Children's home 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:

 Children and young people are happy in this home. They make very good progress in their education, personal hygiene, independence and communication skills, self-esteem and confidence.  Children and young people enjoy a range of activities. Staff have a good understanding of how to communicate effectively with them and respond well to their wishes and feelings.  Staff work in partnership with parents and external professionals. This ensures a consistent, holistic approach which helps children and young people to make good progress.  Staff are competent, caring and passionate about providing good care for children and young people. They have warm and supportive relationships with them, which helps children and young people to feel safe and secure.  The registered manager is qualified and very experienced. He provides strong and supportive leadership. He understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has good plans to address identified shortfalls.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Areas for improvement include enhancing monitoring practice and ensuring that staff have written activity risk assessments to follow.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement and make best use of information from internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. This specifically refers to ensuring that staff record all incidents, self-injurious behaviour and use of the handling belt so that these incidents can be reflected upon, progress demonstrated and practice improved. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 54–55, paragraphs 10.23 and 10.24)  Children’s home staff should take reasonable precautions and make informed

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Recommendations

professional judgements based on the individual child’s needs and developmental stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. This specifically refers to ensuring that staff complete written risk assessments for activities that children participate in outside the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7)

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides placements for three children or young people who have complex learning disabilities. The service is operated by a large national private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2015 Full Good 03/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/10/2014 Full Good

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Good

Children and young people make very good progress at this home in a short space of time. This is especially the case in their education, personal hygiene, independence and communication skills, self-esteem and confidence. A social worker said: ‘He has flourished there.’ They are happy and build strong relationships with staff and each other.

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Good

All the children and young people have exceptional attendance at school. A teacher said: ‘He had very low attendance and now has 100% – fantastic!’. Children and young people enjoy going to school and staff have ensured that they attend the school that most suits their individual needs. Staff fully support children and young people with their education, ensuring that they attend all meetings and communicate well with teaching staff. A teacher said: ‘I have been very impressed with the communication from his key worker in particular.’

p.6

Good

Children and young people are helped to communicate using pictures, symbols, signs and objects of reference. This has meant that they have been able to communicate more effectively and therefore not become as frustrated. Some children and young people have developed their own ways of communicating, such as leading staff to what it is they want. Staff are very responsive to these cues, demonstrating that they have a good understanding and respond well to the wishes of children and young people. Furthermore, they have many opportunities to contribute their views and wishes about how they should be cared for on a day- to-day basis.

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Good

The health of children and young people is promoted. Staff liaise with appropriate healthcare professionals to ensure that they receive the care they require. Staff work closely with mental health services, which helps their understanding of the reasons why certain behaviours occur. This enables staff to implement good strategies to promote positive behaviour. Staff also work closely with physiotherapists and occupational therapists to ensure that children and young people have all the equipment and adaptations they require to become as independent as possible. Staff receive training on any new adaptations to make sure that they can manage these pieces of equipment safely. Medication is safely managed. Some minor administrative issues were discussed during the inspection and immediately rectified.

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Good

Children and young people are helped to become as independent as they can be. For example, some are successfully learning how to use the toilet, dress themselves and complete personal hygiene tasks. One child has started walking independently, which is something he didn’t do before coming to the home. Another has learned to sleep in their own bed and eat at a table. A social worker said: ‘They have boosted his independence and self-confidence. His self-assurance is a credit to the team there.’

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Good

Children and young people settle quickly into this home because staff put a lot of time into getting to know them before they are arrive at the home. This helps them to feel safe and secure and to settle quickly. A social worker said: ‘Staff were prepared prior to his placement.’

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Good

Children and young people benefit from regular contact with their families. Staff facilitate contact, whether that be in the home, at the family home, in a contact centre or in another children’s home. Staff have positive relationships with parents and work in partnership with them where this is appropriate. Families are welcomed into the home. Photo albums are lovingly prepared by staff for each child and young person. These make lovely keepsakes and add to the child’s understanding of their life in the home.

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Good

Children and young people enjoy a range of activities in the home and in the local and wider community. For example, they go for walks, out for a drive in the car, on day trips and swimming. In the home, they particularly enjoy playing on the trampoline, with bubbles and water. The home is very well resourced with art and craft materials, puzzles and toys. Activities help to broaden their experiences and increase their confidence and self-esteem. Staff, however, were unable to locate any written activity risk assessments. Nevertheless, they were able to say what the normal process for the risk management of activities is. Written risk assessments are important as they provide staff with good information about the risks they may encounter for the young people in their care in environments that may be unfamiliar to them, and provide guidance on how to reduce or eliminate identified risks.

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Good

Children and young people live in a homely, spacious house that has been adapted to meet their individual needs. They like their rooms, which are highly personalised. An occupational therapist said: ‘He is proud of his new bed and toys.’ The children and young people enjoy spending time in the playing in the garden. Rooms have been refurbished to provide fresh and light rooms that are low-arousal environments. This helps the children and young people with autism spectrum disorder to relax. Judgement grade

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Good

Children and young people are kept safe in this home. Staff follow good safeguarding procedures.

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Good

Children and young people feel safe and secure because they have warm and supportive relationships with staff.

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Good

Positive behaviour is promoted with the use of creative strategies. Careful, targeted intervention born out of detailed observation and knowledge helps children and young people to make good progress. For example, a child now sleeps in her own bed because staff observations led to the provision of a bed in which the child felt comfortable. This helps the child to have a good night’s sleep and therefore improves her mood and behaviour.

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Good

Staff are all trained in physical intervention, distraction and de-escalation techniques. Their understanding of the children and young people, as well as their competence in using de-escalation and distraction techniques, mean that physical intervention is rarely used. When it is used, it is for the shortest period of time possible and for appropriate reasons. Physical intervention is used as a last resort.

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Good

Vetting procedures help to prevent unsuitable adults from working with children and young people. Health and safety procedures ensure that the home is a safe environment.

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Good

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and very experienced. He provides strong, supportive leadership. He uses creative and imaginative approaches to inspire and motivate the staff team. For example, he is starting to implement a single behaviour assessment which is used by mental health services, but has strong links with autism spectrum disorder. He said that this assessment will help staff to have a better understanding of the young people and why they exhibit certain behaviours. This will then enable them to develop and use strategies that promote positive behaviour. He said: ‘A goal for me is to get people to really understand where this young person is coming from.’

p.8

Good

Staff are either qualified or undertaking an appropriate qualification, and are competent and passionate about providing good care for the children and young people. They have access to good training opportunities, which increases their knowledge and skills. Staff are well supported through staff supervision, appraisals, and team meetings, as well as informal discussions with an approachable management team.

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Good

The registered manager has very good monitoring systems which help him to have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. He has good plans to address identified shortfalls. However, some monitoring systems for children’s behaviour could be improved, for example, to monitor the frequency of self-injurious behaviour, use of the handling belt and learning from serious incidents. This will help to review risk management plans and provide evidence of progress.

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Good

Staff work well in partnership with other agencies. All agencies spoken with agreed that staff communicate frequently and effectively with them. A social worker said: ‘They’ve been fantastic. The communication has been very good. His key worker is very knowledgeable. Staff generally are very knowledgeable.’

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Good

The statement of purpose clearly sets out the ethos and objectives of the home. The document is regularly reviewed to ensure that it continues to be up to date and an accurate reflection of the home.

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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 the ‘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 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 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, 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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