Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Herefordshire

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 at the home provides high-quality individualised care that has a positive effect on young people.  Young people attend school regularly and are making good progress.  Staff support young people to lead healthy lifestyles and are fully aware of young people’s health needs.  Staff spend time with young people to come to know them well and to develop a trusting relationship.  Young people do not often go missing from the home.  The manager develops staff’s understanding of their practice by, using research.  The manager and staff develop effective working relationships with police, social workers and other professionals to ensure the best possible support to young people. There are some shortfalls regarding staff qualifications, and health and safety checks.

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that (1) children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that vehicles comply with relevant safety legislation. 14/10/2016

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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 if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained 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. (Regulation 32(4)(5)) 31/03/2017

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately operated children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for three young people up to the age of 18 with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Good 05/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/10/2014 Full Outstanding

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Good

Young people make good progress in all areas of their development. This is because they receive high-quality individualised care from staff. The interaction between staff and young people is good. Staff spend time with young people to come to know them well and to develop a trusting relationship. Consequently, young people feel comfortable around staff. They feel that they can talk to staff and that staff will listen to them. Staff spend time listening to their views, both on an individual basis and during group meetings. The registered manager takes appropriate action based on young people’s wishes. As a result, young people grow in confidence and self-esteem. One young person stated, ‘I feel safe and get on well with the staff.’

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Good

Young people attend school regularly, even those who have previously struggled to do so. They make good progress in school and engage well with teachers. For example, one young person is expecting to sit her GCSE exams next year. The home’s manager and staff work well with teachers to support young people’s education. They have frequent contact with schools and regularly attend parents meetings. Teachers and staff also work well together, supporting young people to participate in activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh awards. Consequently, young people know that the manager and staff are genuinely interested in their educational development and expect them to attend and engage in school. One headteacher commented, ‘The manager takes a really keen interest in the students, asking me the right questions that he should be asking, as a parent.’

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Good

Staff support young people to lead healthy lifestyles. They are fully aware of young people’s health needs and ensure that young people receive the help and support that they need. For example, they encourage and support young people to stop smoking successfully when they arrive at the home. Young people develop an awareness of how to keep them themselves healthy and have reduced their reliance on medication.

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Good

Young people are having positive experiences in the home. They enjoy activities in the local community such as swimming, attending the gym, going to the local skateboard park and going on trips to the seaside with staff. Staff support young people well to maintain positive contact with family and friends. For example, they take one young person back to her home area to allow her to maintain contact with her friend.

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Good

Young people experience good transition planning when leaving the home. Where possible, staff support young people to feel comfortable and settle in their new environment. They provide good support to young people who are placed at a distance from their families. Staff support young people to develop age-appropriate independence skills such as cooking, cleaning and doing their laundry. This helps to prepare young people for future adult life.

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Good

The home environment is warm and comfortable. In communal areas, there are pictures and photographs of young people, and furnishings are of a high standard. Young people’s bedrooms are comfortable and of a good size. They are able to decorate their bedrooms to reflect their personalities.

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Requires improvement

The manager and staff support young people to feel safe in the home by providing consistent boundaries that help them to feel secure. The manager acts promptly to safeguard young people. Recent refresher training and workshops, including on child sexual exploitation, have supported staff’s knowledge and awareness of safeguarding issues. As a result, they are aware of the steps to take to ensure that they keep young people safe from abuse or harm at the home.

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Requires improvement

Regular fire evacuations and health and safety checks help to ensure that the physical environment of the house is safe and secure. However, procedures to ensure the safety of cars used at the home are not robust. MOT checks on the home’s car have not been conducted on time and, as a result, young people have potentially been placed at risk of harm.

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Requires improvement

Young people do not regularly go missing from the home. Despite many young people having a history of going missing, there has only been one occasion when this has happened since the last inspection. This is because staff work closely with young people to develop their understanding of the risks associated with going missing.

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Requires improvement

The manager and staff complete impact risk assessments prior to young people arriving in the home. There is also a location risk assessment for the home that covers all areas of concern in the locality. This helps to ensure that young people are living in a home that can safely meet their needs.

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Requires improvement

Staff manage young people’s behaviour well. Behaviour plans and risk assessments are thorough and ensure that staff have a clear understanding of young people’s behavioural needs and the strategies needed to support them. There has been a significant reduction in young people self-harming. This is because staff support them in managing their emotions better. Staff use positive rewards such as reward charts that work well to improve young people’s behaviour and self-esteem. The recruitment process for all new staff working in the home is robust. This ensures that all those working with young people are suitable to do so. Staff check and supervise all visitors to the home appropriately to ensure that young people are safe.

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Good

The registered manager is experienced and provides clear leadership. He is in the process of completing his level 5 diploma in leadership and management. There are sufficient staff to meet the needs of young people and to ensure that young people receive continuity and consistency of care. This ensures that the home is managed and staffed in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Good

The manager and staff put young people at the centre of their practice and have a clear understanding of the plans for young people. Consequently, young people make good progress from their starting points across many areas of their development. One local authority manager stated, ‘I am very impressed about the home, how they are managing her behaviour and how it is run.’

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Good

The manager effectively supports staff during regular individual supervisions and team meetings. He develops staff knowledge and understanding, using research to help to inform their practice. For example, he discussed recent thinking on attachment disorder to develop staff understanding of the need to impose appropriate and relevant consequences. The manager and staff update their learning and knowledge through a training programme that combines face-to-face and online training to meet mandatory training requirements.

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Good

The majority of care staff have obtained, or are in the process of obtaining, the appropriate qualification to work with children and young people. This helps to ensure that all those caring for young people are equipped to meet their needs. One member of staff has not achieved the stated qualification within the required timescales. The manager is fully aware of this and is committed to ensuring that this is completed as soon as possible.

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Good

The manager and staff work to develop effective professional relationships with police, social workers and other professionals to ensure that the best possible care is provided to young people. One police officer stated, ‘The manager is more than happy to receive visits from the local safer neighbourhood team.’ Another professional commented, ‘I was impressed about their knowledge and awareness of risks, and the working relationship with the police.’ The manager is also proactive in challenging other professionals when he feels that this is required to ensure that young people receive good care. This was particularly apparent when he challenged a placing authority to carry out appropriate transition planning before a young person moved to a new placement.

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Good

The manager regularly monitors the activity of the home and has a good awareness of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The home’s development plan demonstrates his commitment to developing and enhancing the quality of care to young people. There is a good level of senior management oversight and good practice is shared between registered managers within the region. Managers share any complaints or safeguarding concerns appropriately with police and designated officers. Internal management investigations are prompt and thorough.

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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

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

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