Children's Home run by Break Charity in Cambridgeshire

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:

 Staff complete an assessment of each child before they come to live in this home. This means that staff know and understand the child’s needs from the outset.  Children are supported well and are making good progress because they live in this home.  A stable staff group offers children consistency and commitment. This helps the children to develop particularly good relationships with the staff.  Children have made improvements towards their education goals. All children have 90% attendance in education, which is positive progression.  Well-written transition plans are regularly reviewed. This helps to ensure that the children feel confident in their ability to become self-managing before they leave this home.  The acting manager, supported by the registered manager, effectively monitors the children’s care plans. This helps to ensure that children are making the expected progress.  When children go missing, staff search the local area in order to find them.

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The children's home provision is good because:

They act quickly to involve the police and other agencies to ensure that children return home as soon as possible.  Some staff have not completed a relevant level 3 qualification within the appropriate timescale, as required by the children’s homes regulations.

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Statutory requirements

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. The individual must attain 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. The relevant date is, in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls two years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home, or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 30/12/2016

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A registered charity owns and runs this home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

14/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Staff complete an assessment of each child before they come to live in this home. This means that staff know and understand the child’s needs from the outset. Comprehensive group impact risk assessments are completed to help the staff to understand the issues that may occur following a child’s placement and the potential effect on children already placed. These pre-placement assessments provide staff with information that helps children to settle quickly and enables staff to sensitively manage the transition to this home. These assessments are included in the care plans. Consequently, staff understand the children’s needs and help them to develop routines that support those needs. Children have good relationships with staff. They have regular sessions with key workers. This gives them opportunities to discuss their concerns with trusted adults. A placing social worker commented: ‘What the staff have done is commit to

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Good

him and offer him stability. They have been able to manage his behaviour. In previous placements, there had been a great deal of aggression and physical violence, but none since he has been in this home. There has also been a positive development in the relationship within the peer group.’ Children and staff access the support of a clinical psychologist. This means that there is therapeutic provision available to meet the children’s needs, should they require this level of support. The therapist also provides consultation to staff. This helps staff to develop strategies to manage situations effectively. It also helps to refocus the work that staff are doing to better meet the children’s needs. As a result, staff have a clearer focus on the work that they are doing and bring this understanding into their key-work meetings. Children have made good progress in education. Some have completed college courses in catering, and others have engaged well with school. All children have

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Good

achieved over 90% attendance in education. One child’s school reports: ‘The child tried very hard over this year to improve their behaviour and follow staff instruction. They are responding to staff in a mature way. They are working towards expected grades. We have very high hopes of their continued academic progress.’ Staff encourage work experience. One older child has been on work experience and is now moving into an apprenticeship in the retail sector. Because of this engagement with education, children are likely to have more opportunities in further or higher education. They will also have more skills when approaching the world of work. Staff provide nutritional, home-cooked food. Children put forward ideas for the menu at regular community meetings. These meetings give the children a chance to have their say on issues in the home. For example, ideas for the holiday included a trip to a seaside resort, which the children were packing for during this

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Good

inspection. Children receive support from staff to attend doctor, dentist, and optician appointments. These appointments and regular activities help the children to maintain healthy lifestyles. Activities include Cubs, 10-pin bowling and swimming. Staff hire a local pool so that there is support for children who lack confidence in swimming to gain this important life skill with the carers that they trust. Children also enjoy playing computer console games and going to the cinema. Children enjoy regular, planned contact with their families and friends. Staff promote this by transporting the children to and from the contacts and they supervise contacts, if necessary, to ensure that they are safe and meet the children’s needs. As a result, children have maintained relationships with those important people who can help them to understand their backgrounds and cultures. Children begin to develop self-help skills, working with the staff, as they move

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Good

towards the transition to adulthood. Pathway plans are adapted to ensure that the children can practise their skills in this home. Consequently, they feel more confident in their ability to look after themselves before they leave the home.

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Good

Children say that they are safe in this home. They comment on the positive relationships with the staff as being the reason why they feel safe. Placing social workers have no concerns regarding the safe-care practices in this home. Some children go missing from this home. When they do, staff act quickly to involve the police and other agencies to ensure that children return home as soon as possible. Staff go out into the community to try to locate them. They update the location risk assessment and individual risk assessments to include information that ensures that all staff understand these issues. Staff are aware of the risks of exploitation that may exist in the community when a child goes missing. There have been key-work meetings with the children about this. Consequently, the children have an understanding of how to stay safe in the community. There have been no restraints since the previous inspection, nor any notifiable

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Good

events. The acting manager has shared safeguarding information with the designated safeguarding officer for the local authority. A review of the records shows that an incident since the previous inspection was managed suitably. This follows concerns regarding an allegation from a child about another’s aggression towards them. Staff completed key work with these children and liaised with their social workers to inform them of the action taken. Staff talk confidently about the whistleblowing and safeguarding policies as the process to highlight any concerns that they may have. Staff understand the children’s behaviour and have adapted their work to manage the children’s behaviour. The home encourages good behaviour through rewards, for example extra activity money when children’s conduct is positive. Staff have also been better able to see the impact of these techniques through the recording and reflection of incidents. Recently, there have been more positive rewards than

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Good

consequences as children’s behaviour has improved because of this approach.

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Good

Currently, the registered manager is on secondment to another home in the provider chain. He maintains regular contact with the acting manager who has five years’ experience as the deputy in this home. The registered manager has the relevant national vocational qualification level 4 in leadership and management. The acting manager has supported the staff through regular high-quality supervision. This keeps the focus of staff on providing good-quality care to the children. Some staff have not completed a relevant level 3 qualification within the required timescale. The impact on the children is not significant as the majority of the staff group is established and well trained. The acting manager, supported by the registered manager, monitors the care plans for children to ensure that they are making progress. This includes regular file audits and reviews of the direct work completed with children. Consequently,

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Good

case records are up to date and reflect the children’s everyday lives and their achievements. Regular assessments of the children help staff to understand their outcomes and the impact that the home has on them. Staff send the completed assessment, along with monthly reports, to placing authorities to help them to update their care plans. Placing social workers comment positively on the good level of communication from the home. The acting manager has challenged the placing local authorities to ensure that pathway plans are in place. As a result, meetings have taken place to review the moving on plans for children. There is a strong and open relationship with the placing authority that speaks highly of the staff and their ongoing work with the children. The police also comment positively on the work in the home. The independent visitor reviews the care practices in the home and reports on aspects to drive further improvement. The acting manager discusses any issues

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Good

raised in the reports with staff to ensure that any shortfalls are rectified. The staff and managers review the statement of purpose to ensure that it continues to reflect the work in the home. There is a consistent and longstanding staff team in the home. Staff are committed to achieving the best outcomes for each child. They are nurturing and they talk with knowledge and warmth about the children in the home. This helps the children to have lasting positive relationships and stability with adults who listen to them and invest in them. Staff meet regularly to review the work completed, and well-managed handovers ensure that important information is shared to promote the children’s welfare. The registered manager and acting manager comment on the nurturing care that staff offer, and the high level of commitment from staff, as being the significant strength in the home. They believe that the team members working together and

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Good

supporting each other is a major influence on staff stability.

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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 whom 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, 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,

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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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