Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bedford

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 staff have established trusting relationships. This has enabled children to feel safe and to begin to reflect on past traumatic experiences.  Children are safe and become increasingly safe because of their placement in this home. Their missing-from-care episodes have significantly reduced.  Prior to placement in this home, all of the children had been out of or excluded from education. Since placement, all children have re-engaged with education, and staff support their regular attendance.  Children experience competent care from a staff team that is effectively trained to protect children at risk of, or subject to, harm from child sexual exploitation.  The manager drives the home’s ethos of therapeutic care, where understanding and meeting children’s needs are at the centre of practice.  Children receive predictable care from a familiar staff team that genuinely cares about the child’s welfare and works in their best interests.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The inspection also identified some shortfalls, which include training, ensuring that staff report safeguarding issues promptly and the need to develop empathy between children.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered person/s meet/s 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

13. The leadership and management standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) ensure that staff have the skills to meet the needs of each child, with particular regard to undertaking supervised contact. 06/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that staff support children in developing skills to have positive relationships with other children in the home. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the relevant officer within the local authority is informed promptly of all allegations that come to the employer's attention or that are made directly to the police. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)

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Information about this children's home

This home provides care and accommodation for children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties and who are at risk of or subject to child sexual exploitation. A large organisation owns and operates this provision.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

24/02/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

This home offers care to children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties arising from being at risk of, or subject to, child sexual exploitation. From the beginning of their placements, children make progress. This large rural home offers a comfortable and welcoming environment. It is a well- decorated and furnished home that offers large spaces for community living, and personalised bedrooms for private space. It represents a family home, where shoes are taken off at the door and those entering are welcomed in. Prior to placement, a robust impact assessment is undertaken. This considers the needs and behaviours of a potential resident against those children already placed and evidences compatibility. While planned admissions are preferred, the home does accommodate children placed in an emergency. For planned admissions, the home’s manager meets with the child, offering both an initial introduction and

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Good

passing on information about the home in pictorial form. All children receive a children’s guide on entry, giving them full information about the home’s operations and expectations. Skilled staff are quick to build rapport with children, and this develops into trusting relationships. All children spoke positively about their relationships with staff and all described particular staff they would seek out to speak to about particular concerns or worries. One commented, ‘I would give staff ten out of ten.’ The manager recognises that establishing and maintaining trusting relationships with children is fundamental in creating positive change for them. Although there have been some recent permanent staff changes, the manager has not brought in temporary changes by employing agency staff. She covers shifts with existing staff, to maintain the familiar and predictable environment for the children. The staff team

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Good

genuinely cares about the children, and this is recognised by some residents. One child commented, ‘One day I was really sad and was crying. She came and sat next to me and wiped my tears. I know I am cared for.’ The home operates a particular therapeutic model of care planning and managing children’s trauma. Fortnightly clinical meetings allow staff to consider individual children’s presenting behaviours and set strategies to aid progress. Children experience a unique opportunity to be involved in their care planning. They join the meeting and help to set personal targets. These include targets underpinned by areas such as establishing routines, social engagement or self-care, all of which are important elements of self-management and self-regulation. Children recognise the progress they have made since placement. They report changes in self- presentation, the choices that they make and social engagement. One child

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Good

commenting on past behaviour reported, ‘I would wear loads of make-up, I was moody, I didn’t go to school and I would run away.’ Another stated, ‘The home has given me time to think about what went on. I have thought about the people I don’t want to hang around with when I go back.’ All children placed spoke about difficulties in the peer relationships between them. Frequent arguments and volatile behaviour are particular concerns for all. There is a lack of mediation and reparation between the children. This void in the process of relationships building contributes to ongoing conflict. Staff support the children through individual key-work sessions, which offer them time for reflection and strategies for self-management. A particular strength of the home is engagement with education. Prior to placement, all children had disengaged from education. Some experienced a number of exclusions, some had not attended for months and others had

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Good

significantly truanted. From the start of placement, staff support children to re- engage. The home offers them an onsite school and supports older children with college attendance. All children now attend an educational resource and, since placement, have gained or are working towards entry-level exams. The home has contributed to children having better future opportunities and prospects. The children are encouraged to take part in activities and leisure pursuits. One child shows a particular talent in swimming. Staff encourage and praise this ability; they support her to attend sessions three times a week. Some children feel unsafe in the community, preferring to stay within the security of the home. Some struggle in social situations. However, staff work creatively with them, looking at their particular areas of interest to find appropriate engagement. One child has keenly engaged in voluntary dog walking. Staff support children to find their talents

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Good

and abilities to promote self-confidence and self-belief. Staff meet the children’s health needs, from providing a balanced diet and encouraging exercise through to ensuring that they seek appropriate medical advice and that medication is administered. Children are in good general health. They have engaged in appointments, such as medicals and optician appointments when previously they refused. The manager, staff and children work closely with partner agencies, such as substance misuse and sexual health. Their input helps to educate and address any presenting needs of children placed. Judgement grade

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Good

This home has a particular strength in keeping children safe. Because of living in this home, children are helped and protected and they become increasingly safe. Effective risk-management plans are in place and reviewed regularly. These identify potential hazards and the control measures required to minimise or eliminate potential risks. A one-to-one staffing ratio ensures the close supervision and observation of children. Without exception, all children placed had high levels of missing from care prior to placement. This placed them at considerable risk, including the risk of child sexual exploitation. However, since they joined the home there has been a significant reduction or ceasing of missing-from-care episodes. The organisation has robust missing-from-care procedures. Staff effectively execute these, and their close working relationship with the local police means that any potential missing-from-

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Good

care episode receives a rapid response. The police commented, ‘Staff know the children well and they know their risks.’ Staff responses reduce risk and safeguard children. Staff promote positive behaviour through the sound relationships that exist between them and the children. The need for staff to physically intervene to manage behaviour has significantly reduced as children begin to self-regulate and develop self-control. Staff implement a positive and negative consequence style of behaviour management. Rewarding and praising positive behaviour offers an encouraging role-modelling approach. Children’s past trauma often emerges through confrontational and aggressive behaviour. At times, this results in injury or damage to property. Staff do not criminalise this behaviour. They are empathetic to the experiences that the children have suffered and recognise their impact. The organisation has sound safeguarding processes in place. The manager

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Good

completely executes and adheres to the process. However, during this review period, staff have not fully executed the procedure on two occasions. The manager has addressed this issue to ensure compliance. However, a planned training course with the designated officer is yet to take place. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager has significant experience of working in the residential care sector, having worked as both a practitioner and manager. She has been a registered manager in different settings for the past ten years and became the registered manager in this home in October 2015. Although she is already suitably qualified to hold this position, she is undertaking the level 5 diploma in leadership and management as part of her ongoing professional development. New staff undergo robust recruitment and selection processes to ensure their suitability to work with the vulnerable children placed in the home. A well- established induction programme provides these staff with knowledge and understanding of the organisation’s operations and the effective running of the home. A core-training programme ensures that staff have the essential knowledge to provide appropriate care to children. The organisation offers a full programme of ongoing training to meet staff’s

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Good

developmental needs. As this home offers care and accommodation for children at risk of, or subject to, harm of child sexual exploitation, staff undertake a full programme of training in this area of childcare. This facilitates their knowledge and understanding to deliver appropriate care to children placed. Due to possible associated risks, the home undertakes supervised contact between the children and their families to enable and promote family contact. However, staff have not received training in this complex area of work and, thus, are not as fully equipped as they could be to manage this aspect of care. Staff receive regular effective supervision. In these sessions, staff discuss such matters as the children in placement, safeguarding and professional development. Staff also have space for professional and personal reflection. This allows staff to consider the impact that working with children’s trauma has on them personally

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Good

and professionally. This has successfully enabled some staff to realise that this line of work is not for them and helped them to move on. Although this has created some recent staff changes, a core team of skilled and committed staff continues to deliver familiar care. Recent new recruits bring both residential care experience and degree-level learning to the post. The manager has effective monitoring tools in place, which aid the delivery of this successful service. She has a clear vision of service delivery, placing children at the centre of practice, to ensure that staff meet their individual holistic needs and safeguard their welfare. The home works very well with the wider professional team around the child. It also engages the services of local providers to work directly with the children as required. Professionals speak highly of their working relationships with the staff team. One commented, ‘Communication is very good. I receive weekly reports, and

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Good

staff keep me fully updated.’ Another added, ‘I am very positive about my working relationship with the home. They do everything they say they will and follow through on all actions.’ Effective practice and an open relationship help the professional team to build trust in the home. One external professional commented, ‘It’s their whole approach. It’s a relief to know she [the child] is safe and I can rest easy. It’s the same for her family.’

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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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