Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

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:

 Transitions from the home are sometimes poor.  Behaviour management in the home is inconsistent.  There is a significantly high number of physical interventions.  Leadership and management are not efficient in monitoring and improving the care for young people.  Young people’s views are not embedded in the home.  Case records do not contain full information in respect of young people.  Staff supervisions are poorly coordinated and not undertaken within timescales.  Staff training is not bespoke to the needs of the young people.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people do not go missing from this home.  Young people engage in clubs in the community and enjoy hobbies and activities of their choice.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard (1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— (a) understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; (2)(b)(ii) protect and promote each child’s welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect. 27/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

7: The children's views, wishes and feelings standard (1) The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— (a) develop positive relationships with them; (b) engage with them; and (c) take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) ensure that staff— (iii) help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; (iv) regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. 27/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard (1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 27/10/2016 (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; (c) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this. 27/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard (1) The care planning standard is that children— (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 27/10/2016 (b) that arrangements are in place to— (iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; (c) that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

19: Behaviour management and discipline (1) No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (2) The following measures may not be used to discipline any child— Any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on— (i) a child’s contact with parents, relatives or friends. 27/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

20: Restraint and deprivation of liberty (2) Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. 27/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff (4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (a) undertake appropriate continuing professional development; (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and (c) have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. 27/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records (3) The registered person must ensure that— (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (i) the name of the child; (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 27/10/2016 (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered

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Requirement Due date

person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)— (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate.

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Requirement Due date

36: Children's case records (1) The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which— (a) include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; (b) are kept up to date; and (c) are signed and dated by the author of each entry. 27/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

37: Other records (1) Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. (2) The registered person must— (a) maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. 27/10/2016

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Information about this children's home

This private company children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people 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

19/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

05/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Young people’s progress and experience in this home are variable. Not all young people have good transitions when leaving and moving on to alternative placements. For example, one young person who had lived at the home for four years, went to school one day and did not return to the home. The plan was made by the provider to move him to an alternative home within the organisation. The placing authority had not given their consent for this move. As a result, a young person’s transition was poorly coordinated and not at all child-focused. For a short period of time the placing authority did not know the young person’s whereabouts and the young person did not attend his final day at school. The registered manager and staff acknowledge that ‘it could have been handled better’. The quality of relationships between young people and staff were observed to be positive. However, not all staff listen to young people and some undertake a

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Requires improvement

punitive approach to their behaviour. For example a young person said he has been called ‘pathetic’ by a member of staff but said another member of staff ‘is lovely and does not restrain me.’ Staff do not always offer sensitive and constructive advice or discussion with young people around issues that are affecting them. As a result, young people do not feel comfortable and trusting with all members of staff, which will have a negative impact on their self-esteem and confidence. Young people’s views are not embedded in the home. Young people are not involved in their care plans or risk assessments. As a result, they do not have an understanding of what they can expect from staff and what staff want to see from them. This means that young people are living in a home where there is uncertainty as to the expectations. This can have a negative impact on their emotional development. Young people’s health needs are fully met. They attend all of their routine medical

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Requires improvement

appointments and are supported to attend therapy sessions to help them understand their feelings and emotions. Young people enjoy healthy eating and exercise and benefit from life story work that is undertaken fortnightly. This helps them to understand and recognise their often traumatic background and the impact that this has on their emotional well-being. Young people attend school regularly. Some young people do not enjoy going to school and staff have stayed and supported them through the school day. However, meetings and key documents relevant to their educational needs are missing from their case file. For example, personal education plans and education, health and care plans. This means that young people’s educational needs are not being maximised to help them reach their full potential. Young people engage in activities of their choice, for example, going to scouts and trampoline club, horse riding, bike riding and video games. This helps them to

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Requires improvement

engage with communities in the local area, while building up their friendships as they engage in enjoyable activities. Young people enjoy contact with their families in accordance with their care plans. Staff support and facilitate contact at the home should it be required. This makes sure that young people maintain a sense of identity and family heritage even when placed at a distance. However, there is one incident documented when a member of staff told a young person he could not have contact with his family unless his behaviour improved.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessments and risk management are weak. They do not identify clear risk and strategies that staff need to follow for young people, for example, a young person made inappropriate sexualised comments about women, which were not challenged. As a result, there is a lack of preventative work with young people in order to minimise future safeguarding incidents and to change their views and thinking. Some staff are able to identify behaviour and risks. However, this is not consistent across the staff team. A lack of understanding of behaviour management puts some young people at risk. Staff have been unable to manage some behaviours that have resulted in unreasonable and inappropriate restraints. Young people’s concerns about physical interventions go unresolved and relationships with staff become compromised. The absence of vigilance from the registered manager means that there are delays in the home’s disciplinary procedures being formally triggered for excessive or

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Requires improvement

unreasonable restraints. This weakness in behaviour management has resulted in 129 incidents of physical restraints over a 10-month period. Some restraints have been inappropriate and do not meet the threshold. Young people say that they feel safe but quickly state that they ‘do not like being restrained’. This is also recorded in young people’s debrief following a restraint. The registered manager has not made sure that some follow up work is undertaken with the young person. Records of physical interventions are not undertaken within timescales. For example a physical intervention report was written up several days later and the young person could not remember how he felt. This means that there is the continued potential for inappropriate measures of restraint to be used, placing young people at risk of harm. Young people do not go missing from the home and are not at risk of any form of exploitation including child sexual exploitation. General environmental and fire risk

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Requires improvement

assessments are in place in the home. Fire evacuations and checks are regularly undertaken. However, the home’s location risk assessment does not address risk in the local area, for example a railway crossing. This does not make sure that young people’s safety and welfare are consistently promoted.

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Inadequate

The home has an appropriately qualified and experienced registered manager. She has a registered manager’s award level 4 and has been registered with Ofsted since August 2015. The registered manager lacks rigour and efficiency in this home. As a result, the individual needs of young people are not always prioritised. The registered manager does not identify patterns and trends from the significant amount of physical interventions undertaken. Nor does she address issues in staff supervision when physical interventions have been unreasonable and inappropriate. Young people are told that their contact with family members will be stopped if their behaviour continues. The registered manager has taken no action in respect of this and therefore young people believe this will happen. Internal quality assurance processes have not been effective as they have not identified shortfalls in the home. As a result, managers do not understand the

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Inadequate

impact that the quality of care has on the progress and experiences of young people and do not use this to inform the development of the home. Record keeping is poor. For example, young people’s records are incomplete and do not demonstrate why a decision to immediately end a young person’s placement after four years of living at the home was taken. Records, such as a management report where this decision was taken, were not available during the inspection. Staff supervision and appraisals are poorly organised, monitored and are not undertaken within timescales. As a result, staff are not supported or carefully monitored as to their suitability for the role. Staff have completed all mandatory training and those required to have completed National Vocational Qualification level 3 in residential childcare. However, bespoke training that meets the needs of young people who they care for has not taken place, for example trauma and

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Inadequate

attachment. As a result, the registered manager is not making sure that the continued professional development of staff is designed to match the requirements of young people. These arrangements negatively affect the manager’s ability to assure young people’s safety, monitor their progress and manage staff performance. As a result, the care and safety of young people is being compromised. The staff rotas do not detail the actual names of staff who have been on duty at the home. The home’s statement of purpose is not up to date as it does not reflect the current staff team. Managers and staff are not achieving the aims and objectives of their statement of purpose. One regulation remains outstanding from the previous inspection. None of the recommendations from the previous inspection have been met. Senior managers have implemented an action plan and as a result, there will be no new admissions until many of the shortfalls in the home are addressed.

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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 looked after children 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 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, 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

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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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