Children's home run by Cambridgeshire County Council in Cambridge

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Changes in the staff team, including the retirement of a well-established registered manager and the placement of the assistant manager to an interim post, have meant that there has been a lack of proper management, oversight and monitoring in the home.  There are gaps in recording, and in care plans and risk assessments which are not regularly reviewed and updated. As a result, information about children’s progress or any new needs has not been assessed systematically.  Staff recruitment records are not complete, with gaps in starting dates, employment history and interview notes.  Details regarding staff training is kept in different places in the home. This does not lead to an efficient tracking of information.

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The children's home strengths

 The children living in the home have made clear progress from very difficult starting points in many aspects of their lives. Positive interaction with staff has led to improved behaviour and a reduction in the number and intensity of negative incidents.  Staff and managers are vigorous in advocating for children who are not achieving good outcomes, particularly in terms of accessing education or health. Staff work with children in a therapeutic way, developing relationships and addressing past traumas so the children feel secure and valued.  Dynamic and consistent relationships with other agencies in the community mean that there is a coordinated response to keeping the children safe. Information is shared promptly, and concerns are dealt with effectively.  Families comment positively on their working relationship with staff. They feel valued and are kept regularly informed of any incidents. Staff

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The children's home strengths

understand that children value their relationships with their families and support their contact arrangements.

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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 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 with particular reference to leading and developing a culture of improvement and monitoring children’s written records, the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 12/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(a)(b)(d)) 12/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 12/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the team provides high quality care for all children living in the home with particular reference to providing a clear sense of direction for staff, driving improvement, developing a culture of ambition and aspiration and promoting positive outcomes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  Ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home's records as 'living documents' supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis, with particular reference to ensuring that plans are up to date, detailed and specific, and make particular reference to the views of the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Information about this children's home

This home is run by the local authority. The home is registered to provide residential care for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/07/2015 Full Requires improvement 09/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/08/2014 Full Adequate

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Requires improvement

The service has been affected by changes in the management team. The previous long-standing manager has now retired, although she continues to offer some support and management cover. The deputy, who has now been registered with Ofsted as manager, was asked to cover an interim post elsewhere in the county for several months. This coincided with a very busy period of admissions to the home, over the summer months. No child has been placed at risk during this period and staff and managers have worked hard to provide a stable and secure environment for the children. However, the new management team has not had the opportunity to assess practice, identify progress and drive improvement in a focused way. For example, there are a number of gaps in case recording; and some risk assessments and care plans need to be reviewed and updated. As a result, children’s needs or achievements are not routinely acknowledged.

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Requires improvement

Many children come to the home with complex needs and a history of poor results in education. However, while such children have been living in the home there has been limited progress in improving these outcomes. This is in spite of it being clear that staff and managers have made vigorous efforts to improve the service the children receive. For instance, where possible they are in contact with educational providers before a child arrives at the home. In addition, staff and managers insist on regular daily routines so that children are ready for the school day. A member of the virtual school staff said: ‘I have always found staff motivated and there is good joint working. This is not easy, as a lot of children are on the edges of education. They don’t rely on my team to be the mediator, and this is a very good thing – they make daily contact and will challenge certain providers.’

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Requires improvement

Other children have been waiting for specialist therapeutic health assessments to be arranged, which will inform future plans. Staff and managers are aware of the delays, and have been assertive in disputing the hold-ups, bringing them to the attention of senior managers. External professional’s comment that staff are proactive, recognising that children’s volatile and destructive behaviour may reflect past trauma. Staff think creatively about how they can offer support to a child to help them come to terms with a difficult past by developing a more positive relationship. The children appreciate their efforts and it helps them feel more secure.

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Requires improvement

Children are treated with respect. For instance, managers place a high priority on providing a homely and comfortable environment where the children can learn to take pride in their surroundings. Mealtimes are especially important, and a housekeeper provides attractive home-cooked meals. All children are expected to attend, and discussions about issues, both minor and important, take place in a natural way. Even when the children have left the home, staff recognise that they still need support. One social worker said about a child who had recently moved out: ‘I rang the home and they were so good. They contacted all the main people that knew him, they visited him out and had coffee with him – they really made a difference to him. This supported him through a really difficult time, and he is now more on track.’

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Requires improvement

The children have contact with their families, who speak positively of the working relationship they have with staff, and staff keep the families informed of events. Children see their families confirm that staff are supportive and helpful in maintaining relationships which are important to them.

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Good

Many children arrive with complex needs and a history of placement breakdown. They make progress against their starting points because they are looked after by staff who are insightful about them. For instance, staff insist that when children go outside the home, they must tell them where they are. Some children can find this mystifying, and it can lead to contradictory responses. One child told staff: ‘I feel really loved here.’ A few days later, the same child complained to the inspector that she could not understand why staff insisted on knowing where she was and coming out to see her. Nevertheless, the number of instances of children going missing has dropped significantly as a result of this resolute approach, and children are safeguarded.

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Good

Children feel safe because they have had the opportunity to develop trusting relationships with adults who take their views seriously. Children know what to expect, for instance one child told the inspector that he loved to ride his bike. He said that a member of staff had gone out with him until they were sure that he knew what to do, but that now he goes out on his own. Staff respond to a safeguarding concerns promptly and confidently. In particular, staff and managers are mindful of the need to be vigilant about internet safety. They work with children to ensure that they use electronic devices safely and monitor how much children are accessing the media. In time, this means that children learn to look after themselves and use the internet safely.

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Good

Staff and managers work closely with the local police teams to ensure that information about concerns in the community are updated. For instance, some vulnerable children, including children from the home, were associating with a local person who was believed to be a risk. Police and staff across the local community liaised closely together and a formal legal notice was served which prevented further contact. As a result, children in this and other homes in the area were safeguarded.

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Good

A significant number of children have been admitted to the home since the last full inspection on an emergency or short-term basis. On occasion, paperwork has not been sufficiently detailed about background history or risks. The management team has been assertive in checking about the needs of new arrivals so that the current group is kept safe. In addition, staff develop their own safety plan for children, which balances known risks with management strategies. Children participate fully in these discussions, and their views, especially any known triggers, are included in the plans. However, managers are not reviewing the plans consistently to ensure that they record up-to-date, detailed and specific actions for staff. Staff and managers meet frequently to discuss individual progress in supervision, team meetings and handovers, so children are not at risk as a consequence of this shortfall. However, it is a missed opportunity to record changes and improvements

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Good

On occasion, children have exhibited very challenging behaviour, including incidents where staff have had to ask for police assistance. However, generally the response from staff is carefully calibrated not to provoke a deterioration in behaviour, but to contain and de-escalate an agitated child. For instance, during one particularly stormy episode a child caused criminal damage and assaulted staff. This was followed up with restorative meeting between the child and the worker she had attempted to harm, who later reported:

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Good

‘She approached me and said sorry. I was challenging about her responsibility, that she had made choices including to hurt me. I didn’t just let her off lightly. It’s been better since. My relationship with her means that we will talk something through.’ This thoughtful and resolute approach has led to a reduction in negative incidents, especially attempted assaults on staff.

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Requires improvement

The home is now led by a newly registered manager after a gap of over 26 weeks. During this time, there were sufficient arrangements made to ensure that no child was at risk, however staff and children have not benefitted from a single vision to settle the home and drive improvement. The new manager has enrolled on an NVQ level 5 and is due to finish in two years. He has over 15 years’ experience of working in the field of residential care, including a significant period as assistant manager. Managers place a high value on professional development, and the staff group are either qualified to NVQ level 3 or due to finish the course in December 2016. The children have benefited from being cared for by staff who have a theoretical and professional framework to guide their practice.

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Requires improvement

The management team reviews the quality of care in the home, using feedback from families, social workers and external professionals. However, recording in case files and risk assessments is not consistently reviewed. The result is that there are gaps in case notes, targets are not specific and assessments not updated. Negative incidents have not been consistently reviewed, to ensure that the records are complete and that the views of children are included. Staff and managers accept that this shortfall needs urgent improvement.

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Requires improvement

There are gaps in some of the staff recruitment files, in relation to copies of qualifications, interview notes and full employment history. In addition, records of staff training are not all held in one place, and, consequently, the manager is not able to ascertain effectively what training staff have and what needs to be refreshed. This is not a productive use of management time. These shortfalls do not place children at immediate risk. The staff group is stable and secure. Training records for individual members of staff do hold more accurate information. However, staff and managers acknowledge that these records need to be combined, so that they provide clear and up-to-date records of staff training needs.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant number of short-term and emergency admissions, including several overnight referrals from the police. This has proved disruptive for staff and children. Managers in the home appreciate the importance of balancing the expectations of the home, as set out in the statement of purpose, with the fact that for children living there, this is their home. They have been very assertive in arguing that any admissions should be consistent with the principle aim of the home, which is to provide a safe and secure base. Senior managers have acknowledged this, and the number of emergency referrals has reduced.

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Requires improvement

The staff team works closely and positively together. Staff speak highly of their managers, in particular of a reflective style of supervision which enables them to consider the impact of such intense work on them personally. A regular cycle of information through twice-daily handovers, weekly team meetings and monthly sessions with a consultant psychologist help them sustain the effort. On occasion, specialist practitioners will come to staff meetings to discuss working with children with particular needs, giving good practical advice on how to communicate and build a rapport. One external professional said that the team was: ‘The most reflective, thoughtful and consistently kind team I have ever worked with.’ Staff and managers have developed notable partnerships with families and other agencies in the community, which have led to positive outcomes for vulnerable children. Parents speak highly of the ability of staff and managers to make a

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Requires improvement

difference with very troubled children, given their starting points. The mother of one child said: ‘She is very troubled. She likes to see how far she can push people. The first two weeks had been very stormy but she is much calmer.’

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Requires improvement

Regular meetings with other local providers and the police ensure that information is shared consistently and that appropriate action is taken. For instance, in one case a child was missing from education and reported to be working in a local shop. A multi-agency team followed this up, and the situation resolved speedily.

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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

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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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