation courses and undertake individual key-work sessions to continue to educate young people further on this.

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Good

Young people are supported to maintain contact with family and friends unless there are any restrictions in place. This enables young people to have an understanding of their heritage and history, and to maintain positive links with their families.

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Good

Young people living at the home say that staff care for them and help them to stay safe. They know that they can talk with staff if they have any worries and are also aware of other sources of support, for example accessing children’s advocacy services. Previously, there have been some incidents of bullying. Staff remain vigilant to signs of this and spend time with young people discussing the issues, enabling them to have greater understanding and the opportunities to discuss any concerns that they have. This has resulted in a significant decrease in bullying behaviours, with the young people currently living at the home saying that, although they sometimes disagree with one another, disagreements are resolved quickly, resulting in them having a good relationship for the majority of the time.

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Good

The manager makes sure that consideration is given to the needs of the young person moving in and those of the young person already living there. This supports the placement from the onset and reduces the risk of it breaking down.

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Good

Since the interim inspection in March, there has been a reduction in missing from home incidents. Independent return interviews are arranged, offering young people the opportunity to discuss the reasons why, and to look at strategies to support and help them. Staff have a clear understanding of their role in safeguarding and follow the local agreed protocols, as well as individual missing from home risk assessments. One social worker commented, ‘Staff work well to promote stability in this young person’s life and this has had a positive impact, resulting in a decrease in episodes of missing in comparison to previous placements.’

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Good

Behaviours are generally managed well. Young people are supported to learn ways to manage their emotions through implementation of consistent boundaries. Individual behaviour management plans outline behaviours and how these are to be supported. Risk assessments are included and monthly reports of the effectiveness of these are completed. While the documents record the outcomes in depth, the risk assessments are not at the forefront, resulting in possible oversight of some identified risks. The manager is currently reviewing the documentation to make it clearer for all staff to follow. That said, the staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the young people’s behaviour. Through positive encouragement, there is clear evidence of a decrease in negative behaviours. One social worker commented, ‘The young person has really developed since moving into the home. Initially, I felt the behaviours were so extreme that the placement would not be

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Good

sustainable. However, staff have provided consistent support and demonstrated that they are not prepared to give up on securing good outcomes for (name). This has supported relationships to be built with the family, with regular home visits and stays overnight proving successful.’

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Good

The home works well in partnership with other professionals who also have a duty to safeguard young people. This includes the police, social workers and the local authority designated officer. Safeguarding concerns are reported, with agreed action taken to secure the safety of young people.

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Good

The home is a detached property situated within a residential area. There has previously been significant damage to the home, including broken windows and internal damage. Although the majority of the work has been undertaken to make the home safe, there are obvious signs of wear and tear. Where emergency repairs have been undertaken, this has resulted in mismatching of windows, their frames and decor within the home. This does not provide a homely environment for the young people or encourage them to take pride in their home. Damage to the front patio has resulted in some of the bricks becoming loose, which could pose a risk of trips and falls.

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Good

Young people benefit from a consistent team of staff who, in turn, are managed by a registered manager who has experience of working within residential childcare, holds a level 3 qualification and is currently completing a level 5 qualification in management. He has been registered with Ofsted for a year and is the manager of both this two-bedded home and two solo placement homes. To support him within his role, a first-line manager works alongside him to oversee the day-to-day running of the home. The vast majority of staff hold level 3 qualifications in the care of children and young people. All have undertaken mandatory training which is kept up to date and includes safeguarding, behaviour management and first aid, along with other training to make sure that their knowledge and practice are current.

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Good

The manager reviews care plans and the care that the young people are receiving. He works in partnership with social workers and other professionals to provide a needs-led service promoting positive outcomes. However, he will challenge local authorities appropriately if there is a shortfall in the services being provided, for example securing educational placements for young people who do not have an identified school placement agreed.

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Good

The statement of purpose reflects the aims and objectives of the service. This document is made available to professionals and parents. It links in with the area risk assessment, which provides information about the locality including schools, hospitals, community demographics and statistics in relation to safety and crime. These documents are reviewed on a regular basis to make sure that information is current and reflective of the service. Young people receive a guide about the home which provides them with information about living there on a day-to-day basis, enabling them to have an understanding about the home and expectations of them.

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Good

Placing authority social workers say that the home communicates very well with them, and that the manager is accessible and provides regular updates, attends reviews and facilitates the building of relationships with young people and their families. One social worker commented, ‘the parent of the young person whom I support says that the home has made really good progress with her child and enabled them to build a relationship. The manager and staff are supportive and include her in her child’s care.’

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Good

Staff say that the manager is approachable and provides them with support for their role. Regular team meetings and individual supervision underpin their practice.

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Good

External monitoring of the home is undertaken on a monthly basis and a report is provided to the home. This includes an overview of the practices and any identified shortfalls. The manager responds to these positively and addresses actions in a timely manner. However, recent monitoring identified that the information provided to the host authority in regard to a recent admission of a young person to the home did not provide all the details required. The manager has not followed this up as required. However, although a breach in regulations, this does not impact significantly on the young people.

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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’. 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 looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 ‘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

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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