Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Barnsley

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Children and young people flourish as a result of the high quality, warm and nurturing care provided by staff. There is a family-orientated atmosphere within the home.  Staff enjoy spending time with children and young people and strong, trusting relationships develop. Children and young people form attachments to staff and allow themselves to be cared for.  Comprehensive care planning documents outline children and young people’s identified needs and plans for the future. There are individual and creative child-friendly documents allowing for children and young people to participate in care planning.  Staff pro-actively challenge education professionals to ensure children and young people receive the right resources and support. As a result of staff’s ongoing encouragement and care, children and young people become fully motivated to attend school.  Children and young people are actively involved in decision making within

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

the home, and this offers a sense of empowerment and belonging.  Risk management is robust and there are highly detailed and individualised risk assessments.  Missing from home episodes and other risk-taking behaviours have significantly reduced. Children and young people are kept increasingly safe and they benefit from the staff’s excellent safeguarding practice.  The effective use of rewards, incentives and behaviour management techniques has resulted in a reduction of negative behaviours. Children and young people learn to self-regulate their actions.  The strong management team and long-standing staff are committed and motivated to ensure that children and young people receive the best possible care.

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Information about this children's home

The home can accommodate up to three children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by an independent provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/12/2015 Full (aligned) Outstanding 24/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/11/2014 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

Children and young people flourish and make progress as a result of the high quality, warm and nurturing care provided by the eclectic staff team. Children and young people who are admitted to the home settle quickly in the family-orientated atmosphere. One child who has had numerous placement breakdowns said, ‘If you come into care you would want to come here.’

p.5

Outstanding

The kitchen/dining area is the hub of the house. Food preparation and meals together with staff are an important part of the day, offering a nurturing environment for children and young people. Conversation is encouraged and children and young people develop a sense of security and togetherness. A professional reported, ‘I feel (home’s name) is an excellent placement and a great opportunity for children and young people to receive the nurture and boundaries they require to succeed.’

p.5

Outstanding

Staff take a genuine interest in the children and young people. They enjoy spending time with them and strong, trusting relationships develop. Children and young people form attachments to staff and allow themselves to be cared for. A young person said, ‘They are a great staff team. They are here because they want to be here with us and not just because it’s a job.’

p.5

Outstanding

Children and young people enjoy undertaking household and garden tasks with staff. One child was proud he had made a planter. The creative and imaginative staff encourage children and young people to participate in group activities at the home. Children and young people develop peer relationships with each other. This promotes tolerance and understanding of others.

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Outstanding

Comprehensive care planning documents outline children and young people’s identified needs and plans for the future. These are completed in partnership with professionals, parents, and young people. Each child or young person uses specifically designed, individual, creative and child-friendly care planning books called ‘Life According to Me’. Their inclusion in care planning provides staff with valuable insight into children and young people’s thoughts and feelings. They are fully aware of the decisions, strategies, aims and targets of their care plan. They feel valued and included. The culture of openness and transparency forms the basis for communication within the home.

p.5

Outstanding

Progress is evaluated and new targets set through the regular monitoring and review of care plans. Children and young people have their own ‘My Life and Me’ care planning books. These provide a review of their targets with goals set in consultation with children and young people. They readily see and recognise the progress they are making. One child wrote, ‘I have changed from being here. The changes I have noticed in me are: I’m not robbing everything; attitude; restraints have stopped. I am good.’

p.5

Outstanding

Children and young people have personalised life-story books. Photographs, poems and pictures are included. In the future, this will provide them with a detailed account of their time at the home. This valuable piece of work can help them develop a sense of identity, make sense of their past and help them to understand and articulate feelings.

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Outstanding

Staff are pro-active and challenge professionals to ensure that they find the right educational placements for children and young people. Staff have close working relationships with educational professionals. These result in agreed co-ordinated approaches to developing carefully tailored educational plans for children and young people. This involves a re-integration plan for one child who has a history of disrupted school attendance while another young person benefits from excellent school attendance. As a result of the ongoing support and encouragement of staff, children and young people become fully motivated to attend full-time education and achieve their potential.

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Outstanding

Staff promote healthy living through educating children and young people and role modelling. Children and young people are involved in food preparation and cooking and take part in physical activities with staff. A trampoline was purchased for the home. Other activities include going to the gym, playing football, kite flying, lengthy walks and building obstacle courses around the garden. Staff provide situations and experiences for children and young people that will help them achieve success and develop self-esteem, confidence and motivation.

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Outstanding

Staff are sensitive to the spiritual needs of children and young people and endeavour to ensure that religious needs are met. One young person has been supported in attending church after she expressed an interest. Further education about different cultures and beliefs is provided for children and young people to develop different perspectives and understanding of others.

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Outstanding

Weekly residents’ meetings and key working sessions provide the opportunities for children and young people to discuss their own issues, concerns and choices. They are supported to make informed choices, are listened to and prompt action is taken by staff. Consultation about decoration within the home, including the personalisation of children and young people’s own bedrooms, takes place. This offers children and young people a sense of belonging and empowerment regarding the operation of the home.

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Outstanding

Rooms are vibrantly decorated and well furnished. Since the admission of children, staff have purchased age appropriate toys and artwork. The detached former education building is in the process of being refurbished and decorated to provide additional space for children and young people to have contact with their families.

p.6

Outstanding

High staffing ratios provide children and young people with support and supervision. Staff provide a living environment in which each child and young person feels safe, secure and protected from harm. Intensive impact risk assessments and placement matches are undertaken. The manager also has excellent relationships with commissioning teams to help avoid unnecessary referrals. This results in limited disruption to the children and young people already resident at the home.

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Outstanding

Highly detailed and individualised risk assessment and risk management plans are in place. They identify individual risks and hazards with very clear risk control recommendations. Risk management is robust and children and young people benefit from the excellent safeguarding practices. Targeted key working sessions provide safeguarding information to children and young people. They learn to understand about risks present in their lives. Children and young people live in an environment that promotes a strong safeguarding culture. Regular reviewing and monitoring of risk ensures the continued safety and protection of children and young people. A professional confirmed that the home keeps children and young people safe, saying, ‘It is absolutely fantastic, the care they are providing.’

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Outstanding

Missing from home episodes have significantly decreased. Children and young people do not regularly go missing. Prompt and proactive measures are implemented and staff make every effort to locate the missing children and young people. Excellent links with police ensure a co-ordinated approach and return home interviews are always offered. Relationships developed with staff also promote an open discussion when children and young people return. This provides insight and understanding as to the reasons for going missing. This knowledge helps prevent further episodes.

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Outstanding

One young person is at high risk of child sexual exploitation. However, their risk taking behaviours have significantly reduced. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about signs and symptoms and highly vigilant to changes in behaviour. Children and young people become more open and honest with staff. Frank discussions take place and sexual health advice is sought and provided. Staff’s tenacity ensures that appropriate therapeutic support is made available. One young person is addressing her emotional and physical needs and is now far safer than when she was admitted to the home. Staff have close links with drug agencies who provide specific training and advice. Young people engage with these professionals and, with support from staff, one young person’s substance misuse has significantly reduced. This has resulted in improved physical and mental health, regular attendance at school and improved relationships with family.

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Outstanding

The outstanding working relationships that staff have with children and young people provide a positive means of controlling negative and challenging behaviour. Clear rules and boundaries exist, with detailed behaviour management plans. The completion of these, with negotiated consequences agreed with children and young people enable them to start taking control of their own behaviour.

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Outstanding

The primary behaviour modification practice used by staff is based upon rewarding positive attitudes to effect change. The organisation’s psychologist helps staff to understand, and develop strategies to manage behaviour. This perspective allows staff to openly discuss their responses to individual children and young people which may have resulted in an escalation of the behaviour. Each child and young person has a ‘comments’ book which staff use to write messages in. These personal messages offer praise and motivation to children and young people who enjoy reading the comments made.

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Outstanding

Incidents of negative behaviour have significantly reduced. Staff have excellent de- escalation techniques. Physical intervention is only used as a last resort when all alternative methods have been exhausted. This includes with a particular child whose behaviour often escalated, warranting physical intervention. However, staff now use more appropriate means of physical contact with the child, who is now confident in asking for a hug. Staff provide a consistent approach and children and young people begin to regulate their own behaviour. One staff member said, ‘We always try to diffuse situations and listen to the young people. We build strong relationships so that they feel comfortable to talk through their difficulties and manage their behaviours in a more positive way.’

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Outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since January 2012. She has over 12 years’ experience working in residential care in both the care and education sectors. The manager holds diploma level 5 in leadership for health and social care and children’s care learning and development and a certificate in education. She has the necessary qualifications, experience and skills to effectively run the home. The manager is highly effective, passionate, creative and pro-active. There are many examples of her child-focused documents, which ensure full participation from the young people. The manager is assisted by a deputy manager, who holds a social work degree and can successfully deputise in her absence. They both have extensive knowledge of the children and young people. The strong management team works well together, is forward thinking and always looking at new ideas to develop the service.

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Outstanding

High standards set by the manager ensure that children and young people receive the best possible care. This ethos is also passed on to the highly motivated and conscientious staff team. One staff member said, ‘We continually monitor our own work and consult each other as a team to ensure we are providing the best service for our young people and meeting all legislation requirements.’

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Outstanding

New staff have a comprehensive recruitment and induction process. Staff complete a foundation award within three months. This is verified by the manager who is also a qualified assessor for the level 3 diploma award. The manager is keen to see that staff are highly efficient with their practice, reflective skills and recording before they are formally appointed. She says that the foundation award ‘is good practice for the actual diploma’. In addition, staff have access to an extensive array of training courses to enhance their learning and development. This means that they are fully aware of the various challenges they face and the most appropriate strategies to use to minimise risk.

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Outstanding

Regular supervision and team meetings continue the theme of reflective practice, with ideas shared among the team. Discussion takes place about new developments and changes in research. Training is sourced to provide information about specific issues affecting the children and young people at the home. Staff are sensitively challenged about their practice and performance but feel able to express their views and opinions. There is a long-standing staff team that works well together.

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Outstanding

Robust and transparent management oversight is aided by the manager’s effective internal monitoring systems. Additional external monitoring of the service takes place through the monthly independent visits. The company’s regional registered managers also visit each other’s homes and complete a thorough internal inspection. This provides additional checks and new ideas are shared between the homes. The manager is also effective at obtaining feedback from others to feed into her Regulation 45 review.

p.9

Outstanding

Strong working relationships between the home and external stakeholders are clearly evident. Professional stakeholders and families speak highly of the home. One parent said, ‘Staff are amazing. I can’t fault them. They keep me updated. If the social worker is not doing something, they will chase and do things themselves.’

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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 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

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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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