Children's home run by Educare Adolescent Services Limited in Cannock Chase

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 enjoy a stable, happy and secure home where they can focus on their own developmental needs.  The home is welcoming, comfortable and well maintained, and young people use the large garden to play and relax in.  Dedicated, child-focused staff support young people with warm and trusting relationships.  Young people have fun with staff who encourage them to engage in creative activities like singing, artwork, writing and growing vegetables.  Young people make significant and sustained progress in their education, independence, emotional well-being and behaviour.  Young people feel safe here and highly skilled, perceptive staff work with them to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe.  The registered manager ensures that there is sufficient staffing to provide young people with consistent care, guidance and boundaries.  Staff have up-to-date relevant training and the registered manager provides

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The children’s home provision is good because:

them with regular positive supervision.  Staff excel at communication and work closely with a wide range of professionals to identify and meet the needs of young people.  The registered manager constantly reviews the service and proactively seeks feedback from young people, parents, staff and professionals in order to drive up standards.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered for three children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is currently offering crisis intervention, and short-, medium- and long-term care for children and young people aged 10 to 17.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

01/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Young people benefit hugely from the welcoming and homely atmosphere. Since the last inspection, the house has been redecorated throughout and the registered manager has ordered a new kitchen. Young people have personalised their rooms and take pride in them. One young person is enjoying making her room very feminine and another has his well-cared-for pet gecko in his room.

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Good

The large garden offers young people the opportunity to sit outside in the summer, and to enjoy barbeques and the trampoline with peers and staff. Young people are happy here and love the countryside. They have lots of fun with staff and each other playing games, doing artwork, listening to music, walking in the countryside and going on outings.

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Good

Young people have formed warm and trusting relationships with the consistent and dedicated staff team. They are happy here and engage positively with staff to help themselves progress. Firm guidance and boundaries add to young people’s sense of security, and support their emotional well-being and behaviour. They make sustained progress in education, managing emotions, maturity and social development. Staff proactively support and encourage young people’s aspirations for the future.

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Good

Staff listen to young people and seek out their views, wishes and feelings both individually and in the regular young people’s meetings. The registered manager ensures that they receive written feedback regarding any concerns or requests, and young people feel that their opinions are valued. Young people know how to complain, and they have access to a wide range of information about their rights and the valuable services that are available to them, such as advocacy. Key work by perceptive and sensitive staff enables young people to address many difficult issues in their lives, including contact, relationships and experiences. One young person said, ‘It’s fantastic here. I haven’t been this happy in years and want to stay.’

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Good

Staff meet diversity needs in a variety of ways, including supporting contact in order to develop family relationships. Staff recognise that young people from different ethnic backgrounds value opportunities to visit towns where there is more diversity. Staff take young people on shopping trips to buy, for example, ethnic foods. One bilingual young person uses these trips as an opportunity to speak her second language. Since the last inspection, one young person has left the home to return to her family and then move on to independence. The staff undertook a highly effective programme of independence with her and ensured that she had a leaving party. She provided highly positive written feedback regarding the care that she had received during her two years here. This included saying that she did not like being here at first, but when she got to know the staff they made her feel good about herself. She went back to college, made friends and passed her foundation English,

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Good

mathematics, and information and communication technology examinations. She said, ‘My future is now bright. I plan to gain my GCSEs and go onto an access course for nursing. I am happy and looking forward to my future, which I would not have said a few years ago.’

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Good

Highly trained staff keep young people safe, and young people say they feel safe. Young people with histories of going missing or of self-harm no longer engage in these activities. They observe boundaries and work with staff to understand how to keep themselves safe. Two of the young people are vulnerable to child sexual exploitation, but staff and the rural location have ensured their protection. Young people talk with staff about risks, and are getting better at managing their own feelings and behaviour.

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Good

Staff undertake regular key work with young people to address a wide range of issues that affect young people’s safety. These include behaviour and consequences, sexual relationships, bullying, talking to people, involvement in gangs, risk assessments, mobile phones and family contact. This work helps young people to understand the links between feelings and behaviour.

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Good

Matching assessments are effective and the mix of young people is positive and works well. This reduces friction and challenging behaviours. Staff regularly review and update risk assessments and behaviour support plans to ensure that they are thorough and effective. Staff rarely use physical intervention, and then only as a last resort to prevent harm to young people or staff.

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Good

The registered manager updates the locality risk assessment monthly to include crime figures. Staff and young people are immediately aware of any changes in patterns of offending or local risks, and can respond accordingly. Young people have to earn free time by demonstrating that they can be responsible. They have to comply with clear boundaries and expectations when away from the home, and to maintain close telephone contact with staff. One parent said, ‘They keep him safe. He can now meet his friends, but he has to be on the phone constantly for staff to call him and he has to say where he is.’

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Good

Staff provide internet safeguards by way of filters for language and content, and by placing time limits on usage. Staff are realistic about the need for young people to learn and demonstrate responsibility as they move towards independence, and they allow more freedom with internet access when appropriate and safe.

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Good

The company has applied to vary the registration conditions for the home to accommodate up to four young people. The registered manager and staff have given safeguarding a high level of consideration, and ensured that there is sufficient shared space in the home for staff to separate young people if necessary. The positioning of staff sleep-in rooms allows support and monitoring for all young people. The registered manager is currently recruiting additional staff in order to meet the care needs of four young people.

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Good

The registered manager holds a level 4 qualification in social care, a registered managers award and a foundation degree in therapeutic childcare. He has managed this home for 18 months, and has achieved and maintained a good standard of service. Since December, he has also been managing another home in the group and has appointed a deputy manager to work with him in this home.

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Good

The registered manager has taken managing two homes in his stride. His high level of organisation and ability to empower staff and provide them with effective ongoing support has aided this success. This is a well-managed home, and the highly skilled staff are very capable. They confidently meet the needs of young people when the registered manager is at the other home. Staff work very well as a team and the registered manager comments that they come to him with solutions, not problems.

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Good

Information systems are efficient, enabling quick and effective access to valuable information. The registered manager constantly reviews and amends the home’s documentation to make it more effective and informative. The reports provided for looked after reviews are very detailed and informative, highlighting the development and progress of each young person. Staff support young people to complete consultation documents for their reviews, and to attend the reviews. The registered manager appropriately manages and responds to complaints. Staff take pride in the home and in taking responsibility for specific tasks, such as undertaking fire safety and vehicle maintenance checks.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that well-trained staff receive regular supervision that is both challenging and supportive. He is fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses in his team and uses the more experienced staff to mentor other staff and help them develop. He encourages staff to reflect on practice and the functioning of the service, welcoming observations and ideas, both in supervision and in regular team meetings. Staff feel valued and say that they are able to contribute to the development of the service.

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Good

The registered manager has created and maintained a very positive home where young people feel able to engage with staff and make real progress. He is child focused and has in-depth knowledge of young people’s backgrounds and care plans.

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Good

The registered manager proactively seeks consultation with staff, young people, parents and childcare professionals in order to improve the service. One positive change is that each shift now always includes both male and female staff members, ensuring that staff can meet all the needs of young people.

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Good

Staff work closely with a wide range of professionals to identify and meet the needs of young people, including therapists, the local authority, education and health. The very positive feedback from parents and professionals evidences the consistent care provided to young people and the high level of communication by staff.

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Good

The social worker for one young person said that she receives weekly reports and updates: ‘I don’t have to worry about her… I can’t think of anything they could do better.’ One parent commented, ‘We have always found everything very good. They have done him a lot of good. He has to toe the line.’ Another social worker stated that her young person baked a cake for her looked after review, and she contributed positively, ‘I have never seen (her like) this before. The home has empowered her.’

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Good

Staff are aware of the application to Ofsted to accommodate four young people, and they are positive and practical about the possibility. They express confidence that the registered manager can ensure that the changes are successful for all 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’.

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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 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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